The Robotics Team is sponsoring a fun evening with illusionist John Drebinger Jr. on Saturday, November 14, in the JECHS gym at 7 pm.

Come enjoy the “magic” and a delicious dessert for only $5. All proceeds will benefit the Robotic Israel Trip. Invite your friends. Mr. Drebinger is a great entertainer and is donating his time. Tickets may be purchased in advance in the school office or at the door.

If you can’t come but would still like to donate to the Robotics Team, you can do so by bringing your donation to the school office or making a contribution securely on line through PayPal here.

 After six years as the Robotics team advisor and upper level sciences teacher Tom Bray will be taking the trip of a lifetime as he leads close to 30 members of Team 1662, aka “Raptor Force”, to an international robotics competition in Israel in March 2010. This invitation is one that Bray takes personally.

 “It’s something I believe the Lord’s been putting together for quite a while and now I have kids who are ready to do it. This is my whole goal: that they will come back with an understanding of Israel’s place in our past, present and future. Every time they hear ‘the Sea of Gallilee’, they will be able to picture it. Their experience will help our country make the right decisions with regard to Israel,” he says.

When Elliot competed in Atlanta last year the Israeli General Consul, who was there to visit with the Israeli teams, inquired about the Israeli flag displayed alongside the American flag on the JECHS robot. After explaining that this was his way of showing honor and respect for Israel, Bray received another visit—this one from Brigadier General Asaf Agmon from the Israel Air Force Center, who invited Elliot to compete in Tel Aviv in 2010.

“Our Bible says that if we bless Israel we’ll be blessed; if we curse Israel we will be cursed. And many do not realize that as Christians  we’re grafted into the nation of Israel.  I have students who ask me why I have a Jewish flag in my classroom. I tell them, ‘See that flag there? That’s the American flag. That’s my earthly flag. When I die that will be on my casket. See that flag? That’s the Israeli flag—that’s my eternal flag. That’s the nation I will always belong to for all eternity,’ ” says Bray.

In contact with the Israeli general and government, Bray and his team are putting in the many hours of hard work that a trip like this requires. Once there, they will not only compete against Israeli and other international  robotics teams but will also be visiting Jerusalem, sightseeing, helping locals and being ambassadors for JECHS and the Lord Jesus Christ.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to go to the Holy Land and walk on the ground that our Savior Jesus Christ walked upon. It also gives us a chance to evangelize and be disciples. This trip isn’t just about competing; it’s also about glorifying God,” says Bray. 

Doug Buhr—engineer, former board member, friend of Tom Bray and the founder of robotics at Jim Elliot had a passion for Israel, often reminding others to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

With the anniversary of his death three years ago approaching, the significance of this trip holds special meaning.

Bray recalls, “Normally what Doug would say to me when I’d get these ideas and con him into going along with me was, ‘Bray—what did you get me into this time?’ Not on this one. He would cry because he and I had talked about this, and he would see it as an opportunity for our students to experience Israel.”

Six years ago when a robotics website had inspired Bray to start a similar program for Elliot, he told Buhr about it. He recalls the conversation that ensued between them:

Doug asked, “What’s stopping you?” I said, “$6,000.” He asked,  “When are you going to need it?” I told him, “In three weeks.” He said, “Oh, three weeks. I can do that.”

And for the next two and a half years Buhr would write many more $6,000 checks.

“He funded the team. He went with us to Atlanta. He thought this was the best thing going—even when the robot got loose and tore up the room. That’s why our robot is known as the Buhr-bot,” explains Bray. 

Perhaps you are as excited as Doug Buhr was about the opportunity that JECHS has with robotics.  There are many ways you can assist the Robotics team on their way to Israel.  Please consider helping or telling someone you know who would like to help about the needs listed:

• engineers for the second and third weeks of January for brainstorming
• small metal lathe
• $1850 per student
• someone to make the team flag
• two solder irons
• pallet scale
• a good chain break
• donation of sodas for us to sell with pizza lunches (fund-raiser), and for us to drink
• chest style tool boxes 

The staff at Jim Elliot is continually improving their skills through ongoing training and pursuing graduate degrees.  Congratulations to the following faculty members who have received degrees and training this year!

Dottie Henry

In May 2009 Dottie Henry received her Master of  Education in educational administration from Grand Canyon University.  She has her California teaching credential, but wanted to hone her professional skills as she moved into the position of vice principal. “As I developed new competencies I gained confidence in myself and my ability to benefit JECHS,” she says. 

Michael Tackett

Mike Tackett earned his Masters of Secondary Education from Grand Canyon University in May 2009. He began the program in October 2007, the same week his son was born. “This was a rewarding but grueling process. I jumped for joy when my advisor reported to me that I had no more classes,” he says. 

Dennis Buchmiller

Dennis Buchmiller attended a week long training session at Sacramento State. He worked with fellow colleagues on best teaching practices and new resources available for teaching. “We discussed the best use of class time so students are prepared for all the material on their AP tests,” he says.

Allen Worcester (Class of ‘08) was recognized for outstanding academic accomplishments by being named to the President’s List at LeTourneau University for the Spring2009 semester.  The Presidents List recognizes students who have achieved a perfect 4.0 (“A”) grade point average for the semester.  LeTourneau University Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Robert W. Hudson said being named to the Presidents List is a significant academic achievement and honor. “The rigorous curriculum and high academic standards here are highly respected throughout our country and beyond,” Hudson said. “Le Tourneau University is well-known for its quality education.  To obtain a perfect grade point average for academic performance is, indeed most commendable.”

Stephanie Cline Jenks (‘05) after completing her studies and obtaining honor roll status at Delta College, she  has been accepted to the nursing program at Stanislaus State University.

Anna Newby  (‘05) is preparing for her senior recital at Crown College in Minnesota where she will receive her Bachelors Degree as a music major with a piano  emphasis in December. She has been on the Deans list during this past year.

Do you have any news on our JECHS alumni?  We would love to hear from you!

Dear Jim Elliot Parents,

Grandparents’ Day is a cherished Jim Elliot Christian tradition that takes place annually at our school. This year it will be on Tuesday, November 24, 2009.  Our student’s grandparents and other special relatives or family friends are invited to be our special guests and to share the morning with your child here on the Jim Elliot Christian High School campus from 9am – 12noon.

The day will begin with a special presentation in the Temple Baptist Church Worship Center (located on the campus) at 9am.  The students will join us for a special chapel service created just for our grandparents immediately following the presentation.  This year we are adding something new to our program – a time to enjoy sharing a meal with the grandparents and our students & staff in the campus gym for lunch.  The day will conclude at 12noon

This will be a beautiful way to usher in the Thanksgiving holiday!

Invitations to this special event were sent out last week to all the grandparents addresses we have on file.  If your child needs an extra invitiation, they are available in the school office.  Please feel free to call your relatives with a personal invitation as well.  We ask that those planning to attend would RSVP by leaving a voice mail message at 209-518-4016  or email at blambdin@jechs.com.

We also are asking every family to be a part of this special day by providing a part of our luncheon.  Here is the list of what we are asking our students to bring based on your last name. (if you have more than one student you still only need to provide one item)

If your child’s last name begins with the letters -

A thru K —> please bring a main dish (ideas: chicken, lasagne, casseroles, sandwich trays etc..)

L thru P —> please bring a side dish (ideas: salad with dressing, potatoes, rice, vegetable dish etc..)

R  thru Z —> please bring a dessert (ideas:  cake, pies, cookies, brownies etc…)

Please put your food in a disposable container and  drop off your food to the school office on the morning of November 24th.  We need everyone to participate so we can bless our grandparents.  We are also looking for parents to help on the day of the event. Please contact Beth Lambdin at the contact information above if you are available to participate.

To give you a an idea of how wonderful this day is here is a slide show from last year!

Twenty-nine teams participated, among them: Lodi High, Bear Creek, Edison, St. Mary’s, Ceasar Chavez, Lincoln High School, Ripon, Linden and Galt 

Some of the top results for JECHS cross country runners:

9^th grade boys – 13^rd place to Colton Simpson

10^th grade boys -18^th place Alexander Lappas

10^th grade boys – 19^th place Michael Callahan

Visiting coaches had positive things to say about our student helpers:

 “I can’t believe how many of your kids were helpful with directions and crowd control, one of the best meets I have been to”

“Your kids at the gate (Justin Santos, Tyler Hale, Brandon Wilkerson, and Colten Passey) were doing a great job of making this a safe race by communicating to people that cars just can’t be on the course.”

“The girls, Emily Copeland, Bethany Fleming, and Kenna Kenamura, were very helpful and responsible.  It’s always nice to be greeted by someone who cares and isn’t just doing things because they have to.”

“Your boys (Kevin Shull, Ken Talbert and a few others) who were course monitors with the flags did a great job of keeping a safe course and making sure the runners knew where they were going”

Hosting these type of athletic events are great opportunities to not only excell athletically but to teach leadership skills to our students, as well as providing a way to serve the Lord as we serve others in our community. We are blessed to have coaches like Jon Hathorn who give of their time and talent to make it happen.

Juniors in U.S. History are getting just a small taste of what it felt like for a freed slave from the South trying to live life in the North of 1850-1860.

Mr. Dennis Buchmiller has called upon the staff to help drive home the full effect of the lesson, which is an 8-day project requiring students to carry “Freedom papers” with them at all times. If at any time—on or off campus and during the week or weekend—they are asked to produce their Freedom paper and cannot, it is reported to Buchmiller and 5% is deducted from their project grade. Losing the papers is cause for failing the assignment.

“It’s kind of frustrating. I couldn’t imagine keeping one paper every second of my life, especially when that paper determines your life—not just a grade,” said Stephanie Crawford.

Buchmiller hopes that this will give students a real sense of what it felt to be a “free” person of color before the Civil War. “That paper certifies them to be a ‘free person of color…and entitled to be respected accordingly in person and property at all times and places…’ That being said, it only happens if they have the papers on them to prove this,” he said.

The lesson has reached beyond the students, providing a lesson for teachers in what it felt like to be a Northerner after 1850 when the Fugitive Slave Law compelled you to actively participate in the practice of slavery. Buchmiller reminded staff that what finally pushed Northerners over the edge and made them willing to fight the Civil War was their forced participation in this practice. “Every time I ask a student for their papers…I twinge inside a little bit and hope they can produce them. I can see how a Northerner who was opposed to slavery would want to be free from being forced by law to promote such an intrusive practice,” said yearbook teacher, Miss Sallee.

Students have been stunned by how active teachers have been in challenging them for their papers. “It gets very annoying having to pull my paper out all the time. I usually get asked for it by teachers twice a period. It’s made me realize that even though Blacks had freedom, they really weren’t all that free,” said Serena Aartman.

                                                                Gabby Hausauer, Jamie Cabral, Bri Santos, Serena Aartman, Christian Canepa

JECHS teachers returned both challenged and refreshed from the ACSI conference in Sacramento in October. Asked to reflect upon what they learned and to share one thing they brought away or plan to implement in their classrooms brought the following responses from the staff: 

“Thank you for for letting us go both days! I went to all the drama classes I could. There are a lot of good plays out there, but I came to a point where I decided that Christian schools should be doing “life-changing” plays, where people don’t just leave entertained but changed. I can do that. Our drama can be inspired and needs to have power from God, so that when people leave our performances they’re ready for God to change their lives. I want people to leave a performance of ours like that and say, ‘Oh wow, that doesn’t surprise me—that was Jim Elliot.’” – Steve Stow 

“I was challenged to spend as much of my time as a teacher making our kids ‘dangerous’ as encouraging them to be nice, polite and courteous. Elliot students are known to be nice, and I want to encourage them to be “fearless” and world changers, using their God given gifts. Also, teachers have to work hard at stating the ‘why’ behind rules and reasons so that in following them, students are compelled to be God-honoring instead of simply rule-honoring.” – Jon Hathorn     

“Keynote speaker Mike Evans said that ‘Leaders are not easy to teach.’ He said that we need to fill positions of decision makers with Christ followers in the next 30 years, rising to the top in fields such as: media, psychology, arts, science, politics, entertainment, medicine, law—or we will not make it (in terms of having a significant Christian influence in our culture).” – Dennis  Buchmiller 

                                                                                                                                                                                                 “There is power in language—it brings life and death. Instead of saying, ‘I have to grade papers’, I can say, ‘It is my priviledge to grade papers.’ We can help our students view themselves more positively by encouraging them in the way they  approach language. The words we speak affect our attitude and have the ability to set a tone with just a few words.” – Cindy Jines 

 
 “I was challenged to not speak any English in my Spanish 3 class. I shared this with my students, explaining to them that there is no point in learning the language if they are not hearing and using it. It’s going to become a participation grade. Some of my students complained a little, saying, ‘We wish you didn’t go to that convention!’” – Maria Van Meter 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        “Many of the things I implement were reiterated, such as: writing is a process and you never arrive and critique is a good thing. The value in critiquing is that it’s a learning tool—empty praise has no value. It’s important to be critiqued so that when our kids begin writing for college we do not want them to have false notions about the expectations that will be put upon them.” – Judy Rajala

 “A workshop on dyslexia that I attended gave some ideas for how to help chemistry kids by making things visual, because dyslexics think in pictures.” – Tom Bray               

                                                                                                                                                                                                                   “Two things: First, I want our kids to get rid of this mentality that ‘we’re just a little school’, and realize that we have smart kids here. We have strong kids here. I want our kids to know we can go anywhere—to any college. We have a lot to offer. Second, strong willed kid wants to learn their own way. There are multiple intelligences and lots of different learners. Focusing on that will help us to handle some of our more difficult students—who will make the strongest leaders for Christ.” – Carrie  Fox-Butram

In case you have not yet heard….we want to say it again.  Jim Elliot Christian High School recently received a full six-year accreditation from two separate accrediting organizations!

One of those being the Association of Christian Schools, International. At the recent convention held in Sacramento the school was recognized for this accomplishment and was welcomed to the stage to receive the plaque which is proudly displayed in the school office.

This last Spring, JECHS passed with flying colors -  earning full accreditation through 2015, not an easy feat.

Graduation from an accredited school is vital for students who seek advancement to college after graduation. Accreditation from a recognized accrediting body such as WASC (the Western Association of Schools and Colleges) or ACSI (the Association of Christian Schools International) means that school records and transcripts are accepted by other educational institutions worldwide. While WASC accredits both private and public high schools and universities, ACSI focuses on maintaining high standards exclusively for Christian schools.

Jim Elliot Christian High School is accredited by both organizations.

JECHS accreditation history:

• 1999–temporary accreditation with WASC upon the completion of our first school year
• 2004–first dual accreditation with both ACSI and WASC
• 2009–full 6-year accreditation with both agencies

Why do we take the countless hours and endless energy to pursue accreditation for our school?

The following reasons can be found from the WASC website:

accreditation -

• validates the integrity of a school’s program and student transcripts
• fosters improvement of the school’s programs and operations to support student learning
• assures a school community that the school’s purposes are appropriate and being accomplished through a viable educational program
• is a way to manage change through regular assessment, planning, implementing, monitoring and reassessment
• assists a school/district in establishing its priority areas for improvement as a result of the perpetual accreditation cycle that includes: school self-assessment of the current educational program for students, insight and perspective from the visiting committee , regular school staff assessment of progress through the intervening years between full self-studies.

One of our parents who participated last Spring in the process commented, “If only everyone could have heard what these parents were saying about our amazing, exceptional, one-in-a-trillion school.   Each parent that shared, did so with such enthusiasm for our school.   I know the accreditation committee heard the real heart of JECHS,  to equip our kids to make a difference in the world and glorify Jesus! Oh yeah, and to give the students a top notch education! I get so excited about the spiritual benefits of having my daughter at Jim Elliot there that I sometimes forget she’s also getting a superior education!”
 

We are very thankful to our staff, administration, school board and parents who actively participated in the process to achieve these important accreditation for the school.

Every year the JECHS staff attends a professional conference sponsored by the Association of Christian Schools, International. This year on Thursday and Friday, October 29 – 30 all of our teachers, administrators and office staff headed up to Sacramento to attend this event.  Over the course of the convention teacher gathered new ideas to improve their classroom instruction from a wide variety of professional seminars, had the opportunity to visit the convention center where several hundred vendors made new curriculums, textbooks, and innovative teaching resources available for examination, and they had the unique opportunity to interact with colleagues from throughout the Northern California region. All of these experiences are designed to help our teachers be more effective in the classroom and encourage them in their vital work.

These type of enrichments are so vital to continually improving our school and teachers.  Although it is a part of our budget, most of you are aware that tuition dollars alone do not cover all of our schools expenditures and therefore important conferences like these are partly provided for from the funds we attempt to raise every year through outside giving and fundraisers like our annual auction & year-end giving campaign. Thank you in advance for being a part of our annual fund-raising endeavours.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to remind you of other ways that you can routinely support the school with your finances throughout the year.  With that in mind, please remember that the SCRIP program runs all year-long providing financial benefits to the school, while at the same time costing you nothing.  As you plan your monthly budget and upcoming Christmas season purchases, please consider using SCRIP and thus benefiting your school. 

Of course our annual End of the Year Giving Campaign will begin this very month and we want to encourage each and every one of you to consider making a gift to Jim Elliot before the year’s end.  Your gifts help us to continue to run a school of excellence.