Nourishing Our Future: The Local Foods to Schools Grant
The Academy’s nutrition program has embarked on an exciting journey this year. Thanks to the "Local Foods to Schools" grant, we have the opportunity to purchase fresh produce and meat directly from small local farms. This initiative not only supports local farmers but also promises to provide our students with nutritious, high-quality meals while reducing the environmental footprint of our food supply. In this article, we'll explore the benefits of the grant and our partnership with Pure Pastures, a family-owned farm in Barren Plains, Tennessee.
Nutrient-Rich Harvest
One of the key advantages of sourcing food locally is that it allows us to deliver nutrient-dense meals to our students. As a general rule, the longer the journey from harvest to table, the more nutrients a food item loses. By purchasing fruits and vegetables from nearby farms, we can ensure that our students enjoy the maximum nutritional benefits.
Local produce is often fresher and more vibrant, brimming with essential vitamins and minerals. It's a known fact that fruits and vegetables begin to lose their nutritional value the moment they're harvested. The shorter the distance they travel, the less time there is for nutrient depletion. This means that our students get to enjoy the full spectrum of goodness these foods have to offer.
A Farm to Table meal plan is a strategy the Academy has adopted since the beginning of our meal program. Ensuring students have opportunity to eat meats and vegetables from local food sources is priority for our meal program team. These chickens belong to Pure Pastures!
Organic and Sustainable
In addition to enhanced nutrition, the "Local Foods to Schools" grant empowers us to buy organic produce, a win for both our students' health and the environment. Organic farming practices prioritize soil health and sustainability, avoiding synthetic pesticides and fertilizers that can harm the ecosystem. Choosing organic options from local farmers allows us to support sustainable agriculture practices that benefit our planet.
When it comes to meat, sourcing locally offers transparency and traceability. We have the opportunity to understand how animals are raised, what they are fed, and ensure that we are serving high-quality, nutrient-dense meats to our students. This not only contributes to healthier meals but also aligns with our commitment to ethical and sustainable food sourcing.
Supporting Local Communities
One of the most significant aspects of this grant is the ability to develop strong relationships with local farmers. Our partnership with Pure Pastures is just the beginning of a journey that will not only benefit our school but also the surrounding communities. By supporting small, family-owned farms like Pure Pastures, we contribute to the growth and prosperity of local economies. This grant is a catalyst for building a network of trust and collaboration between schools and local producers, fostering a sense of community and shared responsibility.
Lunch is a highlight of the day for Academy students. Not only do students receive nutritious meals, they are encouraged to engage in meaningful conversation with their peers. Fellowship over a meal is a value we hope students carry away from their school day and into their homes with their families.
The "Local Foods to Schools" grant is an exciting opportunity for our school nutrition program to make a meaningful impact on our students' health, the environment, and local communities. By prioritizing nutrient-rich, locally sourced foods, we aim to provide our students with top-quality nutrition while supporting sustainable and responsible farming practices.
As we continue to explore our partnership with Pure Pastures and other local farms, we look forward to the growth of this initiative. It's a chance to bring the bounty of our home state right to our students' plates, ensuring they not only receive the best nutrition possible but also develop a deep appreciation for the local food ecosystem. In the years to come, we hope to see more schools embracing similar initiatives, nurturing healthier generations, supporting local economies, and making a positive impact on the environment. The "Local Foods to Schools" grant is more than just a grant; it's a step towards a brighter and more sustainable future for our students and our world.
Embracing Holistic Development: Unlocking the Potential of Student-Athletes
Over the past 10 years, the Phoenix Athletics Program has developed and grown with our students. Our athletes are recognized as some of the most skilled in our conference, yet the skills they’re learning in teamwork, leadership, and the application of scripture are lessons to carry them beyond school sports.
This year we celebrated the Academy’s 10th anniversary. Like many schools, our athletic program has played an important role in the lives of our students and seen some significant successes! Since our establishment in 2013, our school athletic program has produced championship teams, celebrated all-conference players and league MVPs, and garnered admiration from players, families, and fans alike. However, what truly sets us apart is our holistic approach to player development. “We are not solely trying to build athletes,” says head soccer coach, Jason Roufs. “We’re trying to build well-rounded individuals who enjoy sports, who aren’t afraid to engage in sports as adults, and who have the understanding, strength and coordination.” Our philosophy revolves around the belief that by encouraging student-athletes to participate in multiple sports until the age of 16, we foster comprehensive growth, strength-building, intellectual maturation, and the development of invaluable life skills.
Coach Roufs (far right) celebrates an incredible 2023 soccer season with his high school team after they finished as runner-up in the division tournament.
A key biblical passage for Coach Roufs comes from Ephesians 4:1-13. This text highlights the many various roles that are required for a well-functioning team. “Sports culture celebrates just a few positions. Look at the stats that are kept: most points scored, most assists, or most saves. But what gets overlooked is how every single player plays an integral part. The life skill to be learned is that the goal is not for everyone to become the highest scorer: the goal is to figure out your giftings and the role that you play best, and contribute that to the success of the team.”
Phoenix athletes participate in cross-country, volleyball, basketball, and soccer. At the heart of all these sports are two key values: 1) giving one’s whole heart and energy to the learning process, and 2) embracing mistakes as integral to growth. We acknowledge the reality that sports are temporary. Even if a student wants to go pro, it will be a temporary season in their life. But what the students will always take with them is the attitude of approaching every practice time, every game, with focus and whole-heartedness. Mistakes are normal. Necessary, in fact. What is to be celebrated is the humility and resilience to push through mistakes and come out stronger on the other side.
A great example of that this year was freshman Camden Cole, who nervously tried out for the Phoenix soccer team. Unsure as to whether or not he had the skills and experience to be on the team, coaches encouraged him to to try out, and he made the team. “At the beginning of the season I placed him all over the field, to figure out his skill set. He started out as an outside mid, then forward, then outside back,” Coach Roufs shared. “By the end of the year he was our starting goal-keeper, filling a crucial need on the team.” Camden’s coaches and teammates alike were impressed with his unwavering commitment and willingness to step into a very difficult position. “That’s the kind of person we need in our athletic program. People who are willing to give their all for the team, and trust their coaches to place them in whatever position best serves the team.”
Coach Olson instructs his high school volleyball team during a regular season match. Learning to trust the authority and direction of a coach is emphasized in our sports program.
Junior Moriah Olson says that sports have offered her valuable life lessons on leadership: “One of the key values I have learned through Phoenix sports is that leaders are servants. I have been playing volleyball longer than my other teammates and so naturally I have been put into a leadership position over the past 3 years. As a result, I have had to learn that being a leader is more than just instructing and correcting others, but it is about making sure your team is doing well as a whole (spiritually, interpersonally, interpersonally, academically, etc.). It’s about sacrificing your time and energy for the betterment of the team.”
Jr High basketball player, Nanozi Nyago, takes a free throw during a semifinal tournament game. Nanozi is learning to take lessons from her bible classes and apply them to her team dynamic and skill development as a basketball player.
Phoenix athletes also learn how scripture applies to every aspect of their lives, both on and off the court. 7th grader Nanozi Nyago says this has been the most valuable lesson she’s learned in her athletic experience with the Academy: “A valuable lesson I have learned playing with our athletics program that I have carried into other areas of my life is biblical application. Our coaches have taught me and my teammates how to apply scripture to any situation, good or bad. I’ve been able to apply this value to academic, social, spiritual, and emotional situations.”
Moriah Olson further emphasized this point. “A verse that Coach Olson often brings up on the court is Philippians 3:12-14. In volleyball, it is important that we have what’s called “a short memory”, where we learn and then move on from the mistake we made. It is a fast paced game and each rally ends in a mistake (made by your team or the opposing team). This verse is a great metaphor for the game of volleyball but it’s great for life too and I have learned to apply that “short memory” in school, at home, and with my friends. Mistakes are going to be made, it’s a part of being human, but when we can learn from them and then move on, it is going to do a lot more good than holding on or feeling shame for the mistake made.
Off-season training has begun for the 2023-2024 year for Phoenix athletes! Students are preparing to take the court and field again, representing their school and the Lord. We hope to see you there cheering them on!
School Lunch Hero Day!
It’s School Lunch Hero Day, and we’re proud to honor Mr. Reyes for his faithful service as part of the Academy meal program team!
On May 5th we celebrate School Lunch Hero Day! School Lunch Hero day was started in 2013 by the School Nutrition Association. It is a way to celebrate those who make meals possible to students all across America!
Every day at the Academy we have a host of different people involved in ensuring our meals take place. Lunch Hero Day is a special day to recognize those who are involved in this process. We also love to highlight that we have a wonderful staff that includes both parents and grandparents and siblings of Academy students. Our students love seeing familiar faces of their family members in the cafeteria and we think it makes meal time extra special!
For this Lunch Hero Day we are proud to honor Mr. Reyes who has been with the Academy meal program since 2017. He has 20+ years experience as both a chef and working in food service. Mr. Reyes manages the daily meal service and ensures all our workers and students have a fantastic experience. Even through the pandemic Mr. Reyes continued to work tirelessly, delivering meals to families in our neighborhood. He helped facilitate almost 6,000 meals to our community during that time. It was no small feat!
If you visit our cafeteria, you may even catch Mr. Reyes greeting students in Spanish and helping them work on their Spanish salutations. We are so thankful for the years Mr. Reyes has dedicated to meals for our students. He is not only a fantastic chef but he strives to ensure everyone has the best quality service possible!
May God bless you for your service, Señor Reyes. You are a true School Lunch Hero! ¡Muchas Gracias!
Tools to Help Children Handle Anxiety
Academy social worker, Ms. Liz Kalama-Kagay, LMSW, reflects on a training put on by the same counselors who have been helping families from the Covenant School move through their tragic experience. Read her thoughts on helping children deal with anxiety.
My name is Liz Kalama-Kagay, LMSW, and I work as the licensed school social worker at the Academy. I recently attended a training put on by the same counselors who have been helping families from the Covenant School move through their tragic experience.
Sissy Goff is a LPC from Daystar Ministries Counseling, and David Thomas, a LMSW who works with kids and families in counseling. The seminar at Christ the King school was geared towards helping parents raise worry-free children. A study by JAMA Pediatric showed that one in five youth worldwide now struggle with anxiety symptoms. This is not limited to teens; according to Mental Health of America, the average age of a child being diagnosed with anxiety is 6 years old. Sissy and David spent the evening educating the audience on what anxiety is, effective tools to help students name it, and grounding exercises to address it.
This year I had the opportunity to teach SEL lessons to our Ugandan International students. We discussed the coping skills we use to weather the storms that life throws at us, in a way that we can find the peace that the LORD promises.
The scripture they shared was John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” According to Ms. Goff, simply put, "anxiety is an overestimation of a problem." We learn from the Bible that anxiety is something that we all will contend with in this life, however the way we deal with it matters. We do not have to be overcome by it.
Children present with anxiety on a continuum from ‘exploders’ to ‘imploders’. Exploders tend to be boys who will act out angrily and aggressively when feeling anxiety. Imploders (typically girls) tend to internalize the anxiety. They try to be perfectionists and instead report more somatic symptoms like headaches, stomach aches and other physical ailments. If you can view all behavior as communication, you can help your child recognize when they are feeling anxiety. Then you can then help them to develop the coping skills necessary to face their anxiety rather than just try to manage it. Some valuable tools are Box Breathing, 5-4-3-2-1, and Naming a Color.
These are all very effective tools for helping the brain and body respond in a more helpful manner during an episode of anxiety. When a child is feeling big emotions like anxiety, their brain shifts into survival mode. Their body sends more blood to their bigger muscles and their heart starts beating faster as a way for them to prepare to fight or run away. However, our brains can be tricked to respond in a survival manner when there isn't a reason for that response. Therefore grounding exercises are very helpful in getting your brain to turn back on rationally, and think and reason through a situation. (see Dan Siegel on how the brain reacts to anxiety)
Another tool the presenters offered as a way to deal with anxiety is to help students increase their emotional vocabulary. Children need to develop appropriate language to express themselves. The last tool was giving the students the opportunity to make social connections - essentially to learn how to have strong relationships.
I was so happy to reflect on how Academy students are being taught all of these SEL skills on a daily basis. Each morning in Beginnings class, Academy students get a theme to help root them in biblical perspectives on how to be a friend, how to maintain peace, and how to deal with conflict. Their classes help them with a developed vocabulary and they have learned about their brain and how to address emotions with breathing and grounding exercises.
Anxiety is real. In life we will be hit with different challenges and we will respond emotionally. However, we do not have to let anxiety rule us. The way we walk through challenges should be different because we know God. He's given us each other and he’s given us his Word.
There are many scriptures that address this concept but I really like Philippians 4:4-7 in that it starts with a reminder to rejoice.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to everyone. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
When we are anxious it can be very challenging to see or feel anything other than our moment. This scripture is helpful because it makes us pause; grounding exercises make us pause. They allow us to connect with our very real human bodies and breathe. This verse starts with rejoicing, which is a tool to help us remember. We must reflect on what is going well, which helps us reframe our moment.
This text goes on to communicate that we are engaged in relationships which is also a helpful tool in dealing with anxiety. When I am alone in my anxiety it can feel overwhelming but when I pause, take time to breathe, take time to rejoice and then take time to ‘let my gentleness be known to EVERYONE’, I know I have to engage in social relationships. I have to put myself near another person and together we can deal with my anxiety. Kids need to learn how to communicate this need and reach out to others. They need to know they are not alone, and the gift we have in a community of faith is that we don't have to walk through any storm alone.
Finally, the text continues to say with "prayer", making your requests known to God and God will give you peace. Peace is the opposite of anxiety, and our LORD promises that to us.
In attending this seminar it was helpful to hear that what our students are getting throughout their education at The Academy is the best practice to help them navigate the inevitable storms that life throws at them. I hope these tips are helpful for parents and educators, in equipping our kids and helping them to walk in peace.
Can Enough Sleep Really Improve Grades?
While we may sometimes complain about teenagers being lazy and sleeping too much, studies reveal how important sleep actually is for optimal brain function.
To wake up or sleep in? That is the question. Of course, if your teenage student has class, they better not be sleeping in too late. However, you should be making sure they are getting enough sleep, as research shows it can make a big difference in classroom performance. Lack of sleep contributes to poor concentration, which is an essential component if one expects to excel academically.
While we may sometimes complain about teenagers being lazy and sleeping too much, studies reveal how important sleep actually is for optimal brain function. After all, the brain of a teenager is still developing. In fact, it typically doesn’t even reach full maturity until the mid-twenties. Thus, sleep for teenagers is not just for their growing bodies, but also for their developing brain. Sleep deprivation is a hindrance to healthy brain development and could potentially be a contributing factor if you notice a decline in your teen’s academic performance.
In 2023, the Sleep Foundation found that later school start times support the biological needs of adolescents; they increase the amount of sleep adolescents get. Other benefits of later start times include: improved attendance at school, decreased tardiness, fewer occurrences of falling asleep in class, reduced irritability and depressive symptoms and fewer disciplinary issues.
Studies have shown the sleep patterns of teenagers differ from children and adults, and in most cases, they need more than those who are in other stages of life. Also, when it comes to sleep, teenagers experience phase delays which cause them to more easily stay up later than younger kids or adults. The levels of the sleep hormone melatonin usually don’t decline until later in the morning as well, which goes to explain why they may sleep later.
It can be difficult to make sure a teenager gets enough sleep, but with too little sleep, it could negatively impact a student’s grades. Whether it’s implementing bedtimes or curfews, making sure gadgets are turned off a while before going to bed, or developing a “pre-sleep” routine to help your body prepare for resting, there are rules we can try to teach our teenagers to implement to ensure they are sleeping enough. Cognitive function, attentiveness, and memory are improved by getting enough rest, and it has the possibility to significantly help their classroom performance. For more information on this topic, check out some of the sources below:
Sources:
“The Teen Brain: 7 Things to Know.” National Institute of Mental Health.
Sifferlin, Alexandra. “Why Teenage Brains Are So Hard to Understand.” Time. 8 September 2017 (visited 15 September 2022).
https://time.com/4929170/inside-teen-teenage-brain/
“Poor sleep can negatively affect a student’s grades, increase the odds of emotional and behavioral disturbance.” American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Updated 7 Nov. 2017 (visited: 5 Sept. 2022)
“Sleep and Health.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Reviewed 29 May 2019 (visited 5 Sept. 2022)
Walton, Alice G. “7 Ways Sleep Affects The Brain (And What Happens If It Doesn't Get Enough). Forbes. Visited: 16 September 2022.
Okano, K., Kaczmarzyk, J.R., Dave, N. et al. Sleep quality, duration, and consistency are associated with better academic performance in college students. npj Sci. Learn. 4, 16 (2019). Published 1 October 2019 (visited 5 September 2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-019-0055-z
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41539-019-0055-z
Merriman, Kate. “School performance can be improved with a good night’s sleep.” WMBF News. 19 Feb. 2021 (visited: 5 September 2022)
https://www.wmbfnews.com/2021/02/19/school-performance-can-be-improved-with-good-nights-sleep/
Suni, Eric. “How Lack of Sleep Impacts Cognitive Performance and Focus.” Sleep Foundation. Updated 29 April 2022 (visited 5 September 2022)
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-deprivation/lack-of-sleep-and-cognitive-impairment
Locker, Melissa. “Let Your Kids Sleep More For Better Grades.” Time. 13 January 2015 (visited 5 September 2022).
https://time.com/3663796/for-better-grades-let-your-kids-sleep-more/