CHS Blog

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. 

Excitement has been building since the Homecoming Reveal of our 2025 Spring Musical, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. The students are now busy learning songs, monologues and even tap dances in preparation for their upcoming auditions. Once the cast is announced over the Thanksgiving break, we will be off and running. The students will begin to dig into their characters in rehearsals, music will be learned, lighting and sets will be designed, set building will begin, costumes will be chosen and props and set pieces will be secured. The groundwork for the theater magic begins!

To the OUTSIDE world, one would think that January - March it is all about preparing for opening night, but on the INSIDE, it is so much more. It is…..

…a community
…an extended family
…a sense of belonging
…a support system
…a confidence booster
…a creative outlet
…a challenge
…an education
…a place to succeed
…a safe space to take a risk
…a place to try something new
…a place to discover your best self
…a place to find some lifelong friends
…a place to build confidence that lasts a lifetime
…a place to be a part of something bigger than yourself
…a place to be part of a team where no one sits on the bench
And most important,
…a place to give our talents in praise to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

To us as directors, these inside moments far exceed the success of any theatrical performance in the spring. What a joy it is to observe young people stretch and discover how God has gifted each of them while surrounded by a community who loves them, and they can trust. 

In addition to those “ah-hah” moments of realizing they CAN do this, there are those life lessons that they will carry as they leave the halls of Christian Heritage. Through the years, we have received correspondence from cast and crew member who shared what they learned as being part of the Theater Program.  

Todd (Class of 1988): “Being exposed to such a high level of excellence in production really opened up my eyes to the world of music and video production and working with a large group of people.” 

Brian (Class of 1989): “Being part of the CHS musical taught me a lot about myself, mostly it taught me that my actions and ability to take something seriously effects other people. I personally matured a lot through the process.” 

Josh (Class of 1999): “I learned about how the collaboration of many people with different talents can come together to make something truly spectacular. The friendships you form, the things you will learn, you will take with you, and they will have an impact on the rest of your life. You will look back at what you were involved in, the thing you helped create, and these things will be remembered for generations to come.” 

Grace (Class of 2006): “Participating in theater at CHS stretched a creative muscle I never knew I had, allowing me to explore acting, singing, student directing/choreography, while building leadership skills in a community of friends that have stayed with me to this day. The courage and confidence I gained on that CHS stage continue to support me in my career as a professional communicator, public speaker and podcast host.” 

Bella (Class of 2022): “ I started as a cast member but soon learned that my passion was for behind the scenes. As Stage Manager, the lessons I learned about leadership and management are ones that I will continue to use for the rest of my life.” 

Christopher (Class of 2022): “CHS Theater has completely changed my life. It was a place where I received glimpses of eternal joy. The lifelong friendships that you create plays into the fact that CHS theater really is a family. It was so valuable to be in a program where Christ is at the center of it all. The memories that I have will stick with me forever.”

In March, when you come out to support our amazing students, when the Overture begins to play and the curtain peels back to reveal the start of the performance, when you hear the music and experience the laughter and joy, when you see the connections and you feel the tingles and goosebumps during curtain call, we pray you will have a little insight into the depths of what participation in the CHS musical is truly all about. We look forward to seeing you in March and covet your prayers for the 38th Spring Musical production at Christian Heritage School. 

ALL for His Glory!

Reminder: Spring musical auditions (Grade 8-12 only) are next week, November 18-20, 2024.  If your students are interested, please have them visit this link for information.

Mrs. Robin Hannibal serves as the Upper School Choral Director and a Co-Director of the Spring Musical. She received a Bachelor of Science in K-12 Music Education and a Masters of Science in School Counseling, both from Western CT State University. Robin started her career teaching high school music in Stamford and came to CHS in 1986. CHS has become a second family, and she is grateful for the years of being part of a community that loves Jesus, seeks excellence and serves one another. Her passion is for her students to know that in Jesus they are loved, cherished and chosen, and in her classroom, they are seen, valued and loved. “THEY are the reason I am here!”

Robin and her husband Don have 2 children, David (’07) and Rachel (’10). In their spare time they enjoy traveling and hiking National Parks.

“Sometimes we need to go old school,” was the comment that simultaneously made me smile and reminded me of Home Economics back in the day. My nostalgia came during an 11th grade Bible class. At Christian Heritage, our 11th graders take Bible class the first Semester and Life Calling the second. At the end of the Bible semester, we prepare them for what is ahead; college prep and home ec.  

The second semester begins with our academic counselor coming into the classroom and working through the Fuller Youth Institute curriculum by addressing the issues of identity, belonging, and purpose. Students then complete the YouScience aptitude test to identify their strengths and skills, and what direction that points to after graduation. This includes resumes, interviewing skills, as well as the college application process for our students who want to pursue college after graduation. 

Though the first half of the semester is classroom-heavy, the second half is very hands-on. Juniors brainstorm what they feel unprepared to handle after high school, and this list becomes the practical, interactive lessons we do together as a class.  

Students have gone on mini field trips and gotten dirty learning from Mr. Simon how to change a tire and the oil of a car, or how to bake a treat from Mrs. Stempien. These topics often take place outside of the classroom and also include things such as: how to sew a pillow or hem pants, what is a checking account and how I use it, how to cook a healthy meal without Ramen, or why would I separate my darks from my whites in the wash.  

What makes Life Calling such a unique class is this combination of all of the above.  Preparing juniors in a very holistic way for the future. At CHS we believe we all have a calling on our lives, and we are invited to discover together what God is calling our juniors to next.

Mrs. Jennie Higenyi is our Upper School Bible Department Head.  She received a Bachelors of Psychology and Pastoral Ministry from Nyack College, and a Masters of Divinity and a Masters of Preaching from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary.  Jennie has worked as both an Associate Pastor and a Preaching Pastor, and began her teaching career as a Professor of Pastoral Ministry.  She has lived as a Missionary both in Italy and in Africa. This is her fourteenth year working at CHS, and she teaches 7th, 8th, and 11th grade Bible, and 12th grade Syracuse University Presentational Speaking. 

The digital age has revolutionized the way we work and access information in many positive ways. It has also revolutionized entertainment and how we spend our free time. With the click of a mouse, mousepad, or screen, a world of information and entertainment is available to us. All parents know the challenges of managing their child's appropriate use of devices, but in this blog, I would like to address the benefits of hands-on STEM electives in a world where we spend a lot (perhaps way too much) time interacting with two-dimensional screens.

Hands-on learning is a major part of all our upper school science classes at CHS, which all incorporate a lab component. However, recognizing the importance of STEM in our technological age, CHS offers Engineering Design with 3D Printing (ED3D) for high school students. Meeting twice per week, students are introduced to the engineering design process, which begins with defining a problem to solve, generating ideas and researching possible solutions, creating and building a prototype of the best solution, evaluating the prototype, and finally completing the final product.  

The class begins with an introduction to Computer-Aided Design (CAD) using Tinkercad, a solid modeling program for designing three-dimensional models. Tinkercad allows students to add three-dimensional forms to their ideas. Once student ideas are captured in Tinkercad, they can be exported for printing on CHS’s 3D printers. Once printed, student ideas can be evaluated for performance against design specifications. Often, the objects students intended to create have incorrect dimensions, feature placements, or other significant flaws. Thus, 3D printing helps our students to better understand how to transform things they see on their two-dimensional screens into the three-dimensional objects they intend to create.  

Each year, our ED3D students compete in a product fair for cash prizes, judged by our Grade 5 students. In preparation for the fair, students develop product marketing information in addition to designing and fabricating their products. Following the fair, students design and print projects of increasing complexity. Later in the class, students learn the challenges of takeoff and landing using a flight simulator. In the spring, students build, decorate, and race CO2 drag racers, which can reach speeds of 50 miles per hour. As a final design project, students, working as a team, design and fabricate rocket nose cones, which are attached to water bottle rockets for testing. Students learn about rocket altimetry and the principles of aerodynamic drag. A final project investigates the aerodynamics of flight where students build powered paper airplanes. 

But why should the high school students have all the hands-on engineering design learning and fun? That is a good question. Starting this year, CHS has created a new STEM class for all Grade 8 students. Introduction to Engineering meets once weekly and begins with an introduction to Tinkercad and 3D printing, where students fabricate projects of their own design. It continues with a brief introduction to the engineering disciplines, including mechanical, electrical, computer, software, optical, chemical, environmental, aerospace, and biomedical engineering. As with our high school class, students are introduced to the engineering design process and will participate in a product design fair in the spring. Additional projects will include building electrical devices using Snap Circuits, programming a robotic car, and building and testing CO2 drag racers with experiments to understand Newton’s Second Law of Motion (F = ma).  

Before my teaching career, I led the engineering group of a major semiconductor equipment manufacturer. As an engineer, I could not deny that creation requires a Creator. The Holy Spirit used science and engineering to lead me to God and faith in Jesus. It has been my pleasure to guide many CHS students into science, technology, and engineering careers. My love for science stems from an understanding that science reveals the greatness and majesty of our God, and I hope to pass that on to all our students. Our science classes and STEM electives at CHS are a good step in that direction.

Daniel Cote is the Science Department Chair at CHS. He teaches science, philosophy, and apologetics. He has a passion for encouraging students to consider science as a career and has been doing so at CHS since 2009. He is also a pastor and the founder of Multimedia Apologetics, an apologetics website ministry explaining and defending Christianity whose primary goal is evangelism. He greatly appreciates the opportunity to teach apologetics to CHS seniors. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maine, an MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Bridgeport, a Master of Ministry in Apologetics from Southern Evangelical Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry in Theology and Apologetics from Liberty University. Dan is the author of Jesus Is God and Savior: How Prophecy, Science, and History Affirm the Truth of Christianity.  

CHS Students Experience Hands-On Traveling Art Collection

What do an original Picasso painting, King Edward VII’s pipe, and a page from Martin Luther’s Bible all share in common? They were on display here at CHS! Thanks to a generous American art collector, CHS was loaned several rare pieces of fine art and historical artifacts. It was the collector's wish that students engage fully with this collection, holding it in their hands and experiencing what it feels like to encounter a piece of history. The collection was on display for a week, giving classes and staff the opportunity to visit, and teachers also had the opportunity to incorporate these works into their lesson plans.

Pieces in the collection include original works by Picasso, Rembrandt, and Renoir. Artifacts include a page from Martin Luther's Bible, Princess Diana's bracelet, the pipe of King Edward VIII, a spoon made by Faberge for Czar Nicholas II, and Nixon's letter of pardon signed by President Ford.

Dr. Dube, our Head of School says, “These types of learning opportunities are very unique and special, but it is not just the providing of unique opportunities that is important, it is the message and lessons that are learned that are important.  For us, we are tying all things back to who our students are as young people created in God’s image, as called to have a personal relationship with Him, knowing that they are loved by Him, and that they have an incredible, unique call to make a difference in this world for Him."

"It is our prayer that students are inspired by what they see, but also that they come to believe more and more that they have been created with a unique and powerful call from God… they can be the next Picasso or President of the United States… that learning is as powerful, actually more powerful than the learning that happens simply learning about a painting or a portrait… so, it is the learning behind the learning that really matters.  It is how we use these types of things to shape not just what a person knows, but who they are, that matters… that’s what we do here at CHS.”

Is more always better? It depends, of course. More hot fudge and whipped cream? YES!  More traffic on the Merritt? No thanks. When it comes to learning, more is better. It just depends on what the “more” is.

Research identified various learning styles, or modalities, decades ago. You might identify as a visual learner, enjoying graphics and pictures, or you might feel you get more out of an audiobook than you do turning pages.

The truth is that we may have preferred learning methods, but science also shows that we shouldn’t learn everything in the same way. Depending on the content, we should experience all the different learning styles.

Yes, you might like learning through visualization, but is watching a soccer game more impactful than being on the field and playing? Will you get more from reading a script or from sitting in the front row listening to our performers belt out their lines? Do you get the same experience hearing about someone’s beach trip versus feeling the sand in your toes and smelling the fries from the boardwalk yourself?

Like muscles in our body, our brain needs to have all of the various modalities stretched, trained, and put to use.

At Christian Heritage School, we know and understand the importance of training the brain. Matthew 22:37 tells us we are to love the Lord with our hearts, souls, and minds. So, how do you train a brain? It's easy — with variation.

We design our elective programs to stimulate the contemplative student, the creative student, the competitive student, the engineer, and the musician. And here’s the secret- I just described one child. Our students aren’t simply right or left-brained, pigeonholed in one track or the other. In our development of the whole child, we provide opportunities to train in various modalities.

Walk our halls, and you will see a student working on 3D Engineering schematic and 2D drawing project.

Come to a sporting event, and you will see our athletes trade their uniforms in the fall for a prop and a costume in the winter.

Attend our art show and see our student's gifted eyes with their digital photography gallery and gifted ears with digital music playlists.

Listen to our students lead a class discussion on Wednesday, then lead our worship band on Thursday.

Peek into our science labs and see students testing a hypothesis, then follow those same students to Philosophy class as they discuss Heraclitus.

By the end of a school day, your student will have flexed various parts of their brain, exercised their socialization muscles, and possibly stretched past what they knew they excelled in into areas where they might feel as confident. Our job at CHS is to make sure our programming provides the well-rounded educational opportunities our students need to stimulate and grow their minds, as we have been called to do. 

This year our blog posts will be highlighting all of the various ways we do this, from community events to therapy dogs.  We will be hearing from our CHS experts on this subject in upcoming blog articles.  So stay tuned!
 

Mr. Karl Simon is beginning his 22nd 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.

Luke’s Gospel tells us what Jesus came to do. “The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).” But it also tells how He uniquely went about doing it. “The Son of Man came eating and drinking (Luke 7:34).”

Meals matter. Food sustains our bodies. And the people we eat with are usually the ones who sustain our soul. The word “companion” comes from the Latin words “bread” and “together”, because a friend is someone who breaks bread with us.

Jesus ate with everyone – the renegades and the religious; He ate with a few and with the masses, with His best friends and His betrayer.

Our theme this year is Come to the Table. While this is Jesus’ free invitation of grace to all, it is hard to RSVP “yes”.  Accepting this invitation comes with some stipulations. You have to acknowledge you are hungry for something that only God can satisfy. You also have to be okay being in the presence of your enemies at this table, because the grace of Jesus does not play favorites. And you have to eat what is served at the table.

We are going to journey through the book of Luke and stop each time Jesus sits down with someone for a meal. And we are going to learn about grace, humility, and the mission of God. And I pray that we will also live these out in greater measure. Come to the Table.

And we are going to practice this as a community right at the start of the year! On August 29th, we will kick off our first week of school with our annual Dedication Picnic. We share a meal and ask God to sustain us and empower us to learn and love in the year ahead. Then, on September 12-13, we’ll take the high school to HUME New England for our overnight retreat. Again, we will be sharing meals and marveling at the grace of Jesus offered to sinners like us. 

Mark Persson, aka “Chappy P,” is the Chaplain at CHS. He is married to Michelle, and they have three children: Karis (starting Kindergarten at CHS!), Micah, and Asher. Mark likes baking (read “eating”) bread, running, reading, and building forts with his kids. He is an elder at his church. And, he is blessed beyond belief to work alongside the incredible staff and faculty at CHS as they serve students and families!
 

Much has been made of the conflict between science and Christianity, but the reality is that many of the greatest scientists believed in a Creator and were Christians. As Paul Davies, an agnostic scientist, has noted, "The early scientists were all deeply religious, and they believe that in doing their science they were uncovering God's handiwork…." ¹ So in an authentic sense, by studying science, we grow in our understanding of the greatness, power, and love of our God because the universe He has made is spectacular and fills us with awe. As David writes in Psalm 19:1-2, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge." Moreover, when we consider the habitat God has crafted for human life here on Earth, God's love is made manifest in our lives. In my personal faith journey, as I have grown in my understanding of the laws of physics, the fine-tuning of the universe, and the mechanisms and processes of life, I have grown correspondingly in my love and reverence for God.
 

So, for our students, the study of science is the opportunity to engage in their own self-discovery of the greatness of our God revealed in all that he has made. But the study of science has many other benefits. It is a powerful tool for developing intellect and reasoning skills, and it is an engine of human advancement that has provided technology and many benefits, comfort, and longevity to our lives. At CHS, students study three main scientific disciplines: biology, chemistry, and physics. Many students take advantage of our dual enrollment college-level courses in physics and biology. Electives, including anatomy and physiology, astronomy, and engineering design with 3D printing, round out our offerings.
 

Our annual science and engineering fair has proven to be an excellent vehicle for allowing our students to engage in guided scientific exploration of their own. Students begin by finding an area of interest and formulating a hypothesis or design goal. They then proceed to complete their project over ten weeks. Along the way, students must meet milestones and produce experimental results, scientific conclusions, and a final report, culminating in a presentation to knowledgeable judges. Thus, our science fair is one of the best ways for our students to learn how science and engineering are conducted in the real world, how to explain their work, and how to make presentations. With the science fair, opportunities for developing essential life skills abound.
 

Since 2012, CHS has competed for cash, prizes, and scholarships at the Connecticut Science and Engineering Fair hosted each year in March by Quinnipiac University, where about 500 of the best projects statewide are judged by highly qualified judges with backgrounds in science, engineering, research, and academics. The results our students have achieved are awe-inspiring. Each year, our students have garnered significant cash awards ranging from $25 gift cards to $500 cash awards, numerous plaques, trophies, and medallions, and several large college scholarships. The University of New Haven awarded one scholarship to Taryn Marshall for $80,000 over four years. Students who entered their CHS science projects into other state and national competitions have also achieved notable results. Rachel Brooks entered her CHS junior science fair project into the Connecticut Junior Science and Humanities Symposium and was awarded first place. Amazing as it sounds, Rachel submitted her work to the prestigious medical journal Rheumatology (the official journal of the British Society for Rheumatology published by Oxford University Press), which published it on January 7, 2021!  Rachel went on to study at Princeton University. The following year, Benjamin Li, one of our brilliant Chinese exchange students, submitted his work to the Regeneron Science Talent Search and was named a Regeneron STS Scholar for 2022, an award given to only 300 students nationwide. Benjamin now studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
 

Our CHS Science Fair engages students in the hands-on study of God's glorious creation. It cultivates taking initiative, reasoning skills, and perseverance, all things that can be used to bring glory to our God. Moreover, it encourages our students to pursue careers in science and science-related fields, medicine, and the many engineering disciplines, all with the enthusiastic encouragement of their CHS science teachers along the way. To God be the glory!
 

1 "Faith and Reason," program transcript, PBS, accessed December 1, 2023, https://www.pbs.org/faithandreason/transcript/margaret-frame.html.

Daniel Cote is the Science Department Chair at CHS. He teaches science, philosophy, and apologetics. He has a passion for encouraging students to consider science as a career and has been doing so at CHS since 2009. He is also a pastor and the founder of Multimedia Apologetics, an apologetics website ministry explaining and defending Christianity whose primary goal is evangelism. He greatly appreciates the opportunity to teach apologetics to CHS seniors. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Maine, an MS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Bridgeport, a Master of Ministry in Apologetics from Southern Evangelical Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry in Theology and Apologetics from Liberty University. Dan is the author of Jesus Is God and Savior: How Prophecy, Science, and History Affirm the Truth of Christianity.

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.”

These are the most beautiful things you will never see! 

These are pictures of just a portion of the new HVAC systems installed over the past couple years.  At over $1 million, what an awesome display of God’s people investing in a better future for the ministry and mission of Christian Heritage School. 

There is this great image painted for us in Deuteronomy 6 just before the nation of Israel is to cross the Jordan River into Canaan.  God gives this word. 

"It shall come about when the Lord your God brings you into the land which He swore to give your fathers  . . . to give you a land with great and splendid cities which you did not build and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn wells which you did not dig and vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant” 

When we stop and look around us, literally everything here at CHS is here because someone gave, built or donated. Given, sometimes at great sacrifice, always with a yearning to see what we witness every day.  Children, families, and teachers working and learning together were on their minds and hearts when they gave their prayerful support and generous donations.  They earnestly anticipated the impact for Christ through the mission of Christian Heritage School and did it all with gratitude. 

The core values on which this place was built change lives and matter for eternity.  Values like an unshakeable faith in God built on a foundation of prayer, a firm adherence to His Word and a deep love for kids.  There is a passion for this biblically based education secured by a sacred partnership with the home and church.  And, there is a pursuit of excellence, all of it delivered by gifted and godly teachers in a culture that sadly does not often value these things.  

As CHS begins its 47th year, it has been and continues to be my greatest joy to serve in various roles alongside incredibly talented teachers and other professionals as we take on this important purpose. 

In my role in development, I speak with parents, former parents and grandparents of CHS graduates, alumni and friends of CHS.  I will sometimes ask, “Why continue to be interested in us?  Why support the CHS mission?  Your generosity is an obvious sign of support meant to encourage and strengthen what is done here.  Why do you continue giving money to CHS, year after year?" 

Their responses reference a few common themes: 

• It’s our children, and our children’s children.  It’s our responsibility, our greatest joy and treasure to support a Godly heritage moving on through our legacy.  
• It is our call and duty to our world.  It does not get any more important than this; together we raise up Christian scholars in a world that desperately needs people sharing the love of Jesus Christ in action and in truth. 
• Because we are grateful.  We experience the unique and personal touch of Godly teachers who model daily an intimate relationship with, and love for, Jesus Christ.  Our children certainly learn to read and write and compete academically.  That is not unimportant, but it isn’t the full answer.  These teachers walk daily with the Lord and then teach children that the Bible is the Living Word of God.  We are grateful for that blessing.  

It is a privilege to take every opportunity to support the mission and ministry of this special place.  Please take a moment to reflect and share a gift that will literally touch lives for eternity. 

God bless you.

Bruce Stempien is the Director of Advancement. Bruce has been active at CHS in a variety of roles through their 45+ year history.  In the ‘80s, he set up the framework for the new high school and worked part time with college admissions for CHS graduating classes through the ‘90s.  In 2007, he assumed the role of Upper School Principal for 6 years and, in 2013, became the Director of Advancement.  As a team, Bruce and and his wife, Dianne, were involved in school musicals and a student singing group named Greater Love.  They enjoyed the experience as parents of a son and a daughter who attended CHS from Kindergarten through 12th grade.  They currently attend New Life Church. 

Like any new technology, artificial intelligence has brought new opportunities and ethical questions into our lives. Is it okay to click the automated email reply that says essentially what you would have said? Is it fine to let an algorithm clean up your grammar and syntax? How about letting your new car drive for you? None of these questions are going away, so we need to acknowledge their ubiquity and learn how to respond well to them. 

Schools everywhere are scrambling to respond to AI programs like ChatGPT, especially when it comes to academic accountability. Programs like these respond to prompts by gathering information from all over the internet and synthesizing it in a unique way that replicates human writing. At this point, the writing may be a little stiff—and some of it may be erroneous or irrelevant—but much of it is accurate and decently written. 

This makes plagiarism of various kinds easier for students, and much harder for teachers to detect (since each AI response is essentially a unique language event). When I reached out to my fellow AP Lang teachers on Facebook to share their strategies for managing this new challenge, I received about fifty thoughtful and varied responses! Clearly, there is no standard protocol for teachers right now, although there are many good practices.    

At CHS, we as educators are committed to learning more about AI, and, as always, we will set clear expectations with our students. It is not enough for us to say, “Don’t ever use AI!” Instead, we must teach students how and when to use these technologies. For example, ChatGPT might be a perfect resource for a student searching for a new book or research topic, but it should not be used as a writing aid for an essay draft. 

Since AI detection is much more challenging than traditional plagiarism, we will also be teaching students to authenticate their own writing (via citations, Google Doc drafts, accountability systems like Turnitin.com, etc.). Originality and academic accountability have always been important in the writing process, but now they will be even more central. 

As technologies like AI continue to evolve, we teachers at CHS are adapting to the challenges and opportunities they present. ChatGPT and other models of AI were just released for public use last school year, and we experienced some of our first student incidents with them in the final few months of school. So far this school year, we have had a full PD training session about AI, all upper school teachers have created ChatGPT accounts, and some teachers are already finding appropriate ways to incorporate AI into lessons and assignments. There is certainly more to learn, but we are well on our way.     

Helpful Link for Parents: https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/09/05/1079009/you-need-to-talk-to-your-kid-about-ai-here-are-6-things-you-should-say/

Benjamin J. Chase is the English department chair at Christian Heritage School, where he has been teaching since 2010. He is a Connecticut native with an MFA in Poetry from West Conn. His poems have appeared in many literary journals over the years, and his first book of poetry, Here to See It, was published by Kelsay Books in May 2022. He lives with his wife Cristina and son Levi in Monroe, where they attend Stepney Baptist Church.

UPCOMING TEST: Plan to Study

Fall Greetings CHS community:  For those who are new to Christian Heritage School, I pray you are beginning to feel a bit more settled into our community. Academic classes are into a good routine by now and homework has begun. A first test or quiz most likely has happened in your child’s class. As grades are beginning to be entered into the gradebook, some students may begin to feel a bit anxious or overwhelmed.

If your child indicates that they may feel unsettled or even expresses some anxiety about an upcoming test, it is key to think through strategies for good test preparation. It is most helpful for you as their parent or guardian to put things into perspective. Your child needs to know that it is important to do well in school, but a single test or quiz will not determine his or her future. There will be more opportunities. Your child also needs guidance in learning how to prepare for tests in ways that will reduce test anxiety.

Step 1: Put a plan in place (throughout the semester)

• Pre-read your textbook before class. (This especially pertains to the more advanced classes.)
• Read notes after class even on nights without homework. (Rewrite anything you might not understand.)
• Reach out to your teacher for extra help (schedule an appointment during their office hours)
• Prepare and review notes

Step 2: Put a plan in place (the week or two before the test)

• When a review sheet is provided, complete it (start on it the day you receive it!) and use it to study.
• Reach out to your teacher for help on any questions that you’re stuck on, and physically write out your answers and explanations for anything you did not understand.

Step 3: Put a plan in place (the 24 hours before the test)

• Get a good night’s sleep. Your ability to think clearly and to deal with possible test anxiety improves with good sleep.
• Eat something to help with focus and attention.
• Stay hydrated.
• Remember you have prepared, and now is not the time to worry.

Step 4: During the test!

Now is the time to SHOW WHAT YOU KNOW!  

• Be prepared to run into a few questions you aren’t sure about. Know that it’s going to happen, and don’t panic when it does.
• If you feel anxious, PRAY! Philippians 4:6 - “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
• Breathe deeply to calm your “fight or flight” response. (You learned about “box breathing”  in Chapel recently. Use this!)
• Focus on YOUR work. It doesn’t matter if others are working at a faster (or slower) pace. Take the time YOU need!
• Do your best, check over your work, and turn it in. You can learn from your results when you get them back, but you did your best.  It’s time to relax a bit!

By reviewing these pre-test strategies you may have discovered new ideas to help your child to add to what they already use.

One of the most important keys to success in test preparation is having the discipline to do what you know you should do, even when you don’t feel like doing it. Encourage your child to develop productive test preparation skills, a plan for dealing with anxiety during the test, and an ability to keep a proper perspective on this test in the grand scheme of things.

Kim Haggerty, an alum of CHS, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from Wheaton College right outside of Chicago. She began her career in Special Education in the Westport School system; the Lord led her back to CHS to join the staff as an elementary teacher. Mrs. Haggerty is beginning her 9 th year in her current position directing the Student Academic Services program overseeing grades K-12. She is a part of a wonderful team who help support students and their families to assist in their development to reach their full potential as lifelong learners. She absolutely loves what she does and enjoys building relationships with CHS students and their families.