Star Beacon
January 21, 2009 04:40 pm
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CONNEAUT — Neither rain nor sleet nor snow will keep the South Ridge Christian Academy kin-dergartners and second-fourth graders from their monthly visit to Con-neaut Human Resource Center for the Seniors Together Program.
“We have been going to the Seniors Together program for over a year. Both the seniors and the students enjoy it,” said teacher Shannon Fralic. “I think it helps on both sides and the kids always look forward to going.”
Students join the seniors for an afternoon of fun which includes lunch, crafts, songs and skits from the students and yes, even bingo! The trips to the Human Resource Center teach the children how good it feels to make a difference in someone’s life.
Fralic concluded by saying, “I always tell the kids that you never know what kind of influence you will have on these people’s lives.”
“T - togetherness, E - effort, A - attitude, M - motivation” has become the battle cry for the SRCA basketball team. Patriots shout this motto during basketball games as well as at the close of each practice. What the fans see on the court during a game does not just happen over night. It is the result of togetherness, effort, attitude and motivation which has been instilled through hours upon hours of practice.
Each practice routinely begins with the team sitting in a circle. There is a word of prayer, the team Bible verse (I John 2:15-16) is recited and the coach reviews game statistics.
“Coach says playing basketball is not just about running up and down the court, it takes hard work and effort,” said James Block, sixth grade junior varsity player. “It’s great practicing with the varsity guys; they teach us a lot. This is my first year playing and even though it takes a lot of hard work it will be worth it in the end. If we keep working hard I know it will pay off. I want to keep playing and hope to make the varsity team eventually.”
SRCA coaches encourage the Patriots to live out the meaning of “T.E.A.M.” not only on the court but also in their daily lives.
A surprise visit from William Brown brought diversity to the otherwise normal junior/senior high day. Brown and his wife, teacher Marilyn Brown, operate the Web site www. easy-science-fair-projects.net, a site about science projects and resources. Brown presented a Power-Point demonstration to the students, showing how fun and easy science actually can be. “The Science Fair Project” took them through a step-by-step experiment from forming a hypothesis and proving it to the final conclusion.
The experiment was simple enough that everyone was able to take part and before the students knew it, they were having fun with science and their project, “Paper Airplanes.” More specifically, they learned how many folds will make an airplane fly the farthest. With the rule of building the airplane of paper alone, students divided and set about making their airplanes. After the building phase was done, it was time for the exciting part: testing their models. Students lined up and launched their planes. Ralph Clifford Emus III’s plane, with seven folds, coasted into first place. In the end it was discovered that the planes with seven folds flew the farthest.
“This activity was actually a trial run for a book of lesson plans my wife is writing. I think the students responded very well,” said Brown.
Though the weather outside is frightful, SRCA students are working hard to chase away those winter blues. Spring is sure to come!
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