Sarah Gale/Jefferson Jimplecute
Ready to “kick” off the school year? Well, faculty and staff at Jefferson Christian Academy welcomed students back from summer break.
Over summer break some students have kept busy with dual credit college courses, summer camps, part-time jobs, working in the school agriculture program, and even a mission trip to Hawaii. Meanwhile, others say the break was the perfect time to catch up on some much-needed rest by sleeping in late and spending time with family.
School started with a brief orientation, followed by a game of kickball. The teams were boys vs girls and made up of students and faculty. It was neck and neck for the majority of the game, but the girls prevailed. After working up a sweat, the school cooled off with an afternoon of swimming. Splash wars and diving contests aside, everyone agrees it was the perfect way to start the semester.
Students are excited to resume classes and their on-campus vocations, including agriculture, environmental services, and the cafeteria. They are looking forward to being a part of the expansion of these programs as new opportunities come up. Others say they’ve been looking forward to this school year to be able to see their friends again and be a part of the music program again. The school has planned several other out-of-class events, such as the upcoming school picnic this Sunday.
Over the summer there have been several changes going on at JCA, including expansion of their agriculture department and new additions to their academic curriculum.
During the summer the old feed store on Broadway near the railroad tracks was purchased and is being renovated it into a store to sell products made at the school. They have been converting the warehouse into climate control storage units available to rent. The store itself will be a place to sell things like fresh produce, honey from the agriculture department’s new beekeeping enterprise, and homemade bread. This will also be a place for community outreach with the school and surrounding neighborhoods.
The agriculture department has even more good news to share. JCA has been awarded new greenhouses from the Adventist Laymen’s Services & Industries (ASI). This will allow the school to expand its growing space and increase its harvest yield. Students involved in the department are excited to learn and practice sustainable farming and the inner workings of operating a small business.
Another summer event was the school announced it would be partnering with TEL Education to offer a dual credit program. TEL Education offers a variety of courses through several different Private Christian Universities.
Vice Principal Robin Tullock, said “the students enrolled in the program are doing excellent and are on track to earn many college credits.” While she didn’t know the student’s initial reaction to the partnership, but she knew several parents were very excited about the opportunity.
Fortunately, students seem to have similar attitudes. When asked what kind of goals they were looking forward to accomplishing this year several responded they were looking forward to earning half of their Associate’s degree by the end of second semester.