January/February/March
- Open Enrollment by appointment for new families
February 15th
- No School - Parent Teacher Conference 1pm -5pm
March 3rd
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There are so many directions one could go with a title like “Faith through a Pandemic.” Are we talking about what Faith Christian Academy has done, or whether we have exercised enough “faith” in God, or whether we have “faith” in the medical experts? The truth is that faith plays a huge role in how we handle all kinds of situations in our lives. This is true whether we are speaking of faith in someone or faith in God. Sometimes God allows things in our lives that test our faith (James 1:2-4). That testing of our faith can and should produce patience or “steadfastness.”
Faith Christian Academy is a ministry, not an individual. However, it is made up of people who trust God and are called to exercise their “faith in God” on a regular basis. Part of that exercise is calling on Him for help and wisdom. It is such a blessing to be a part of a ministry where the leadership and the faculty and staff call on God for their help in times like these.
The Lord has blessed “Faith” in so many ways through this pandemic. While there was an entire nine-week period that we were forced to utilize online learning at the end of the 2019-2020 school year, we have been able to work our way through this school year with just nine days of online learning. Three of those were from a snow storm just before the Christmas break.
The Lord has also kept us relatively healthy as a school family. At this time there have been only four Covid-positive students and just one positive staff member. Two other staff members have been asked to isolate because of a “probable” case. An average of ten students per day have been in quarantine since the Thanksgiving break because of a Covid-positive family member or other close contact. Given the spread of this disease in our community and our state, these numbers are a blessing from the Lord.
We are so thankful for our Faith Families who are not only committed to having their children “in-person” for instruction, but also willing to communicate with us when there are concerns. This is evidenced by families who have contacted our administration and been willing to quarantine students when a potential “exposure” has occurred.
The staff and students have really stepped up as well. We all know how difficult wearing a mask is for an hour in a store. Our students and staff have been wearing the masks for seven hours or more each day for several months. Everyone has maintained positive attitudes and a cooperative spirit throughout the pandemic!
“Thank you, Lord, for sustaining Faith Christian Academy and for giving us the faith to persevere through a pandemic! Amen.”
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Did you know that by shopping on Amazon you could be giving back to our school. It's really that simple. Simply shop at smile.amazon.com to support your favorite charity. This last quarter Faith received a check from Amazonsmile for $130.
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Employee Highlight - Ramona Tiegs |
Ramona Tiegs, our Pre-K teacher, has been at Faith Christian Academy for over 20 years. She has a gift for teaching and has an impact on everyone she interacts with. Her favorite part of teaching is - Teaching children to know and love God and seeing joy on their faces as they learn to read. Her favorite scripture is Lamentations 3:21 "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness". She is married to Kurt and they have three daughters who graduated from FCA, she also has four grandchildren currently at Faith. |
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We are excited to announce that we were able to make another principal reduction to our mortgage! Over the fourth quarter we were able to raise over $56,000 through the auction, our normal monthly giving and our end of the year giving appeal. We are so thankful for the generous support of our families and friends of Faith! Without your support we would not be able to accomplish this goal!
This will bring our mortgage balance down to $704,000. We are within our 5 year goal to payoff our mortgage by the end of 2023!
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On October 19th, our Interact Club planned a school wide "Kindness Day". Each locker for the middle and high school students had a motivational quote taped to it. All of the elementary students received notes of encouragement on their desks and each teacher received a "Kindness Basket". It was a nice surprise to the faculty, staff and students to come in on Monday morning. The teachers baskets were full of treats from candy, coffee coupon, muffin and other items that they could use in their classroom. The baskets also included a coupon for a teacher helper or a coupon to have your car cleaned on the inside. The car cleaning was very popular and the students enjoyed being able to do something nice for the faculty. |
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What a year of blessings our school has experienced! Our auction went from being a dinner with a silent and live auction to a completely online event. We would have never imagined that it would be as successful as it was this year. We were able to raise over $27,000! What a wonderful blessing! As always we had our faithful auction crew ready to serve. So thankful for each of these ladies and their commitment to our school. Bright and early on Saturday morning after the auction they cheerfully volunteered to come help with auction pickups. Our space at school is limited, so we had to make sure that all items were picked up on Saturday. Thank you to everyone who donated items, money and your time. We are truly blessed by the continuous support of our families and friends of Faith. |
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Board Member Highlight
- William "Will" Burner
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Will is from Shepherdstown and has lived in the Eastern Panhandle most of his life. Will has been married to Blythe, who is also from Jefferson County, for 12 years. They have two children, Liam and Elliott, who both attend Faith. Will has a B.S. from Liberty University and attended law school at WVU. He is a member of the bar in good standing in WV, VA, and DC. Will is a member of the Church at Martinsburg. There he serves as the director of community groups and leads a group that meets on Tuesday evenings. Will also serves on the Development & Public Relations Committee at FCA.
Since first visiting the school, Will and Blythe knew that’s where they wanted their children to attend. Having been a part of the FCA family for nearly three years now, Will regularly witnesses the effect that a Christian education has on his children. Seeing the impact the school has made on his family, in part, propelled Will’s desire to serve and support Faith. After talking with his wife and seeking the Lord’s guidance in prayer, Will has humbly submitted his willingness to serve on the board of directors.
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Do Good December Leader Academy |
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On December 12th, our Interact Club put together over 1,500 luminaires at Rosedale Cemetery. The luminaires lined the roads and some grave sites throughout the cemetery. This project was part of the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy program that our Interact Club is participating in this year. This program gives the students an opportunity to grow as a leader and develop their leadership skills. For their Do Good December they decided to partner with Rosedale Cemetery. This is a special project that Rosedale does each year at Christmas for families to help them remember their loved ones. The students worked diligently from noon until 6PM to make sure that each grave that was marked and all roads had luminaries. It was a beautiful event for the club to be a part of and a way for them to be a light in their community during the holiday season.
A BIG THANK YOU to Kendra DeOms of Chick-fil-A and Interactor Amanda DeOms for bringing us lunch!
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Alumni Highlight
- Ben DeOms
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Ben is a 2018 graduate of Faith. He started attending Faith in the sixth grade. As a junior and senior he worked for Mountaineer Kitchens & Baths. He also started his own business doing custom woodworking on the side. Ben has been a faithful supporter of our school auction. He has made several items over the years while he was still a student and he continues to support the auction as an alumni.
After graduation he continued his career at Mountaineer Kitchens & Baths and went full-time. He was recently promoted to sales. A few months ago he got engaged to his girlfriend Delaney Smith. They are planning a wedding for late next year. He also purchased some land to build their forever home on. When he is not working, he volunteers as a volunteer firefighter at Baker Heights Volunteer Fire Department. He has been a volunteer fire fighter for 2 years.
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FCA Good Neighbor Golf Classic |
We had a great turnout for our Good Neighbor Golf Classic this year! This year we held the tournament at Cress Creek. We had beautiful weather and it was great to be able to play at Cress Creek. We were able to fill every golfer slot. Thank you to our presenting sponsor the Eastern Panhandle State Farm Agents: Kay Lewis, Dawn Newland, Jerry Williams, Pam Neely, Tammy Sirbaugh, Bob Snyder, Eric Gates, Luke Christie, Lana Shultz and Dave Piepenbrink. We were able to raise $8,900 for our tuition assistance program and booster club.
(Pictured is the winning team: James Neighbors, Jimmie Neighbors, Greg Bailey, & Mike Valasek)
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Teaching Creatively & Safely Through COVID |
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In August, a determined elementary faculty and staff began preparing for a unique year of teaching. Throughout our teacher meetings, the list of classroom modifications and safety precautions continued to grow. Some days were more overwhelming than others, but the faculty was determined to do what was necessary to teach safely and creatively through COVID.
Getting ready was a big task. Extra furniture and learning centers were eliminated and put in storage. Rooms were rearranged so that desks could be spaced at least 2-3 feet apart. Sneeze guards were secured to each desktop as another germ barrier. Disinfection stations were set up and extra classroom cleaning was planned. Daily schedules were created to accommodate assigned bathroom and recess times as well as new drop off/pick-up times. Schedules for “Special” classes were adjusted to ensure limited hallway congestion. Teachers collaborated on contactless ways to use resources and materials. Learning centers were revamped so individual students could work at their own desks. Many modifications were made!
Why were the elementary teachers so determined? For the love of each student! For the desire to teach in-person! For the fulfillment of FCA’s mission: “To provide the highest quality academic and Biblical world-view training in an environment that encourages spiritual, academic, social, and physical growth.”
After a good start to the year, the teachers began to get even more creative with their teaching. Since field trips were put on hold, Mrs. Pryseski, first grade teacher, found a way to bring the pumpkin patch to her students. Working with Orr’s Farm Market, she picked up 20 volleyball size pumpkins, labeled each with a student’s name, and scattered them on FCA’s soccer field. The first graders walked to their very own “pumpkin patch” to find their special pumpkin. Mrs. Pryseski’s outside science lesson included the life cycle of a pumpkin and its different parts.
Outside canopy stations were put to great use by the elementary teachers! Music and reading classes used them frequently. Mrs. Peifer, second grade teacher, had a daily reservation under one of the canopies each afternoon for history class. Mrs. Tiegs, Pre-kindergarten teacher, used the outside center to teach her students how to make homemade applesauce with a sieve. As the weather turns colder, the outside canopy stations are missed!
When necessary, on-line learning is presented through Google Classroom from Pre-K through 5th grade. But the elementary faculty is always thankful when the students return to the classroom for in-person learning! They continue to invent new ways to teach creatively and safely through this COVID year.
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Thank you to everyone who supported the Square 1 Art program this year. This is a program that was suggested by a new parent 7 years ago. This has always been a great fundraiser for Faith. The program allows the school to raise funds, while supporting the arts and building up the creative minds of students. It is a wonderful way to showcase student's artwork on gifts that can be given to family members and friends. This year Mrs. Knill did a great job working with each class to create unique artwork. The school raised over $700! This money will be used to invest back into the art program at Faith. Thank you Mrs. Knill! |
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FCA Partnership with Jefferson Security Bank |
We are excited to announce that Faith will be partnering with Jefferson Security Bank as Partners in Education.
Pictured is Jessica Jacot - Vice President of Retail Banking, Sara Wasson - Director of Marketing and Community Relations and Eric Kerns - Administrator.
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Meals on Wheels Snow Bag Preparations |
In October our 11th grade class lead by Mr. DeOms and the Interact Club assembled over 300 Snow Bags for seniors for the Berkeley County Meals on Wheels Program. The students were able to assemble these bags with items that were collected from the food drive from families at Faith. The bags were delivered to Berkeley County Meals on Wheels and will be distributed to seniors for snow days when Meals on Wheels is closed. |
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At Faith, we strongly believe in the benefits of athletic participation and the growth it spurs in the lives of our students. So, it was important for us to create a safe environment for our students to return to sports in the fall of 2020. Seventy-two students came out for athletics this fall and participated in middle school boys soccer, middle school girls volleyball, varsity boys soccer, and junior varsity and varsity girls volleyball.
Middle School: After making the MDCC Final Four seven years in a row, our middle school boys soccer team returned to the Final Four after a two year absence. The boys lost a hard fought game to Cumberland Valley in the Final Four matchup, but returned to play a great game against Heritage in the third place game, scoring to goals in the final five minutes to win 3-1 and take home the third place trophy. In middle school girls volleyball, a highlight of the season came on an upset of first place Shalom in the regular season. Our girls went on to also make the MDCC Final Four where our girls would take third place in dramatic fashion, beating Cumberland Valley two games to one including a 15-13 final set.
High School: Our boys soccer team played a nail-biter in the first round of the MDCC tournament, narrowly edging Heritage Academy 3-2 on a late goal. The boys then went on to fall just short in the third place game, trailing 1-0 for almost the entire game before Shalom netted a late goal for a 2-0 win. Our JV girls were able to play a full season, finishing their season on a two game win streak beating Eukarya Christian and St. Maria Goretti High School both 2-0. Our varsity girls had a historically good season, finishing in 2nd in the MDCC standings at the end of the regular season. This set up the first MDCC varsity girls volleyball home playoff game, where we would easily move past Broadfording 3-0. The girls then moved on to host the first ever varsity girls volleyball Final Four game, where we fell just short, losing to Cumberland Valley 3-2, with a final set score of 16-14. Our girls then handily beat Shalom in the third place game, 3-0 to claim the highest tournament finish in our school’s history.
Congratulations to our MDCC All-Conference Team Recipients:
Boys Soccer - Slyane Asah (2nd Team), Finn Boehler (2nd Team), and Carter Lewis (2nd Team)
Girls Volleyball - Jenna Oakley (1st Team), Sadie Everhart (2nd Team), and Corinne Salesky (2nd Team)
Overall, for all of our teams to advance to the league Final Four and bring home three trophies, it was a great year for our fall sports teams. However, any wins or trophies pale in comparison to the life and spiritual lessons learned through participating in athletics. Many thanks go out to our coaches Jason Swinehart (MS Boys Soccer), Brock Keppley (Varsity Boys Soccer), Angie Timberlake (MS Girls Volleyball), and Sarah Michael (JV/Varsity Girls Volleyball) and their staffs for their impact in the lives of our student-athletes!
You can follow Faith Athletics on Facebook (search for Faith Christian Academy - Martinsburg, WV), Twitter (@fcafalconswv), and Instagram (fcafalconswv). Glorify God and never quit!
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Fun Times Since School Began This Fall |
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