UMEI Lightning Bolt Breaks Records and
Raises Over $36,000!
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This year’s UMEI Lightning Bolt was one for the record books! On a beautiful morning at Point Pelee National Park, 273 participants laced up their shoes to walk, run, and celebrate community - over 60 more than our previous record attendance!
Thanks to the incredible generosity of participants, sponsors, and donors, the event raised more than $36,000 for UMEI Christian High School. Every dollar goes directly toward supporting our students, programs, and mission to nurture faith and confidence in every student.
A huge round of applause goes to Sydney Friesen, our outstanding Race Director, who led the event with excellence (and a newborn at home!). Her incredible team - Brian Cornies, Justina Wieler, Sonya Bedal, Jenn Derbyshire and Rose Ageitos - ensured every detail ran seamlessly.
We’re so grateful to Point Pelee National Park staff for their hospitality, to our many volunteers for their time and energy, and to every participant and pledge donor who helped make the day a resounding success. The food was delicious, the atmosphere was joyful, and the spirit of community was felt everywhere!
Thank You to Our Sponsors!
Lightning Level
Steve & Shelley Enns • W. Martens Greenhouse Inc
Marathon Level
Wilkinson Electric • Stewart’s Roofing & Siding • Speedprint
Marcovecchio Construction
Sprint Level
Diamond Logistics • Elite Kitchen Inc • Fusion Managed Services • Gabriele Floor and Home • Greg Vyn • Hiebert Hydroponics • Ken & Rita Enns • Leamington Equipment Rental • Mastronardi Produce • Matassa Incorporated • Nucor Rebar Fabrication • Plant Products • SS Drywall • Well Life Chiropractic
Race Level
Adamo Construction • Brandon Bergen, Realtor • Erie Shores Rehabilitation
L.E. Marketing and Consulting • Sawatzkys LLP • Economy Rental
Door Prize Donors
Anna’s Garden, Home & Wellness • Economy Rental • Jose’s Bar & Grill Leamington Food Outlet • Point Pelee National Park • Starbucks Leamington • Simpson Orchards • Talbot Trail Golf Course
Congratulations to all our race winners — results can be viewed at https://wrace.org/results/lightningbolt/bolt2025.htm — and be sure to check out our photo gallery, beautifully captured by Mel and Jer Creative!
| Thank you to everyone who made this event such a memorable day for our school and community. We can’t wait to see you again next year on September 26, 2026, when we do it all again! | | Alumni Feature: Joan Epp, Class of 1981 | | |
From UMEI to the classroom to children’s literature, Joan Epp has been shaping young lives for decades.
After graduating from UMEI Christian High School in 1981, Joan studied English and History at the University of Western Ontario. She worked summers in restaurants, on farms, and at Southwestern Insurance before beginning her teaching career in 1988. Over nearly three decades in local schools, Joan became known as the “eco-school teacher,” leading environmental clubs and instilling curiosity and care for creation in her students.
From Teaching to Writing
For Joan, writing a children’s book was a lifelong dream. She often wrote stories with her students and promised one day she would publish a book. That dream became reality when her granddaughter Audrey helped her imagine Ice Cap, a snowboarding snowman with a heart of gold. Together they sketched and wrote the first version, and Joan kept her promise: within months, Ice Cap was published.
The book has since become a modern twist on the classic snowman tale, weaving together themes of friendship, gratitude, and winter magic. Joan’s teaching background shines through in the rhymes, vocabulary, and diversity represented in the story, ensuring that children see themselves reflected in its pages.
Rooted in Nature and Community
Living on a farm by Lake Erie and near Point Pelee, Joan has always drawn inspiration from nature. Corn husks became dolls, grapevines became Ice Cap’s “heart of gold,” and the birds and animals outside her window — jays, cardinals, foxes, and hares — found their way into her storytelling.
She brings this same sense of wonder to her school visits, often pausing during readings to invite children to join in, showing them real-life items from the book (maple sugar sticks, feathers, thistle down), and encouraging them to become storytellers themselves. “Kids are excited when they know a four-year-old inspired Ice Cap,” she laughs. “I always tell them, YES, you can write a book too!”
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A Lifelong UMEI Connection
Joan’s ties to UMEI run deep. Her parents and siblings attended, her late husband Ken was also a graduate, and together they chose UMEI for their children Kevin, Elyse, and Jessica. “It was a wonderful place for all of them — the community spirit, the sense of belonging, the spirit of giving. You don’t just get that anywhere,” she reflects.
She remembers UMEI as a place where you were expected to try everything — choir, drama, sports — experiences that opened doors for lifelong passions. Teachers like Linda Tiessen inspired her love of history, while the school community surrounded her family with care during the difficult season of Ken’s passing. “As a parent, you can’t buy that anywhere. At UMEI the teachers cared about each of us as a whole person and advocated for our well being. It was priceless.”
Looking Ahead
Today, Joan spends her time writing, creating multicultural corn husk dolls, and enjoying her grandchildren. She continues to embody the values she learned at UMEI: community, service, and faith that lasts a lifetime.
Ice Cap is available now at joanepp.com, Amazon, Indigo, and Barnes & Noble. You can catch Joan selling her cornhusk dolls at Jack Miner Migratory Bird Sanctuary during Kingsville’s Migration Fest on October 18, as well as at a book signing at the Tecumseh Indigo store this November.
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Thanksgiving Chapel and Lunch:
Gratitude in Action at UMEI
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At UMEI, Thanksgiving isn’t just a holiday; it’s a cherished tradition that brings our whole community together in worship, reflection, and gratitude. This year’s Thanksgiving Chapel and Lunch was a beautiful reminder of how blessed we are to learn, serve, and celebrate in a faith-filled environment.
Mrs. Avila led the Thanksgiving Chapel with a thoughtful message exploring the difference between gratitude and thanksgiving - between feeling thankful and actively giving thanks. “It’s one thing to be grateful,” she reminded students, “but true thanksgiving is an action.” Through Scripture and stories like the healing of the ten lepers, she challenged everyone to live out gratitude daily; to be the one who turns back to thank Jesus.
Drawing from passages such as 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Romans 8:32, and Colossians 3:17, Mrs. Avila shared that gratitude begins with recognizing God’s grace and that expressing thankfulness transforms both our hearts and our minds. She even noted how gratitude can physically change the brain, replacing fear and anxiety with peace.
After chapel, students, staff, and guests gathered for a traditional Thanksgiving meal, prepared by the Parents Committee. We were especially grateful to welcome pastors from some of our students’ churches.
We are so grateful for a school where faith and community are at the heart of everything we do.
| | Community Announcements/ Events | | Watch our undefeated Senior Boys Volleyball team in action!! | | |
Thank you 2025-26 corporate sponsors! We want a UMEI Christian education to be accessible for any family who desires it - so, in order to keep tuition as affordable as possible, we rely on the community to support. Thank you for choosing to support UMEI.
Our students thank you for making a difference in their lives so they can go out and make a difference in the world!
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