High School Blog

It is hard to believe that the end of the year is here. There is so much that deserves to be celebrated from this school year but unfortunately this blog has a word count. So, as I highlight just a few things, know that it truly has been a blessing to get a front-row seat to watch our students grow and thrive here at CCS. I will use our 4 Pillars to guide my highlights.
 

Spiritual Formation: All-School Chapels

Toward the end of last school year, our chapel planning team (Josh Stines, Brian Wilson, Jenny Walling, and I) decided that we wanted to have at least one all-school chapel each quarter. In total, we ended up doing five all-school chapels, and they were all amazing! The Holy Spirit was active and working in the lives of our students. A special thanks to Trevor Duplissey (Worship Team Leader) and Tegan Hinojos (Tech Team Leader) for all their hard work to make these possible and excellent. 

Academic Excellence: End-of-Semester Assessments
  

Instead of assessing “what students know,” we adjusted our aim to assess “what our students can do with what they know.” I will be the first to admit that the shift from finals to end-of-semester assessments is a tough one. It will take time to perfect. Actually, it will never be perfected because authentically assessing students will forever be a pursuit rather than an achievable destination. However, our teaching staff is committed to making education real for our students, and we are excited to see the progress we make in this area going forward.

Personal Character Development: Student Support Team

Schools exist to help students grow. Here at Cascade Christian, we strive to provide avenues for students to grow in our 4 Pillars. While this goal is simple, the system needed to ensure all students are growing—and eventually thriving—in all 4 Pillars is quite complex. This year, we made large strides in our ability to identify and support students who were not growing and thriving to the degree they are capable. A huge shout-out is necessary for the members of our campus team: Jo Campbell, Darlene Kasper, Alissa Nicholson, Allison Meeks, and Kristen Easter. This powerful team works each day, meets every week, and makes changes in students’ lives that will last a lifetime.

Leadership Development: Cade Sando
 

It is my great privilege to honor one of our students as I reflect on this school year. Cade Sando has attended Cascade Christian since kindergarten and is the epitome of what it looks like to have developed into a discerning leader. His resume of leadership includes captain of the football, basketball, and baseball teams; first-chair saxophone player in the band; and ASB member. More important than his leadership positions are his leadership characteristics. Cade is honest, respectful, humble, kind, assertive, and wise beyond his years. Cade has already impacted the CCS community in profoundly positive ways, and we are eager to see the mighty ways God uses him in the future to impact the world.

Again, I cannot reiterate how unfair it is to try and summarize all of the amazing accomplishments that happened this school year at Cascade Christian High School.