CHS Blog

Hello, Hola, Olá, Bonjour, 你好, 안녕하세요 (English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Chinese, and Korean)!  We have a very special tradition here at Christian Heritage School that takes place every spring in the 4th grade.  Each student chooses one country of ancestral or adoptive descent on which to create their Heritage Report.  This assignment integrates three important class subjects: Social Studies, Writing, and Reading.  It enhances our Social Studies discussion on immigration to America and helps develop research skills, organize a report with specific requirements, and write an informational piece.  We also integrate reading with the novel Letters From Rifka, which is about a Jewish girl immigrating to America in 1919.  It’s a joy to celebrate our individual heritage as families at CHS and in this country!

Each week, students write one paragraph, revise, edit and bring it to presentation form using research materials from our school library, their local libraries, as well as websites.  Each student researches their country’s location and size, natural features, climate, capital and government, culture, and history, as well as their own family’s immigration story. They also create a photo section, landform map, political map, world map, a recipe of food from their country (cooked and brought to the Heritage Fair), a hand-drawn flag of their country, and prepare a short presentation.   

All this work is later compiled and presented at the Fourth Grade Heritage Fair, and we celebrate with food native to the students' heritage country, a presentation, and a time to view each child’s project where they excitedly display their newly found knowledge of their heritage country. The families join us in the cafeteria and enjoy the rich diversity and cultures represented, sampling delicious international flavors and foods; each of us truly Comes to the Table (this year’s chapel theme).  Every year, the Marketing department compiles a collection of the students' recipes into a cookbook to celebrate their respective countries. This cookbook is provided for each student as a cherished keepsake and a lasting memory.

We look forward to this wonderful project each year.  It is truly a blessing to see a bit of the world here in the cafeteria at CHS.  The Lord tells us in His Word that every nation, tribe, people and language will gather before His throne and the Lamb.  This Heritage Fair is a beautiful representation of this and shows the uniqueness of the Body of Christ.  

“The heritage project was a great experience for me to get to know my fellow classmates by tasting their country’s food and hearing fun facts about where they came from. My country of heritage was Switzerland, and my grandma helped me make a Swiss Apple Pie. It was difficult but rewarding to try a new Swiss food. She also showed me some pictures of where my great-great grandmother lived in Switzerland and this brought us closer together. Overall, the project was fun, challenging, and special.”  Paige Taylor -5th grade student

We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about His power and His mighty wonders. 
Psalm 78:4.

Mrs. Elizabeth Pelaccia is one of our fourth grade teachers.  This is her third year teaching at CHS.  She received her BS in Elementary Education from Messiah University.  She enjoys spending time with her family and her adorable chocolate lab, walking on the beach, gardening, farming, and hiking.  She looks forward to hatching ducklings and chicks in her classroom each year.  “I am so blessed to be part of this CHS family.”

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.

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.
 

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.”

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.