The parking lot was filled with students being reunited and sharing stories of summer break while parents stood in the wings taking photos and greeting one another.  Staff members were rushing around getting ready for another great school year and the office was a buzz with a flurry of activity. It was Tuesday, August 12 and a new school year was about to begin with a wonderful chapel service before students would head off to class for the first day of instruction.

The 2008-09 school year is off to a fantastic start.  We are asking for God’s abundant blessing upon this year. We are praying  –

• that our students will grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ; that they will be diligent in their studies as well as their athletic, artistic and leadership pursuits; and that they will look for ways to positively influence and impact their peers, the community and our world .
• that our staff will have a spirit of excellence and creativity in the education of our students and that they will effectively disciple and mentor them to love and serve the Lord. We pray that you would bless them abundantly for the service and sacrifice they each make so they can work and minister at JECHS.
• that our parents would continue to partner with the school in training up their children and that they would use their resources - their time, talents, wisdom and treasure to help this school ministry grow and prosper. We also pray that they would prosper for the financial investment they are making in their child’s life by enrolling them in JECHS.
• that the Lord would be glorified in everything that happens at Jim Elliot Christian High School.

 

Enjoy the slide show of our first day!

Jim Elliot Christian High School

1998-2008

Celebrating a Decade of Discipleship

Three of Jim Elliot’s outstanding seniors, Ryan Hayashino, Matt Howen and John Drebinger were given special recognition and honor during the awards ceremony for their sacrificial giving of their time to young girl with several special needs.  Many were touched and brought to tears as these fine young men received a well deserved standing ovation for their service.  Here is the letter written by this little girls mother:

 

This is an account of your wonderful young men and how they helped one of God’s little angels create a new perspective in life that has generalized into all areas of her life.  We are forever grateful. I sincerely appreciate all that your school has done for our little angel.  I hope the boys realize how special they truly are. In creating miracles and developmental milestones for a child who was otherwise left behind. Our little girl was born with a club foot and has had trouble walking all of her life. The left hemisphere of her brain through EEG scans revealed where the seizures occurred that created her four neurological diagnosis’s that have contributed to her lack of coordination and developmental delays. Feeling rather “different” seeing the neighborhood children ride bikes, roller skate, and  run at ages much younger than herself she started feeling left out becoming discouraged with life at age nine,  when four year olds had mastered skills she could not do.

 I contacted the society for handicapped children and adults and they bought my daughter a bike, and gave her one week pass to a special needs camp to work on balance. After that they said have fun and told me if she rides really fast it will be easier for her to stay on the bike without falling. I thought, oh great, I have had three knee surgeries and have three bulging discs in my lumbar spine and can not run; how am I going to help my daughter learn how to ride a bike? I contacted Jim Elliot High School and spoke with Kathy Martens stating my predicament and asked there were any of your students that might want to help out and run along side her while she is learning since I can not run?  Her smile brought such warmth and shortly thereafter you introduced me to a few wonderful young men.   With limitless enthusiasm my daughter met her new “bike coaches” and they started teaching a child who had considerable neurological challenges how to ride a bike!  Ryan, Mathew, and John did more than run along side my daughter as she practiced balance. They really poured their heart and soul into creating ways an Autistic child could relate and respond to their guidance..  Four days a week they found creative ways to teach her how to listen so she would be safe in a parking lot. Watching how hard to boys were working in the sun running along side a child who did not give any eye contact or know how to listen to them created significant safety issues not only for the rider but for the coaches as well.  One of the young men had to run backwards at a sprinters pace and yell - “look up”, so she would not fall over.  Another boy held the guide bar on the back of the bike, while a the third one focused on traffic to keep them all safe.  It was quite a circus to say the least but these young men kept at it and eventually learned how to communicate with her! These young men with hearts of gold found unfathomable amounts of energy, patience, tolerance, and kindness, for a challenge that was questionable at best..

I can not thank you enough for all you have done for our little angel she now sees the world in a much brighter light because of all the heart felt love you and your students have given sweating out in the sun chasing after a child on a bike who was still learning how to listen, talk, and most other common skills we all take for granted that she has had to learn.  Because of the patience and genuine love for one of God’s little angels, by listening to all of her silly jokes, she now feels comfortable around people.  She now talks in public instead of hiding behind me signing what she wants.  Now that’s impressive for a child who has refused to talk in public her whole life!    Because these young men really put on their thinking caps and created ways to communicate she is now talking…constantly. :)  

Your young men our well on their way to becoming great leaders because their hearts lead the way.  

We at Jim Elliot are proud of these awesome young men as well as the hundreds of other students who continually give of their time, talent and resources to many individuals and organizations throughout the community. We know that they will continue from here to lead a life of service to the Lord and to those in need.

On Thursday May 22 the JECHS gymnasium was packed to capacity for the annual awards night to honor students who have achieved excellence in every area. It was a wonderful evening of celebration and honor. Over $21,000 was awarded this year to Jim Elliot students for college scholarships not including over $110,000 that seniors have been awarded from individual colleges and universities! 

Congratulations to all our award winners!

Cash for College Scholarship ($1000) Lindsay Inscore

Freeman-Payne Scholarship ($500) John Drebinger

Lodi Rotary Scholarship ($1000) Heidi Hathorn

Stockton Fire Fighters Relief Association ($1,450) Michael Garza

Dr. John W. Drebinger Sr. Pursuit of Excellence Award ($500) - Kirstyn Cubangbang

Worship Team Service Award ($250) Sabrina Medina

Buhr Scholarship for Robotics ($250) Matt Hagan

Student Council Leadership Award ($500) Heidi Hathorn

Growth in Leadership Scholarship ($500) Ryan Hayashino

Dedication to Art Scholarship ($200) Heidi Hathorn

Bregman Art Scholarship ($200) Matt Howen

Drama Award ($200) Jon Taylor

JECHS Scholarship ($500) - Kirstyn Cubangbang, Chelsea Cornwell, Kevin Straw, Becca Mauch

Elliot Legacy Award ($1000) - Sabrina Medina, John Drebinger, Ryan Hayashino, Heidi Hathorn

Mascara Legacy Award ($1000) - Heidi Hathorn, Ryan Hayashino

Mary Crutchfield Memorial Scholarship ($1000) - Lindsay Inscore

Devotional Competition and Scholarship ($100) - Elizabeth Thiesen

Pinnacle Award – The Stockton Record ($100) - Matthew Hagan

Distinguished Student Award – The Stockton Record - Heidi Hathorn and Katie Neeley

ACSI Distinguished Christian High School Student Award presented in Academics, Leadership, Fine Arts, Athletics and Christian Service -

Juniors: Daniel Aartman, Joey Daniel, Travis Dodd, Cameron Elmore, Jessica Fong, Nicole Gonzales, Eliya Hooks, Brandon Ivy, Devin Keskeys, Charity King, Stephen Lechner, Lizzie Oliver, Noelle Patterson, Lydia Siken, Elizabeth Thiesen, Mason Vickers, Laura Woodson

Seniors: Kristen Anema, Chelsea Cornwell, Chase Dodgion, John Drebinger, Matthew Hagan, Heidi Hathorn, Ryan Hayashino, Amanda Hoh, Lindsay Inscore, Casey Knierim, Sabrina Medina, Katie Neeley, Amanda Stevens, Josh Terra

Bank of America Achievement Scholarship ($2,000) - Matt Hagan

Bank of America Plaque of Achievement -

Katie Neeley for Liberal Arts Matthew Hagan for Science and Math
Allen Worcester for Applied Arts Lindsay Inscore for Fine Arts

Bank of America Certificate of Achievement

Matt Howen – Art Will Singh - Foreign Language (ASL)
Rachel DeAngelis - Computer Studies John Drebinger - History
Jon Taylor – Drama Amanda Hoh - Mathematics
Amanda Stevens – English Kirstyn Cubangbang - Religious Studies
Matt Hagan - Foreign Language (Spanish) Katie Neeley - Science

National Association of Secondary School Principals Leadership Award - John Drebinger III

Student Council Leadership Awards -

2007-08 Student Council: John Drebinger, Sabrina Medina, Heidi Hathorn, Morgan Hausauer, Matt Howen, Elizabeth Thiesen, Eliya Hooks, Ryan Hayashino, Lizzie Oliver, Josh Terra, Travis Dodd, Andrew Cotton, Ana Martinez, Katie Neeley, Matt Hagan, Kevin Straw

2008-09 Student Council: Travis Dodd, Mason Vickers, Lizzie Oliver, Kari McKinnon, Chiles Wilson, Emily Buhrkuhl, Sam Towne, Justine Chacon, Elizabeth Thiesen, Andrew Cotton, Ana Martinez, Emily Nitschke, Charity King, Kelsey Walters, Anthony Galletta

Outstanding Community Service Awards (Interact) - Heidi Hathorn, Mason Vickers, Kristen Anema, Kelsey Walters, Morgan Hausauer, Lauren Talley

Special recognition: Ryan Hayashino, Matt Howen, John Drebinger

Martens Family Scholarships - Heidi Hathorn ($100), Ryan Hayashino ($50), John Drebinger ($50), Kristen Anema ($50), Lauren Talley ($50)

California Scholarship Federation Life Membership Award - Kristen Anema, Kirstyn Cubangbang, John Drebinger, Matt Hagan, Heidi Hathorn, Matt Howen, Sabrina Medina, Katie Neeley, Amanda Stevens, Josh Terra, Allen Worcester

CSF Seymour Memorial Award and Scholarship ($1,500) - Sabrina Medina

ACSI Creative Writing Festival

White Ribbon Good: Stephen Lechner
Red Ribbon Excellent: Bekah Elliott, Melina Lomeli, Rebecca Mauch, Michael Nunez
Blue Ribbon Superior: Daniel Aartman, Katie Copeland, Nicole Gonzales, Adam Koehler

ACSI Speech Meet

Bronze Medal (3rd place): Readers’ Theatre – Leslie Huber, Drew Musgrave, Sam Towne, Max Dodgion, Joey Van Meter, & Jonathan Wall
Silver Medal (2nd place): Nathan Fickert for Impromptu
Gold Medal (1st place): Travis Dodd for Homiletic Devotional & Max Dodgion for Impromptu

Wendy’s High School Heisman Award - Matt Hagan (State Finalist)

Golden Eagle Award with McDonald Character in Athletics Scholarship ($250)
Matt Hagan
Heidi Hathorn
Amanda Stevens

Dale Lacky/GMC Scholar Athlete Award and Scholarship ($600) - Amanda Stevens

Harvest Christian League Scholar Athlete Award (3.5 GPA all 3 quarters)

Phil Akahori, Katie Anema, Kristen Anema, Emily Buhrkuhl, Katie Copeland, Andrew Cotton, Brooks Coussons, Rachael Crawford, Stephanie Crawford, Megan Crutchfield, Joey Daniel, John Drebinger, Jessica Fong, Paul Goossens, Matt Hagan, Heidi Hathorn, Jade Hensley-Elliot, Matt Howen, Lindsay Inscore, Devin Keskeys, Luke LaRue, Stephen Lechner, Ana Martinez, Sabrina Medina, Andrew Musgrave, Kristen Neeley, Tyler Nuss, Lizzie Oliver, Cameron Olson, Kaitlyn Olson, Tyler Olson, Alice Sokolova, Amanda Stevens, Elizabeth Thiesen, Jessi Towne, Cierra Tunquist, Matthew Vaughn, Danielle Villalpando, Jonathan Wall

Perfect Attendance Awards

Michael Garza, Heidi Hathorn, Fritz Huber, Lindsay Inscore, Luke LaRue, Andrew Musgrave, Kevin Straw, Elizabeth Thiesen

Henry’s Hero Award for no violations

Katie Anema, Emily Buhrkuhl, Amy Lambdin, Cameron Olson, Kaitlyn Olson, Casee Robinson, Jacob Siken, Emily Stanley, Danielle Villalpando, Sarayah Voorhees, Macie Ward, Megan Crutchfield, Daniel Holston, Nathan Huft, Jessica Krahmer, Kari McKinnon, Devin Keskeys, Stephen Lechner, Lizzie Oliver, Elizabeth Thiesen, Laura Woodson, Kristen Anema, Traci Borgh, Rachael DeAngelis, Matt Hagan, Heidi Hathorn, Lindsay Inscore, Amanda Stevens

Academic Excellence Scholarship (4.0+) $100 - Matt Hagan, Katie Neeley, Amanda Stevens, Heidi Hathorn, Kristen Anema

JECHS Christian Character Award

9th – Ana Martinez
10th – Sam Towne
11th – Lydia Siken
12th – Ryan Hayashino

College Scholarships:
Kristen Anema – Biola University - $5,200
Marlene Brandon – Chaminade University (Honolulu) - $4,500
Chase Dodgion – Academy of Arts (SF) - $5,000
John Drebinger – Biola University - $6,050
Yesenia Hassey – Oral Roberts University (Tulsa, OK) - $5,500
Heidi Hathorn – Corban College (Salem, OR) - $6,000
Morgan Hausauer – Azusa Pacific University - $6,000
Ryan Hayashino – Biola University - $2,700
Amanda Hoh – Biola University - $16,248
Matt Howen – Biola University - $5,500
Sabrina Medina – Azusa Pacific University - $9,800
Katie Neeley – Sacramento State - $1,000
Amanda Stevens – Pepperdine University - $28,000
Lauren Talley – Sonoma State - $450
Allen Worcester – LeTourneau University (Longview, TX) - $8,000

The Jim Elliot softball team came from behind on Saturday during the section final to beat Big Valley Christian (Modesto) 5-4 in a thrilling game that kept their faithful fans at the edge of their seats.

Ashlee Gaston got things going in the bottom of the seventh when she doubled to right-center to put the tying run on second with one out.  Jessica Fong came up to bat with two-outs and made contact with the ball - hitting a triple and then scored the winning run on a throwing error on the same play.  The league champion Eagles captured their fourth section title in five years which was especially sweet after a tough loss in last years final game to Brookside Christian.

Freshman, Emily Buhrkuhl who has been the key pitcher all season for the Lady Eagles (after the Senior standout Alaina Shull injured her ACL playing on the basketball team in February) did an excellent job on Saturday.  Alaina was released by her doctor last week to pitch again and came in as the relief pitcher during both the semi final & final games.  She was credited with the save in the final contest.  Alaina will be attending Cal State Northridge in the fall with a softball scholarship.

Jessica Fong and Kristen Neeley each led the Eagles with two hits and two RBIs and teammate Lydia Siken drove in two runs with a single. Emily Buhrkuhl also added an RBI single.  Leading Elliot hitters in the semifinal victory (13-1 over Valley Christian) earlier that day was Senior, Marlene Brandon who went 4-4 with two doubles, three runs scored, and two RBIs.  Marlene also contributed to the teams effort with an outstanding performance behind the plate and as a strong team leader. 

Last year when the team lost the section championship and this year when they won - the game ending cheer was the same - “Good game (the opponents), thank you officials,  Glory to God!”    That exemplifies the goal of all JECHS athletics - to bring glory to God and let His light shine to all those who come in contact with our teams. 

Congratulations Lady Eagles!

To read more about Saturdays game - click herefor the story in the Lodi News Sentinel and here for the Stockton Record

Several Jim Elliot students in Mrs. Elmore’s Speech and Debate class recently attended a speech meet in Fremont where they competed in a number of categories including:

• Devotional Homiletics
• Impromptu
• Story book reading
• Readers Theater

    

Many of the students medaled in their categories.  Max Dodgion placed first place in Impromptu (improvisational speech) while Nathan Fickert placed second.  Travis Dodd placed first in Devotional Homiletics (mini sermon). This was also his second year returning and his second year winning the gold. Nathan Fickert, Leslie Huber, Jonathan “Bubba” Wall, Drew Musgrave, Sam Towne, Joey Van Meter, and Amy Lewis, all received bronze medals for their parts in Readers Theater.

Congratulations to these students!

Jim Elliot Christian High School has two talented equestrians among our student body - Jamie and Sarayah Voorhees.

Jamie is a Junior and a cheerleader.  Sarayah is a Freshman and a girls Junior Varsity Basketball player.  Both were California state champions last year, national honor roll winners, and multiple world champions in their divisions.   Jamie specializes trail and the Western events and Sarayah enjoys the all-around which includes both the English and Western events, competing  everything from showmanship to goat tying.  Sarayah’s  speciality is the over fence events and she was the number one rider in the nation in all three last year. 

  

 The girls ride five to six days a week and sometimes compete from very early in the morning to late at night,  frequently multiple days in a row.  The entire family attend and compete in these shows which are put on by the American Paint Horse Association which is the second largest equine association in the world.  Jamie and Sarayah are planning to attend the PTHA and the APHA world championships this summer which will be held in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Fort Worth, Texas.  They will be representing their God, their family and Jim Elliott Christian School.  Awards range from silver buckles & saddles, to  scholarships.  Many top colleges provide equestrian scholarships and have been developing great equestrian  programs.

The Voorhees family has also been working with a pastor Tim O’Neal from Fort Scott,  Kansas to promote Christ at these competitions and help sponsor cowboy church services at these large national and world level shows.  There can be up to 2400 horses at these competitions.    Last year the service at the PtHA world show was (presented on horseback) in the Tulsa coliseum, taped, translated and broadcast via satellite  by a major Tulsa Christian Organization  to three Muslim countries .  The fact is that many of the Muslim nations are still  closely tied to the horse.  It is the hope that they will relate easier when the gospel is presented to them  in this manner.  

Jamie and Sarayah both strive to be an example of Christ in this very competitive and often worldly environment.  Jamie shares that her experience at Jim Elliot has helped her to see clearly the difference between the secular world view and having a Biblical world view. Sarayah says that her teachers and coaches at JECHS have given her both the words and examples on how to articulate and live out her faith.

Jamie and Sarayah will be “saddling up” and riding toward a national ranking and hopefully a world title in 2008!

     

The JECHS drama department will be performing the Disney musical - Aladdin - this week. Performances will be at 7pm in the Jim Elliot gymnasium at 2695 West Vine in Lodi on:

• Thursday May 1
• Saturday May 3

 

Come enjoy this action packed, family friendly production. Tell your friends and family members to join you.

Here are some photos of the students working hard in rehearsals.

The biggest fundraiser of the year is upon us - Jim Elliot Christian High School’s annual dinner and auction event. On Saturday April 26 from 3:30pm - 7:30pm, we will be having the “Spring Fling - Picnic in the Park” at Oak Grove Regional Park on Eight Mile Road in Stockton.

Many of our action items are listed and pictured in the tab above entitled Auction Items - A Sneak Peek.

Tickets are available in the school office at 2695 West Vine St in Lodi.

 

 

For the second time in three years, Jim Elliot Christian High School’s Robotics team has won the Davis-Sacramento Regional Robotics Competition of FIRST (see www.usfirst.org website to understand the breadth of this international competition). FIRST is an acronym that stands for: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.  FIRST’s mission:

 

“To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes.”

Dean Kamen, Founder of FIRST

Our team, which competes as Raptor Force Engineering, Team 1662, competed against 35 other robots from as far away as Idaho.  Besides winning the over all competition Raptor Force also won the “Delphi Award for Innovative Technology”.  This award was due to our robot’s design being so simple yet so effective.

 

This is truly a David and Goliath story.  Our team, from the smallest school,does not have a cadre of adult Engineers assisting it as many others in the competition do. Also while most teams have sponsors like Google, Motorola, Ford, GM, Microsoft and a virtual “who’s who” of the technology world, Jim Elliot’s team is supported by dozens of small contributors and our own wallets.  And yes, we have the Lord and He has been faithful.

   

The FIRST program is also a good source of scholarships and an extra advantage to admittance to colleges.  This year 9.5 million dollars will be offered in scholarships  through the program.

The Jim Elliot team now goes to Georgia to compete in the World Championships held in the Georgia Dome.  In Georgia the winners from 41 regional events compete for the World Championship.  What started out as 1,500 teams and 32,000 students from around the world now culminates in the competition of 490 teams and 12,000 students vying for the World Championship. 

Twenty-two people from Elliot, team members and adults, will be traveling to Georgia for this competition at a cost of $800 per person. Our team is always looking for sponsors, not only for this year’s expenses but also for our future. Truly robotics is the future for so many business applications and industries. How proud we are that Jim Elliot Christian High School, indeed the only school in our county, is able to offer our students this opportunity to learn and excel in this field.

The team has received local recognition in both the Lodi News Sentinel (read story here) and The Record (here).  You can watch the competition and get a taste of robotics and the JECHS victory in this video -

   

Congratulations JECHS Robotics!

Jon Davis

After a stellar football season at Azusa Pacific leading his team in touchdown receptions, Jon Davis (JECHS Class of 2003) was chosen as an All-American wide receiver! Jon was recently featured on the front page of the Lodi New Sentinel with the amazing story of his successful college football career. (Read that article here.)  

His football success is seen by many as an incredible feat considering he did not play football at Elliot in high school (the football program began the fall following is graduation). Jon was a three sport standout at JECHS excelling at everything he did.  Even though he played Pop Werner and many assumed he would continue on to play football at Tokay where his father, Dean Davis (JECHS current head football coach) coached, Jon chose to attend Jim Elliot instead.

We recently asked Jon to share why he wanted to go to Jim Elliot and about how his experience here impacted is life. 
 
“Attending JECHS was a choice that I have no regrets about. I had teachers that cared about me, friends that I’ll have for life, and a relationship with Christ that was strengthened.  Elliot is a small school with a big impact. It gave me a place to learn everyday and grow.”

“It was about a lot more than just athletics. When I started at Elliot it was only the second year of the program and I knew the sports teams were not that well developed. Being raised in a Christian home, I was more excited about continuing a Christian education. Playing football at Tokay would have been a lot of fun, but the experiences and growth I had at Elliot could not have happened anywhere else.”

“The athletics program at JECHS is one of the best for a small school and gets plenty of recognition. It gave me the opportunity to play sports that I would have never even thought of trying. For example, soccer was a sport that I never played or watched, but when I heard the team needed a few more players, I ventured out and ended up playing three years.  There are many other athletes that have gone on from JECHS to have college careers as well.”

“I believe you can truly see the hand of God directing me on the perfect path. You can’t truly succeed without the Lord giving you direction. In my own life, I went to JECHS instead of a public school and my favorite sport there was basketball. I played four years varsity before coming to Azusa Pacific University where I tried out for the basketball team. I was cut after the first week. A few months later I was asked to come play football after playing basketball with one of the coaches. That year, I made the team and played, only to get hurt in the last game. That was it for me and I told the coach I was done. That same year, APU got a new head coach who asked me come play again. Fortunately, I said yes and have played well ever since. Too many things happened at exactly the right moment for it to be chance. I have placed my trust in the Lord and He has directed me on the perfect path.”

Jon Davis

WHAT A SEASON
The 6-foot-4, 200-pound wide receiver had a memorable junior year. Here’s a by-the-numbers look at Jon Davis’ record-breaking 2007 season at Azusa Pacific.
Receptions: 73
Yards: 1,258
Touchdowns: 21*
Points: 128*
*School records.

Davis is also taking advantage of his football scholarship to get a solid college education- he has already earned his bachelor’s degree and is now working to get his double master’s in business and human resources and organizational development.

He still has one year left of eligibility at Azusa and even then, his playing days might not be over, as several NFL scouts have asked his coach for game films.

 His younger brother Matt (JECHS 07), a freshman at Cal Poly, may transfer to Azusa to play either running back or receiver.  Matt was a star player on the Elliot football team for the past four years!

“I really hope he comes. It’d be a lot of fun to play with him,” said Davis, who’s never been on the same team as his brother. “I think he’s going to be a better athlete than I am.”

We are blessed to have the entire Davis family as an integral part of the Jim Elliot family.  Dean Davis is the football coach, an occasional chapel speaker and has served on the school board for years. Jane (Mom) is the school’s Athletic Director and besides the boys, a sister Katie (’06) was also a standout athlete at Elliot playing volleyball, basketball and softball as well as running cross country track.