Dan Mysnyk and I recently attended the annual CESA Symposium joining 550 other Christian school leaders. VCHS is a CESA Member of Council.

While there, we both attended Tim Elmore’s workshop: A New Kind of Diversity: Making the Different Generations on Your Team a Competitive Advantage. Rather than think about my own leadership team, I thought of the broader school family (students, teachers, staff) as a team and wondered about how we’re leveraging our generational diversity.

Here are a couple of my takeaways that I think are relevant to our work with students at VCHS.

First, it’s important to acknowledge and understand the generational differences between teachers and students. For example, I’m Gen X (born between 1965-1982) working with Mr. Mysnyk who is a Millennial (born between 1983-2000). And we’re working with Gen Z (born between 2001-2015). Each of us sees the world a bit differently and Elmore suggested our life

paradigms are: ‘Keep it Real’ (Gen X), ‘Life is a cafeteria’ (Millennial), and ‘I’m coping and hoping’ (Gen Z). To reach today’s students – to equip mind, body, and spirit – we need to really know what makes them tick. Adult empathy and emotional intelligence are essential.

Second, Gen Z – today’s high school students – if tapped fully, have so much to offer VCHS and the world. Elmore highlighted their potential value and contributions, if given the opportunity: entrepreneurial, cause oriented, social media savvy, hacker mindset, DIY disposition, and fresh perspective. These descriptors challenged me to have us think even more creatively about what Vail Christian’s curriculum and programs might look like. For example, how do we provide DIY-type opportunities to prepare students for college and their future lives? Or how do we create a stronger culture of service given their cause oriented bent?

After all, Gen Z will be leading our nation and world one day, and we will need all that Gen Z can bring to the table.

Steve O'Neil

Head of School

BRAVOS

Congratulations to Ava Garrison and Ryan Hutchinson who were recently named Commended Students in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program. About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation were recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Each of these students entered the 2023 competition by taking the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Way to go Ava and Ryan!

ANNOUNCMENTS

ADMISSIONS NEWS

Saints families, word-of-mouth is the number one way that a parent will seek out a school. Parents will ask their friends from work, neighborhood or social circles, to discuss and recommend schools. Please share your VCHS experience with your community and direct them to our website vchs.org and our social media accounts on Facebook & Instagram to become aware of the exciting things happening at our school.

Please also send prospective families my way kmaslan@vchsweb.org to find out more about a Vail Christian High School education or to schedule a tour.

COUNSELOR'S CORNER

REMINDERS

Seasonal Fruit Bowl

The Community Health and Food Sustainability class in collaboration with Rustic Farm to Fork will be providing a seasonal fruit bowl to students starting on October 18th. This fall, the fruit bowl will be stocked with Colorado apples and pears from Austin Family Farms in Paonia. This is part of an initiative from the Community Health and Food Sustainability class to support Colorado farmers and provide a healthy snack option for students to eat between classes.

All Saints and their families are invited to donate to the weekly seasonal fruit bowl to ensure healthy snacks are available to the VCHS community. Please click here to sign up to donate to this cause. A note of thanks recognizing our donors will be attached to the fruit bowl each week.

PARENT ASSOCIATION

The VCHS Parent Association earns money through the City Market Community Rewards program. Once you link your City Market Value Card to "Vail Christian High School Booster Club" and use it when you shop at any City Market, we'll start making money. The PA has been awarded as much as $3,000/year through this program so please take a moment and link us to your existing card or sign up for a new one.  

Click here to become a member!

Please click "Calendar" at the top of Saints News to view school calendar