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Administrator's Desk Archive (newest at top) Message from the Administrator |
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September 2008 Dear school families, Going to the retreat in the beginning of September provided a great start for this school year. We truly had a wonderful time. As a result, I believe, we not only grew closer together as one family, but also grew in our relationship with God Himself. It was a blessing to see students and staff praying for each other and praising the Lord. Now, I would like to say a few words about Engrade, our online grading program. By this time every family should have received an individual access code. This code enables parents to log in online and view the grades of their children at any time. Parents can also use this program to send messages to our teachers. So, we are constantly working on raising the standard of our education and also improving communication between the school and our families. Whether in our classrooms, on the gym floor, during chapel services, or retreat, we strive to glorify God in everything we do. We firmly believe that God has a great plan for each of our student. Thank you for letting us play a small part in discovering and cultivating that plan. The door of our administrative and teaching staff is always open to your comments, concerns, and suggestions. I hope you will take time to stop by and share with us. Again, thank you for your support. May God pour out His blessing upon you and your family.
August 2008 Dear school families, I hope you are having a great summer. It is hard to believe that the new school year is about to start. We are excited about several changes that are taking place at our school. We would like to welcome Michael Neal who is coming to our school to teach 5th grade, administer computer program to the elementary school, and help us put together detailed scope and sequence for each class in the elementary school. Mr. Neal has 15 years of teaching experience, is a strong Christian, and is very active in the community. We also have a new addition to Social Studies department. Cherish Hensley joins our staff this year. Mrs. Hensley is a graduate of Mars Hills college with B.A. in History and will be teaching history to our Middle and High school students. She is also qualified to teach Spanish I and II. Also our science department will have a new addition this year. Mrs. Karen Baker will join our staff as a Middle and High School science teacher. Mrs. Baker has spent 21 years teaching nursing in ABTECH and will be able offer not only core science classes, but also electives such as Biotech, occupational health, and nursing. In addition to the
changes listed above, we are very blessed to have Mr. Tom Camacho
join our staff. He will provide a direct assistance to me as the
Head of School, and be considered a principal of the school, mainly
responsible for recruitment, some administrative duties, promoting
community awareness of our school, and teaching several classes such
as Bible, College and Career, Journalism, and Introduction to
Business. Mr. Camacho graduated from Chapel Hill, has taught
business classes in college and Bible classes at Though changes are inevitable, some things must remain constant. One of those things is our commitment to improving the quality of our education. The second thing is our commitment to helping our students become disciples of Christ. Every member of our staff is committed to love and care for our students. We are looking forward to a great time we will have together this coming school year. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to call us. We are here to serve you. May God richly bless you. In Christ,
June 2008 This has been an exciting school year. It is hard to believe that it is over. For some students this time is just about passing to another grade. For others, it is leaving the school, turning over a page of their lives, and opening the new one.
March 2008
The
spring time is almost here. The students as well as teachers are
looking forward to the spring break. Our break starts on the Easter
weekend, a time of great celebration for many of us.
But Easter is also a time of reflection. It is a time when we can look into our past and remember where God has brought us from. It is a time when we are reminded that once we were “without hope and without God in this world.” (Eph.2:12). It is a time when we look back almost two thousand years ago to the saddest day in the history of the humanity, the day when Jesus died on the cross. But without the sadness of death and suffering, there would be no joy of resurrection. And because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we can have hope and enjoy our relationship with God.
Easter does not only encourage us to look into our past but also consider our present. Jesus did not stay in the grave but rose on the third day and is alive and well today. He said: “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matt.28:20) He wants to be involved in our daily life, guiding our steps and helping us fulfill His plan.
During this holiday season we can also reflect on our future. Jesus’ resurrection makes us look forward to the day when we also will rise with Christ to live a life free of sufferings, disease, and pain. (1 Cor.15:52-53)
So, let us take time to reflect on our past, our present and our future. And then, when we do, our celebration will be more meaningful and fulfilling. Happy Easter! May God abundantly bless you and your family. Dema Barishnikov, Administrator
December 2007 When we think about Christmas, our memories often take us back to our childhood. We remember how every year we would look forward to that long awaited morning when we could unwrap our presents. Many of us had our wish list prepared long before and did not hesitate in sharing with our family what we wanted for Christmas. Though many years may have passed since that time, some things have not changed. We still make preparations to buy gifts for our loved ones and make our own wish list. Some of us will be running frantically until Christmas Eve just to find another gift. Several leading economists of this country have indicated that the fears for the future of our economy and rising gas prices are expected to prevent people from spending on Christmas purchases as much as they would like. And maybe they are right and we will spend less, but we will still spend. After all, for many, Christmas is a time of celebration, rejoicing, and gifts. We look forward to seeing happiness and joy on the faces of those who will receive our presents and also to finding the gifts under the Christmas tree that have our names on them. Some of the gifts that we received through our lives have a great value to us and have created long-lasting memories. Today, it is so easy to treat Christmas
just like another holiday and make it all about us. And in some way
it is about us. For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but
have everlasting life. (John 3:16). The greatest gift of all was not
placed under a tree, but laid in a manger in a small town of Dema Barishnikov, Administrator
November 2007
October 2007 The school year has definitely
started. Report cards, athletic games, quizzes and projects keep our
students and faculty very busy. Sometimes busyness can be a good and
necessary thing. We are busy about providing education for our
children, taking care of our families, helping our friends, etc –
just doing good things. Yet if are not careful, busyness can also
become a hindrance, distracting us from what is most important in
our life and that is fellowship with God. Jeremiah 33:3 states:
“Call upon Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and
mighty things that you know not.” This scripture as well as many
other verses in the Bible shows clearly that God longs for
fellowship with us and He desires to be involved in our lives. And
we need to make sure that we are constantly reminded about the
priority of strengthening our relationships with God.
September 2007 It seems like yesterday was the last day of school. And here we are starting new school year again. This year is a special year in the life of our school. It is our 30th anniversary. Established in 1977 as Merrimon Christian school (K-5 – 5th grade), our school continues today as Carolina Christian School, offering education to the students K-5 through the 12th grade, providing day care services through our His Kids Child Care Center, and helping those students who struggle with dyslexia and other learning disabilities through the ministry of our learning center “Learning Advantage.” In the past thirty years many things have changed. But one thing has remained the same, and that is our commitment to offering a high quality education based on the biblical worldview. The Lord has greatly blessed our school, giving us an opportunity to invest in our young people and equip them to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives. We have been blessed to have many people partner with us financially in time of need to provide tuition assistance for single mothers, hire needed staff, and raise necessary operational funds. I am reminded about how almost four thousand ago, God called Abraham to leave his father’s house and go to the land that God would show him. As the result of Abraham’s obedience, God promised to bless him. And as Abraham’s life shows, God fulfilled His promise. But God’s purpose is always bigger than one individual. His purpose was not only to bless Abraham, but to make him a blessing to the nations. God has blessed us as a school and we want to be a blessing to the community around us. And as God blesses you in your life, He wants to make you a blessing to others. As a part of our Annual Fund, we plan to raise funds for tuition assistance, staff development, various programs, and transportation. We believe that God will use people whom He blessed in their lives to be a blessing to the students and the staff of our school. We are excited about different events planned for this year. We are also looking forward to our Upper School Retreat planned for September 26-28. We will be going to Cedar Cliff Camp, located right next to the Cove (Billy Graham Training Center). Our time at the camp will not only be a time of fun, but also a time for spiritual renewal.
Thank you for partnering with us in fulfilling the purpose that God has for our school. We want to make sure that the experience that the students have at our school will not only be an educational one, but also life-changing. And we thank God for people like you who help to change those lives. May God bless you abundantly in all areas of your life. Dema Barishnikov
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