Posts Tagged "Community"
Update on Our Mods Program: Students Are Absolutely Loving it!
April 07, 2025
This past winter, on a particularly slushy morning where the start of school was just postponed, I received a text from a faculty member who had just broken the joyous news to her children that CHS was going to have a late start day. The response from one of the students warmed my heart on that classic Connecticut winter morning- “WHAT? NO! ARE MODS CANCELED?”
This fall, we launched our Mods program. In an earlier blog post, I described the various learning modalities (mods) that go into teaching well-rounded students. We don’t learn things in the best way for us, we learn things in the best way they should be taught. Imagine only watching cooking videos and never getting your hands dirty with egg yolk and flour. Visualize reading about your favorite sport instead of playing it. Have you ever had someone explain a movie scene only to say, “You know what, you should just watch it.” Our brain works in various ways, and the best way to learn about one topic might not be the best way to learn about other topics.
Fast-forward from last fall to today. CHS is wrapping up our first year of Mods, during which students were able to select monthly activities that took them out of the classroom and got them involved and engaged in other activities. Among lots of other things, students played futsal, learned about different cultures through food, took instrumental lessons, baked new and delicious recipes, participated in bible studies, or learned wilderness survival skills (and you can survive anything as long as you have access to a propane griddle, indoor plumbing, paper towels, and Dorito’s).
Mods gave our students opportunities for choice, agency, socialization, learning something new, and fun! I could bore you with education studies and doctoral thesis, but cutting to the chase, all of those things listed above are in the secret sauce for a good and meaningful educational experience.
We are so pleased with the little ways that our kids have embraced these new opportunities this year, and look forward to continuing and expanding on this program in years to come!
Mr. Karl Simon is beginning his 23nd year in Christian Educational Administration and his fourth year at CHS. He enjoys reading, woodworking, watching the Patriots and Red Sox, and arguing with students who think the Yankees are better. He also coaches at CHS, where he enjoys spending time with kids outside the classroom on windy sidelines and on long car rides to away games. Mr. Simon feels serving as principal of the CHS Upper School is a great privilege, and he enjoys his relationships with his colleagues, students, and families.
Afternoon Adventures: Discovering New Interests Through Lower School Clubs
February 11, 2025
An exciting change to our Lower School program over the last couple of years has been the increase in the number and variety of after-school clubs known as Kingsmen Clubs. These after-school activities are offered to our Lower School students immediately following the school day in several locations on campus. Kingsmen Clubs offer a unique opportunity for elementary students to engage in activities outside the typical classroom setting. Research shows that children involved in extracurricular activities often perform better academically. These programs not only support academic growth, but can also foster important social, emotional, and physical development.
Clubs provide our students with an opportunity to explore topics such as Crafting, STEM, Coding, Martial Arts, Strategic Games and Sports in a safe after-school setting with classmates and students from other grades. They are held in a structured setting and run by our exceptional teaching staff.
These clubs give children the chance to discover their interests, talents, or passions for possible future fields of study or extracurricular activities at the High School level. Students are given an outlet and the chance to participate, create, and learn. Clubs also provide for a strengthening of social skills. These environments are often less competitive than the classroom, giving students a chance to develop a strong sense of identity outside their academic achievements. Important skills such as teamwork, collaboration, problem-solving are all reinforced when a child participates in a club. Many times students are engaging with a teacher and other students they might not otherwise interact with on a daily basis. This gives students the chance to feel connected to others with similar interests and skills. These newly forged relationships only help to strengthen us as a community.
Our Kingsmen Clubs offer a range of benefits to parents and students alike. From supporting academic achievement to promoting physical health and emotional growth, these programs help students develop into well-rounded individuals. It’s no wonder that our after-school clubs have become an important part of the elementary school experience here at CHS.
Lilian Mogle is the lower school principal at CHS. She holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Connecticut and an M.S. in Early Childhood Education from Southern Ct. State University. She has over 30 years of experience in the classroom.
Spirit Week: So Much More Than Fun...
January 30, 2025
School Spirit Week is rapidly approaching. This Friday and Saturday, students in grades 6-12 will be excitedly prepping their hallway area with their “Theme” related decorations. Lots of lights, posters, streamers and anything else that can make the hallway feel like their personal invitation into the worlds of…
The Class of 2025 will usher you into their “Super Mario/Nintendo” gaming center in the lobby; the Lower School kids will be sure to walk in with wonder and excitement on Monday as they come into the transformed space. Walk a little further into the building and the Class of 2026 will welcome you into the land of “Narnia”. Followed by the Class of 2027, who will encourage you to play a quick game of “Subway Surfers” - good luck competing with them. Next, you may find Sebastian or Ariel under the water's surface as the Class of 2028 search for the “Little Mermaid”. As you head down another hall, the Middle School area will be a visual panorama of a mix of the “Minions”, “Phineas and Ferb”, and shopping at the “Mall”.
School Spirit Week is an opportunity for the CHS community to come together in a fun, lighthearted manner that is intended to tap into the joy, creativity and excitement of our students. We all recognize how busy schedules are, how much pressure exists in the daily responsibilities for students with their academic loads, athletic, drama, co-curricular involvement and simply life in our fast-paced culture. School Spirit Week is intended to be a break from the norm, a healthy diversion from the typical day-to-day routine.
Students and faculty alike are encouraged to participate in the dressdown themes for the week. On Monday, we hope to see your best “Hallway Theme” look, followed on Tuesday as you come in as your favorite “Superhero or Villain”. Wednesday you’ll be able to dress in the style of your favorite “Holiday”, then Throwback Thursday, which may be my personal favorite - pick your era and represent! Naturally, Friday is Blue and White day with the added, “anything but a backpack” for all of your school supplies!
Christian Heritage School is a serious place with a serious mission. Our Faculty, Administration and Staff take the responsibility that you have entrusted to us with your children with great care and intentionality. Our hope is that School Spirit Week helps each student feel just a little more connected, a little more part of this community and simply has a fun, lighthearted change of pace for the week while forging ahead with their school programs.
We know that as students share events and activities like this with their classmates and their teachers, relationships are strengthened and in some cases, initiated. This significantly contributes to the class community and our special school community.
As our community strengthens, so does student commitment, achievement and success, enabling us to better accomplish the core CHS goals in their lives.
Yes, CHS School Spirit Week is about fun, but it is also about so much more…
John Naeher is the Director of Student Life & Operations. He started at CHS in the fall of 1981 and began his 43rd yr in the fall of 2023. His daughters, Amanda 06', Alyssa 06' and Abigail 10' attended CHS from K-12. John has had the privilege of coaching several teams, sponsoring many Senior Classes and been a part of building community at CHS throughout his career. “CHS has been a rich part of my family for which I will always be grateful.”
Kingsmen Café: There's No Place Like Home
January 06, 2025
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.
What Does it Take to Build Community?
November 14, 2023
While I was on a mission trip with our students in a small village in Mexico, I was struck by the overwhelming sense of community. They didn’t talk about it, they didn’t strategize how to facilitate it, they simply lived it. At midnight the night before we were leaving, about 30 young people showed up at the family's house that I was staying in, a 10’ x 20’ concrete block home, with music, a cake and joyful hearts to sing Happy Birthday to the girl who was just turning 16. I found out later, it was a village tradition. Coming together to “share life,” it was great!
CHS has enjoyed a vibrant community of families coming together to “share life.” During my 40 plus years of working here at CHS, the common bond of seeking to raise children with a heart for the Lord, and preparing them well to do what the Lord has created them to do, has been strong.
Several of you have mentioned, “Hey, we saw you choked up as you closed the Veterans Day Program last week.” The power of the moment was overwhelming in all the right ways. As I looked out from the podium, sitting on the floor directly in front of me were some of our youngest students. Just 25 feet further back sat our guest, Navy veteran Mr. Carl Massaro, 98 yrs young. As a 19 yr old, he landed on Okinawa in heavy fighting to preserve the freedom that allowed the men who were assembled just to my left (made of students, alumni, parents and staff) to sing the most beautiful rendition of “How Great Thou Art.” What a special glimpse of community!
When my youngest daughter Abby was a senior at CHS, early that September, she asked to stop at Dunkin’ Donuts on the way to school for an iced coffee. Excited for the new year and wanting to do something fun for her, I of course, said yes. The same request came the following week. Thinking I would like to do something special for her again, I said yes. The third week rolled around and as we were approaching Dunkin’ Donuts Abby looked over and said, “Dad, you know ‘it’s tradition.’ We really need to stop again.” As I quickly did the math in my head (36 weeks left of school + 1 iced coffee a week = $$) and being the easy target that I am, I pulled into Dunkin’ Donuts… and you know the rest. I share this because in Abby’s senior reflections on what was most special to her during her final year, she included, “…waking up super early every Tuesday for my father-daughter coffee date!” I’ve always recognized that special moments and events were important, but as I read her reflection for the first time I was so struck by that obvious reality that the foundation of what we do at CHS is critical. The academic preparation and the Biblical foundation are the reason we exist but we can help better achieve both those goals and objectives by supplementing with a rich community and times of coming together as we “share life.” The moments and the experiences matter and will often be what is remembered.
As the Director of Student Life and Operations, I have seen that community is often most richly built through common challenges and goals. I am so grateful that CHS has always worked to embrace the lifestyle of service to others for the glory of our Lord. Scripture is clear that we are built to serve. I have been on many service projects and mission trips and, in these situations, I have often wished that the parents could get a glimpse of this experience. For example, on a recent senior class trip we had the opportunity to do a service project in Florida. The Lord brought this family to our attention. They were young parents in their forties with two teenage children. The dad was quite ill and, as a result, was blind. The family was facing many difficulties and we couldn’t address them all. However, we could address the physical needs of yard work, building a wheelchair ramp and painting their house. At the end of a very long day, close to dusk as the sun was setting, we completed the work and the family was brought back home for the reveal. As the mom stood crying on the newly added front porch saying thank you to the kids, the husband grabbed my arm while sitting in his wheelchair. He pulled me over to speak into my ear, saying, “I can’t see the work that the kids have done but I can feel the joy that it brings my wife. Please bring the students over to me one at a time so I can thank each one individually.” You can only imagine the scene as this gentleman reached out and grabbed the hand of each student to say thank you!!! This was a very powerful moment! I’m quite certain that the class was never so unified and never felt such a stronger sense of community with each other as they did at that moment with our newly adopted family.
CHS intentionally works to create opportunities and special moments, such as Fall Festival, Veterans Day, Grandparents Day, School Spirit Week, service projects, special events and a number of social opportunities for the express purpose of building a stronger community to help us achieve our core goals. It is our desire to help our students become the person that God created and built them to be - one lesson, one class, one special event, one service project and one moment at a time!
We are so thankful that YOU are part of our community!
John Naeher is the Director of Student Life & Operations. He started at CHS in the fall of 1981 and began his 43rd yr in the fall of 2023. His daughters, Amanda 06', Alyssa 06' and Abigail 10' attended CHS from K-12. John has had the privilege of coaching several teams, sponsoring many Senior Classes and been a part of building community at CHS throughout his career. “CHS has been a rich part of my family for which I will always be grateful.”