Welcome to the The Eagle's Nest, a new publication from the Alumni Office of Omaha Christian Academy. This biannual newsletter is designed to share OCA news and present you with opportunities to stay engaged with your OCA family.

Contents:
  • Message from Mr. Ivey
  • Alumni Spotlight
  • What's New at OCA?
  • Alumni Photo Contest
  • All-Class Alumni Event
  • Trek Up The Tower
  • OCA Business Directory
  • Become a Legacy Builder
  • Ways to Stay Connected
Message from Mr. Ivey, Head of School
Dear Alumni of Omaha Christian,

Hello graduates and attendees of Omaha Christian Academy. I want to invite you to be a part of OCA again, but in a different role.

I am sure that your life has been full of ups and downs since graduation. My encouragement to you is that Jesus has been right there with you and hope that you continue to recognize his presence.
It is my belief that in everything you have experienced, the Christian education you received has been a positive foundation in your daily walk. You and others will make a difference in the lives of current and future students when you are a contributing member of the OCA family. The contribution you make can be made in many ways. 

The impactful ways are volunteering your time and resources to be a part of events and happenings here at OCA. I love seeing alumni come back and want to see us continue the traditions and excellence that you started and have maintained. 

Some of you have donated time and finances that we are so appreciative of and we thank you. I would like to see EVERY alumni of OCA be a part in some way of helping us continue to provide Christian education to many others. I have many projects and additions to our curriculum and extra-curricular activities I would like to see come to fruition and you are the ones to make all of this possible. 

What you have done was impactful and I challenge you to continue being a part of our progress. If you have the desire to be a part of what will have a great impact going forward for our kids, please contact me at [email protected] and I can share with you those projects I consider to be game changers.

Thank you again for everything you have done and are going to do in the future to continue Christian education for every student that wants to attend Omaha Christian Academy.

Sincerely,

Fred Ivey, Head of School
I John 3:17
Alumni Spotlight
From Vision to Reality
 
Jacob Richards attended OCA from 1st grade through 12th grade, graduating in 2010. After OCA, he attended Dordt College in Sioux Center, IA and obtained a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
 
While Jacob was still in college, he was standing in line at a supermarket with his mother when she commented, "I wish I knew which line was the shortest." That gave Jacob an idea…he started brainstorming on ways to utilize technology to make the checkout process more efficient.
 
After graduating from college, Jacob spent two years developing a new technology prototype that would speed up the checkout process at grocery stores. In late 2015, Jacob struck a deal with HyVee, an employee-owned chain of more than 245 supermarkets located throughout the Midwestern United States in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The retailer funded a pilot project to build and install a product called Feloh in 60 checkout lanes at stores across NE and IA. 
 
Feloh uses a camera to detect the number of people, carts and items in each lane. Based on that information, a light at each checkout station changes from Green (little or no wait time) to Yellow (some wait time) to Orange (longest wait time) to show customers which lines are the shortest. There is also a software application for store managers that shows current wait times, provides daily reports, tracks the number of people who checked out and makes staffing recommendations. Jacob says the HyVee implementation is going very well. The average customer wait time is significantly less at the stores where Filoh has been installed.
Jacob continues to develop new technology solutions to work in conjunction with Feloh. For example, supermarkets lose between $20,000 to $40,000 in revenue each year due items on the bottom of the basket going unnoticed by the cashier. BOB Defender (Bottom of Basket Defender) is a new technology that uses a camera to detect items on the bottom of the cart. A flashing light near the cash register lets the cashier know there is merchandise on the bottom of the basket to scan. 

Jacob’s business, Indaflow, is headquartered in Omaha. The company currently has three full-time employees and hires contractors when more manpower is needed. The company is looking forward to an opportunity to work with a national marketing company next year. The company is also engaged in two pilot programs right now...one in Lincoln and one in Minnesota. Jacob estimates Feloh will be in 1,000 – 5,000 checkout lanes in 100 to 500 stores by next year. You can learn more about Indaflow at  www.indaflow.com . On a personal note, Jacob lives in Elkhorn, NE with his wife, Lauren, whom he married last October. The couple attends Coram Deo Church in Omaha where Jacob serves on the hospitality team and Lauren teaches Sunday School.   


What's New at OCA?
2011

The OCA Ensemble performed in Washington DC at the United States Capitol.

2013

The Ensemble made its first trip to New York City to perform at Carnegie Hall. Since then, the group has made the trip every other year.

OCA's Cheerleading Squad has been named State Champions five out of the past six years (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)

2016

OCA Seniors went on their first international mission trip to Trinidad and Tobaggo. This has become an annual tradition.

The Activities Center was completed and OCA began using it for home games and a variety of other activities and events.

2017
New bleachers were installed in OCA's activities center.

New Head of School...Mr. Ivey!

2018

OCA installed window screens on the front of the building for increased security and to promote our new tag line... Education for Life...Education for Eternity!
2018 Continued

OCA implemented Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) in grades 7th - 12th. Every student reads silently for 15 minutes daily, during a different period each day.

6th grade moved back to elementary school and grades 4th - 6th have been departmentalized. Students have a homeroom teacher, but rotate classrooms throughout the day. All three grades are taught by one teacher who specializes in Math (Saiz), one who specializes in Science and History (Blair), and one that specializes in English (Friesen).

Newly refurbished computers in our new computer lab.

New Acoustical panels installed in the Activities Center.

36 New Families!

7 New Staff Members!
  • Tosh Young - Guidance Counselor
  • Kara Thomas - 1st Grade
  • Debbie Friesen - 6th Grade
  • Sarah Osborne - HS Math
  • Rae Lynn Danielson - MS Science
and Language Arts
  • Melanie Torczon - Kindergarten Para
  • Nicola French - Childcare

Meet our new staff at:

View our new Impact Report at:
Win a Kindle Fire or Amazon Echo Dot!
You know those photo contests where people submit selfies of themselves wearing a specific T-shirt in all kinds of fun and exciting places? Well, we want to invite you to participate in an OCA Alumni T-shirt Photo Contest. Simply order your OCA Alumni T-shirt by October 31st and get in on the fun!
T-shirts cost $12 each.

We will mail your T-shirt in November. Already have a T-shirt? Then, you are good to go. Want to order an alumni
T-shirt without participating in the contest? That is fine too.

To participate in the contest, post fun selfies of yourself wearing your OCA Alumni T-shirt to the OCA ALUMNI group page during December and January. Post as many different selfies as you like...as often as you like.

On Feb. 1st, we will choose a first place and second place winner! The grand prize is a Kindle Fire and the second place prize is an Amazon Echo Dot.
Good luck!
All-Class Alumni Event
December 28 and 29
Family Night: Bring the whole family out for a night of fun! This event is for OCA former teachers and alumni and their families. Families will pay at the door. Adult meals will be $6 and children meals will be $4. Special $10 game packages will be available for purchase. No RSVP required.

Dinner and Program: This event will be for OCA's former teachers and alumni. Online RSVP required at:  https://omahachristianacademy.org/reunion-rsvp/

We will charge $10 per person which can be paid in advance with a check (mail to 10244 Wiesman Drive, Omaha, NE 68134 / Memo line: Reunion) or at the door. Heavy hors d'oeuvres will be served and there will be a short program. Stay tuned for more details.
OCA Alumni Invited to Trek Up The Tower
Trek up the Tower is designed to be a wellness event for Omaha companies. OCA will have a team as a way of engaging our alumni, parents and staff; and building community awareness.

Participants will climb the stairs of the FNB tower in downtown Omaha on Saturday, February 16, 2019. The tower has 40 floors (870 steps). OCA's team will be made up of alumni and spouses, employees and spouses, and OCA parents.

The cost is $55 per individual participant (after November 5th the price goes up to $60). Participants must register online as an individual, select OCA Eagles as their team and pay for their own entry fee. If you want to volunteer to help with the event, you will receive a $15 discount code. All team members will receive a free OCA team T-shirt.

This is a great incentive to get in shape. Laryssa McMartin, OCA's PE teacher, is willing to provide our team with guidance on how to prepare for this physical challenge.

Please email [email protected] after you have registered to provide us with your T-shirt size.
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List Your Business!
Add your business and contact information to OCA’s soon-to-be-released business directory.

Become a Legacy Builder
An ongoing gift of $20 or more per month helps OCA create a strong foundation for all of our educational programs and builds a legacy of faith in the lives of children. It is not possible to know the full impact of your monthly gifts to OCA as the value of a Christ-centered education is incalculable and eternal.

However, be assured that you are building a legacy far beyond anything you could ever imagine…one that will impact lives for generations and into eternity. To learn more about becoming a Legacy Builder, simply make an online donation of $20 or more today and click the box to give the same amount monthly.
Ways To Stay Connected