On May 7th, PCA parent Nina Cherry was carjacked in a random attack, and faces months of very painful recovery.  She is still hospitalized and will be for some time.

We encourage everyone to watch this news clip from Fox 4 News last night speaking about the #prayformrscherry t-shirts being sold to raise money to help the Cherry family with their expenses from this tragedy.

You can order either from PCA or on-line. God is evident in ALL things – even tragedy…Praise God for the hope that comes only from Him. – Jay Pritcher

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As a 9-1-1 call was broadcast, tarps were removed showing two wrecked cars with 6 students in different stages of critical condition.  The call set in motion a chain reaction of police cars, fire trucks and ambulances.  As the drama ensued, two drivers deemed to be drunk were field tested, hand cuffed and driven off to jail.  Two girls received detailed treatment from EMS personnel before being taken off in an ambulance.  To the student body’s amazement, a helicopter appeared overhead, circled and landed in the middle of the football field.  One student judged to be in critical condition was loaded in the helicopter and flown to MCA hospital.

The last remaining of the six students was found dead at the scene and carefully placed in a hearse.  When the final of the 6 students was taken from the scene by the some 14 first responders on the scene, students were reminded that the lesson from this experience was to take their responsibility very seriously when they get behind the wheel of their car.  They were challenged to make right decisions for themselves and their passengers and that these decisions affected not only themselves but their family, friends and their school.

During the emotional day, 12 students, called the Living Dead were taken from their classroom by the “Grim Reaper”.  These students represented various scenarios in distracted driving that cause teen traffic accidents (driving under the influence, distracted by other passengers, not paying attention, taking risk in the midst of the elements, distracted by things inside the car, speeding, use of cellphone especially texting, etc.).  Their faces were whited, a sign hung around their neck identifying the cause of their accident.  As the “living dead”, they were able to attend class but could not talk.

A memorial service took place in the afternoon, for the two students who did not make it.  A very compelling video was shown telling the crash scene story and behind the scenes shots of the morning events.  Their pastors gave eulogies and an emotional video of a parent letter and a victim’s letter back to the parents was presented.  Students then heard from a mother who lost her daughter in college due to a DUI and speeding driver.  Students were again challenged to make good decisions not only in the driving area of their life but other important areas as well.

The memorial service ended with a reuniting of the victims, who had been sequestered throughout the day, with their friends.  Students also signed a banner as a pledge to do all they could to make wise decisions in the driving process and to be conscientious in preventing distractions in their driving.  “Do not be a statistic” was an oft repeated theme.  State Farm Insurance, as a sponsor of the event, gave out bags with safe driver awareness information included.

View Shattered Dreams Video

A Special Thank You Message

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Next year, PCA plans to add two new primary roles through the reallocation of administrative salaries. The first will be an Academy Pastor, who will provide leadership and oversight for all aspects of spiritual life at PCA. Some of the Academy Pastor’s primary responsibilities will be ensuring integration of worldview into every subject, developing and implementing Bible curriculum, counseling students and families who need spiritual advice, developing external relationships with churches and other Christian ministries, and developing and overseeing service and missional opportunities. We will seek an individual with theological training as well as experience in counseling/ministry and education.

The second position will be a Secondary Assistant Principal who will work directly with Mrs. Bunker in the day-to-day responsibilities of leadership in the Secondary School. We will seek an individual with education and experience both as a teacher and administrator (including technology-integration and student-centered methodologies, such as project-based learning). It is my expectation that this individual will ultimately be appointed Principal in either the Middle or High School.

These immediate changes enhance both the spiritual and academic focus of the Academy and are important in a time of tremendous and foundational change in education. The Academy Pastor will heighten our focus, intentionality and effectiveness in the vital role of discipleship of our students. In academics, PCA has already begun the process of making changes through our one-to-one tablet program in High School, the introduction of “Depth and Complexity” methodology in the Elementary, and the introduction of project-based learning and “flipped” classrooms in the Middle and High Schools.

These changes are a part of our response to the vast body of research regarding the current academic and spiritual condition/needs of this generation of students. The conclusions from this research clearly indicate the need for dramatic change at this time to continue to meet our vision – “preparing students for college and the passionate pursuit of God’s plan for their lives.” I invite you to visit the blog on our web site where, over the next few months, I will share many of the findings from this body of academic and spiritual research.

We take these steps because we believe our students must have innovative, challenging academics combined within a Christ-honoring culture to be prepared to take their place as Christian leaders in our increasingly secular world:

In the book of Daniel, we read the account of the three captive Hebrew young people. These young people are described as being wise, widely read in literature and science, quick to comprehend and able to learn. These young people had received an excellent education within the context of honoring Jehovah. When it was demanded of them that they worship the god of the prevailing culture, no compromise could be found in their hearts. They remained true to the God of their fathers. In the end, they assumed leadership roles in the midst of a society that did not understand them, but needed what they had to offer.
Pantego Christian Academy’s Philosophy of Education Summary

In His service,
Jay Pritcher
Headmaster
Pantego Christian Academy

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Starts March 2012

Available for Students August 2012!

• Six Classrooms

• Bathrooms

• Removal of Modular Buildings from Campus

 Thank you to all of our Donors Who Answered God’s Call to Partner with PCA.

 A Special Thank you to our Generous PCA Family that Provided the Matching Donations for all gifts that were given at the end of Calendar Year 2011.  Wow! What a blessing!

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International Connections co-presidents Elliana Hsu, Seonmi Kim and vice president Judy Hsu

After a few years of struggling to establish a consistent organization for the international students at PCA, the International Student Club was finally formed when Mr. Emler and Mrs. White belabored themselves to the task this year. Once the milestone was reached, Mr. Emler assigned the club to host a chapel that would share the testimony of foreign students with the rest of school. Despite the original hesitation to accept such mission, many worked tirelessly to prepare for chapel.

On February 29th the members of the International Club fearlessly took the stage in front of their fellow classmates. While Amy Tang (11^th grade) played beautifully on the piano, members sang Shout to the Lord in English, Mandarin Chinese, Korean, and Spanish. After the worship, a letter from Mikeala Philips, a former PCA student from Australia, was read aloud. Proceeding the letter, Seonmi Kim (12^th), Elliana Hsu (12^th ), and Ben Liu (11^th) shared their experience of studying abroad in the United States and also presented slideshows about the culture of Korea and Taiwan. Overall, the chapel marked a successful precedent that might possibly become a school tradition. Much appreciation is given to people that assisted in the chapel.

International students singing "Shout to the Lord" in 4 languages

The International Club is established especially for the students with foreign heritage at PCA, but anyone who is interested in learning about other cultures is welcome to join. Meetings take place in Mrs. White’s room on every other Thursday from 12:05 to 12:35. Snacks from various part of the world are served. Moreover, students with foreign heritage are also encouraged to inform of their background as the club is trying to complete a world map that is marked with countries that constitutes the unique campus of PCA.

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The Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. On the sixth day they’ll gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.”

God meets daily needs daily! You look at tomorrow’s demands, next week’s bills, next month’s calendar. Your future looks as barren as the Sinai Desert. “How can I face my future?” you ask.

God tells you to look up! Trust Him. Make it your day changer. Give your attention to what God is doing right now. Don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. Mark 7:37 says, “God has done it all and done it well.”  ~ Max Lucado

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Main and break-out speakers will come from both our faculty and wonderful local ministries and will provide an apologetic focus on critical relational and family issues for our high school students and guests (we can accommodate up to approx. 100 guests). Guests should arrive at 8:00 a.m. to register and there is a suggested donation from guests of $10 at the door.  Below is a link of the agenda with speakers, times and topics so you can pray for our students and speakers, even if you are unable to attend!

View the 2012 Apologetics Conference Schedule

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But I’d like to direct our focus today back to the source of love, and actually the focus of the most plausible of the St. Valentine legends – agape love.  Agape love is not the emotion-driven love romanticized in our media but the essence of God – a sacrificial love of which we are not capable separate from Christ.

God has written each of us a personal love letter – some have taken the time to read it and accept his priceless gift while others have been too busy or distracted.  Below is a beautiful paraphrase of the Word, written as a true love letter to each of us with scriptural reference for each statement made.  I encourage us to take the time to read this with our families today, and to share this with others through our social media, e-mail, or hard copies.

Much as we seek to keep the focus of Christmas on the birth of Christ, let’s choose to stand out in our culture today by focusing on the on the author, creator and source of love – thank you God for first loving us!

In His service,  Jay Pritcher

View Father’s Love Letter

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