Our 39th Annual Auction is coming up on April 23rd and we are so excited to have it at the McGavick Conference Center on the campus of Clover Park Technical College. As in the past we are asking for donations for the silent, live and dessert auctions. If you have items to donate such as unique handmade items, jewelry, artwork, a luscious dessert, possibly a weekend/week at someone’s vacation home, air miles toward a vacation package, experiences, gift cards, or anything that you might think could be auctioned to raise funds, it would be appreciated.If you have something to donate, fill out this form and return it to us via email, snail mail or drop the item (s) by the Administrative Offices with the form.Contact Director of Advancement Jody Matthews for more information.
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Student Support Counselor available
Does your student need to talk to someone who isn’t their parent? Maybe they are struggling during this volatile time in their lives and just need to vent.No matter what they need to talk about, Sound Christian Academy’s Student Support Coach Jared Hunt is available to lend an ear.Jared has been a licensed pastor for nine years and serves at a church in Federal Way. Reach out to Jared for more information on his availability and services.
New Director of Advancement named
It is with great pleasure that we introduce Jody Matthews to the Sound Christian Academy community as our new Director of Advancement.
Jody comes to Sound Christian with a wealth of knowledge with events and advancement experience.
She has a heart for underserved and vulnerable populations and has worked raising funds for non-profits that include human trafficking, elder abuse and animal rescues.
Having created events and raised funds for several non-profits including The Everett (Wash.) Symphony, Tacoma Community College, Pacific Lutheran University Advancement Department, Music of Remembrance (music from the Holocaust), and various other community organizations, she has raised into the millions of dollars for worthy causes across the state.
“I am very, very excited about the opportunity here at Sound Christian,” Jody said. “I’m eager to build on the fantastic foundation that Sue Ellen (Rush) and the team have created and I’m dedicated to supporting and growing the Advancement Department.”
Jody replaces Sue Ellen Rush, who was the Director of Advancement and Military Services for six years. She and her family are moving out of the area.
The 90 Day Miracle
This firsthand account introduction was written by Mary Jane Bond, wife of beloved Dr. Douglas Bond, a formative pioneer in the history of Tacoma Baptist Schools.
Volunteer workers arriving daily, skilled craftsmen donating time and talents, God prompting people to give sacrificially, and students swinging hammers or finishing concrete–all were common occurrences during the early years of Tacoma Baptist Schools.
Much like Nehemiah rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, the history of TBS is a story of God working through His people to accomplish the impossible. In 1960 God moved in the heart of one man, James Bramblet, to establish Tacoma Baptist Day School. Douglas Bond became principal four years later and believed, Nehemiah-like, that TBS needed to “… arise and build and God [would] prosper the work.”
God did prosper His work, prompting hundreds of families to give a “Dollar a-Month,” eventually amassing enough money to purchase the property.
The 90-Day Miracle
Spring of 1965, construction began on what became known as “The 90-day miracle.” A local church deacon said, “Bond can’t build a school by himself —let’s go help.” And help they did. Men took time off work; churches sponsored work parties, men, women, even children set to work with hammers and nails.
Labor Day, three months later, 42 volunteers arrived, working late into the night, hanging doors, installing blackboards, painting, laying floor tile, waxing new floors, and scrubbing windows and desks. The next morning, astonished teachers and students began classes in their new school.
By the end of the first school year, enrollment increased; the band met in the principal’s office and typing class in the hall; parents wanted a high school. Trusting God to prosper His work, people donated time and money to, once again, arise and build.
Gym Construction
In 1969, Bond spearheaded the most daunting project, the gymnasium classroom building, a steel structure transported from California on three tractor-trailers. “We rented a 65-ton hydraulic crane with operators,” wrote ever-frugal Bond, to raise the massive beams into place. Volunteers, including students, were carefully trained, and supervised in the skills required to raise the impressive multi-use facility, completed that summer—without injury.
In 1970, three students became the first TBS graduates. Meanwhile, student volunteers installed the maple gym floor under Dr. Bond’s guidance. Professional finishers commented that it was the most level floor they had ever striped. Further prospering His work, God provided through Kelso High School (Bond’s alma mater) wooden bleachers.
High School Built
At that time, the only evangelical Christian high school in the region, TBS enrollment increased rapidly. It was time to arise and build, and construction began on a large classroom building with a library and student center. Again, Bond rallied parents, teachers, and students to be his construction crew, while God prospered His work by prompting many in the community to provide funding. One parent donated her inheritance money for carpeting, another contributed nails and screws, and a drywall company donated sheetrock, labor, joint compound, and texture.
As a result of God’s people giving time and money so generously and faithfully and inspired by Bond’s work ethic and economic philosophy to “owe no man anything,” TBS was built without borrowing money. Those who pounded nails, hung sheetrock, and poured concrete, understood that “This was the Lord’s doing, and it [was] marvelous in [their] eyes” (Mark 12:11).
Dr. Bond, who died in 2006, wrote,
“The building is the physical evidence of a spiritual reality in those who had a part in it …TBS stands today as a monument to the faith and sacrifice that made it possible.”
Discovery and expression through the arts
Our arts classes and co-curricular activities are all designed to help students experience God in a new and fresh way. There is nothing more profound than seeing a student step out to create and, in the process, discover a gift or, and catalyze a passion.
As arts educators, we live for those moments when students step out of their comfort zone and express themselves with vulnerability. It takes courage, and we are here to cheer them on. Those moments sometimes yield a glimmer in the eye, a small smile, or a little skip in the step.
Performing arts, visual Arts, worship arts
The arts are an essential part of the SCA experience. The school has developed K-12 education tracks of arts-related core curriculum and electives. These include traditional art classes, music instruction, theater, speech, interrelated literature, poetry, and creative writing. These education tracks complement opportunities to express creative gifts in choral groups, band, theater, speech, graphic arts, photography, painting, sculpture, pottery making, and the worship team.
Discovery through experiences and field trips
Trips to see a Shakespeare play and visit museums in Seattle allow students to experience and learn more about the arts. We are passionate about the arts being a large part of the educational display of our Creator. We can discover more of His attributes and our world because the arts facilitate a different way to learn that, if ignored, deny a core part of our capacity and potential.
Expression
Performance and other artistic expressions enable students to experience the joy and beauty of the creative process, in which God Himself delights as Creator. Artistic expressions offer every student a pathway to deepen their understanding of God, participate creatively in His beautiful, redemptive work in our world, and worship Him.
These opportunities instill confidence, helping students to see who they are and who they can become. In every art form, we encourage students to tell stories of redemption and grace, instilling a deep sense of uniqueness that encourages them to go out into the world.
A vision for the future: a community-wide production
Our vision is to engage our whole community in a dramatic production. Actors would act, musicians perform, visual artists paint backdrops, graphic and digital artists create promotional material, technicians support and record productions, and many others contribute behind the scenes. When we rise to a challenge like this, it builds community and causes everyone to grow. It also opens the eyes of parents to the God-given talents of their children.”
Our approach to Middle School: Nurturing students through change
The middle school program at Sound Christian Academy is entirely intentional. With a consciousness of the needs of students, teachers adopt approaches that make learning and activities exciting and interesting. This extends to the school as a whole. We make school something to look forward to. That might include a Nerf war, a hide-and-seek party, a movie night, bowling, and more. We hold our own middle school pep rallies with our own spirit week. It’s all designed to help them feel unique and distinct from both elementary school and high school.
Nurturing students through a crucial time of change
Moving into adolescence can be a challenging time for students in those middle school years. It can also be challenging and confusing for parents. You have to understand what they are going through. Bodies and minds are changing drastically. On the one hand, they are biologically becoming adults, but on the inside, many are still kids who want to play Legos.
In the classroom, middle schoolers can often send signals that they are disinterested, aloof, or melodramatic. As teachers, you cannot overreact, take it personally, or try to reduce problems that might seem relatively insignificant. Instead, you must work compassionately with students to help them grow during these formative years. The last thing you want to do is to minimize their problems. Instead, we come alongside them, hold their hands, and walk with them through these times of change.
Our teachers work toward deepening students’ knowledge with the acquisition of skills such as organization, note-taking, test-taking, and others. Students are empowered to understand themselves and how to function. School is their job. We have high expectations and hold them accountable. We are patient and teach and coach them.
Our Mission: Every student feels loved and is empowered
Frankly, our teachers are here because they love the students and are dedicated to the mission of teaching and equipping them. We endeavour to make each student feel important and loved. As a staff, we strive to teach kindness through our actions and be models and examples of Christian living.