Cookies for the Mission

Is Justin going to eat them himself?

 Patrons served by the Arkansas Valley Christian Mission will enjoy some Christmas-cookie treats again this year thanks to the kids and parents of DPCA's 1st - 6th grades.  In a combined effort between the classrooms, the students enjoyed crafting cookie canisters and loading them with cookies to deliver to the Mission last week.

We asked the students why they made the cookie containers:  "We made the cookies because a lot of kids like cookies, and so they can have a good Christmas," Royal Lundy said, while classmate Klayt Staudt added: "It's fun for them to have good things, and they like it."

"We wanted to help out, and help people celebrate God's gift to us,"  Miss Davidson's students said. "I had fun doing it," Marshall Swarny added, "because it is nice to do something for others."  The students in Miss Davidson's class have been working on Haiku poetry this week, so they wrote the following Haiku while reflecting on their cookie mission:

The cookies are sweet.

We give to people we meet

A nice Christmas treat.

Reid adds a cookie to Jake's canister

Royal is all smiles...

Varsity Boys Repeat at Home

From the beginning of the first quarter it looked like the DPCA Eagles could capture a victory over the Denver Eagles, and except for a brief portion of the third quarter, the DPCA home team held a commanding lead throughout the game and brought home a 42-24 victory, their second in a row in the DPCA gym. The Denver team managed to close within nine points in the third quarter in FRCAA league play Tuesday night, but the DPCA Eagles bounced back in the fourth and then ran away with the game.  Several of the boys had a good night at the bucket. Hawk White capitalized on a memorable fast break and ended up scoring five for the evening, while Noah and Micah Ritschard tied with fourteen each.  Sophomore Joel Parker was close behind with nine points scored. 

Strong supporting roles were played by Jase Staudt, Levi Jelinek, and Seth Turner.  The team will miss Levi after the break, bidding him farewell as he returns to the Bahamas for the spring semester.

The Eagles will be taking a break in the season for Christmas, with the next contest scheduled for January 10 at home against Love Christian.  Following that game, the Eagles Varsity will have a series of away games, returning to their home gym at the end of next month. 

For the current schedule for the varsity and junior high teams, please go to www.dpcaweb.org and click on "Programs" followed by "Athletics."

Varisty Boys Open Season

The Eagles played consistent defense against the Falcons

Noah drives in for one of his two-point buckets.

Hawk looks for Joel coming up the middle.

Micah goes for the jumper just inside the three-point line.

Following a pre-season tournament in Leadville during which the boys tested their skills against some challenging public-school opponents, Front Range Christian Athletic Association season play for the Eagles Varsity opened on December 4th at home against Front Range Baptist from Fort Collins.

With the Eagles capturing just a one-point lead at the end of the first quarter, it looked like the game  would be close - and indeed the Falcons did manage to stay within a few points until the 4th quarter, when the home team came on strong and pulled away to a 41-35 victory. 


Scoring for the Eagles was led by Hawk White, with 15 points, and Joel Parker, with 9.

The Varsity Boys are scheduled to play again at home on Tuesday, December 18th, at 6:00 PM. 

Athletic schedules are posted at www.dpcaweb.org: click on "Programs," then "Athletics," and select the sport.

Fall Family Night -- Fun!

Following Parent/Teacher Conferences, on November 2, the DPCA school community was invited to Fall Family Fun Night -- an evening of food, family games, and dancing to celebrate the end of the first quarter and God's goodness to our community.

A chili supper prepared by Kathy Akers and helpers began the evening.  Following supper the family game began, with four teams completing five stations:  Bible Brains; Presidential, Patriotic Puzzles; Music Masters; Artists in Residence, and Math Minds.  Competition was strong among the Pot-Bellied Unicorns, the Smarties, the Incredible Hornets, and Team Lewis and Clark, but in the end the Smarties prevailed with a final score of 80 out of a possible 100. 

Artwork from the Artists in Residence table

Which brother gets the favor of the rose?

"Music Masters" debut their original song

Our esteemed judges deciding their favorites...

Game play led into the dessert judging contest, won by Marla Pranger and Cindy Lewis, and then into some folk dancing called by Mr. Barnes.  As usual, "The Favor of the Rose" proved a favorite, and the evening wound down with "Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing."

Volleyball Awards Night

by Tom Navarrette, Athletic Director

Parents, siblings, fans, and volleyball players came together in the Eagle Cafetorium Monday night, October 29, to celebrate the achievements of the girls over the course of the 2012 season.

Members of the junior high girls volleyball team were recognized by Coach Navarrette, who talked about each of his players, pointing out the strengths of each young lady.  The Eagles JH competed in the A division of all games and tournaments; the 8th grade A team lost 3 contests all season, and the 7th grade A team lost only 2.  The Eagles were a very young team, with only four 8th graders and one 7th grader; the remainder of the players were in 6th grade. This season the 7A Most Improved Player was Caitlin Locket, and Most Valuable Player was Shelby Storms.  In 8A, the Most Improved Player was Sydney McManamay, and the Most Valuable Player was Heather Burdges.

 

Following the junior high players, the Varsity volleyball team was also recognized for their efforts and good sportsmanship during the fall season. Coach Campbell had each girl tell a story or two about the season; it was great fun for the audience to hear some "inside" stories that didn't always have to do with the game itself.  Coach praised the girls for their tough play throughout the season, and also mentioned that other schools took notice of the skill improvement of the Eagle Ladies.  The Eagle varsity girls are also a young team, with Carly Romnes the only senior .  Coach is looking forward to a great season next year.    Even though she would love to give all the girls special awards, Coach Campbell was limited to one in each category.  The Varsity Most Improved Player was Heather Burdges, and the Most Valuable Player for the 2012 season was Rebecca Pranger.
 
 
Congratulations, girls, on a great season of play, sportsmanship, and representing your school so well.  We are proud of you!

Coming This Week: Fall Family Night

All DPCA families are invited this coming Friday, November 2 to join in celebrating the end of the first quarter and God’s goodness to our school community through the fall. We’re having a simple chili supper beginning at 5:30 PM (right after P/T conferences wrap up), and then we have some family games and a dance with Mr. Randy Barnes planned.

Chili Supper and Games: 5:30 – 7:00

Dance and Dessert Contest: 7:00 – 8:00

We do need some help getting the meal together:  Could we have families bring supplies for the meal as follows?

1)            Last names A – B, 1 lb of ground beef, 1 box saltines

2)           Last names C-D, 2 large cans tomato sauce, 1 pkg small paper plates

3)           Last names G-L, 2 large cans diced tomatoes, 1 box saltines

4)           Last names M-O, 2 large cans chili beans, 1 bag Fritos

5)           Last names P-R, 2 large cans kidney beans, 1 bag Fritos

6)           Last names S, 1 pkg heavy paper plates, 1 pkg shredded cheese, 1 onion

7)           Last names T, 1 pkg paper bowls (that will hold chili), 1 pkg shredded cheese.

8)           Last names W-Z – 1 pkg paper/plastic cups, 1 pkg plastic silverware

9)           Everyone: Your favorite pie or cake to share.  We’re going to have the Best for Miles Around pie and cake contest, so if you have a special pie or cake you’d like to enter, be sure to let us know when you bring it in.

Please bring food items to school by the end of the school day Thursday, November 1.  Pies and cakes can be brought with you on Friday the 2nd. 

We're looking forward to a fun evening together with our school community, and hope everyone can come!

So that we can plan the food, please RSVP to the school office by Friday noon, November 2.  Thank you! 

Of Beavers and Pumpkins

What do beavers and pumpkins have in common?  Well, on the surface probably not too much, but the kindergarten class learned from Pastor Stanton Sikes in chapel today that beavers have unique roles in the ecosystem.  Did you know beaver dams enable about half of all the endangered species in North America to survive?  And that was just one of  many interesting facts about beavers that Pastor Stanton shared.  Why share about beavers in chapel?  Because Pastor Stanton was reminding us that God's "invisible qualities -- his eternal power and divine nature -- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made..." (Romans 1:20) And, the God who made and gave beavers their purpose has also made and given us purpose: to love God and to love our neighbor. (Matthew 22:37-39)

And what does this have to do with pumpkins?  Beavers and pumpkins have this in common: God made them as He chose, according to the design He had for them, and in accordance with His purpose for them.  After chapel, the kindergarten class had fun estimating how many seeds would be in a pumpkin, and then opening some up to compare their estimates to reality.  Wow!  There are a lot of seeds in a pumpkin!

Whether it is beavers or pumpkins, (or the smiles on these faces)  God's divine nature and power can be clearly seen...