The November 8th, 2024 Northwest Christian School Spotlight e-newsletter

From the desk of the superintendent...

Dear NCS family,

After months of waiting, praying, researching, and, finally, voting, it is, at last, over.

And, with all said and done, whether you are thrilled with the election results or profoundly disappointed, I am certain that we can all agree that this election showed one thing to be especially true. We now see and clearly understand what our country unequivocally needs.

Your sons. Your daughters.

John Stonestreet is the president of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview and he said it this way: "In a democratic republic like ours, elections are more like mirrors than anything else. They reflect more than they determine. The reflection is currently telling us that we are not okay and the condition of our culture and country is not sustainable. Our most significant problems and our most significant solutions are not political. Elections should not be this consequential and when they are it shows that there is too much up for grabs and that we are a culture in decline."

Russian dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn further explained: “There are telltale symptoms by which history gives warning to a threatened or perishing society. Such are, for instance, a decline of the arts or a lack of great statesmen." That 'perishing society' is us. Those needed 'statemen'? Your kids. Solzhenitsyn continued, “In early democracies, as in American democracy at the time of its birth, all individual human rights were granted on the ground that man is God’s creature. That is, freedom was given to the individual conditionally, in the assumption of his constant religious responsibility. Two hundred or even fifty years ago, it would have seemed quite impossible, in America, that an individual be granted boundless freedom with no purpose, simply for the satisfaction of his whims. The West has finally achieved the rights of man, and even excess, but man’s sense of responsibility to God and society has grown dimmer and dimmer. All the celebrated technological achievements of progress do not redeem the twentieth century’s moral poverty, which no one could have imagined even as late as the nineteenth century.” In a phrase, he is talking about the necessity and priority of Biblical worldview.

What this country requires right now is not more sound bites, street corners crowded with candidates' signs, caustic commercials, name-calling, or rallies. It needs boys and girls who are growing in Biblical worldview and strong academics who become the men and women who will lead our nation back to God. Again, it needs your sons, your daughters.

Northwest Christian School exists for the simple--and yet incredibly profound--mission of "providing a Bible-based program of education that enables students to develop a Biblical worldview." As I shared with you last month within this newsletter, right now we are working very hard to make certain that this mission is sustainable, ready to continue preparing boys and girls for the critical role they will play in rescuing culture and country.

Last month, I also explained that this month I would be sharing with you the specifics of why I believe that, through our Build Here, Build There campus improvement plan, we are presently in a brief window of time during which we have the opportunity to move mission sustainability forward dramatically. The video available here provides that information. I would invite you to find the time--at fifteen minutes, it's a longer video with much information--to watch.

As part of my message, I am putting forward a specific invitation: I am praying that, before December 31st, 800 families will step forward, purchasing Legacy Bricks--bricks that will commemorate and celebrate your family's participation within our mission. Further, I am trusting God for 20 families to step forward with what I am calling a "Cornerstone Contribution": a $10,000 gift that would place your family's name on the cornerstone of a new cafeteria.

I earnestly believe in the mission and ministry of Northwest Christian School. I believe it is the key to moving our culture, community, and country away from the brink. And, I earnestly believe that it is this generation of students that will see that happen.

Grateful for the opportunity to serve your family,

Geoff Brown

Superintendent

Northwest Christian School

(623)225-5573 (cell)

gbrown@ncsaz.org

Northwest Christian School's LIVE YouTube-based Talent Show! The 8th season of Crusaders Got Talent debuted live on YouTube on October 15th as students from Kindergarten through 12th grade demonstrated their God-given abilities for the enjoyment of the Crusader community and the glory of God. As the record-breaking audience of 1,500 watched, they used their phones to text in their favorite performances and cash prizes were announced for the winners at the end of the evening. To watch the event, and begin preparing for Crusaders Got Talent Season 9, click here or go to www.CrusasdersGotTalent.com.

The Great Crusader Cookoff - Staff vs. Students - High Stakes Christmas Cookies!

On October 4th, LIVE on YouTube, Season 2, episode 1 of the Great Crusader Cookoff featured a Bakers' Battle Royale as Northwest Christian students of all ages and grades competed against each other in a Cookoff clash that allowed them to win cash prizes in the categories of taste and presentation. Did you see the event? Click here to watch!

But now, as part of some Crusader Christmas craziness, we're raising the stakes! We're going live on YouTube again - the Great Crusader Cookoff season 2, episode 2 - and it will be Staff vs. Students! The cookies will be served at the big Northwest Christian Christmas Choir Concert at the beginning of December. There will be more cash prizes for the winners but the stakes are even higher! If students win, it will result in a week of free dress starting on December 9th. This means the right recipe could make you a hero with over 2,000 students! But, if teachers win, it means no free dress and double-the-homework that same week!

For more information and to learn about how to compete, follow this link!

The second first day of school? It was like the first day of school all over again! Right after Fall Break, students returned to school and 12 kindergarten through second grade classes moved into the brand new Ernest and Beverly Shortridge Elementary Classroom Building. The new elementary classroom building is the latest addition to the campus as part of the Build Here, Build There campus improvement plan.

A too-much-for-one-week Homecoming! Spirit week! A parade! An epic assembly! A huge football game! The big dance! Alumni return! A carnival! Could there have been time for anything else? Yes, a Galactic Conquest! The 2024 HOCO experience, now in the books, was another over-the-top chapter in the ongoing story of too-much-for-one-week homecomings at Northwest Christian School. Over 3,500 attended Friday's week-ending game and carnival. You have to see it to believe it--click here or on the images above and below to relive the fun!

Galactic Conquest? As per the Northwest Christian tradition, moments before the 2024 Homecoming football game, it was realized that the HOCO game ball was missing! The culprit? In keeping with the theme "Galactic Conquest", it was revealed that Darth Vader and the Imperial troopers were shutting down the game. Click here to see what happened! This year, the Crusader community was joined by the 501st Dune Sea Garrison, the Phoenix Droid Makers, and the Saber Syndicate for an unforgettable addition to the Northwest Christian Ball Drop tradition.

A Night Like No Other? The poster and trailer for "Stolen Spotlight" boldly proclaim that the 11th annual NXNW Student Film will be a "night like no other". How, within the 11th iteration of the NXNW Film Festival, can this be the case? "Stolen Spotlight" is a mystery movie in which a piece of history has been stolen from an auction. And, here's the kicker, it's a "Choose-Your-Own-Adventure"-styled film in which each member of the audience will begin in one of several different auditoriums at Harkins Norterra. Then, ten minutes in, having seen the crime, watched the clues, and having met the suspects, the viewer will be given a choice and will then proceed to a different auditorium in pursuit of their hunch and the culprit. As the evening progresses, the film's plot changes for each audience member until finally, within each auditorium, the thief is revealed! NXNW sells out every year--tickets will go extra fast this year! Click here, or on the images above to watch the trailer! And, so you don't miss your chance to get tickets, go to www.NXNWFilmFestival.org or click here to watch for when tickets will go on sale!

Dad's Day within Early Education. This past week, as part of a longstanding school tradition, Northwest Christian Early Education students enjoyed welcoming their fathers to campus for a morning full of fun. Students "shaved" their dads, built model airplanes, did an art project, and launched rockets.

Continuing in their winning ways. After three consecutive seasons in which they have only lost one game--never dropping so much as a single set--the Northwest Christian Middle School volleyball team captured the championship in the 30-school-strong Cactus Christian Schools League. Congratulations to both coach Nicole Erickson and the young ladies!

Middle School on a roll! That's right! You just read a feature regarding MS Volleyball capturing the league championship in decisive fashion. Well, their middle school peers on the soccer team have also done the same! This week, under the leadership of Coach Engdahl and Coach Jordan, MS Soccer shut out Gilbert Christian School, 7 to 0, to win the Cactus Christian School League championship.

Prayer partners. As part of Northwest Christian School's Pursuing His Purpose initiative, each grade level has a Missions Learning Partner. In most instances, the Missions Learning Partners are unique--save for fourth and eighth grades. In these two grades, students are working together to serve the Kids Kingdom orphanage in Imuris, Sonora. This past week, nearly forty eighth grade students made the trek to the orphanage where they spent four days serving. But, before they left, they were joined by the fourth graders who prayed with them.

Hitting the Mark. The third season of Crusader Archery got underway this past month with the varsity archers working hard and preparing for the Corner Cup Archery Tournament at the beginning of December. And, special congratulations are in order for Northwest Christian junior and Crusader Archery captain Mannie Acuna (pictured above, left) who placed third in the Arizona Outdoor State Championship Archery Tournament last week--the win cements Mannie as one of the top high school archers in Arizona.

Who comes up with this stuff? NCHS StuCo! That's who! Northwest Christian High School's Student Council led a very spirited Spirit Week in the run up to Homecoming 2024. Assemblies, pep rallies, and lunchtime competitions between classes made for a ton of fun--and a lot of work! Thank you, StuCo!

Your best guess? As the elementary students have been working through the annual Red Letter Challenge (redletterchallenge.org), in keeping with the RLC's Lego theme, a Lego Master Builder has been gradually building a Lego scene from the gospels. Each week in chapel students watch as the scene comes together. The catch? We have not identified which gospel scene it is! And, at the end of the challenge, the classes that correctly guess the scene will all win ice cream sandwiches!

New frontiers and strategies in learning. Though much has justifiably been made of the new Ernest and Beverly Shortridge Elementary Classroom Building this fall, Northwest Christian is also drawing attention to its expanding 1:1 technology program, the school's growing digital learning profile, and a bright future for NCS Plus. As of this writing, every on-ground NCS student has a dedicated iPad that is part of their unique learning process. Within the secondary program, these are student-issued while in the elementary they remain within the classroom. These iPads are prepared with student safety and digital citizenship as a priority and, most amazing of all, they open the door for academic history to be made: a personalized workflow to increase responsibility and academic utility. Simply stated, this means that a student's learning experience is increasingly being customized to meet their unique needs, exploit their strengths, and increase learning enjoyment through a fuller understanding of student interests.

Parenting trouble no more! (Well, that might be a bit optimistic.) This past spring, Northwest Christian announced its partnership with Christian Family Care to open the many parenting resources available through the Family Care Learning library to the Crusader community of families, free of charge. These online courses are immediately available once NCS parents have completed the "NCS Parent University: Foundations of a Biblical Worldview" course that is required as part of the re-enrollment process. For more information, please follow this link.

Trusted Truth Transforms... It's the tagline for Northwest Christian School's foray into the realm of online education, the enrollment for which has blown up this summer. A project four years in the making, Northwest Christian School Online is not the typical online academy. Most online schools rebrand third-party digital curriculum. Instead, Northwest Christian School Online is wholly and organically developed and fully facilitated by Northwest Christian faculty. As well, the online experience is available at roughly half-the-price of other Christian online schools, a price that can be easily covered by an ESA for Arizona-based families. (To survey the price points of online Christian schools relative to NCS Online, please click here.) The most exciting aspect of Northwest Christian School Online is that some aspect of the program--Frameworks, NCS Plus, NCS Flex, and NCS Online--will ultimately impact the learning of every NCS student--whether that student is online or on-the-ground. To survey the different aspects of and opportunities within NCS Online, please follow this link. To learn more about NCS Flex specifically, please click the image below.

RightNow Media is your chance to enjoy the Northwest Christian community -- in your living room!

All free of charge and via your phone, smart television, desktop computer, or tablet. RightNow Media is the Netflix of Bible studies and family-friendly movies and children's programming. It's also the home to a huge amount of video-based Northwest Christian content. On Northwest Christian School's RightNow Media page, available at this link, you can enjoy chapels, concerts, senior graduation, eighth grade promotion, Crusader's Got Talent, missions trips, and so much more.

The NCS RightNow Media page is also providing access to the NXNW 2021 student film, "Do-Gooders", as well as all of the other NXNW student films!

Registration takes just a few minutes and is absolutely free!