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INFLUENCE

The monthly e-newsletter for the entire WCS Family.
August 2019

IN THIS ISSUE:

Spotlight on Students
Summer Highlights
Upcoming Events
Focus on Worldview

Welcome to the inaugural issue of INFLUENCE!

WCS is poised to start our 74th year of cultivating Godly influencers as we welcome our students and families back to campus on Tuesday, September 3. To help keep the entire WCS family (past and present) connected to what's going on at WCS, we have created INFLUENCE-- a monthly e-newsletter just for you. 

The word influence captures the essence of our renewed mission, which is to cultivate Godly influencers. I'm sure you'll agree that it's better for our students and graduates to influence their world for good, rather than to be influenced by the culture. From upper school advisory groups and a renewed emphasis on leadership development in our athletic program, to our brand-new lower school curricula in American Heritage studies, Biblical worldview, and math, we're aligning all that we do to this crystal-clear mission.

Highlights of the coming year include: a new elective called Influencing the Culture which equips upper school students to engage the community for the common good; the return of elementary Spanish; the launch of Parent University, the parent training program of WCS; and a STEAM-dedicated room in the elementary wing called Creation Station where students can practice being creator-cultivators.

Read on to see more of how WCS is equipping students for INFLUENCE. We want you to be inspired by WCS so you can engage with our mission and exert Godly influence in your world as well.
 

Spotlight on Students:


What were WCS students up to this summer?


Patriot Academy Delegates
WCS Juniors Luke D. and Andrew E. and 40 other students and young adults from our region converged on the Legislative Hall in Dover for Patriot Academy. In this Christian leadership development program, three days are spent drafting and debating bills, engaging in committee meetings, and being mentored by Godly adults. Patriot Academy is an elite leadership training program specializing in applied civics with a Biblical, Historical, & Constitutional foundation. Students develop leadership strategies, life purpose plans, public speaking and advanced communication skills, campaign techniques, and a founding fathers' philosophy of government. WCS is proud to partner with Patriot Academy in cultivating Godly influencers.


Senior Selected for USA Field Hockey Olympic Development Program
​Rising Senior, Madi J., was selected to participate in the USA Field Hockey Olympic development program "Futures." Madi's team of 16 members from DE, MD and DC played other teams from across the country and won a silver medal after the 4 day competition in Lancaster, PA. Congratulations, Madi!
 


Summer Highlights:



Early Learning Center Summer Camp
​WCS Early Learning Center summer campers have been having a busy summer! Trips to the Hockessin Library, lots of water play, arts & crafts (and even painting with their feet!) have kept them busy and happy. Our summer program runs through the end of August for children ages 2 through rising kindergarteners. WCS's school-year ELC serves students from one year old toddlers to PreK-4 students, preparing them with a strong Christian learning foundation. For more information on the ELC, visit our ELC website here. 

WCS Welcomes New Team Members


WCS is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Jonathan Ekeland to the position of Guidance Director. With over 20 years of experience in Christian school guidance, Mr. Ekeland has already brought fresh and innovative approaches to supporting our students as they discern and pursue God’s purposes for their lives. 


Meet WCS's new elementary music and technology teacher, Mr. Marcus Bradley. With a degree from Liberty University, a background in music technology, and significant experience leading worship and working with children in music education programs, Mr. Bradley brings a new level of excitement and expertise to the WCS team. 

We'll introduce you to other members of the WCS team in future editions of INFLUENCE.
 


Upcoming Events

  • First Day Back to School and Back to School Picnic - Sept 3
  • Elementary Back to School Night - Sept 12
  • High School Retreat - Sept 12-13
  • Middle School and High School: Back to School Night - Sept 19
  • Fun Run! - Oct 4
  • Homecoming 2019 - October 18 and 19
View the WCS School Calendar
 


Focus On Worldview with Dr. Roger Erdvig

Developing a Biblical Worldview & Cultivating Godly Influencers

Most Christian schools include some version of "impacting the culture for Christ" in their mission statements. But very few define what that means, and even fewer seem to specifically plan for how they will actually equip their students to do so

WCS has adopted a set of four key questions that help guide our efforts at helping our students apply a Biblical worldview-- questions that flesh out what it means to impact the culture. These questions are adapted from Restoring All Things: God's Audacious Plan to Change the World Through Everyday People, by John Stonestreet and Warren Cole Smith. (Buy it here on Amazon.)
  1. What is good in our community that we can cultivate? In this question, we're looking for what's already good in our community and considering how we can improve it. Whether it's perfecting a piece of music for a concert or re-writing several drafts of a persuasive paper to make it "pop," students are encouraged to take what's good, and make it better.
     
  2. What is missing that we can create? Throughout history, Christians have seen gaps in the culture and filled those gaps with good things. Think beautiful and functional buildings, works of art, and scientific advancements. Wherever there has been progress and cultural advancement, Christians have been working to create good things for human flourishing, to the Glory of God.
     
  3. What is broken that we can cure? Truth is, even with all the good around us we live in a culture that is pervasively marred by the fall of man, and so things are not the way they ought to be. Christians are on the front lines of fixing what's broken, from broken political systems and families to broken bodies and hearts. 
     
  4. What is evil that we can curb? Alongside profound brokenness in our culture, evil abounds. Our students can curb evil and do what's right now, and not just when they're adults. This past year in our Upper School we had a major focus on the issues surrounding abortion, one of our nation's great evils. Using this question as a guide, our students were equipped to understand the arguments for and against taking the life of a baby and to take action by adding their voices to the growing chorus that is speaking on behalf of those who can't speak for themselves.
We're committed to considering these questions as we help our students understand how to put their faith into action and to change the culture in positive ways. From the culture of the classrooms and hallways at WCS to the culture in their hometowns and beyond, WCS students are exerting a positive, Godly shaping influence.
 
We envision Godly young influencers from WCS having meaningful impact as they live out the answers to these four questions.
Cultivating Godly Influencers For Over 70 Years
​Wilmington Christian School provides a distinctively Christian, innovative education that effectively develops Godly influencers who are well prepared for life after high school and who impact the culture for Christ.

(302) 239-2121
825 Loveville Road, Hockessin, DE 19707
www.WilmingtonChristian.org
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