The Spring House Games (aka Upper School field day) did not let the threat of rain showers dampen the House spirit!  The air was filled with excitement, students came ready to compete, and everyone was having FUN and being flexible where needed.

The morning started with each House in their “home room” working on some critical thinking word puzzles.  Then all three houses convened in the library for a surprise.  We didn’t want to let this day start without recognizing a special teacher… MR. WILMOTH!

For the last 4 years, Mr. Wilmoth has not only being an integral part of the Humanities program at CCS, but he has also been the advisor for House Audacia.   He was presented with a red “Grand Poobah” hat to wear for the festivities – hoping it would turn into a “rally hat” for Audacia to pull out a big win!

The leaders of his House as well as all of the class leaders in Student Government stood up and shared sweet stories from the past, sincere words of gratitude, and expressions of respect and admiration for a teacher that has taught them so much and pushed them to grow in ways they never imagined.  They each voiced how much they will miss him and wished him the best in his next venture.  I know all the adults in the room were moved by the students hearts for a dear teacher.

Audacia House Captain, Kirby Thigpen, presented Mr. Wilmoth with a gift and a card signed by the whole house. And then…the games began!

Below are pictures from the various events:

Beach Ball relay – proved harder than it looks!

Bling Man Snake Challenge

“Yank It and Suck It Up” relay

Dueling Dragons

Baton Leap Frog Relay

Tug of War

Round 1 – Sapientia vs Fides

Sapientia with the win.

Round 2 – Sapientia vs Audacia

Sapientia with the win again!

Banana Relay

And the Winner of 2017 Spring House Games was ….

HOUSE FIDES! Congratulations!

House Fides – 34 pts
House Audacia – 39 pts
House Sapientia – 43 pts
(Lowest score wins – like in golf – meaning that the House had the most first place finishes in the various games)

Fides “kept the faith” and came out on top!
Congratulations!

It was a special night as Covenant Classical School held our New Building Land Dedication Ceremony on the grounds of where our new addition will be built. Mrs. Jane Dearing spoke of the history of our school and reminisced about the land dedication that took place 20 years ago under the leadership of our founders, David and Ann Drye. Mrs. Stephanie Prince shared Psalm 127 and spoke about our commitment to allowing the Lord to build this house. Brylan Gann, Head of our Board of Directors, spoke about the beauty and richness of the classical tradition that takes place at our school from the grammar through the rhetoric stages. Families then entered a time of corporate prayer, which was followed by the singing of two hymns, “In Christ Alone” and “How Great Thou Art.”

House Points for Students Attending:
Audacia 18pts, Fides 21pts, Sapientia 15pts

What a joy it was to watch the Class of 2017 present their senior theses!!! I know the audience learned so much.  It was evident that all of the seniors knew their material and research well and were able to confidently, eloquently, and humbly defend their theses to the distinguished panel of upper school faculty (Mr. Morton, Mr. Wilmoth, Mr. Leland) and administration/mentors (Mrs. Dearing and Mrs. Crouch).  The culmination of their classical high school education as displayed through this rigorous rhetorical exercise was a beautiful moment to behold.

Well Done SENIORS!  We are all so proud of your maturity, dedication, and hard work.

Kirby Thigpen – The benefits of having a relationship with horses through the art of dressage.
Mason Cregger – The relationship between the American cinema and the rise of the 19th century nihilism.
Nick Deane – Adjusting the Standard: an exploration of the connection between truth and money, and how our money today reflects a devaluation of objective truth.
Daniel Haycox – Wisdom in the world of dreams: a critique of dream interpretation methods.

Evan Prince – How Marxism has molded our modern culture and its effect on morality.
Emily Goddard – How the overuse of social media has shaped Generation Z.
McKenna Bandy – The effects of cultural exports on undeveloped countries.

Chandler Lawing – The importance of beauty in the life of a Christian.
Anna Johnson – The overmedication of Modern America
Sara Beth Jewell – How reconstruction in the South after the Civil War was a failure and the effects it has on America today.
Braeden Gann – The demise of modern masculinity.

Thank you House Audacia for your thoughtful gift of a “survival bucket” of water bottles for the panelists each senior thesis day.  15pts

College Commitment Day was May 1st!
Our seniors celebrated their big decision by sporting a shirt announcing their future college.
McKenna Bandy – John Brown University
Mason Cregger – College of Charleston
Nicholas Deane – Boston University
Braeden Gann – Liberty University
Emily Goddard – NC State
Daniel Haycox – Lipscomb University (Honors College)
Sara Beth Jewell – NC State
Anna Johnson – Central Piedmont Community College
Chandler Lawing – College of Charleston (Honors College)
Ashley Nault – Palm Beach Atlantic University
Evan Prince – Liberty University
Kirby Thigpen – Hillsdale College

Above, senior Ashley Nault signed her National Letter of Intent to run cross country and track with Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida. Ashley has run cross country all four years at Covenant Classical School, being coached by Charity Leland and Cindy Gann. She also trains with the North Charlotte Running Academy under Coach Jim Bennett. Ashley’s success on the course was complemented by her recognition as Most Valuable Player all four years as well as being chosen as Captain her junior and senior years. Ashley plans to study Cross Cultural Studies and Spanish while attending Palm Beach Atlantic University. Congratulations, Ashley!

Please join us this Saturday, May 20th, at 2pm to watch and celebrate with us as these amazing young people graduate!  CCS Board Chairman, Brylan Gann, will give the commencement charge.

UPPER SCHOOL FIELD TRIP:
The rainy weather did not dampen the spirits of the Upper School Students as they visited the Biltmore!  In all kinds of weather, seeing beauty in structures, gardens, and landscapes is easy to do with friends!
Spirit points for attendance: Audacia 51pts, Fides 39pts, Sapientia 45pts

The final House Meetings for the year gave us all a chance to celebrate the outgoing and incoming house leadership with some fun and games.
The 1st game was for the outgoing and incoming House Captains and the challenge was to see how well they “listen” to their house members.  Sadly, there are no pictures to post, but the captains had to figure out what action their house members were trying to communicate to them to do in the quickest time, and the members could only use applause – and no words. 1st place Fides, 2nd place Audacia, 3rd place Sapientia

The 2nd game was for the outgoing House Prefects and one of their House Advisors.  A House System goal for next year is that the House Prefects work closer and communicate more consistently with their advisors.  A game of 4-legged race symbolized that goal.

House Sapientia took and held on to the lead with a display of impressive coordination.

1st place – Sapientia, 2nd place – Fides, 3rd place – Audacia 

The 3rd and final game of the meeting used ALL the House members in a large game of “Rush Hour Traffic” (aka a modified musical chairs game).  I wish there were pictures to show the crazy fun but no.  In the end, the 4 remaining students were 2 Audacia members, 1 Fides, and 1 Sapientia.

Later that day, House Audacia hosted a SPA night for all the upper school girls, parents, and faculty.  It was such a treat to have the fingers and toes pampered!  Thanks House Audacia for such a creative idea!

Spirit Night at Chick-fil-a had a different twist!  Instead of just getting points for attending, the Houses were able to participate in a Scavenger Hunt for points.  While enjoying their yummy chicken dinner and supporting CCS, students could get points for all sorts of things like…

Playing in the play area (quickly before they got called out on height violation!)

Giving Chick-fil-a employees “High Fives” for a job well done!

Dressing up like a cow… Way to go Braeden and Sawyer!!
Hugging and dancing with the COW!

And eating the yummy food!

And of course, they were all rewarded with a “Free Spirit Dress Pass” for attending!
It was a lot of fun and hopefully translated into an increase in $$ for the school!
Audacia 138pts, Fides 83pts, Sapientia 132pts

Current Standings:

        910pts            872pts            880pts

Cabarrus County Special Olympics held their Spring Games on April 12th and the CCS juniors and seniors served as buddies for the athletes.

Before the games began, the program consisted of a Parade of Athletes, the presentation of colors, the National Anthem by the 208th Army band, and a parachute demonstration by the US Army Golden Nights.

The Kannapolis and Concord Police departments participated in the Torch run and lighting.

The CCS juniors and seniors were paired with athletes ranging in age from 15 to 50.  As buddies they cheered their athlete on through the various events, danced with them while waiting, and gave lots of hugs and high fives!

It was a special day for all of us!