McAlder Blog

Hello, all you amazing McAlder families. While we’ve been experiencing some fickle weather, it hasn’t stopped us from keeping on! At the beginning of the month, we wrapped up the second quarter with our awards assembly to celebrate excellence in Christian education, leadership, and relationships. It was so nice to have families join us to celebrate our students. Can you believe the readers at McAlder? We gave 123 AR certificates to students who reached their second quarter goals. WOW!

Other highlights of the quarter…

• Conferences
• The Night of Generosity trophy
• Bookfair (All classroom wish lists were filled, and we got new books for the library!)
• Christmas programs
• The Christmas store (Thank you, PfC!)
• Christmas chapel
• Open House (We gave 41 families tours!)
• Miss Tevelde celebrated her one-year anniversary of her stem cell replacement. Woo-hoo!
• 62% of MELM K–6 students scored in the 61st percentile or higher in math, and 64% scored in the 61st percentile or higher in reading. Did you know that falling within the 41st to 60th percentiles is considered grade level? This means that many of our students are above grade level. That is excellent!

We look forward to hosting our McAlder Q&A this Sunday, February 23, in the gymnasium at 6:00 p.m., with YOU, Dr. Friesen, and me. It is my JOY and PRIVILEGE to lead at McAlder! Thank you for your partnership!

“Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.”

(Psalm 95:1, NIV) 

One thing I love about theatre is the ability to tell a story, and I have had so much fun working with this talented junior high cast to creatively portray the story of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. This Narnian tale is well-known and well-loved, filled with adventure, mythical creatures, brave heroes, and epic battles. However, this story is unique in that it is not just based on a fictional idea. C.S. Lewis, a famous Christian theologian and the author of The Chronicles of Narnia, wrote this story as an allegory for the overarching narrative of sin, salvation, and restoration in the Bible.

We often long for the fictional heroes and happy endings that we see in books and movies to be real, yet many people ignore the fact that the gospel is the only “fairytale” that is reality. We desire joy and happiness from the things of this world but forget that the gospel is the only thing that can fulfill those desires. After having a late-night conversation with his good friend J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis came to realize this fact and said, “Now the story of Christ is simply a true myth: a myth working on us the same way as the others, but with this tremendous difference that it really happened.” It was only nine days after this conversation and realization that Lewis officially became a follower of Christ. By embracing the simplicity of the “true myth,” Lewis grasped the essence of the gospel. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe reflects his faith, and he shows us that our longing for the “hero narrative” can only be satisfied through the acceptance of Jesus’ death and resurrection on the cross.

There is another world that our hearts are meant for, so don’t be afraid to enter the wardrobe and see for yourself. God, the Author of creation, has written Himself into our story and made Himself the true Aslan—the ultimate hero. Therefore, we can live victoriously knowing that the end of the story is already written, and (spoiler alert) Jesus wins!

—Ellie Hobson (Co-director and CCHS senior)

We are very excited to show everyone our production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. This has been an amazing process. I’m glad we’ve gotten to know these junior high actors and have been able to be their directors. I’m very proud of all they have accomplished. This was one of the largest casts we’ve had for a production and one of the shorter time frames. What we’ve accomplished is great, and I’m thankful for all the work they’ve put in.

With our production and our theatre program, we hope to use our spiritual gifts to share the good news of God. As some might know, this play is based on a book by C.S. Lewis, who wrote it as an allegory for the gospel. Throughout the rehearsal process, we’ve been reminding the cast of this and how we can spread the Word of God through our gifts, including the arts. In the Bible, we can see many people using their own unique gifts to glorify God. One example that we’ve talked about is in Exodus 31. Bezalel was able to use his craftsmanship to please God by helping build the tabernacle. We, as God’s followers, can use our gifts to glorify God, too. We hope to worship God by using our acting and creative abilities in this play. Throughout the rehearsal process, we wanted the cast to remember that everything we do is to bring glory to God—not ourselves. As you, the audience, watch The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, we hope you keep in mind that this production is to reflect the story of Jesus and our own spiritual battles.

—Melanie Perekopsky (Co-director and CCHS senior)