CHS Blog

When I first stepped into the Café at Christian Heritage School, it was not yet a café.  It was 1981; I was a CHS student and Mrs. Wahlberg was the librarian and that space was her domain.  She had it neatly arranged with posters on the wall encouraging us to read just for fun. The books were all in their place on the shelving, and the tables were in clusters, allowing us to sit with large groups of friends. Mrs. Wahlberg knew that the small school I had just transferred from did not have a library, so she greeted me warmly and took extra time to show me how to find books and sign them out.  I spent the next five years creating many of my favorite memories in that room; some of them actually involved studying. Though if you know me, you would know that the memories I cherish the most are the ones where I was sitting beside my friends, talking, giggling, and sharing in one another’s lives. Ultimately, building relationships, some that would last for generations.

When I came to the end of my senior year, I stood in that library, wearing my blue cap and gown.  I had anticipated the excitement that my graduation would bring, but I was surprised that it was woven with hints of sadness.  Christian Heritage had become my home away from home and my heart hurt at the thought of leaving it.  That was forty-four years ago.  Since then, three of my daughters have attended and graduated from Christian Heritage, and although I spent some time away, I never quite left entirely.  That’s the way it is with “home”, isn’t it?

Our world has seen many changes in the last forty-four years, among them is a very different way of enjoying a cup of coffee.  Coffee shops have become a place to hang out with friends, a safe place to meet acquaintances. They’re a quiet place to study or write papers; a common ground to hash out relational issues or just to get to know someone better.  People go there to unwind after work, treating themselves to their favorite drink as a means of celebration or consolation.   In short, it has become less about the caffeine and more about community.   The Kingsmen Café is much the same, with one major difference: the community that we are striving to cultivate is a Christ-centered one.

The world’s view of community is often me-centered.  “How can you improve my life? Make me feel better? Bring me more income? Further my career?”  But throughout scripture Jesus commands us to love one another. He calls us to do life together, not for the good of ourselves, but for the good of our neighbors; ultimately to bring glory to our Father. I Peter 4: 8-11 says: Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.  If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God.  If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength that God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power forever and ever.  

This verse is the heart of what we hope to emulate when encouraging community in the cafe.  

If you were to wander into the Kingsmen Café at any given time you would be able to witness tables of students with a warm cup of coffee and open books, studying side by side.  Or you may see students huddled in the corner quizzing one another on their bible verse for an upcoming test.  If you are truly fortunate, you may be treated to the harmonizing sounds of the boy’s ensemble, practicing in the loft, their voices low and barely detectable, but beautiful nonetheless.  After school is another story; the excitement of the day's end is palpable and sometimes deafening.  This is the time that the younger students are given access to the café and are able to enjoy picking out their treat. They choose their snack, then count out their money and hand it over the counter to one of the women who work here.  You can see their faces light up in the process, delighted by their newly acquired independence.  Sometimes the older children in line will step in to help, much to the joy of the star-struck little ones. The laughter at that time of day is contagious.  The conversation is fluid; creating a continuous hum from 2:30 to 3:30.   Every thought that the students have had to hold in throughout the day seems to overflow once they reach their friends in the café.  In this room, it doesn’t matter if you’re five or one hundred and five; you’re welcome and you belong. 

I’m going to use this opportunity to make a pitch to all who are reading this.  Come check out our little café.  Stop in when you drop your student off and witness the beauty of our children gathered together around the tables.  Or bring a friend during the day and sit down for a cup of tea or coffee, letting them see for themselves the value of the God-centered community that you are investing in for the sake of your children.  It doesn’t matter how many years go by, that is one fundamental thing that has not, nor will ever change in our school.   

It is my prayer that one day, when your student has completed their time at CHS, they too will stand in the room that was once my library but is now their café, and think to themselves: “there’s no place like home.”

Lorna Tyrrell is the Kingsmen Café Manager.  She graduated from Christian Heritage in 1986 and went on to major in Early Childhood Education.  She taught preschool for many years before becoming a stay-at-home mom to daughters: Olivia, Rebekah, Mary and Naomi.  Lorna began a career in baking in 2013, learning her new craft of cake art at a local bakery.  She has continued this passion while helping at the Kingsmen Café; stepping into the Manager position 2 years ago.  When she's not baking or creating coffee, she can be found soaking up the joy that her six grandchildren bring. 

Art is personal. It showcases skills and communicates an idea. Students will never be asked to display a test, but an art project will always be on display for others to see. This can be daunting for some, even students in Honors Art. To eliminate the paralyzing fear of imperfection, students are encouraged to adopt the mindset of process over product.

On the first day of class, I showed the students a photo of an artwork and asked them what they thought of it. Most students' initial reactions were what I expected them to be– not impressed. After I shared the story behind the artwork the students' opinions changed. The lesson was: Not everything you create in your lifetime will be wall-worthy, but that doesn’t mean the time you spent creating those things was meaningless. Students were excited to handle the original artwork, a Pablo Picasso, during our time with the traveling collection of Christian Thomas Lee.

Students often assume that they need to be a talented artist to enroll in Honors Art. While Honors Art does require some foundational skills, students have quickly learned that engagement is the key to success, not innate talent.

The Honors Art curriculum encourages students to build on and combine foundational skills learned in their introductory courses. Students are given significant creative freedom and are asked to wrestle with thought-provoking prompts. This year’s students are being asked questions like “How can I visually communicate parts of my identity?” and “If Jesus were here today who might he be hanging out with and what might he be doing?”. These are difficult questions to answer on a canvas, but CHS students do one thing exceptionally well in my classes: encourage.

I like to believe “all together now” is a phrase that captures the spirit of the art room. Brainstorming, praising, suggesting, and questioning are ongoing during class. Students are challenged to critique (and receive critique) each other's projects in a kind and respectful manner– a skill every adult needs in the working world. During our first critique of the year (an altered self-portrait) I heard a few variations of my favorite phrase: “This turned out better than I thought it would” and “This was not as scary as I thought it would be”, enforcing my belief that by adopting the mindset of process over product, the product will ultimately be more successful because of the work it took to get there.

Honors Art students will display their work in a special exhibit at this year’s K-12 art show. It is my hope that the intentionality of each student’s work will be evident to the public. Everything done in the art room is for the glory of God and is a reflection of our innate desire to create, given by and inspired by God’s love for creation.
 

Mrs. Olivia Olson is the upper school art teacher at CHS. She earned her BFA in Studio Art from Asbury University. She has been teaching at CHS since 2020 and is a CHS alum. Her favorite part of her position is the privilege of getting to know and witnessing growth in her students throughout their entire middle and high school careers.

Leading well is hard.

Throughout the years, I’ve come to realize this more and more. Within the many different roles I’ve had, it is tempting to think, “I could do it better.”  However, when we take on a leadership role, it’s actually one of the hardest things to do well. You can’t lead if others don’t follow, it can be very lonely and when you're on the outside, decisions seem as if they are very clear, but in the midst, it can be very muddy.

About 5 years ago, I was coaching some teams at CHS and realized that my captains struggled with knowing how to lead well, and I knew we were not the only team facing this. Chappy (Mark Persson, CHS Chaplan) and I were talking about this one day in my 4th grade classroom. As it turns out, he was drawing the same conclusions with other student communities. Out of this need, came the beginnings of the vision for what is known as the Leadership Cohort.

The Leadership Cohort is a group of students who have a desire to learn to lead well in many different areas of school and life. It is the hope of the Cohort to help students grow into leaders wherever they are placed. They work to lead out of their giftedness while understanding that the Bible provides the guidebook. Many people equate leading with a position, but the reality is we are called to lead wherever we are placed in many different ways. Matthew 20:26 and 28 says, “...But whoever would be great among you must be your servant….” and “...even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.”

The Leadership Cohort believes that in learning to lead, students need to be poured into and given opportunities to live it out.

The first is the need to be discipled. Having adult mentors pour into students with a focus on leading from a biblical perspective is imperative for growth. Students need to have a safe place to ask questions, reason through making decisions and especially learn how to engage in conflict with forgiveness and restoration as the goal. We do this through morning meetings and lunch meetings with small groups.

The second is a need to serve. This year, the group has partnered in places all around the school to provide support and leadership. This included working with the student government to assist in providing the school with excellent and engaging activities. The idea was NOT to create MORE but to create BETTER. We do so many great activities at the school, why not join in with what we are already doing.

The final focus is to lead in community. Getting out of our comfort zones, building new relationships, and gaining new experiences help our students to grow and learn new things about themselves and others. Incorporated into this is a retreat involving activities that might be uncomfortable, such as hiking, swimming, or rafting. It also includes solitude, teaching by our leaders and worship. When we are challenged physically, emotionally and spiritually, it gives us an opportunity to be vulnerable before God and others, creating space to grow as God would have us.

This vision never fully matches reality. But in many ways, reality is much sweeter. If we expect perfect leaders, we get self-righteousness. What we are working to develop are repentant leaders. Because, when we fall and get back up by God’s grace, we rise more humble and more bold than before.  

Leading well is hard, but working to lead well is well worth it.

This is Coach Katie Levis’s third year in her role as Athletic Director, and she is also the Varsity Girls Lacrosse Coach. Prior to that, she was a classroom teacher at CHS for 4 years, as well as coaching in the volleyball and basketball programs.  Coach Levis has coaching experience at the middle, high school and college level along with working in an athletic department at previous schools.