Football, Faith, and Freedom
Parents of our sixth graders met recently to learn more about the capstone trip to Washington, DC at the end of May. Among the many things we will see there is an early copy of the Bill of Rights housed in the National Archives. Through low light and squinting eyes, students will strain to read the faded 229-year-old ink. And though the entire document represents indescribable importance, I am always careful to point out to them the first sixteen words, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Without those words, I remind them, there very well may be no Mt. Bethel - church or school.
In the news this week, I was again reminded of our religious freedom as I watched an interview with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, Nick Foles. After nearly deciding to retire, Nick became an unlikely hero, leading the Eagles to their third Super Bowl in franchise history. Asked about how important that fateful decision to return to football was, Nick offered this,
“I look at it like I’m grateful to be up here, I’m grateful to have this opportunity to speak, to play in this game, but at the same time, if I would’ve made the other decision, my life wouldn’t have been a loss. I would have done something else and glorified God in that instance. The reason I decided to come back is I loved the game of football since I was a kid. I loved playing sports, loved being part of a team. I knew as a person the more growth I would have, the more opportunity to glorify God and trust in Him was to go back and play football because of everything I had encountered. It took a lot more faith to go back and play than if it would have gone the other direction. Either way, I would’ve been fine. I know I would’ve trusted in God.”
Hearing Nick’s words made me grateful for two things. First, our first amendment which gives Nick and other believers the opportunity to serve God and proclaim His name without the fear of reprisal or worse - a very real fear in many parts of the world. The second is that America’s children can see an athlete competing at the highest level on sport’s biggest stage, proclaim an unapologetic relationship with Christ. Whether his team wins or not, Nick’s presence in the SuperBowl is a powerful testimony. So whether you’re cheering for the Pats or the Eagles, you might consider joining me for a silent prayer during the anthem - a prayer of thanksgiving that God’s name is still proclaimed in our land. May it always be so, amen.
Blessings,
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Jim R. Callis
Head of School
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All School:
Monday, February 19 - Friday, February 23:
Winter Break
Friday, February 23:
Application Deadline for 1st Round Consideration
Friday, February 23:
Financial Aid Application Deadline
Upper School:
Thursday, February 8:
100th Day Breakfast for Seniors
Wednesday, February 14:
Ash Wednesday Chapel
Friday, February 16:
You Fed Me Event
Middle & Lower School:
Friday, February 9:
Munchkins with Mom
Wednesday, February 14:
Ash Wednesday Chapel
Friday, February 16:
No ASP
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Charitable Giving Summary Letters
Year-end giving statements will be mailed later this week. If you have an immediate need, please contact the Development office and we will happily email your statement to you. Thank you for all of your support in 2017!
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Financial Aid
For families anticipating a need for financial aid next year, the deadline to apply is
Friday, February 23
. Plan accordingly, as your completed 2017 Federal Tax Return must be submitted before a request for aid can be considered. The
Parent Statement of Need
will also need to be submitted to Jackie Grasty, Director of Admission. If you've received financial aid this school year and will need assistance again next year, please note that you must re-apply.
Link here
to begin the application for financial aid. For more information, contact
Jackie Grasty
.
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Georgia’s 529 Plan Expands to Include K-12th Grade
In a tax plan signed by President Trump on December 22, 2017, the
529 College Savings Plan
has expanded to include qualified education expenses for K-12 private schools. Consumer expert, Clark Howard, offers some good advice on
his webpage
. Contact your financial advisor for details.
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Munchkins With Mom
Friday, February 9, 2018
Join us in the cafeteria for munchkins with your loves.
Middle School: 7:15 - 7:40 a.m.
3rd through 5th Grade: 7:40 - 8:05 a.m.
JK through 2nd Grade: 8:05 - 8:30 a.m.
Calling all MBCA DADS…we need you to help serve our lovely moms at this year’s event. Please consider giving your time the morning of Friday, February 9. Thank you so much!
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Ash Wednesday Service
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
8:30 a.m. || Sanctuary
MBCA students will attend an Ash Wednesday Service in the Sanctuary on February 14, at 8:30 a.m. This service is for students in first through eighth grades*. We invite parents to attend this very special service with their MBCA student(s).
At the end of the service, ashes will be placed on the forehead of persons at the altar rail and anyone who is a baptized believer will be invited to participate in communion served by Mt. Bethel ministers. Ashes may be administered without receiving communion.
If you do not wish your child to participate in communion, or your child is not baptized, please instruct them to cross their arms over their chest while at the altar. If you do not wish for your child to receive ashes or communion, please instruct them to remain seated in the pew when others go forward to kneel at the altar.
We hope that you will join us in worship as we begin the Lenten Season.
* Middle and Lower School Students should wear Chapel uniforms on Wednesday, February 14.
* The Ash Wednesday service will replace both the Lower and Middle School Chapels that week.
*JK and Kindergarten students will have devotion time in their classrooms on February 14.
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Spring Fling and Auction
March 24, 2018 || 7:00 p.m.
Roswell River Landing
Mark your calendars for MBCA's Spring Fling, Saturday, March 24 at Roswell River Landing!
Tickets will go on sale mid-February and will be limited to 150 tickets. You won't want to miss this event!
Here are some
NEW
items lined up for the auction:
- Bentley SUV for the weekend (& other luxury cars)
- Disney Park Hopper Tickets
- Braves Tickets
- Golf Outing
- Artwork
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FORE! 5th Annual MBCA Golf Tournament
March 26, 2018
Save the date for the 5th annual MBCA Golf Tournament on March 26, 2018, 10:00 a.m., at the Indian Hills Country Club. The tournament will raise funds for the 8th-grade mission trip to Nassau, Bahamas. We are thrilled to support these students as they share God's word and love by serving communities in need.
Whether you're a golf-pro or a putt-putt hack, we'd love to see you on the course! If you are a business professional, please consider a hole sponsorship - great exposure for your local business. Other sponsorship opportunities to raise business recognition are also available. Click
here
for event details, sponsorship opportunities, and for registration via credit card or check. To sign up online to play in the event, or to be a sponsor, click on the
online registration
.
Additional sponsorship options can be found
here
. Early bird discounted pricing ends
February 16
.
Thank you from the 8th Grade Fundraising Team!
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Comfort K. Toe Donation Drive
Last Week to Donate!
MBCA will be doing a school-wide collection of various items for the Upper School’s Winter Break mission trip to Liberia, West Africa. Students will be traveling to Liberia to the Comfort K. Toe Orphanage Institute and are in need of some donations.
View the
flyer
for the list of donation items and more information.
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Valentine's Candy Gram
February 14
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! Send your child (or friends) a surprise Valentine’s Candy Gram to be delivered to their homeroom on February 14 for just $5. Cash or check, made out to MBCA, will be accepted. Candy grams are made for lower school, middle school, and upper school students. Purchase forms due
February 13.
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Gordon Wells
Gordon Wells has been accepted into his first college, the University of South Carolina. Gordon has been awarded a $10,000 per year scholarship equalling 40,000. Congratulations, Gordo
n!
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Jackson Risey
Jackson Risey received word that Tulane has offered him an additional $15,000 per year to make his scholarship worth $180,000 over four years. Jackson also received word that he was accepted into his 6th school, Sewanee College: The University of the South, and was offered a 100,000 scholarship. Congratulations, Jackson!
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Nicole Benner
Everyone knows Nicole Benner. They can hear her contagious laugh and witty remarks miles away. Her outgoing personality made her transition from Northview High School an easy one. Transferring to Mt. Bethel in 2016, along with her twin sister Erika, Nicole made many positive impacts on the school. From working with MBTV since her Junior year to shooting 3’s on the court for our girls basketball team. Her contributions are many!
Just like her sister, Nicole didn’t enjoy the thought of moving from a public school to a private school. But after getting used to Mt. Bethels’ caring environment, she felt right at home. When asked to describe the school in a single word, her answer is "family." The close-knit community allowed her to befriend everyone, giving her the opportunity to create personal relationships with faculty and students at every grade level. She says in the public school system it’s difficult to know everyone because of the number of students. Her favorite Mt. Bethel subject is Environmental Science, taught by Mrs. Diaz. She enjoys learning about nature and how to improve the planet.
When it’s time to wind down after a long day of school, Nicole is most likely listening to music or producing it. She began producing music at the age of 14 and hopes to create a career out of it. Nicole plans on attending Kennesaw State University for two years before transferring to her dream school, Belmont University, in Nashville, TN. She plans to major in music business.
Before graduating from MBCA, Nicole plans to become legendary with an amazing Senior prank!
Written by Mariana Alvarez '19
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Fourth Grade
Vibrations, Pitch, and Volume
Fourth graders learned about vibrations, pitch, and volume during their unit on Sound. As a cumulation project, each student made a musical instrument and presented a lesson for the class covering what they had learned in science. Mrs. Poe even dropped in to see what they had made! Stop by the Library to see all of the instruments.
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Mystery Skype Adventure
Another Mystery Skype adventure for our fourth graders….Mrs. Smallwood’s class had a very challenging Skype location to find this week! After realizing the students did not live in the United States, the students started right to work guessing they might live in Europe. After many thoughtful questions, the class found out the amazing location- Montaroux, France! The students were learning English and Skyping to help them practice speaking more fluently. Stay tuned for the next Skype!
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Upper School
A Visit from Congresswoman Karen Handel
On Friday, January 26, Congresswoman Karen Handel visited the Upper School. After briefly touring the building, she spent about an hour with the students in the AP Government class discussing current events and the legislative and political process. This was a wonderful opportunity for our students to bring to life the topics that they are studying in class. We are deeply grateful to Representative Handel for making the time to visit with our students and our school.
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Batteries Not Included
Congratulations to the Upper School FTC Robotics Team, Batteries Not Included, for their performance at the Blue-Grey League Meet this past Saturday. Batteries Not Included walked away with the Inspire Award, the highest award at a competition, and was on the winning tournament alliance. Truly a standout performance by the Robotics Team!
Batteries Not Included will compete at the State Competition, Saturday, February 24 at Clayton State University. All are invited to come cheer the team on. Go Eagles!
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House Points
Veritas - 3,392
Integritas - 3,298
Fidelitas - 3,260
Fortes - 3,064
Humilitas - 3,058
Servimus - 2,641
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Senior Night
On Friday, January 26, the Mt. Bethel Eagles celebrated the Senior basketball players! The Seniors that were honored were: Erika Benner, Nicole Benner, Jaquez Gilbert, Matt Gilliland, JaVontae Kruger, and Will Ross. Congratulations to our MBCA Seniors!
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Middle School Swim Teams is GICAA Swimming Champions!
The MBCA Eagles swim team capped off a fabulous 2017-18 swim season by winning the MS Championships for both boys and girls on January 27 at Cherokee Aquatic Center. Upper School swimmers also had their best season to date. During the season, they broke and/or reset 24 school records. From their first meet in October to their last meet in January, the swimmers dropped 395 seconds from their baseline times. Way to go Eagles!
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See what's happening on our social sites.
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“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12
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Main Campus
Junior Kindergarten - 8th Grade
4385 Lower Roswell Road
Marietta, GA 30068
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North Campus
9th - 12th Grade
2509 Post Oak Tritt Road
Marietta, GA 30062
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Phone: 770-971-0245
Fax: 770-971-3770
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