The Complex Cortex of Camille Lively

High school performing arts teacher, Mr. Ownby, with Esther Bargatze, playwright, and songwriters and musicians, Justice Garner and Kiah Roufs.

The 8th-10th grade performing arts students at the Academy for G.O.D. finished a semester of learning about performance related to theater and music. To end the course, students produced an original one-act musical titled “The Complex Cortex of Camille Lively.” The script, music, program artwork, and acting were all produced and performed by the students. I had the privilege of teaching and directing these talented students this semester as they accomplished this project and successfully performed their one-act musical on Friday, December 18th to an audience of their fellow students. 

This class was such a joy as the giftedness and potential of each student was further unlocked as they responded to the challenges associated with producing this performance. It was a blessing to instruct the students and also be able to envision all of the ways that God will continue to use their skills for the world to better know and experience his goodness. 

From Esther Bargatze, 8th grade student and lead playwright: 

The play was written to give insight into what goes on in the complex growing minds of the young and lively, in a meaningful and comical way.

Life can be difficult no matter what stage you find yourself in, but being a teenager can be incredibly difficult as you try to navigate the world, figuring out how to be you while yet potentially so influenced by everyone and everything around you. “The Complex Cortex of Camille Lively” explores the tensions of being a young teenager through the main character of Camille Lively (Young and Lively) who gets bombarded by issues with her siblings, tensions with friends, and the various input she receives from her best friends that ultimately leads to her feeling misunderstood by everyone. Julian, Camille's best friend, offers the perspective of the young male teenager who also deals with the influx of voices from those close to him in his life that influence decisions he makes, good and bad. Ultimately, this is an exploration of the necessity for perspective-taking and communication. There's a lot to consider when navigating life, but these considerations are best made with a group of faithful friends surrounding you.

This musical production was written and produced by 8th-10th grade performing arts students at our school. The play is about a teenage girl, Camille, and all of her friends (Penny, Emily, Lucy, and Cassy) who have significant influence into the decisions she makes just by being themselves. Alongside Camille is her best friend Julian Barnaby, and his group of friends (Donald and Dan, Parry, Logan, Eddy, and Cory). Camile and Julian's friends are there to help communicate how much we can be influenced by our peers, but also to communicate thoughts and feelings that happen in teenage minds through each character.

As Camille continues to work through her feelings with the help of her parents, she learns the importance of considering others’ perspectives, and how to handle the strong emotions that can feel overwhelming.

Throughout the play, Camille faces challenges with her family, and when her emotions get ahold of her, it affects her behavior at school and her friendships.  Camille is reminded that she is not alone and that she has friends, teachers, and her parents who love her and can offer her invaluable wisdom. When we were writing this play we wanted the theme to be about considering others’ perspectives, and not just thinking about our own. As teenagers especially it can be very easy to stop paying attention to the people around us because we're so caught up in our own feelings. We hope this production encouraged everyone to consider the interest of others a little more, to communicate, and to trust those around us who love us.

Exploring Solutions for Global Issues

Written by Mrs. Rachel Hartnell, Lead Teacher

Students recorded the particulate matter collected from the air before and after their experiments to identify the effectiveness of their design. Particulate matter is too small to see by the naked eye making it the perfect size for us to breathe in!

This semester, our high school students were challenged to consider current global issues and design solutions for how to address these problems according to the word of God. In the Lab Science class, high school students have learned the process of research, experimental design, and data analysis. Utilizing these universally applicable skills, they were given various case studies on major environmental issues that are affecting their generation. After learning about negative outcomes to people both in the third world and here in the United States, they researched sustainable solutions and designed experiments in groups to prove a solution’s viability. Each lab group produced their own unique solution and competed with the other groups to see who had the most effective outcome. 

The most recent environmental issue they addressed was air quality by looking at how air pollution has contributed to the spread of disease globally. Based on their research, students designed experiments to decrease indoor air particulate matter in order to slow the spread of bacteria and viruses. One group experimented with decreasing possible particulate carriers or emissions. Another group looked into how to make consideration for ventilation using dry ice. Others designed experiments that tested natural methods for air purification and the effects of plant life on reducing air particulates. Each experiment reduced the level of air particulates, and the group testing plant life reduced particulate matter by 100%. 

After each unit, when students analyse and share their success, we celebrate as a class. We take some time to dream of all the ways we as a people of God can come up with biblically rooted, ethical responses to the issues that exist today. Students are inspired and ready to tackle the next issue presented to them!

The Legacy Talent Show

This past Saturday evening, 23 students from Kindergarten to 12th grade took the stage to dedicate the most sincere, heartfelt productions to some of The Academy’s dearest supporters: our students’ grandparents. From original songs and dances to martial arts and comedy acts, our students left the audience laughing, crying, and rejoicing over what they saw. 

What did they see on the stage? One of our judges and a two-time Dove Music Award winner, Meredith Andrews, said it best: “This is more than a talent show. This is the heart of God on display!” 

At the end of the night, each performer received a superlative award for their act. Sharing this moment of celebration was a highlight of the show!

The show’s theme was “Legacy”, which became a moving and emotion-filled thread throughout the night. Students expressed how their acts were inspired by their parents or grandparents. Others shared how their grandparents passed down a special talent to them that they in turn wanted to share with others. Two of our senior students even wrote a song for the Academy students coming up behind them, reminding them to practice what they learn in God’s Word because there is a world in need waiting for them. Each performer walked off the stage at the end of the night with a superlative in hand; an award given to them by the judges that distinguished their act above all the rest. 

The Legacy Talent Show would not have been possible without the selfless service of our PTO and parent volunteers as well as our tech crew, made up of Academy high school students! In light of our month-long Legacy Campaign, our students have been learning what it means to receive and to leave a legacy. As the campaign highlights the Academy’s scholarship program, our students recognize they are receiving the gift of a Christ-centered education, and in turn are becoming equipped to bear the fruit of good works in the world. This was the inheritance on display during our Legacy Talent Show! 

There’s still time to give towards the Academy’s Legacy Campaign! If you’d like to give the gift of a holistic, biblical education to students in the United States and around the world, we invite you to join us and thank you for your generosity!

Traditional Art Inspired by Mexico

Written By Elementary Teacher, Ms. Laura Voight

Alebrijes are a form of traditional art from the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. You have likely seen them in the popular Disney movie, Coco. While they were not highlighted within the movie, they are shown and explained as a part of the culture in southern Mexico and an important aspect to the holiday, Día de los Muertos. Known for the vibrant colors and unique patterns, they are exquisite pieces of art.

The alebrijes project was an opportunity for students to connect with the people of Mexico through a form of visual arts.

This project also provided the perfect opportunity for the Focus Level to “get their hands dirty” with an art project in their Principles of Design I class. The first two principles that the class learn about were contrast and pattern, two essential components of alebrijes. Since a part of the mission at the Academy for G.O.D. is to raise up a generation of children who are globally conscious, this was also the perfect opportunity to examine and imitate art from a foreign culture. The class learned about the history of alebrijes and how they are tied to the native Zapotec roots of Mexico. These designs are similar in style to Mayan and Aztec artistry. 

The students set out on a journey to create their own alebrijes - only they would not be carving wood as the traditional sculptures are made. After learning about the symbolism behind animals used in the traditional Oaxacan art, they used newspaper, cardboard, paper towel rolls, and finally, paper mâché to make their sculptures. This alone was a week long process. Students learned how to use their hands to form what their minds imagined. They had to be resourceful with the materials given to them and persevere through the inevitable phase of art creation where you’re just not sure what, exactly you have created. In the end, the students themselves were surprised with their work! They were proud of their creations and several of them admitted to having created something that they liked very much, despite their conviction in the middle of the project that they had somehow created the ugliest art imaginable.

In the end, the students were able to connect to the people of Oaxaca through their endurance of artwork that did not come easy. Just as the artists in Oaxaca take time to carefully carve their animals from wood, the students had to mold and re-mold their animals with paper and cardboard. They had to recall their lessons on contrast and pattern and incorporate the traditional patterns used in alebrijes. They learned to not only craft a form of art that was not initially appealing to their eyes, so used to soft colors and open spaces, but to appreciate it as well. By then end of the unit, each student was excited to take home their piece and show their families what they had learned.

When Challenges Become an Opportunity for Growth

Written by Mr. Alex Castro, Principal

“Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance.” ~ Samuel Johnson, English Writer

Do you remember when the simplest tasks were the ones you could mindlessly complete?  For instance, walking into a store and not feeling the pressure of having to wear a mask. Now, you have to go back to your car and get that mask if you forgot it on your way in. Our new normal, as a result of living during a pandemic, brings new considerations for what was once a simple task or routine. Those considerations are specifically tied to the safety of self and others. As adults, we’re able to separate these moments from past experiences and see the whole picture, yet we require our children to adhere to the same mindset in the midst of developmental stages that may contradict the very ‘reasonable’ reactions that we have as adults. I’d like to take a moment to look at where a typical middle school student is in their development. 

Reflecting on my own experience as a middle school student, I vividly remember an awkward, gangling young man who would worry about what others thought of him. It lent itself to a lot of insecurities that were accompanied by negative thoughts about myself and my abilities. So essentially, I was a normal teenager. I had a hard time separating what I thought from the reality of what was happening. Everything was exasperated to new heights because, in the midst of the hormonal changes that my body was going through, my brain was also changing. I was entering the phase of development of formalized thinking, or the formal operational stage.

Whether in the classroom, recess or times of worship together, students are encouraged to consider the newness or change around them or challenges that face them as opportunities for growth and maturation as young people who love God.

The formal operational stage begins at approximately age twelve and lasts into adulthood. As adolescents enter this stage, they gain the ability to think in an abstract manner by manipulating ideas in their head, without any dependence on concrete manipulation (1). In short, adolescents are separating what is fact and what is fiction on their own. They are beginning to formalize what they know to be true based upon what is in front of them and not merely what they have been told. They are better able to think critically. They can think through problems that normally children would need the assistance of an adult. The issue comes when the adolescent is not properly guided. It is important to think of this stage as we interact with our moment and how a pandemic can stunt growth...if we let it.

In comes the theory of growth mindset to combat this stunting of growth. Growth mindset holds that an individual will put forth more effort, and thus lead to higher achievement, if they believe that their brain is more malleable (2), or that it can be shaped and grown. During the course of the impact that COVID-19 has presented, we find ourselves in a place as a nation looking forward to the unseen impact this historical moment will have on the future. This is where theories like growth mindset come into play. 

At the Academy we incorporate the growth mindset into our K-12 curriculum. Students learn that in challenging moments, there is opportunity to grow. The book of James teaches us that we should even count such trials as joy (James 1:2-3). So then, the question is, “why?” Why encourage our students to embrace failure and struggle? The answer is simple. If we can teach our students to have strong emotion management skills and see their trial as an opportunity for growth, they are better prepared to face difficult situations and grow in endurance with clarity and understanding that they are exactly what scripture tells us in James...mature and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:4). If I could go back and talk to that young man I was in Jr High, I’d tell him to embrace the struggle, lean on the Lord, and know that through that struggle you’re building your endurance and find the joy in your growth. 

 (1) McLeod, S. A. (2010, December 14). Formal operational stage. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/formal-operational.html 

(2)  Decades of Scientific Research that Started a Growth Mindset Revolution. (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.mindsetworks.com/science/