Spring 2012 - Columbia Adventist Academy

Columbia Adventist Academy
Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage
11100 NE 189th Street
Battle Ground, WA 98604
www.caaschool.org
Columbia Adventist Academy
Alumni Echoes
PAID
Ridgefield WA
Permit No. 94
Winter Edition ~ 2013
Address Service Requested
“ O ur mission is to provide alumni the opportunity to reconnect, encourage former students to strengthen their personal and spiritual values, and provide financial support for the future. Our vision is a community of alumni, strengthened through reconnecting. ” - CAA Alumni
Alumni weekend a reconnecting time!
Columbia Adventist Academy Alumni Homecoming Weekend
April 5-6, 2013
We will be honoring the alumni honor group of 1954 and prior
and the classes of 1953, 1963, 1973, 1983, 1988, 1993, 2003 and 2013.
If you are interested in helping to coordinate your class reunion,
please contact Larry Hiday at CAA at (360) 687-3161 or hidala@caaschool.org.
The weekend schedule will be as follows:
Friday Evening Vespers
Presented by the Class of 2003 in the CAA forum
Sabbath School
Presented by the Class of 1993
Church
Presented by the Class of 1988
Sabbath Afternoon Program Presented by the Class of 1963
Saturday Night Event and Basketball Games in the CAA gym
It just wouldn‟t be right to be in Meadow
Glade and not see rain during the month of
April and this year did not disappoint any
alumni returning to reminisce about “the
good ole days”. The weekend began with
the 10-year class, Class of „02, having the
vespers program and Kevin Ames giving
the first message.
Sabbath morning the
Class of „92 lead out in the Sabbath School
program with Adam Arechiga. After role
call and the business meeting the Columbia
choir provided the musical interlude followed by the Class of ‟87 leading out the
church service with Scott Hamel delivering
the Sabbath sermon.
In the afternoon everyone enjoyed a catered
lunch provided by the seniors of 2012 and
Sweet Tomatoes. Class photos then gave a
chance for the alumni to show their true
characters with some being the leaders and
making sure everyone was in the picture
while others (dare we say the class clowns?)
picked up where they left off many years
ago. Some classes chose to hang out and
talk with each other, some headed around
campus on tours and others headed right
over to the church for the afternoon program
planned by the class of „62. The late afternoon and evening saw many classes planning get-togethers in many different venues
with many returning to campus for the Saturday night basketball games and for the
“first annual” knowledge bowl tournament.
Virlys Moller was contacted by some eager
‟92 Alumni who wanted to relive the glory
days of knowledge bowl. Paul Campanello,
CAA former knowledge bowl coach, joined
in the evening fun. Bragging rights were
the reward for winning in both arenas and
the alumni definitely hold those in both
basketball and knowledge.
See Page 4 for names of pictured Alumni
*Normally $109/night
Honor Class 1962
Honor Class 1972
Honor Class 1987
Columbia Classics Weekend (Gladstone Campgrounds)
September 21–22, 2012
Columbia Adventist Academy Fountain of Youth
February **, 2013
Columbia Adventist Academy Contact Info; Phone 360.687.3161, Principal, Matthew Butte, x24, Registrar, Debbie Hendrickson, x22,
Alumni and Development Director, Larry Hiday, x33, Office Manager, Tami Congleton, x20, Accountant and Marketing, Julie Gaskell, x23
Principal’s Message
CALENDAR—
Alumni
Homecoming
April 5-6, 2013
Columbia Classics
Gladstone, OR
Fountain of Youth
February 9, 2013
Niland, CA
***All weekend meetings except Vespers will be held in the Meadow Glade Church.***
Registration will be in the school forum
The Battle Ground Best Western is offering a discount to alumni for that weekend if you let them know
$75/night for 1 bed & $85/night for 2 beds
INSIDE—
Honor Class 1992
Honor Class 2002
Building Updates
CAA Alumni Echoes
CAA Alumni Decade Challenge (ADC),
Capital Campaign, and Financial UPDATE
The Current Total Raised (as of Dec 30, 2011)
Principal’s Message
Horses changed in the
middle of the Stream
Dear Alumni,
As the year winds down and the hustle and bustle of the
holidays fill the air, I encourage you to take the time to
reflect on how blessed and fortunate we are. This season
is one of charity, gifts, and of course Christ’s ultimate
sacrifice. As I reflect on our school community, I am
overwhelmed with gratitude for the many ways
our school has been richly blessed. It brings me great joy
to be a part of this richness each and every day. As
Alumni, you bring unmeasured value as you have sup
ported CAA and are a part of the rich history of this
school. Thank you so much for your continued financial
gifts and prayers for our students and faculty.
This newsletter highlights some of the ways we have
been blessed by adventures, donations, improvements,
and achievements. My hope is that you will find these
stories an uplifting way to stay connected to CAA. Please
continue to keep in touch with us regarding your
information and we hope to see you at Alumni Weekend.
- Matthew Butte
Worthy Student Roundup
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They say “you can‟t change
horses in the middle of a
stream” but with the help of
our Thanksgiving event entertainment, the Stratton Half
Brothers, that‟s exactly what
we did this year! For the past
four years we have been enjoying food, family, friends,
and fun(d) raising at our annual Thanksgiving Celebration events with the goal to
raise funds for our new
building. With the capacity
of the building our goal is to
utilize the potential by increasing the number of students at CAA and through
marketing and word of
mouth that is exactly what
we‟re doing. With an enrollment of 134 students, God
has blessed us richly this
year and we are making payments toward the building.
However, with an increase in
enrollment and not a lot of
“increase” in the economy,
we are finding that more and
more of our students need
some form of financial aid.
In fact over 50% of our students need that help requiring that we find a way to
make their stay at Columbia
possible. So this year instead
of funding the building
project with our fun(d)raiser
we “changed horses in the
middle of the stream” and
made it our goal to raise
$100,000 at our westernthemed Thanksgiving
“Worthy Student Roundup.”
We had a generous donor
step up to the plate and give
us a 1-1 match for up to
$50,000 and that night, to the
sounds of western/country
songs and laughter, participants gave $42,000 for a
night total of $84,000! After
the event was over and the
cleanup was nearing completion, God impressed another
donor to come forward and
say they wanted to make a
donation to complete the
match! We are so blessed at
CAA and want all of our
alumni and friends to know
what a blessing it is to be a
part of God‟s work and see
Him move in the lives of our
students, as well as our community members. Thank you
for your contributions, continuing payment on pledges,
prayers, time, and all the
other things you give to continue the tradition of excellence at your school.
Alumni Updates
CAA Alumni Echoes
Does A Focus on Alumni; How CAA Look?
by Larry Hiday, Alumni/Development Director
The typical student at CAA ends
the school year with at least one
school T-shirt. Depending on how
many activities the student is involved in, it could be more.
Over the years, the T-shirts build
up. One of our alums, Lindsay Kelstrom, Class of 2007, had over 30 Tshirts and sweatshirts by the time she
graduated.
“I had at least one shirt from soccer
each year and I usually had a T-shirt
and sweatshirt from each year of music,” said Lindsay. “Some of the
shirts were not directly from the
school but from mission trips I went
on through Meadow Glade Church.”
A few of the shirts were from
Academy Days that she either attended or helped with.
So what do you do with so many
clothes after you graduate?
“I wore a lot of the shirts for
awhile,” she said. “But then I started
accumulating more T-shirts in college so my academy shirts were
phased out. But I didn‟t want to give
them away because of all the memories. So I decided to make a quilt
from them.”
This project got me thinking, how
does CAA look? What do our Tshirts show that we emphasize at our
school?
According to Lindsay, she had one
T-shirt from National Honor Society
and one from Leadership Late Night
but most of her quilt consists of Tshirts from sports or music.
*****??
With the help of a friend, Lindsay
recently finished her quilt and agreed
to let us display it at Alumni Weekend 2013.
I want to extend an invitation to
anyone who will be attending
CAA Extends Campus
first week lead to research projects and
data collection during the second
week. Again, novelty was abundant as
research varied from spider populations to tree ratios and moss riches.
Probably more novel than anything
else was the fact that electronic technology was reserved for scientific
equipment during the two weeks.
While students adjusted to their lack of
media that the current culture demand
they be “plugged into”, they readily
adapted to using the plethora of electronics for their research that instructors Jamey and Allen Cooper had pur-
Alumni Weekend this next year:
Bring your old CAA T-shirts. There
may even be a prize for the oldest Tshirt!
(Continued from pg 3)
chased, or “raided” from Loma Linda
University, included two ipads, a clinometer, calipers, laser pointers, and a
non-contact infrared thermometer gun
with laser targeting for distance temperature readings. As for the diet, students learned that cous cous with pine
nuts and Thai noodles with peanut
sauce can provide for an elegant evening of dining even if you‟re far from
your favorite restaurant.
Students enjoyed the views and wildlife of the mountains, the solitude of
the campsites, “skiing” the remaining
snow patches, and experiencing some-
thing they‟d never done before. As
Konrad McClure, CAA freshman, said
as he fixed cous cous for his family
after returning to civilization, “l‟m independent and self-contained now!”
*defined by Christopher Robin in Winnie the Pooh “Chapter Eight in which
Christopher Robin leads an Expedition
to the North Pole” as “a long line of
everybody” to “discover something.”
by Virlys Moller, CAA English
instructor, per interview with Larry
Hiday
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Alumni Updates
CAA Alumni Echoes
Week of Prayer; Sometimes Dirty but never “Down and Out”
The topic for the week of prayer at
Columbia Adventist Academy (CAA)
this year was “Jesus wants you to be
saved.” The first day, James Bokovoy,Oklahoma Conference pastor
(and avid photographer), shared how
God has led in his life and how much
more fulfilling life has been as he
allows God to lead. He encouraged
the students by sharing that God
wants to do the same thing in each of
our lives. The week took a surprising
turn midway through the week‟s presentations when Bokovoy, together
with the religious activities committee, conducted an activity where students closed their eyes and reached
into a bowl containing, unknown to
them, honey, and potting soil. Each
then clasped the hand of the student
next to them. Bokovoy used the analogy of foot washing to compare to the
cleaning process that was then carried
out by the religious activities committee members as they went around and
washed each students‟ hands. “We are
to be „cleaning agents‟ in the world
around us just as the committee members were, and while that will cause
us to get „dirty‟ sometimes, because
of salvation supplied through Christ
we are never „down and out‟,” Bokovoy said. “In turn, God wants each of
us to then help others and make their
lives better just as He has blessed and
made our lives better.” Meaghan
Ashton, a sophomore student, said
“…the activity was great. Some
might say gross, but I really liked the
meaning and what it represented. People… hated the stuff all over their
hands, but everyone gets dirty and
Jesus died for our sins.”
Bokovoy, an avid photographer, visited classes throughout the week and
his presentation in the photography
class, along with that of Todd Gessele, videographer for the NPUC, explained how our interests and passions can be used to further God‟s
work and improve the lives of others.
The week of “theory” was followed
the next week with a day of
“experiential” practice as the entire
school was involved in community
service and getting dirty but knowing
that God was able to use CAA to
bless many lives. In summarizing the
week of prayer, Keith Kerbs, CAA
religion teacher said “The modern
parables and illustrations that Pastor
James shared, as well as his own
story of God working in his life,
really connected with those who attended. His passion for God, young
people, and photography are inspiring!”
Alumnus donates time and design to remodel CAA website
Nic Hubbard graduated from CAA in 2001
then headed to Pacific Union College where
he pursed a BA in Television and Film Production.
The summer of 2011 he and his wife, Emily,
moved back to the Northwest, purchased a
home in Ridgefield, and welcomed their
first child, a beautiful boy, Matthew, this past June.
Being so close to the school did not escape Matthew Butte‟s notice
and a current principal and former “contemporary Moral Issues”
student reconnected on a common cause-improving CAA‟s presence on the Web.
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Alumni Updates
CAA Alumni Echoes
A Gift in Jars of Clay
The free concert was sponsored by
Chuck‟s Produce and promoted by local
Christian radio station, 104.1 The Fish.
“We have this treasure in earthen
vessels, that the excellence of the
power may be of God and not of
us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7 NKJV)
On September 7, “Jars of Clay”, a
well-known contemporary Christian
group of musicians performed for a
free
concert on our beautiful campus.
Opening the concert was a performance by “Found,” a group of student
musicians who love music and God.
The gorgeous weather with its evening warmth set the right tone for
welcoming in the Sabbath with a
meaningful evening of worship and
praise.
The event was the result of long term
planning to combine the school‟s
mission “to provide the finest in
Seventh-day Adventist secondary
education,” introduce the community
of Clark County and beyond, to the
school, and to thank all the CAA supporters. These objectives were met by
bringing together a group of “Godshaped” students, “Jars of Clay,” and
about one thousand community
guests. The CAA campus as a concert
venue provided the ideal opportunity
to introduce the community to the
mission, the “earthen vessels” (students and staff), and our
“Treasure” (God).
Watching a skilled potter take a slab
of clay and shape it into something
beautiful can be enthralling. Seeing
the same thing happen in the lives of
our students at CAA is even more
thrilling and we are blessed with 135
“jars of clay” on campus this
year. In addition to meeting
the objectives for the event, it
also
provided wonderful memories and a context for transformation by the Master Potter. In the words of a community member who chose to
participate in our worship
that evening, “My family and
I were so blessed by your
generosity. What a wonderful
blessing!” To God be the glory that
earthen vessels can share such a
Treasure!
“Found” group members (back to front, left
to right):Grant Bolin, Tyler Fry, Robby
Boney, Lindsay Salsbery, Carly Ford, Kathryn Thomas, and Mac Ford. Members not
shown: Josh Fry, Melanie Morales, ?????
Jars of Clay shared the gospel
with in friends, family members
Jars of Clay
giving Him all
the glory!
5
Alumni Updates
CAA Alumni Echoes
needed money to really help in a way
that made a significant difference,
but then she heard about an organization called Locks of Love whose
mission is “to return a sense of self,
confidence and normalcy to children
suffering from hair loss… to financially disadvantaged children” and a
new idea, one that she could make
happen, began to form. After doing
her homework, Diana found a place
that would cut her hair and allow her
to donate it to Locks of Love for a
child who had lost their hair, many
of whom are kids with cancer. In just
a few minutes Diana went from having long beautiful black hair to a
shaved head for a very worthy cause.
When asked about the responses
from people, she told about the humorous dressing room situation and
being told that “boys try on clothes
over there.” She said that her family
was surprised and very supportive
with her mom kidding her that now
Congratulations Kodiaks! Soccer team wins
1st & Sportsmanship at WWU Fall Classic
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
So what‟s the story behind a beautiful, reserved, sophomore student at
Columbia Adventist Academy
(CAA) being the brunt of namecalling? First, Diana Palomera gets
called Troy Polamalu (the Samoan
football player known for his long,
beautiful hair who does Head and
Shoulders commercials) then a few
days later she gets called a boy and
told not to go into the women‟s
dressing room by the lady
“guarding” the women‟s dressing
rooms at a department store where
she was shopping. Diana has a heart
for helping people and she‟s very
friendly and caring, so it‟s surprising
that she would be the recipient of
name-calling until one learns a little
more about this student.
In addition to all the aforementioned qualities which make Diana
an asset to her high school, she also
has a heart for helping people. For a
long time she thought that she
Alumni Updates
Soccer coach Debbie Reed began
the 2012-2013 school year prepping
the largest soccer team CAA has
had. As a seven-year coaching veteran, she couldn‟t have guessed that
this season‟s end would be a historic
first. Never before in the history of
the Walla Walla Friendship Tourna-
she looks like her dad and brother.
Her friends all thought it was
“weird” but are very proud of her.
Her teachers are proud of her, too,
for her willingness to leave her comfort zone, to put others first, and not
to let outward looks take precedence
over her inner beauty. May we all be
willing to use our gifts to bless the
lives of others as Diana has done.
ment has a soccer team won first
place and the sportsmanship award.
WWU coordinators acknowledged
the new height that CAA has placed
the bar for future teams. “Winning
the first place trophy was amazing
and something this team has worked
hard for, but winning the sportsmanship award too was
like winning the
lottery”, Reed explained. Emotions
surfaced as she recounted her players
and the excitement
on their faces as
they realized this
amazing
accomplishment.
Reed believes that
much of her team‟s
attitude toward the
sport, their fellow
CAA Alumni Echoes
team members, and the opposing
team, have been influenced by a
“tradition” that she began last year.
After each game, the apposing team
was invited to the center of the playing field for affirmation and prayer.
Some of Reed‟s team leaders would
take the initiative to find out interesting facts about the other team and
their players. During this time of
affirmation, Reed was able to connect on a deep level with each athlete on the team they played against.
These connections have grown
throughout the last two seasons,
friendships have flourished, respected established, and the games
have benefited.
Senior Taylor Ermshar also received
the MVP award. Congratulations to
Ermshar, Reed and the Kodiaks
2012 Soccer Team.
CAA extends Campus to include
Mt. St. Helens and the Olympic National
Honored Alumni photos (Continued pg 1)
Class of 2002
Back Row:
Kevin Ames
Peter McNabb
Christopher Will
Justin White
Trevor Congleton
C.J. Anderson
Paul Wilson
Front Row:
Chelsea Bliss Ward
Natalie Chapel
Lori Fisher Uhacz
Olivia Alvarez
Claira Davis Hockenson
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When the idea of an "expotition"*
was tossed around between Columbia
Adventist Academy (CAA) science
instructor, Larry Hiday, and local
backpacking guru, Randy Givens,
there was simply the intention of introducing students to backpacking and
“God‟s second book”. But brainstorming often takes people where they
have no intention of going and produces novel ideas. So on July 10, six
neophyte backpackers and four experienced instructors combined forces
to experience a novel approach to education; combining formal instruction
in geology, research methods, and bi-
ology with informal instruction in
backpacking skills and etiquette.
Novelties for the learning experience included location, technology, and diet (to say nothing of
the “school bathroom facilities”).
The first week of the two-week
class was spent on Mt. St. Helens
and then moved to the Olympic
National Park for the second
week. The classroom change from
day to day often provided the
chance for students to honestly say
that they “had to walk miles to get to
school and it was uphill both ways!”
With journals in hand,
students hiked the trails, identifying
wildflowers and trees, birds and
snakes. Observations made during the
(continued pg 7)
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