April 1, 2014 Newsletter
Super Saturday 2014
Join us April 5 for WCA’s largest one-day fundraiser and community outreach event of the year! Gates open at 9 am for Super Saturday 2014, featuring fun for the entire family! We have carnival-style games and inflatables for kids of all ages; food, including Mrs. Fisher’s famous handmade eggrolls, and the Senior Class’ popular “Walking Tacos;” and a silent auction, with everything from the coveted Reserved Senior Parking Spot, to four, one-day Park Hopper Passes to Walt Disney World! This year, upcoming Juniors will have the opportunity to bid on a Reserved Junior Spot in the Senior Parking Lot! Campus tours will be offered throughout the day, and the Red Cross Bloodmobile will be on site accepting donors (go here to register your preferred time slot and enter sponsor code “Wake Christian Academy”). The Cornhole Tournament is back by popular demand, and this year we’ve added a Hot Shot Basketball Contest and a Volleyball Team Competition, as well! All proceeds go directly back to the classroom and toward the 2013-2014 Annual Fund. Don’t miss this opportunity to fellowship with your WCA family and members of the community. We’ll see you and yours at Super Saturday 2014!
- Admission to the event is free, but tickets are collected for rides and games. You may purchase discounted tickets in the Elementary Lobby, each day this week, from 7:45 am – 8:30 am.
- Click here to register to be a blood donor at Super Saturday, and enter our sponsor code, “Wake Christian Academy.”
- Click on the following to register for Cornhole, Basketball, or Volleyball!
Mission-Minded Duos
Wake Christian Academy has always provided school-sponsored missions activities for its students, like visiting Senior Centers, collecting food and toys for local pantries and non-profit organizations, and serving others in the community; but a few of our younger students have taken it upon themselves to create their own missions opportunities, and the results are nothing short of amazing! Second-grade twins, Evan and Nathan Yardley, and siblings Connor (third grade) and Morgan (second grade) Straight, stepped out in faith and invited their friends and family members to join them in three unique projects.
Evan and Nathan were celebrating their ninth birthday, and rather than receiving gifts for themselves, asked for donations of items for homeless men in downtown Raleigh. They asked specifically for hygiene items, as well as packaged snacks and bottled water. Their aunt, Kim Dry, also a K5 Assistant at WCA, said, “The boys learned a lot about homelessness when they were in Mrs. Bowers’ and Mrs. Jackson’s kindergarten class. This past year, they began praying for people without homes, and recognizing all the blessings they have. They felt really good about collecting these items.” The boys gave all of the deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, packages of tissues and baby wipes, and snacks and water they collected to Kim Jackson and Terrie Jernigan, who travel downtown weekly to pass out supplies to the homeless men. The recipients were so appreciative and made signs, thanking the boys for the gifts. The boys said, “Those men probably don’t get gifts for their birthdays, so this was like their birthday!” In honor of Mrs. Bowers’ and Mrs Dry’s upcoming birthdays, their kindergarten classroom is sponsoring a preschool class at the Raleigh Rescue Mission. Anyone wishing to contribute items such as craft supplies, markers, crayons, and iTunes gift cards may drop them off in the kindergarten room by next Monday.
Connor and Morgan were participating in their church’s annual Pinewood Derby, and developed two missions projects for patients at the North Carolina Children’s Hospital, in Chapel Hill. Connor, who enjoys video games, decided to collect used games and gaming systems for the teen lounge at the hospital. He was given more than 25 games, along with cash donations, which he used to purchase discounted games at Play ‘N Trade. He also donated his own Wii system, along with several gaming components. Beth Glover, a Child Life Specialist and Program Coordinator at the hospital, said, “Many of our patients have been here for quite some time. They know the games that are in the lounge, and when they saw all of the new games, they were absolutely thrilled!”
Morgan loves stuffed animals, so she invited several friends to a Build-a-Bear party, to make teddy bears for the children in the hospital. Her initial goal was to make 10 bears. After her parents posted the opportunity on social media, she quickly had enough participants and cash donations to make more than 20 bears! Before the party, the number was well above 30, and no one could have predicted what happened the night of the store party. The number of bears being stuffed by those who attended was astounding and drew a lot of attention from other customers. As the kids were finishing up, one woman and her six-year-old daughter came in to the store. She saw what was happening and asked Morgan why they were making so many bears. When she learned the stuffed animals were going to the NC Children’s Hospital, she said, “My nephew is a patient there, and is in remission. I’d like to donate four bears for you to take. We weren’t even coming in to shop; we don’t need a thing, but I just felt led to walk in here tonight!” Between family members, church members, teachers, friends, and perfect strangers, Morgan collected 43 bears for the patients at the hospital. The Straights said, “It feels really good to do something like this for kids who are sick. We can’t imagine staying in a hospital for so long, and we hope this makes the patients’ time there easier.”
Ms. Glover continued, “We count on donors for everything, and these contributions were great! The kids were really pleased!” She stated that the hospital has a continuous need for crayons, markers, colored pencils, and coloring and activity books for patients of all ages. Connor and Morgan will continue to accept donations for the kids at the NC Children’s Hospital, and will deliver these items as they arrive.
These four children may be young, but they made a big difference in the lives of many people! Thank you, Evan and Nathan, and Connor and Morgan, for putting the love of Christ into action!
Our group of 19 went to Mexico over spring break for our missions trip. We partnered with Doug Rogers, of Indigenous Church Planting, and one of their churches, in Xalapa, Mexico. We had the opportunity to help train adults in children’s ministry, make friends with members of the youth group, paint the church building, and hand out tracts in a park. We also got to learn about the culture of Mexico through our “cultural immersion” activities and our day in Cholula, Mexico.I decided to go on this missions trip because I had gone on local trips before and loved them. This trip was really exciting because it involved the Spanish language, and it would be the first time I’ve been out of the country. I have been learning Spanish for two years, and liked this trip because it meant I could use the Spanish I’ve learned for God’s glory. Even though it was sometimes difficult, I could communicate with others and ultimately share the gospel with them through a tract.
This trip was a major learning experience for me. One of the most important things I learned was there is a large number of people that haven’t heard the gospel. As we drove from Puebla to Xalapa, we passed about 10 villages spread out on both sides of the road. One of the few things that these villages have in common is that they’re “unreached,” meaning they haven’t heard the gospel! Just imagining how many people were in those villages taught me the importance of missions and evangelism. I also learned a lot about the other students in our group. Some, I knew well, and others I had just met. I definitely made new friends on our team. I learned about the culture of Mexico and lots of information about the country itself.
One of the coolest parts of the trip, for me, was during the church services. During the worship time, we sang “Hosanna,” a song most of our group knew. The song was led in Spanish, but we sang it in English. I thought this was really cool because half the room was signing in Spanish, and the other half in English. Even though we were speaking two different languages, we still were worshiping the same God!
I really enjoyed this international missions trip, but I learned that I didn’t have to go out of the country to share the gospel. I can do it in the community around Wake Christian. Because of this, I was excited to learn that our Mexico Missions Team will be doing a monthly missions outreach in the community. Still, I will be anxious for another opportunity to go back to Mexico, or even another country.
Meet Dawn Russell
The Russell Family
Mrs. Russell’s Favorite Verses are Philippians 4:6-9. “These remind me that God is always in control and not to worry…not always the easiest thing to do!”
Dawn Russell is enjoying her fifth year at Wake Christian. Her children, Trey, a Junior, and Gavin, an eighth-grader, started here seven years ago, which is when Dawn started volunteering for the annual auction. “I was hired as Development Associate, in charge of fundraising and events, and was promoted to Development Coordinator, which added branding, marketing, the website, and social media to my list of responsibilities.” Most recently, Dawn was named Director of School Advancement, and now oversees communications, alumni, and admissions.
Prior to joining Wake Christian Academy, Dawn was the Preschool Director at Sunrise United Methodist Church Preschool. She also has extensive corporate experience in Human Resources, Facilities, and Purchasing. Dawn received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and holds a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University. “I love working here because I can come to school each day with my kids, but I also love that my job is never boring! No two days are ever the same. I love the relationships I’ve built with the staff, parents, grandparents, alumni, and the community. I want everyone to know this is a great school.”
Dawn and her husband, Jay, toured Wake Christian Academy before Trey started kindergarten, but decided he would be fine in public school. “When Trey got to the fourth grade, we knew public school was no longer an option for our family, so we came back for another tour,” she said. “We applied immediately, but were placed on the waiting list for fifth grade. We knew if this was the place he was meant to be, we would make it in. The wonderful call from Mrs. Sauls came about two weeks before school started. The differences between the two schools were astounding, and Trey received so much more here than he had in the past.”
She continued, “If a parent is considering WCA for their child, I would say that this school takes care of my kids. They not only teach them academics, but they train them to be wonderful young men that will change the world!” The Russell Family attends Sunrise United Methodist Church, in Holly Springs, where Dawn has held many leadership positions, including Sunday School teacher, Vacation Bible School Coordinator, and Administrative Council Member.
Oh, the Places They’ll Go…
If you have a senior, tell us about his or her plans after high school! Send us a picture, along with the school or career of choice, and we’ll add your student to our board. Please send all information to Christy Straight.
Alumni News
Caleb Mooney – NC State Band
Caleb Mooney (’13), traveled to Dayton, Ohio, with the North Carolina State University Pep Band for the first game of the NCAA Tournament! Caleb’s mom, Patricia Mooney, said, “Very few band members were selected from each section, and we are thrilled that Caleb was able to go!” Congratulations, Caleb! It was exciting to see a former Bulldog on television!
Congratulations to:
- Evan and Rebecca Loska Barr (’05), on the birth of their daughter, Layla Karis, born March 4, 2014. Prior to becoming a mother, Rebecca was an Administrative Assistant in charge of media and publications at First Baptist Church Athens, in Tennessee.
Please pray for:
- The Thornburg Family on the passing of Mrs. Thornburg, wife of Dr. Robert Thornburg, who taught Bible at WCA, from 1980 – 1996.
To receive periodic alumni updates, please be sure to keep your contact information current with our office. Contact Phil Crane, Alumni Coordinator, with any questions.
Send Us Your News
We want your stories! If you are a current student or graduate of Wake Christian Academy, we’re interested in hearing about your accomplishments and activities. Please contact Christy Straight, Communications Associate, with story suggestions and photos.