SEPTEMBER

Friday, Sept. 26

NO SCHOOL- ALL CAMPUSES
Teachers' Professional Development Day

Monday, Sept. 29

Picture Day - High School 


Tuesday, Sept. 30

Picture Days - Middle School 


OCTOBER

Monday, Oct. 8-9

Picture Day- Grace Campus

Friday, Oct. 24

End of 1st Quarter

Monday, Oct. 27

NO SCHOOL
Teacher Professional Development

(EE, Preschool, & Pre-K still in session)



 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path". 

Psalm 119:105

Parents, here at Grace Cascade, we value the trust you have placed in us to educate your student. Understanding the importance communication plays in this partnership, we host a "Parent Only Night" to get to know one another better.

Every year, there are large numbers of new students, and this year, we have many new staff members at GCES. Last Tuesday was an enjoyable evening of getting to know one another better through touring classrooms and meeting teachers and administrators.

It was great to see everyone, and we look forward to seeing what God has in store. It's a great day to be a Challenger!

Friday’s chapel highlighted a recent trip some of our staff took to Nicaragua, where they served alongside and connected with students at our sister school in El Padul. Our admissions coordinator, Dana Kloefkorn, shared about the joy she witnessed in those students—a joy found in Jesus, the hope of Heaven, and the promise that He will never leave or forsake them. She reminded us how the school is shaping young lives and reaching families and the wider community with the love of Christ.

Supporting El Padul is one of the missionary opportunities our students love to be part of. They are encouraged to bring offerings to school, which are collected in classrooms and given at chapel. Below you can see the students we will be supporting this year. Those interested in learning more about giving can connect with Diana Kephart.

The words of Isaiah 41 not only provide an excellent message in word, but a vivid picture as well. One recent art project undertaken at Grace Christian is a depiction of an eagle's wings presented in an array of colors.

Seeing the creativity of Mrs. Fretz and her students is certainly worth a school visit. Throughout the year, you will see an incredible variety of pieces. It's neat to see these displays, seeing the different students have been blessed by God.

There's a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes that makes Grace Cascade Christian Schools a great place to be. Lunchtime is an important time of day! Just ask the students. Linda Cuellar and her hardworking crew of volunteers ensure our students our fueled up to finish out the day.

Jessica Patereau is our new cookie maker. Not only does she fill our halls with a pleasing aroma, her treats add a little something special.

We also salute our volunteers: Stephanie Gotzman, Robyn Randolph,

Laurie Landis, Michelle Covaciu, and Mary Hamilton. We thank you for your help. You are appreciated!

Our community needs you! There's nothing more rewarding than seeing a smile, thanks to a kind gesture. Our light never shines brighter than when we show the love of Christ by serving with no expectations in return.

Over the years, our students have had an incredible impact. Lighting that torch is important enough that we require our students to perform a minimum of four hours of community service each quarter. As noted in the announcement below, we're inviting kids to ask their Challenger Period teacher to learn about the opportunities that await.

Even when our students aren't filling our halls with life, there's still plenty of signs of life. We just wanted to take a moment to share some of what your kids see every day that serve as reminders of who and where they are.

Parent Only Nights are so valuable in the way that they connect our school with our families. When it comes to the training up of a child, we're in this together.

Thank you to everyone who came. We trust you found this evening to be helpful and enjoyable.

It was a great day to be a Challenger, and "Eat Mor Chikin!" We welcomed our new students last week with a special lunch, thanks to our good friends at Chick-fil-A.

These are great times to connect with our new faces to Grace Cascade and get to know them better.

Wow! What a great turnout at our football game last Friday. We had cheerleaders, an enthusiastic student section, and a rocking rendition our our National Anthem by Calvin Lloyd on the electric guitar.

It's nice just to get together to have fun. In our sports section, we have several great pictures from Pam Scaglione of the action on the field.

Our culinary students had one hour to make salsas using classroom cookbooks — with room to get creative.

Thanks to the Sweem Family for the jalapeños and The Farm Stand LLC for the tomatoes.

Judges tasted, students added their flair, and the salsas were a hit!

Will you look at that? The week before, the call was put out for anyone interested in joining our worship team. What an incredible response! God's doing something here at Cascade Christian, and it's a blessing to witness it.

Parents, staff, and administration at CCHS gathered for an informative evening Wednesday for Parent Only Night. Seeing everybody was enjoyable.

More than that, it was a valuable time to talk with parents about what our kids are facing, and how we may partner together to help see students through.

One of the biggest takeaway we hope to convey is our dedication and love for our students. The Lord loves them and we do too.

Cascade Christian High School, along with a big assist from Chick-fil-A of Medford rolled out the welcome mat for our new students last week. It was fun connecting with everyone. Principal Walker closed out the lunch reminding students that God has called each of them here for a purpose. He encouraged them to seek Jesus, get involved, and remember how special they are to our school community.

With all the hours of training, travel, and competing, being a college athlete is practically a full-time job. Now, add to that a challenging major- such as nursing. Somehow, CCHS grad Sierra Samhammer ('24) is doing both with excellence.

In terms of advice to others on a similar path, Samhammer- who is a sophomore at Marian University in Indiana- says, "My biggest tip is to create a relationship with your professors. I have spent a lot of time scheduling meetings and talking to my professors, so if I ever need help, they are happy to help. I also make sure to use my free time wisely. If I have free time, I am usually in the library or tutoring."

In cycling, she recently qualified for a 200-meter sprint event. Just weeks after taking her first laps on the velodrome for the first time, Sierra qualified 15th. Next up, she rode a challenging 1k time trial event. After running in medal contention, Brian Samhammer says, she dropped back in a very competitive field, and finished 17th.

Next up- the MTB Downhill and Dual Slalom season. As far as a favorite memory goes, Sierra says, "Every trip with my team is amazing, but my favorite so far has been going to Arkansas for Mountain Bike Nationals. I got third in Dual Slalom as a freshman which was such a great accomplishment. It was an amazing experience, and the team chemistry at Marian is everything I had hoped for."

UPCOMING MEETS, MATCHES & GAMES

CROSS COUNTRY

Friday, Sept. 26

Nike Portland Classic

Blue Lake Park

10:30 am

Saturday, Sept. 27

Rogue XC Invitational

Colver Field, Phoenix

11:30 am

BOYS SOCCER

Tuesday, Sept. 23

Rogue River

Lithia-Driveway Field #12

4:00 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 25

at North Valley

6:30 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER

Tuesday, Sept. 23

Glide

Lithia-Driveway Field #13

4:00 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 25

at Illinois Valley

4:30 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL

Tuesday, Sept. 23

Rogue River

6:00 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 25

Lakeview

6:00 p.m.

FOOTBALL

Friday, Sept. 26

Henley

7:00 p.m.

FOOTBALL

Bryson Walker broke loose for a 25-yard touchdown run on the opening series of the game, and Caleb Scaglione took a mishandled pitch to the house on a defensive score to lead Cascade Christian to a 57-0 victory over Siuslaw. After a heartbreaking series of losses to the Vikings, CCHS turned the tide with a commanding victory. Scaglione also threw a touchdown pass on a trick play, returned an interception for a score, caught a scoring pass, and returned a punt for a touchdown.

VOLLEYBALL

The Challengers went 1-1 on the week, including a big win over previously #1 ranked Henley- a 4A school. The win featured Kyla Kleinsasser scoring 12 blocks and six kills, Avery Hunter had nine kills, Hailey Daniel posted seven kills, and Ella Stofflet put up seven aces.

CROSS COUNTRY

What a race for personal records. The Prefontaine Memorial Run- named for the running great from Coos Bay- is a crown jewel race in which to compete. 10 Challenger boys and two Challenger girls recorded new PRs.

Seb Hehn led the way by taking fourth place with a time of 15:46.8- helping the team to a fourth-place finish in a 16-team field that included an elite program from New Zealand, Tauranga Boys' College. Isaac Young PR'd and made the top 10 with a run of 16:31.3. Third among the Cascade Christian runners was Nash Crisp, with a season-best 17:45.5

Kyler Straube, Jevin Roberson, Riley Young, Matthieu Oman, and John Heimbuck clicked off PR's and broke the 20-minute mark. Brenden Coats, Treyton Geiger, and Thomas Grier also PR'd for the Challenger boys.

Maddie Winters topped the CCHS girls by medaling with a Top-15 time of 21:21.6. Freshmen Evelyn Langseth and McKenna Smith set new PR's. In a field of 116 runners, Tanaya Mahar made the top 50.

Earlier in the week, the boys won first place at the Grizzly Invitation in Ashland.