EMS Expressions M A R C H 2 0 1 8 V O L U M E 6 , I S S U E 7

Mini-Terms=Maximum Learning As many already know, every year EMS does a week in which

secondary students can learn skills that can’t be taught in an everyday class

setting. Mini-terms is the name of this event. This year there seemed to be

more options than ever! There was everything from welding classes to

college hunting. I chose to attend the Cake Decorating, Hands-on-Service,

and American Sign Language classes. Each of these classes was very

interesting, and I learned a valuable life lesson from each. Now cake decorating was probably not the most academically

advanced class I have ever been in, but it did teach me an important life

lesson! I picked a cute puppy pan into which to pour my batter. However,

when I went to flip the cake out at the end, it looked like my puppy had

forgotten his legs back in the pan. I have never been one to simply roll

over, so I made up my mind that this dog was going to be the cutest

Dalmatian puppy of the week. With a little extra icing here and one more

black spot to cover yet another mistake over there, my cake was almost as

cute as the masterpiece on the box. The next class on my schedule was Hands-on-Service. This is an

all time favorite mini-term of mine for the last four years, and I was excited

to see what it could teach me this year. MCC, Material Resource Center,

helps to keep landfills empty and make extra money for their mission by

recycling unwanted books. Most of the books were outdated school

textbooks, but some were children’s books that had been very loved on. I

pulled two books from the rubbish heap, with permission of course, and

took them home to see what they were about. One of these nuggets of gold

is a book by Patricia Thomas which is entitled “There are Rocks in My

Socks!” Said the Ox to the Fox. It may not sound oh-so-interesting, but I

have found a favorite line. “Why don’t you stop grumping and take out the

rocks? I must say I’ve noticed, the longer one talks, the less time one has

for taking out rocks.” Many times we lament over the small problems that

we have and forget that maybe the best thing to do is stop talking and start

doing. The final class I was in was American Sign

Language. In this class I learned a valuable

lesson on what it means to see things from

another's perspective and to be grateful. For

those who don’t know, American Sign

Language (ASL) is the language used by

most deaf or hard of hearing people in the

USA. We watched a clip on what life sounds like to these people, and I

must say that I am very grateful for working ears! Even though hearing a

squeaky pencil all the way through Bible Memory may seem annoying, it

is outweighed by the sound of your favorite song at the end of a tough day. All in all, mini-terms week was an absolute blast for me, and I

will be sad to miss the opportunity of learning all the colorful lessons next

year. -Tonya Rutt PAGE 1

Spirit Week Once a year the EMS secondary students

take a few days to dress up in order “to create and

add to the spirit of creativity and expression within

the community of the Ephrata Mennonite secondary

school body,” explained StuCo representative

Andrew Musser. Once again that time of year came

around, and this year it fell on March 13-16th. The

judging for the activity is split between high school

and middle school. The contestants compete within

their own groups to see who can dress up the best

according to the topic that was chosen for the day. On Tuesday students were tasked with

finding a partner within their respective group to

dress up with as similarly as possible, which is why it

is called Twin Day. On this day, the judges, or some

teachers and StuCo members, were looking for the

pair with the most identical details that made them

look like twins. There were many identical twins

there, which resulted in a close competition, but in

the end Lauren Fahnestock and Rachelle Wantz were

chosen out of the high school classes and for the

middle schoolers, Danisha Wenger and Miranda

Martin were determined the winners. Wednesday was the

day to dress up as

wackily as possible in

hopes to be the winner

of Clash Day. People

everywhere in the

secondary classes were

wearing crazy colors

that did not complement each other. As for the

winners, they were determined to be Averi Weaver

and Derek Zimmerman in high school and Owen

Zimmerman and Mikaela Alwine in middle school. On Thursday students traveled back in time

and dressed up as their favorite historical figures. At

the end of this day, middle schoolers Elsa Weaver

and Kendall Nolt ended up victorious alongside high

schooler Jordanna Musser and math teacher Mr.

Waldron. On the fourth and final day, students were

asked to team up with their class for a final challenge

of representing a country by dressing up in their

traditional dress. The winner of the final day was the

9th grade class representing the country of India. -Bradly Zimmerman

E M S E X P R E S S I O N S

P A G E 2

E D I T O R I A L

P H O T O G A L L E R Y

Commemorating March

E M S E X P R E S S I O N S

A C T I V I T I E S

March Mix-up

FIELD TRIPS

New York, New Experiences

More Gun Control: Not the Answer

A few weeks ago, on March 19th-22nd, the 11th grade class had the opportunity to explore what it felt like to be a student at the Mission Training Center in Queens, NYC. Though we were only there for four short days, we were kept very busy during our time there.

Shortly after school began on Monday morning, accompanied by Mr. Daryl Weaver and Donald & Julia Musser, we set off on the 3 hour drive to New York City. After a short stop for lunch, we arrived at the center around 1:00 p.m. As an opening activity, we quickly became acquainted with the city by being sent on a scavenger hunt in the surrounding area of Elmhurst. We were asked to perform tasks such as asking someone for directions, getting a stranger to take a photo of our group, and even asking someone if they know who Jesus is. The scavenger hunt served as a great icebreaker and aided us in getting to know the city and starting conversations with strangers. Later in the evening we

were able to tour a bit of Roosevelt Island and ride the cable car across the channel. Tuesday morning we engaged in some classes taught by two of the instructors at the training center focused on personal evangelism. To put what we learned into action, we split into two groups and went into different parts of the surrounding city to hand out tracts to people walking the streets. We set up a table with tracts, CDs, and Bibles in different languages to give to people who were interested. We were encouraged not only to give a tract to someone, but to engage in conversation with them about Jesus. This being our first attempt at personal evangelism for most of us, it proved to be very stretching and

a bit difficult to start the conversation. Later that evening, we gathered with the rest of the group and traveled to the Jackson Heights subway station where we set up the table with tracts and Bibles. While some of us spread out and distributed tracts, the rest of us gathered and sang worship songs in the subway. As we sang, people stopped to listen or take videos. If someone would stop, one of us would go out and talk to them and direct them to the Bibles, CDs, and tracts we had available. The experience we had of witnessing in the subway was a bit less scary for most of us. If someone would stop and listen, then we could go out and discuss the gospel with them with less fear that they would disregard what we had to say.

On Wednesday morning we engaged in some classes about prayer walking and then participated in some prayer walking in the nearby area. For our final activity, we toured part of Central Park and walked Fifth Avenue and then headed to Grand Central Station. There we split into groups and traveled to different subway stations and distributed packed lunches to the homeless people.

The trip to New York City was not only another field trip but rather an eye-opening missions experience for all that attended. As a student impacted by the trip, I can say that it was a much-needed, mind-altering venture for me. I am grateful that EMS gave us the opportunity to deepen our own spiritual life as we battled with questions and uncertainties about our own beliefs, ultimately impacting our beliefs based on truth and personal experience.

-Jenna Stauffer

E D I T O R I A L

E M S E X P R E S S I O N S P A G E 3

In light of the upheaval and pain caused by yet another school shooting in our nation, it’s

valuable to consider our response as citizens of the United States and more importantly the Kingdom of

God. Patrick, a 10th grader here at EMS, and his brother Kendal sent an insightful letter to the editor of

LancasterOnline which was published on February 26th. Hopefully it causes the Ephrata Mennonite

School family to carefully consider how each of us can avoid violence and actions that cause hurt or

anger for others. May we instead aspire to demonstrate the qualities of love as described in I Corinthians

13.

“We believe the reason we have mass school shootings is because of the environment students

are subjected to.

Some children are bullied at school; some are abused or neglected by parents and other people

around them. Some parents allow their children to watch horror movies and play video games that

involve killing people and violence.

Studies estimate that the typical American child will view 16,000 murders and 200,000 acts of violence on TV by the time

they graduate high school. Kids’ cartoon shows display up to 20 violent acts every hour alone.

In our view, the main reason a person commits a mass murder is because they are trying to re-enact what they see on TV or

in video games, or they are angry at someone for what they did to them.

We believe that the solution to prevent mass shootings is not stricter gun control. Parents need to raise their children

properly and be good role models for how the children should act in the real world. People need to stop being bullies and be more

inclusive with the people around them and be better friends.”

-Patrick Zimmerman and Kendal Zimmerman (student at Lititz Area Mennonite School)

Every Class Has One

P A G E 4 E M S E X P R E S S I O N S

Bible Quizzing Through the Eyes of a Coach

MONTHLY SPECIAL

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Tales of Tiana Once upon a time in a small Mennonite school in Ephrata, there was freshman class with an abundant amount of

girls. There was a grand total of 14 girls! This was the highest number of girls in one high school class in all the history

of the school. With having that many girls in one class, there was never a boring moment. There was always something

new and exciting to chat about, a cool new song to sing, or a funny meme to

create to make the whole class explode in laughter. With so many different

and colorful personalities in the class, they brought a lot of life, fun, and noise

to the school. Now I’m sure your interested in hearing more about each and

every girl in this unique class, but there simply is not enough time to talk

about each of these girl’s fascinating lives, so we will just pick one for now.

But hmm…who should we pick…? Oh I know! Let's choose Tiana Martin!

So here is the (very) condensed version of Tiana’s life. To start out Tiana joined Ephrata Mennonite School’s community in

the fall of 2017 as a freshman, after going to a public school and also

completing some cyber school. Tiana comes from a large family and has 7

siblings! She has four brothers and three sisters whom she loves dearly. Her

dad, Anthony Martin, is a pastor at their church and also an EMT. He is a

cool guy because he can help save people both physically and spiritually! :)

And her mom, Michelle, is a stay-at-home mom who does a fantastic job of taking care of the Martin clan. Some of

Tiana’s favorite things to do are hanging out with her many great school friends, spending time with her family, playing

basketball, and hunting. You may not have known this about Tiana, but she has had a very successful hunting career for

a person her age. On only her second time hunting, she shot and killed two doe within 10 seconds of each other. Now if

that isn’t impressive, then I am not sure what is! All in all, Tiana Martin is a pretty cool lady, and we are grateful for all

the extra sparkle she adds to the freshman class and the rest of the school. -Ashley Shirk

Dedication is a word often used within a certain context, sometimes in an unfitting way to the word’s actual

defining characteristics. Persistence, application, and zeal are words that bring justice to what the word dedication

actually means. Bible quizzing is a “hobby” that requires true dedication. As a four-year Bible quizzing veteran, I know

the dedication that is required in memorizing and reviewing 300 verses an hour a

day for over 9 consecutive months.

This year I was blessed with the opportunity to coach a quiz team

instead of being a quizzer as I had been previously. Through this experience, I

was able to come away with some benefits of quizzing as well as other takeaways

that quizzers, parents, and other people new to quizzing may not have thought

about before. The first benefit is the life skills that quizzing teaches. Time

management is a key skill that is necessary in order to become a true quizzer.

Along with time management comes the much needed attention to detail,

especially when memorizing each verse with 100 percent accuracy. These skills as well as many other small, but

important skills like sportsmanship and teamwork, are just a few of the benefits of Bible quizzing. Another benefit is the

social interaction from quizzing. On any given quiz-a-thon day, there is bound to be intense competition between

schools. However, this competitiveness, especially in a Bible-centered setting, seems to produce strong, lasting

friendships among complete strangers. The third benefit of being a Bible quizzer is the spiritual benefit. While the

spiritual benefit may seem obvious and something that can be achieved by memorizing any scripture, I would suggest

that Bible quizzing holds something more. Yes, you can memorize scripture effectively otherwise, but with quizzing, the

repetition and the inner drive to learn the verses perfectly can push a person to strive for complete excellence. Bible

quizzing’s tangible reward is receiving a trophy at the end of a quiz competition. When this does not happen as planned,

a quizzer can be extremely disappointed and sometimes question why they are Bible quizzing. However, at the coaches’

meeting at quiz retreat, we were given a timely reminder of the value of scripture in a short video clip from one of John

Piper’s sermons. It is easy to look to the trophy that can be won as the reward for all the hard work and effort that goes

into quizzing, but the true treasure and ultimate trophy lies with the placement of God’s unfeigned word in our hearts.

-Dylan Martin

I N S I D E T H E C L A S S R O O M

Navigating Nicaragua

P A G E 5

Learning to Serve Through Service Learning

M I S S I O N S T R I P S

You’re taking a random stroll around the school just to browse and see a little bit what is happening in each

classroom. As you watch Miss Birt teaching the first graders their math lesson, you see Kara Martin, a senior, sitting in the

back of the room grading a large stack of homework papers. Leaving the 1st grade room, you notice Elijah Masciantonio

with a couple of 5th grade boys sitting in a circle, taking turns reading a story. As you continue your walk, you glance into

Mr. Good’s office and see Tonya Rutt helping him enter some grades into SIS. You decide to see what is happening in the

gym. You walk into the gym full of 6th graders who are practicing volleyball in PhysEd. You notice Dallas Good is leading

some of the drills to strengthen the 6th graders’ volleyball skills. You decide to step outside and watch as Aleina Martin

monitors the many 3rd and 4th graders as they run around and enjoy their recess. You think, “Wow, that is really cool to see

the older students getting involved more with the rest of the school.” This year the upperclassmen have had the opportunity to put EMS’s slogan,

“Learning to serve,” into practice. A new “class” was offered at the beginning of

this school year that is called Service Learning. Service Learning is available to

any student in 11th or 12th grade who has a free period and does not need another

study hall in their schedule. They are assigned a certain class or teacher, and they

help with whatever needs to be done, whether it is aiding the teacher as they teach

a lesson or simply grading or making copies for them. This class is really enjoyed

by the students because it adds a little variety to their day and also provides the

opportunity to help and interact with the younger students a little more. The

teachers also really appreciate this class and all the students who help out in the

daily tasks of a school day. It is really cool to get to see the older high school

students getting out there and being willing to serve wherever it is needed. -Ashley Shirk

E M S E X P R E S S I O N S

Besides graduation, spending a week in Nicaragua for senior trip is the most highly

anticipated event for the seniors here at Ephrata Mennonite School. Coming up through the

grades and hearing all about the previous senior trips did not compare to the actual experience.

Likewise, as a picture of a sunset doesn’t do the sunset justice, the words written on this paper of

our time spent in Nicaragua may not seem to connect if one has not experienced it themselves or

had a similar encounter. On that note, be sure to talk to the seniors and/or the chaperones about

how senior trip affected them because although we were all at the same place, each person was

impacted in a different way. For most of the class, this was their first time out of the country and

chance to experience a new culture. As we neared the end of the trip and each shared how God

spoke to us that week, it was easily noticeable that this trip had a positive impact and not one to

be quickly forgotten. But let me back up; I am getting ahead of myself. To start off the week, we had several work projects. Split into groups, some helped

put a roof on a house; others built a house from start to finish; and the girls helped

to make baby bundles. The baby bundles were later handed out at the hospital

which was a highlight for us girls as we had the opportunity to hold some of the

newborns. As we worked in the poorer parts of town and experienced this new

culture, our eyes were opened to how these people live and how blessed we really

are here in America. The entire week was filled with memories of piling into the

backs of trucks, trying different flavors of smoothies, watching the sun set, and

running down a volcano. Bringing the week to a close, we had Kid’s Club Tuesday

night where our class acted out a skit, sang a few Spanish songs, and helped the

children with a craft. All in all, this trip was a great experience, and we could

definitely see the work of God in it.

-Kara Martin

April Calendar StuCo Update March was a busy month for everyone, including

StuCo members. With trips to Nicaragua and New York City occupying almost everyone, snow days canceling meetings, and extremely busy schedules for everyone else, it left us feeling stretched thin at times. However, we still were able to plan a couple of Friday morning devotions, a pizza lunch, and Spirit Week for secondary students. Spirit Week’s purpose was to add a bit more creativity and expression to life within the secondary body. This was certainly accomplished throughout the week, with many interesting and expressive people arriving at school each day. As we move toward the end of the school year, we as StuCo are looking for unique ways to cap off the year and also fulfill our mission of offering Christ-like service and humility to the students in a way that demonstrates that we are #ServingForAPurpose, as our tagline notes. Students can look forward in anticipation to what we have planned in the remaining two months of school.

-Dylan Martin (StuCo President)

Check It Out!

Learning to Serve

598 Stevens Road, Ephrata, PA, 17522

Phone: 717-738-4266

E-mail: office@ephratamennonite.org

Ephrata Mennonite School

Connect with us at:

@ephratamennonite

Ephrata Mennonite Student Newspaper

E M S E X P R E S S I O N S

With winter coming to a close and spring just

beginning, there’s going to be some exciting events happening

here at school. One of them just so happens to be our annual

Roadside Cleanup! This event has been happening for about

fifteen years and is not only a way to raise money for our school,

but also a way to teach students responsibility by doing their part

in helping to keep the earth clean. Last year we collected 395

bags of trash, weighing approximately 4 tons while cleaning 78+

miles of roadway! With our goal being $110,000, it will take all

of us working together to reach our goal by Thursday April 19th!

5th: Grandparents Day (A-M) 6th: Grandparents Day (N-Z) 6th: High School Girls Volleyball Tournament at Terre Hill 10th-14th: Accreditation Team Visit 13th-17th: Ministry Arts Team Choir Tour 16th-17th: 6th Grade Field Trip to Camp Swatara 19th: Roadside Cleanup 24th: Secondary School Achievement Tests 22nd: Ministry Arts Team Program at Cambridge Mennonite

Church 26th: 3rd Grade to Landis Valley Museum 26th-28th: 9th Grade Field Trip to Chesapeake Bay 26th-28th: 10th Grade Field Trip to Creation Museum 27th: 7th Grade Field Trip to Philadelphia 27th: 8th Grade Field Trip to Baltimore

High school winners of Twin Day