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Grace’s Celebrates 25th Graduating Class

Truth is What Christian Education is All AboutT th i Wh t Ch i tiT th i Wh t Ch i ti

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By John Morrison, Headmaster

A recurring theme is my emphasis upon the bedrock questions, “What is truth, and how can we know it with certainty?” With

what is taking place all around us, It would be hard to overemphasize this issue.

If we are not awakened by the horrifi c clash of cultural values represented by almost daily headlines, then we had better pinch

ourselves. While in some ways almost ludicrous, the North Carolina “bathroom law” highlights the “foolishness” to which

our society has descended. And in another recent development, our federal government is now directing public schools across

the nation to accommodate transgender students by allowing them to utilize the restroom or locker room coinciding with their

chosen sexual identity. This is happening all so quickly!

But what should we expect when a society departs from any grounding in the notion of absolute truth as it is revealed by

God? The apostle Paul, in Romans 1, makes clear that this is the kind of “foolishness” that we should expect to emerge when

a society turns its back on God.

The fact is that there are really only two fundamental options when it comes to knowing truth. Either truth is a construct

of our fi nite, human “opinion;” or, truth must be grounded in the infi nite, personal God who has not remained silent, but has

actively revealed Himself and His reality to mankind. There really is no “in-between” option. And when truth is determined

by the individual, a powerful elite, or even the majority, then society is in big trouble.

In this context, truth is what Christian education is ultimately about. Yes, of course, we must lead our students to a personal

relationship with Jesus Christ. But Jesus Christ is also the way, the truth, and the life. There is no other way! His is an exclu-

sive claim to truth (John 14:6)! Indeed, truth is a primary purpose of Christ’s Incarnation: “For this I have been born, and for

this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37).

There is no more vital issue or priority, then, when it comes to the kind of education we provide our children and youth. We

cannot turn them over to secularist educators where “public policy” is the offi cial mantra and expect them to withstand the

powerful innuendos and infl uences of false premises concerning truth. When will the larger Christian community awaken to

this fact?

May God help us, in the days ahead, to provide our children and youth with the foundation they need to stand for God’s truth

as faithful witnesses in the face of an increasingly “foolish,” godless culture! There can be few, if any, greater causes to which

we, as Christians, can be committed!

Grace Christian School held its 25th high school graduation on Saturday, May 28th. This year’s graduating class included 21

students and proved to be another memorable ceremony for the 400+ friends and family in attendance.

Co-valedictorians, Mikayla Boyers and Ben Elliott, shared inspirational messages. Mikayla addressed each of her classmates

individually, sharing memories of their friendships and leaving each with encouraging words. Ben’s message encouraged the

graduates not to forget the truth that they learned at Grace Christian School, “an education in Truth gives us a lasting use for the

knowledge we gain as students at any level.” “This Truth is that of the gospel revealed through Jesus Christ.” He concluded,

“Long from now, when we can’t remember concepts of our high school education, this truth will be unchanged.”

Grace high school teacher, Josh Keene, was chosen by

the class to give the commencement address. Mr. Keene

captivated the audience as he sprinkled stories through-

out his message, which focused on fi ve pieces of advice

for the graduates, including: standing up and defending

their beliefs at all costs; building solid relationships;

choosing to be productive rather than destructive; taking

ownership of their lives and actions; and being thankful.

Two members of the class of 2016 plan to join the work-

force, while the remaining members will go directly into

college, having received a combined total of over $500,000 in scholarships. Best wishes to the Class of 2016!

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When the fi ne arts are done with excellence, we glimpse God’s beauty and creativity. Bearing the image of God, we share a love

for the good and the beautiful, and when we create art, we bring life and beauty to those around us. That’s the power of art, and

the arts fl ourished at Grace this school year, and in particular, this spring.

The GCS drama production of The Wizard of Oz burst onto stage in a stunning display of color, light, drama, song, and dance. It

was a blessing to witness and experience. Not to be shown up, the preschool through third

grade classes put on a special performance for their grandparents at our annual Grandpar-

ents’ Day celebration by singing, performing, and quoting their scripture memory. Days

later, our elementary, middle, and high school choirs performed at our Spring Choral Con-

cert. The concert, which featured the school’s fi ne vocal talent and high school choral

director Jean Marinelli’s fi nal concert before “retirement,” was a beautiful evening of wor-

ship. We ended this year’s celebration of the arts with Arts Night, in which Grace’s artistic

talent was once again on full display, featuring works of art and music from all grade

levels and a variety of mediums. The night was full of paintings and drawings, as well as

the sounds of pianos, guitars, violins, and singing. We could not have ended a celebration

of the arts on a better note.

The blessing of the art we celebrated and witnessed this spring lies in bearing the image

of our Creator. In a letter written to artists, Pope John Paul II said, “Through his ‘artistic creativity’ man appears more than ever

‘in the image of God,’ and he

accomplishes this task above

all in shaping the wondrous

‘material’ of his own human-

ity and then exercising creative

dominion over the universe

which surrounds him.” What a

blessing it is to have such tal-

ented artists and fi ne art in-

structors in our midst at Grace!

Embracing the image of God through Fine Artsby Brian Fitzgerald, High School Principal

The GCS Warrior Athletic Teams had a great 2015-2016 school year. Not only did the year prove to be one of a very competitive

nature, but many individual and team goals were met.

In the fall, we fi elded four levels of Girls’ Volleyball (two middle school teams, JV and Varsity). The Varsity Girls went on to

win the VACA North Region regular season Championship. Our Varsity Football team had a record setting season, fi nishing 7-1

in just their third season. We also fi elded a Boys’ Varsity Soccer team, a Co-ed Middle School Soccer team, and ran a youth soccer

program for Kindergarten through 5th grade students. Our Co-ed Cross Country Varsity and Middle School teams fi nished strong

with several students competing at the state level.

Our winter sports included a host of basketball teams, including: Girls’ Varsity and Middle School, as well as Boys’ Varsity,

JV and Middle School teams. Both our Boys’ Varsity and Boys’ Middle School Basketball teams won the VACA North Region

Championships. Our Wrestling team placed very high in the VISSA State Championships with three

boys placing in the top 7 of their weight classes.

The spring sports season saw us fi eld both Varsity and Middle School Golf, with the Middle School

team winning the VACA State Team Championship. We also had a Varsity Girls’ Soccer team and a Var-

sity Boys’ Baseball team. And lastly, our Junior Warriors Basketball program for 3rd-5th grade students

met this spring to work on fundamental skill building and learning to love the game of basektball. s skill b b buiuiuildldlding g g g anananand d d d lelelelearararningngngngngng t t t to o o o lolololoveveveve t t t thehehehe g g g g g gamamame e e e ofofofof b b basasasekekektbtbtbalalall.l.l.mememet t thththisisis s s sprprprprprinining g g g g tototo w w wororork k ononon f funundadadamememementntntalalal s s

Warrior Sports Year Wrap-Up by Frank Kahrs, Athletic Director

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2008Mary (Masincup) Adu-

Gyamfi and her husband,

Yaw, have relocated to

Charlottesville, Virginia,

where they both work at the

University of Virginia. Yaw

is a civil engineering research

scientist and Mary is an

administrative assistant in the

Offi ce of Diversity and Equity.

2009Rachel Hrovat is living in

Washington, DC and teaches

middle and high school history

and composition at Cornerstone

Schools of DC. Rachel is a

graduate of Carson Newman

University and recently

returned from a 3-year stint

working with the CRU ministry

in Gaborone, Botswana.

Jessee Ingram plans to

graduate from Virginia

Commonwealth University

with a degree in Occupational

Therapy. His summer and fall

clinical placements include

specializing in acute care and

hand therapy.

Laurel Rich is working as

the Animal Care Coordinator

for Petsmart in Waynesboro,

Virginia.

Rachel Smith, is a 2013

graduate of Lee University,

with a degree in Health Care

Administration. She is serving

as the Practice Coordinator

for Augusta Health Care

for Women in Fishersville,

Virginia.

Graduates in the News1999Ben Ingram and his wife,

Amanda welcomed daughter,

Harper into the family in

December, joining big sister,

Ava (3). The family lives in

Herndon, Virginia where Ben

works as an account executive

for Whitlock.

2005 Ryan Plummer graduated

from Virginia Tech University

with a Bachelor’s of Science in

Consumer Studies, specializing

in products and promotions.

He is pursuing his master’s

in Business Analytics at VT.

Ryan is a former member of the

U.S. Marine Corps and is a SPC

in the Army National Guard.

Philip Masincup and Kristen

(Kime) Masincup’s business,

Revitalize Health & Fitness,

holds a Monday night workout

session at St. Paul’s UMC in

Staunton. “Fit Club” is a free

30-40 minute workout for all

fi tness levels. For more info,

email kasincup@gmail.com.

2006Heidi (Mancini) Fry and her

husband, Ian, are serving the

Lord at Eden Children’s Village

in rural Zimbabwe. Heidi is

homeschooling their children,

Mikayah (6) and Lilli (5), along

with Gabriel (19 mos). They

plan to return home next year

for a furlough. To sign up for

their newsletter, email them at

babweheartbeat@gmail.com.

2010Ethan Grow and his wife,

Kourtney, were married

in December, 2014. Ethan

recently graduated from the

US Navy’s Boot Camp at Great

Lakes Naval Base. While there,

he was given the title of Recruit

Chief Petty Offi cer, putting him

in charge of his whole division.

Out of the 560 graduates, Ethan

was one of four selected to serve

in the Ceremonial Guard. He is

now stationed in Washington

DC for the next two years.

2011 Frankie Leo and McKenzie

Rae Almon were married

on May 22 in Shelbyville,

Kentucky. The couple live

in Louisville where they both

work as baristas. Frankie

graduated from Montreat

College in 2015 with a Bachelor

of Music degree.

Holly Wenger and Ben Stoll

were married in January and

reside in Arlington, Virginia.

Holly has joined the Prince

William County Police

Department and graduates from

the academy in June. Ben is

pursuing his acting career,

currently appearing in the

musical “Lost in Wonderland,”

at the Pallus Theater in

Washington, DC. He recently

landed a supporting role in a

locally produced tv show and

continues auditioning for roles.

2012Hannah Rich received

her degree in Mechanical

Engineering from Geneva

College. She has a summer

internship working with

industrial robotics at Hollister,

Inc. in Stuarts Draft, Virginia.

Joscelyn Seaton graduated

from Grove City College

with a bachelor of science

in Biochemistry. She will

continue her studies at the

University of Virginia School

of Medicine in the fall.

2015Artem Rich is currently in Fort

Benning, Georgia completing

his Army Infantry Training. He

plans to graduate from Boot

Camp in late July and will serve

a 4-year term in the U.S. Army.

The Warrior Bulletin is a publication

of Grace Christian School

Headmaster: John Morrison High School Principal: Brian Fitzgerald Elementary & Middle School Principal:

Joanne Kinder Supervisor of Instruction:

Mary Ellen Barrett Development Director: Janet Cleveland

Admissions Director & Editor: Liz Middleton

Frankie & McKenzie Leo

Ben & Holly (Wenger) Stoll surrounded by

fellow GCS Alumni at their wedding! Hannah Rich

Matthew Hochstetler, wife,

Ingabeth and sons, Jacob (2)

and Matteo (5 mos.)

Ethan & Kourtney Grow

Grace Chris� an School

19 South Market Street

Staunton, VA 24401

Grace Christian School’s mission is to assist Christian parents by providing a sound

academic education in a Christ-centered environment, designed to prepare our young people

to know God and to live in obedience to His will for their lives.

CONNECT WITH US

(540) 886-9109 (540) 886-0937

www.gcswarriors.org

facebook.com/gcswarriors

Business Partner CornerOur Business Partners for Education make it possible for

us to offer tuition assistance to a number of our school

families. When you frequent these businesses, please take

a moment to express your appreciation for their support!

To learn more about this program, please contact Janet

Cleveland in our Development Offi ce at 540-886-9109.

Augusta Seed

GCS has a l-o-n-g list of “needs.” It is easy to allow

our fundraising focus to fi xate on needs such as a new bus,

teacher salaries, maintenance projects, and athletic fi elds.

However, such a focus is short-sighted when our vision

is all about “meeting the needs”, which is very different

from having a “needs” list.

Part of our vision is to “meet the needs” of Christian

parents by assisting them in raising their children in the

knowledge of the Lord, and to “meet the needs” of young

people by providing them a challenging education grounded

in a Christian worldview led by godly teachers and staff who

love and disciple them.

As the school year closes and we pause to acknowledge

our many supporters who over the year donated their re-

sources, talents and time to ensure the meeting of our es-

sential needs.” All contributions to GCS enable our school

ministry to show young people how to have a personal re-

lationship with Jesus and how to impact the world for His

glory.

Thank you for investing in our vision!

Meeting Needs verses Having Needs

GCS Development News by Janet Cleveland, Development Director