April 2010 Issue

2205 E. HE B R O N PK W Y. • CA R R O L L T O N, TE X A S 75010 • W W W.C C A S A I N T S .O R G • AP R I L 2010 • VO L U M E NI N E T Y-TH RE E

What’s Inside

CCA Reclaims Supremacy at TAPPS Districtby Nick Norris

For the fi rst time in four years, Carrollton Christian Academy reclaimed fi rst in District TAPPS on Wednesday, February 17. Many CCA students placed in the top three in their speech and academic events after weeks of preparing and studying. Students who placed in the top three of each event participate in State competition April 9-10.

Students began studying for the academic competition months before February. Th ey met with a preassigned teachers and went over previous District tests and reviewed material. Speech competitors perfected their acting and speaking skills and devoted hours before and after school to perfect their pieces for competition. Sophomore “I am glad that all the tedious hard work the team put forth paid off when we beat schools like Prince of Peace and Ovilla Christian.”

District was held at Ovilla Christian School, the defending District champions. On February 16, only the speech team went to Ovilla to participate in semi-fi nals, which determined which students would advance to fi nals the following day. By the end of Tuesday, the majority of CCA’s speech team had qualifi ed for fi nals, with many of the students placing at the top in their room.

Th e academic team, coached by Wendy Smith, joined the speech team fi nalists at Ovilla on February 17. Students and teachers waited for results that were posted in the cafeteria, where all the students and teachers were located during competition. After all the events had taken place and all the scores had been calculated, CCA’s Fine Art Director, Elaine Marchant, walked victoriously through the cafeteria with the much envied, fi rst place trophy in hand.

Guatemala Gives Glimpse of Reality to Students

by Alison Pang

Upon landing in DFW International Airport on the sunny afternoon of March 22, twenty lives had been touched by God and changed for the better. Th irteen current Carrollton Christian Academy students, two CCA alumni, and six adults spent a week in San Raymundo, Guatemala helping out at a Christian school called Morning Glory. While there, the mission team

had the opportunity to minister to kids as little as three years old to kids as old as twelve. Senior Shay Dickerson commented on her experience in Guatemala, “Th is is my second year in Guatemala. I could not have asked for a better group of people to come back to Guatemala with. I was reminded of how fortunate I am to live in America, and the love and happiness shown by the kids touched my heart.”

Th is year’s team was led by Fine

Arts Director Elaine Marchant and consisted of seniors Nathan Camp, Shay Dickerson, April Fowler, Ben Knighton, Ashton Martin, Kari Medearis, Alison Pang, Susan Rabadi, and Mallory Taylor, juniors Whittli Peacock, Andrea Six, and Ashley Six, and sophomore Nick Tschoepe. Two CCA alumni, Adam Davis and Aimee Worley also joined the eleven CCA students. Th e sponsors of the group included Lynette Hoyt, Elaine Marchant, Scott Peacock, Beth Pederson, Caroline Worley, and Mark Worley. After arriving at DFW airport at fi ve in the morning on March 15 and spending most of the morning traveling, the team arrived at the Guatemala City airport at two in the afternoon. Once the team passed customs and loaded their luggage on the bus, everyone had a chance to see the reality of life outside of America during the hour and a half bus ride to the fi nal destination, Morning Glory School.

Each day consisted of getting up in time to go to breakfast at 7 a.m. to getting ready to greet the four buses packed with more than 500 kids. Th is year, the entire group had the opportunity

to spend the school day with the kids. Each student was assigned a teacher and grade to work with for week. When the kids left at 12:30, the team ate lunch and prepared for the upcoming afternoon camps. Ms. Marchant and Mrs. Worley led a teacher seminar directly after lunch and the students led three diff erent camps, soccer, art, and

CCA’s Speech and Academic Team hold up their fi rst place trophy they received for accumulating the most points at the TAPPS District Speech and Academic Meet compeitition.

The mission team sits with the teachers and staff of Morning Glory after a the teachers each received a certifi cate for undergoing the teacher training led by Elaine Marchant and Caroline Worley on March 18.

Scott Peacock, one of the adult sponsors on the trip, holds Dafne, the granddaughter of Lori Nij, the head of Morning Glory Christian School dur-

ing recess.

Students who placed in District competition are listed on page 2. Students who placed in the top three move onto State competition.

Softball slides into Distric play

on page 15.

Middle School

Drama goes on trial on page 11.

Annual Student/Faculty game cov-ered on page 13.

cont’d on page 8

CCA MESSENGER APRIL• PAGE 2

MessengerStaff

TopTen

Co-Editor-in-Chief: Alison Pang

Co-Editor-in-Chief: Nick Norris

Editorial Editor: Matt Addison

Photo Editor: Jordan Rogers

Photo Assistant: Drew Sullivan

Sports Editor: Erica Twiss

Sports Assistant: Matt Rife

Headline Editor: George Lubke

Caption Editor: Katelin Howell

Copy Editor: Kelsey Stokes

Cartoonist: Garett West

Technical Assistant: Casey Sprague

Online Editor: Paul Tellefsen

Advisor: Elaine Marchant

Top Ten Awkward Greetings and Goodbyes...

I don’t seem to care anymore. Literally – I’m about 80% positive I have a problem. It’s a physiological and psychological condition known as Senioritis, or more commonly defi ned as apathy. Two things led me to this pathetic topic: one, Ms. Marchant has been complaining to me about it since the beginning of the semester, and two, my own inability to come up with a decent philosophical, scientifi c or interesting anything made me realize the cold, hard truth. I have fallen prey to apathy. If that very word forces you to overlook my column and turn to the sections of the paper that do not require the over-exerting process of reading, I won’t blame you. Trust me, I can barely muster the eff ort to write this.

If you don’t think Senioritis is a legitimate ailment, think again; it’s in the dictionary. Symptoms include: lethargy, tardiness, absences, lower grades, and a general dismissive behavior. While seniors tend to show the most developed symptoms, every student can catch a mild case by the end of the year. For that reason, we’ll address Senioritis plainly as apathy in this discussion. Lets start with the causes. For seniors, college acceptance tends to be a major source of apathy. Sure, we’re supposed to run and fi nish the race with perseverance, but if you view school solely as a means of getting to college, then for all intents and purposes that letter of acceptance is the fi nish line. Th e only thing left is a slow coast until you slam on the breaks. Even if you’re not a senior, the incredibly busy spring schedule is enough to induce a mild case of apathy. So what’s the cure?

Frankly, the only cure is the sound of that last bell on the fi nal day of school. Th ere are, however, several things you can do to alleviate the symptoms (if you even want to). Seniors may not fi nd purpose in the things they’re learning about anymore, but it doesn’t hurt to focus on the subjects you still like. For some, maintaining or improving grades can be some extra incentive, which isn’t as hard as it sounds considering most everyone has a mild moderate case of apathy. If all else fails, then just stay out of trouble. If you have lost all interest in school then the only thing you have left is your maturity. As a high school (or even middle school) student, you owe it to your teachers and yourself to be responsible. Notice I didn’t say outstanding or excellent. Being sensible and responsible are astounding feats in and of themselves these last couple of months. I know it’s a tough pill to swallow (I can barely get it down), but you’ll enjoy the short amount of time we have left a whole lot better if you try. Th ink about it.

Th ere are around 6.8 billion people in the world and growing, yet I’m convinced the world gets smaller and smaller for me each day I’m in it. How many times do you meet someone new and fi nd out that they either know a good friend of yours or used to live down the street from you? Lately, I have found this out to be true.

Social networking sites add to the smallness that I feel the world is coming too. Last Friday, I met up with a girl and some of her friends. She had been accepted into Syracuse University’s Newhouse school, and she was the fi rst person I had met that was from Texas and heading all the way up to New York for college. She had happened to fi nd me when I joined a Facebook group for Syracuse’s Newhouse School and from there, we ended up messaging on Facebook and texting throughout the week to fi gure out a time to meet. Th rough Facebook, I found out that she went to middle school with Shay Dickerson, her boyfriend lived down the street from Shay, that she lived in Coppell, and that we had a lot of things in common with each other.

Lately, I cannot help but think of a particular theory, the theory of the six degrees of separation. Th e six degrees of separation talks about how one person is connected to every other person on the planet through a chain of six people. Th ink about it, when was the last time that you added a friend on Facebook and saw that you had multiple “mutual friends?”

Basically, through this rambling column, I thought I would share one of the experiences that have led me to believe the world is continually shrinking. So the next time you meet someone new, and you think it’s a coincidence, it’s not. Th e world is actually getting smaller.

Alison’s Antics

Alison’s Antics Nick’s

Nonsenseby Nick Norris

10. What is your horoscope?9. So I saw you around the corner there and I thought I would drop by.8. What can I do ya for?7. How’s it hangin?6. Tell your mother I said hello

Science: Ben Knighton- 2ndColin Wisdom- 3rdProse Interpretation:Jeffrey Men- 3rdNatalie West- 6thPersuasive:Kelsey Stokes- 2ndJohn Revell- 6thNumber Sense:Jay Im- 3rdNick Norris- 5thKyle Thiele- 6thCalculator:Nick Norris- 4thAdvanced Math:Kyle Thiele- 3rdCurrent Events:Alicia Kiattinat- 3rdJohn Revell- 4thSpelling:Brittany Ribble- 1stAlex Kelly- 5thHaley Cox- 6thSolo Acting:Mallory Taylor- 3rdBen Knighton- 5thSocial Studies:

5. Uhhnagshhsh4. How’s the Internet?3. How was English?2. So you come here often?1. Hay there...

Dominique Kiattinat- 1stJordan Rogers- 3rdRobert Shirley- 4thDuet Acting: Barke/Thompson- 2ndKnighton/Taylor- 4thStroo/Kim-5thSpanish:Priscilla Cruz- 1stKelsey Roberts- 2ndErica Twiss- 3rdComputer Science:Casey Sprague- 1stHaley Cox- 3rdMathematics:Jane Lee- 2ndJay Im- 5thReady Writing:Kelsey Roberts- 2ndOriginal Oratory:Alison Pang- 2ndKelsey Robert- 4thPoetry:Jeffrey Men- 1stShay Dickerson- 2ndMorgan Schultz- 6thYearbook- 1stNewspaper- 1st

Speech and Academic Team Awards


Point of View Where is the best place to go for spring break?

“East Asia.”

“Florida or Colorado.”“South Padre, Texas.”

“Cabo, Mexico.”

-Senior Jennifer Dodson

-Junior Dustin Granneman

-Sophomore Kristen Rosales

-Freshman Jacob Thompson

“During a tornado drill, do

we go outside?”-Tyler Lawrimore, Bible

“Hey guys, can you still

smell my kneecaps?”- Drew Sullivan, E.S.S.

“When does March

Madness start?”-Alison Pang, Newspaper

“Dirk Nowitski isn’t white, he’s German!”

-Susan Rabadi, Passing Period

“I play my grandma in

tennis, and she beats me everytime!”-Cameron Lott, Tennis

E AVES

DR

OP

“Wait...isn’t Asia in Korea?”-Kelsey Kistler, E.S.S.

by George Lubke


The Pop Culture Grid

What is the worst movie you have ever

seen?

Cloverfi eld

The Notebook

Twilight

White Chicks

Kung Pow

Who is your pick for March Mad-

ness?

Texas

UCONN

Texas

Texas

UCONN

What is your favorite musical

instrument?

Guitar

Kazoo

Lyre

Piano

Oboe

What is your favorite spring

activity?

Softball

Running through meadows

Picking Flowers

Text Me

Going to the park

Who is your favorite artist/

group?

30H!3

Beastie Boys

My Chemical Romance

Lilʼ Wayne

Lady Gaga

by Matt Rife

POP CULTURE GRID

Freshman Angie Fults

Junior Brittany Caroll

News you can use

by Nick Norris

Getting students to exercise more may not only address obesity issues but also improve grades with a U.S. study fi nding physically fi t students tend to score higher in tests than their less fi t peers. Th is new study suggests that the “dumb jock” stereotype may be just a myth. Researchers came to this conclusion after analyzing the test scores and physical fi tness scores from 2003 of over two thousand students in grades four through nine. Students who met or exceeded fi tness standards had higher average test scores. Compared with students of desirable weight, overweight and obese students scored signifi cantly lower on tests, the researchers found. Th ese new fi ndings could help promote higher physical education standards across America in order to create more physically fi t, and hopefully smarter, students.

Love taking an afternoon siesta? A recent study conducted at the University of California Berkely concluded that a regular afternoon nap can boost brain capacity and reduce mental sluggishness. Study fi ndings concluded that prolonged periods without sleep can decrease the ability to learn by up to 40 percent. Th is information proves useful not only for work-aholics, but also for students who don’t get adequate sleep. While nothing is as good as a good nights rest, a midday doze can be wonderfully benefi cial in breaking up those long, sleepy days.

A new study of stressed student has found a link between immunological health and positive expectations. Th e research, which was published in the science journal Psychological Health, was conducted on 124 fi rst-year law students. Th eir immune systems were tested before the start of their fi rst semester to obtain a baseline for future examinations. Th ey were also given a questionnaire that asked questions rating their expectations and self-esteem. At the end of the regular school year, those who had positive expectations, attitudes, and goals had a better cell immunity than those who were less optimistic. Th ose with negative emotions were not necessarily less healthy, but the general trend showed that poor attitudes decreased immune system health.

Senior Karl Heidenhofer

Wendy Blaine

Sophomore Austin Oliver

The Amazing Cucumberby Kelsey Stokes

You may not realize that the common household cucumber has such a rich history. For around 3,000 years, cucumbers have been grown in the East and were especially popular during the Golden Age of Greece and during the Roman Empire. Even in Biblical times, in Ancient Egypt, cucumber-like melons were cultivated and considered a luxurious crop. Today cucumbers are not held in such high regards though they do remain popular in many diff erent cuisines around the world. However, they are not just a good treat to eat, but they are also incredibly good for your skin, many aspects of your health, and are useful for several diff erent odd-ends that you may have.

Cucumbers are often placed over people’s eyes to help to reduce puffi ness, but you can also gently rub a slice of cucumber over your face or hands to help to soften the skin. It reduces skin irritation and can soothe sunburns. You can also slice

up a cucumber to place in boiling water. All of the nutrients and vitamins in the cucumber will seep into the water. Breathing the steam in will help for you to relax and will also improve your skin.

If you’re feeling tired by the mid-afternoon, don’t spend six dollars on a coff ee, instead just eat a cucumber. Th ey are loaded with carbohydrates, B

vitamins, and, of course, water, which gives you a longer lasting pick-me-up that is healthy for you too. Th ey are also extremely helpful in lowering blood pressure, getting rid of bad breath, and

regulating digestion if eaten daily. Some people don’t care for the

taste or texture of cucumbers, but that still shouldn’t keep them from grabbing a few at the store. Th e skin on a slice of cucumber can be used to get crayon marks off of walls and some furniture. Just gently rub the un-peeled cucumber slice on the mark to erase it. Th is also works for pen

mistakes. If you have squeaky hinges, just rub a little slice of cucumber on the hinge to get rid of it. It can also wash off tarnished spots on stainless steal appliances. Garden pests can be repelled with cucumbers. Just place three to four slices of cucumber in a tin to set out in your garden. Th ey emit an odor that humans cannot really smell but it drives insects crazy.

So whether or not you love or hate the taste of a cucumber, they can be incredibly useful to have around your home. It’s no wonder the ancients considered this common veggie such a treasure.


Guys with Good Taste

service

taste

price

-Frogs cant swallow with their eyes closed.

-Male swallow tale pigeons can hold their breath for over 2 minutes.

-Coconuts are responsible for over a 150 deaths a year.

-The hydrochloric acid in your stomach can dissolve 12 tires in under 20 minutes.

-The insect responsible for the most human deaths worldwide is the mosquito.

-Flying is the art of throwing yourself at the ground and missing.

-The fi rst American celebration of St. Patricks Day was at Boston in 1737.

-Men can read smaller print than women; women can hear better.

-American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served fi rst class.

-Men get hiccups more often than women.

-Human teeth are almost as hard as rocks.

-Peanuts are one of the ingredients in dynamite.

-Every time you lick a stamp, you’re consuming 1/10 of a calorie.

-Q is the only letter in the alphabet that does not appear in the name of any of the United States

-Pearls melt in vinegar.

-The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as substitute for blood plasma.

-Apples are more effi cient at waking you up in the morning than caffeine.

RANDOM QUIPS

CARTOON CORNER BY GARETT WEST

Chicken Express features primarily deep fried chicken, Texas style sides and a few other entrées. Th e factor that sends Chicken Express over the top with its competitors, is its Dublin Dr. Pepper straight out of the fountain, and some of Texas’ best sweet tea. So, if you are ever hungry and/or parched, Chicken Express can satisfy both!

Chicken Express

CCA Students and Faculty

Sound Off on Healthcareby Erica Twiss

Q: What will you do now that the healthcare bill has been passed?A: I do not really know what to do. It is all very unclear on whether premiums will go up or not, and it raises more questions now more than ever. -Mr. Gregory, BibleQ: What part, if any, of the bill frightens you?A: Th e cost of Healthcare, and how much we will have to end up paying. It is also frightening that the government will have partial control of the private enterprise system. -Mrs. Smith, History

Q: What part, if any, of the bill do you like?A: I like that it provides healthcare for all, and it off ers a public option. It also does not allow insurance companies to turn down patients with pre-existing condtions. -Trevor Hughes, 11th Q: What is your opinion of the healthcare bill?A: I think some of the points are needed, but the whole thing is silly. Healthcare does need to be reformed, but this bill is not the solution. -Alex Kelly, 10th

Q: Do you agree wth the bill? Why or why not?

A: Not at all; It does not add jobs to the private sector, but instead add 16,000 IRS jobs throughout the rest of the year. It increases taxes and premiums, and is just overall ineffi cient.

-John Revell, 12th

Q: How will the new bill a� ect you? A: If you are a senior and do not go to college, you are taken off of your parents’ insurance plan and are forced to get your own. Th at is why I am going to college and working for my mom’s company! -Alli Kilby, 12th


CDs Saints Love... by Matt Rife

Music Collection:2756 SongsAlternative - 15%Rap/Hip Hop - 5%Techno - 2%Piano/Easy Listening - 4%Rock - 20%Hardcore/Metal- 42%Acoustic - 10%Soundtrack - 2%

What have I been listening to recently?Saosin: In Search of Solid Ground Of Mice and Men: Of Mice and MenTh rice: � e Alchemy Index Volume IIIEmarosa: � is is Your Way Outblessthefall: WitnessHomer Hiccolm: Sing Bird, Sing

Top Ten Most-listened-to artists since December of 2007:1. Blindside2..August Burns Red3.Th e Devil Wears Prada4.Emery5.Maylene and the Sons of Disaster6.Th rice7.Underoath8.We Came As Romans9.Chiodos10.Coldplay

Faith is Trusting Godby Erica TwissFaith is the belief or trust in

God; knowing that God is real, even though we can’t see him. According to Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” We are called to have faith in Jesus and believe in Him, although we have no visible proof of His existence. If He were visible and tangible today, would our faith be as strong?

Easter is the most important holiday of Christianity. It celebrates the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior. But without faith, this holiday would be meaningless. We did not physically see Jesus crucifi ed on the cross. We were not able to feel the holes in his wrists where they had been penetrated by nails. We were not there when He arose from the tomb and ascended to Heaven. We do, however have the Bible, the whole truth, which recounts these events. Many followers who was there to experience these things documented them in order to share them with

others. Th e most amazing thing about

the Easter story is that it doesn’t end with Christ’s resurrection. After being resurrected, He ascended into Heaven, leaving His followers with the promise that He would be with them and also the promise of His return. Th e only thing we have to base the Second Coming on is God’s word. Believing He will one day return is a huge demand of faith.

Faith is what allows us to believe these things to have really happened. It is important to have faith because it is the cornerstone of our salvation in Christ. It is essential to Christianity; it is our key to survival. We must have faith to be fruitful in our walk with God.

Th erefore, if we were able to see Him, it would take away from our faith. We are strengthened by the fact that we know he’s real though we cannot see Him. Would you be living the same way if we did not have our Christian faith as a building block?

Briefly in the NewsVocal Soloists make TPSMEA State

Six vocal soloists met early Saturday afternoon March 6 to perform at the Texas Private School Music Educators Association at Greenhill High School. Juniors Stephen Bass and Joon Kim and senior Brittany Ribble. Freshman Aly Cancienne and seniors Kelsey Stokes and Paul Tellefsen all received a rating of Excellent. Students who received ratings of Superior have the opportunity to compete in State competition.

Each performer spent weeks before the competition practicing and learning their pieces. For Bass, Kim, and Tellefsen it was their fi rst year to do a solo for competition. Kim said, “It was really fun and great practice for the next competition. I really loved how each of us put our ears against the wall to listen to and support our friends singing. Everyone did a great job and I’m really glad I chose to do a solo this year.”Elementary Speech Meet

March 5th was a big day for all of the elementry students that wish to excel in speech. Th e annual elementry speech meet was held in the CCA sanctuary where eleven diff erent schools came to participate in the event. Grades 1 through 6 were able to participate in the event and over 250 students were present. Th e students were required to memorize a section of literature pertaining to the catagories of the meet. Th e catagories included: Bible Memorization, Dramatic Bible Prose, Fable & Folklore, Patriotic Oration, and Poetry.

Many students from our school recieved honors for their hard work and performance in the meet. First graders Sarah Hoang and Zachery Bennett recieved a bronze and gold medal. Second grader Luke Goolsby recieved a silver medal. Th ird grader Christian Holeman received a gold medal. Fourth graders Cy Decker and Nathan Bennett recieved bronze and gold medals. Sixth graders Zoie Keating and Preston Powell recieved bronze medals and sixth graders Mathew Hahn and Katheryn Adamcik both took silver. Elementry principle Chip Bloecher commented on the meet, “We had a very good turn out and i am very please with the performance of our students. Th ey presented their abilities very well”.

by Kelsey Stokes and Matt Rife

CCA MESSENGER APRIL • PAGE 7

Vancouver Extinguishes the Flame in a Memorable Way

by Nick Norris

An Olympics that began with the death of a luger ended Sunday, February 28 with an exuberant celebration of Canada, refl ecting a determined comeback by the host country’s organizers and athletes. A festive crowd of 60,000 jammed into BC Place Stadium for the closing ceremony, many of them Canadians still high off the overtime victory by their men’s hockey team earlier in the day to give the host nation a Winter Olympics record of fourteen gold medals. Th e celebration, capped by an boisterous rock concert, contrasted sharply with the moment of silence at the opening ceremony February 12 for Nodar Kumaritashvili, the 21-year-old luger killed in a horrifi c training-run crash on the sliding track in Whistler just hours before that ceremony. Th e speakers of honor on Sunday,

chief Vancouver organizer John Furlong and International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, each paid tribute to the young athlete. Furlong then shifted to a more upbeat tone. “I believe Canadians tonight are stronger, more united, more in love with our country and more connected to each other than ever before,” he said. He paid tribute to moguls skier Alexandre Bilodeau, winner of Canada’s fi rst gold medal at these games, said of the fi nal gold, won by the hockey team, “Our last one will be remembered for generations.” Rogge then pronounced the games closed, after describing them as “excellent and very friendly.”

Neil Young, a Canadian folk-rock star, performed a lyrical version of his “Long May You Run”, and the Olympic fl ame faded away as he ended. Th ere were plenty of reasons for Canada and the United States

to celebrate after seventeen days of competition. Th e U.S. won 37 medals overall – the most ever for any nation in a Winter Olympics. Canada, after a slow start, set a Winter Games record with fourteen golds and sparked public enthusiasm in Vancouver that veterans of multiple Olympics describe as unsurpassed.

Right from the start of the closing show, there was humor in the air as the producers made up for an opening-ceremony glitch in which one leg of the Olympic cauldron failed to rise from the stadium fl oor. On Sunday, the faulty leg rose smoothly after a clown mechanic crawled from below stage to laugh at the apparent mistake.

Former speedskating medalist Catriona LeMay Doan, who missed out on the opening-night fl ame lighting because of the glitch, got to perform that duty this time. Th e traditional passing of the fl ag occurred as Vancouver Mayor Gregor

Roobertson handed over the fi ve-ringed fl ag to IOC president Jacques Rogge, who passed it on to Anatoly Pakhomov, the mayor of Sochi, Russia. Th at was followed by the Russian national anthem and a presentation about Sochi featuring opera, ballet, ice skating and giant glowing spheres called “zorbs.”

Other key moments in the closing ceremony included a colorful presentation of Canadian icons and symbols, featuring singing-and-dancing Mounties, giant tabletop hockey players, dancing canoes and fl ying moose and beavers. Canadian actors, including William Shatner and Michael J. Fox, made fun of national stereotypes and thanked all visitors. Fox received a huge ovation. “I lived in the U.S. for 30 years,” Fox said. “But if the U.S. is playing Canada in hockey, I’m sorry, I’m wearing a maple leaf on my sweater.”

Bigelow’s Locker Filled with Oscars

by Matt Addison

Filled with a night of bright lights, gorgeous celebrities, and funny moments, the eighty-second Academy Awards were held in the Kodak Th eatre in Hollywood, California. On this Oscar night, multiple instances of history were made. First, there were two men hosting the Oscars, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, which has not happened since 1987. Both Baldwin and Martin entertained the crowd quite well, starting off the night by choosing diff erent actors and directors from the audience and making quick one-liners at each one they chose. Some of the jokes that

stood out included one at actress Meryl Streep. “Meryl Streep gets nominated every year. She holds the most nominations as an actress. Or as I like to think of it: most losses.” Another funny one-line was directed at actor Christoph Waltz, who played Colonel Hans Landa, also known as “Th e Jew Hunter,” in the Best Picture nominated fi lm Inglourious Basterds. “In Inglourious Basterds, Christoph Waltz played a Nazi obsessed with killing Jews. Well Christoph (pointing at the audience) here’s the mother load!” After Martin and Baldwin had called out the actors, the nominees were announced and the awards were

presented.Going into the night, Avatar

and � e Hurt Locker each had nine award nominations, more than any other fi lm that night. By the end of the night, � e Hurt Locker came out on top, winning six of its nine nominations. Of the six, the major awards it received, Kathryn Bigelow won Best Directory for � e Hurt Locker . � e Hurt Locker also won Best Original Screenplay, and Best Motion Picture. Avatar ended up winning three awards, though the three were not as prestigious as the ones that � e Hurt Locker had received. Th ese included Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Eff ects.

Outside of these two fi lms, other actors, actresses, and fi lms had been garnered with well-deserved awards. Jeff Bridges won Best Actor in A Leading Role for his performance in Crazy Heart. Bridges had one of the more emotional speeches of the night, “Oh! Th ank you, Academy members! Th ank you, Mom and Dad, for turning me on to such a groovy profession.” Sandra Bullock won Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in � e Blind Side. Bullock was surprised to win with the competition she was up against and commented, “Did I really earn this or did I just wear you

all down?” Other winners included Best Supporting Actor winner Christoph Waltz for his role in Inglourious Basterds. Mo’Nique won the Best Supporting Actress award for Precious. Another major award was presented to Disney and Pixar’s Up, which one the Best Animated Feature award.

Screenwriter Mark Boal, Director Kathryn Bigelow, and Producer Greg Shapiro hold up their fi ve Oscars for “The Hurt Locker,” which won Best Motion Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Direc-tor, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects at the 82nd Academy Awards

on March 7 at the Kodak Theatre.

Sandra Bullock accepts her Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role after beating out ac-

tresses like Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren.

dance camp. The art camp was the most popular camp among the Guatemalan kids. It was so popular, that the kids had to line up outside and wait their turn to get into art camp. The Guatemalan boys enjoyed participating in the soccer camp, while the Guatemalan girls liked participating in the dance camp. After the Guatemalan kids left for the day, the team had a couple hours of free time to spend together before dinner. Once dinner was over and the team cleaned up, everyone met together for devotionals and a time to reflect on any specific events of the day that had affected them in any way. Before lights out at 11 p.m., the students had more free time to play four square, soccer, and other various games.

This year, the team had an opportunity to spend Friday going on a field trip to an anthropology museum in Guatemala City with the kids. This opportunity not only allowed the Guatemalan kids to learn more about Guatemalan culture and history, but it also provided the CCA students with the same learning experience. While at the museum, everyone had a chance to see a performance of several native South American dances and tour the museum with the Guatemalan kids. When the busses returned to the market square, emotional goodbyes were said to the kids the team members had grown to love. After returning back to the school, the CCA students went to a community pool with some of the Guatemalan kids. It was one last chance for the mission team to see a few kids one last time that week.

On Saturday, the team made a trip to Antigua, a popular tourist spot, to shop for various Guatemalan items and souvenirs for family and friends. Shopping in Antigua gave everyone a chance to hone their haggling skills in order to get the items that they wanted. In the afternoon, the group split up and some of the team went sight seeing. Sunday, the last full day the team was in Guatemala, everyone split up into small groups and rode in tuk-tuks, which were small, doorless red cars found all over town, to the market. Later that afternoon, the team rode a bus to a local church half an hour away from the school. The service was held completely different than what everyone was accustomed, and it allowed the team to be exposed, yet again, to a different culture’s customs. Instead of Mark Worley leading devotionals that night,

the team gathered together and talked about one person they noticed during the week that really impressed them.

The team prepared to pack up and wake up early to catch their flight on Monday morning after the emotional group talk. However, plans quickly changed when the team found out that a public transportation strike was occurring in Guatemala City around 4 a.m. on Monday. The news was just the beginning of a long night ahead for the team. As a result, the team had to be ready to leave by 1 a.m. to head to the airport. On the way to airport, the police stopped the bus. The bus driver did not have his documentation and could not continue to drive us any further until someone delivered his documentation to him. Once the bus driver received his documentation, the team continued on to the airport. After arriving at the airport around 3 a.m. and convincing the airport security guards to let the team come into the closed airport, the team quickly found spots on the ground to sleep. Rest did not last long though, as the team was awakened to fill out customs papers and

God’s Glory Shines in Guatemalato check in their luggage. When the team arrived to the check-in counter, the team was informed that the counter would not be open for a couple more hours, so the team went to find any open space to sleep on again. Once the counter opened, the team checked in their luggage, made it through security, and arrived at their terminal at 6 a.m. It had been a long morning for team and, after getting breakfast; the majority of the team went to sleep until it was time to board the plane.

When the team arrived back at DFW International Airport, people had mixed feelings. Some were glad to be back, but sad to be away from the kids they had grown attached. Knighton commented about the highlight of the trip, “I enjoyed growing close to the kids in Guatemala, but most of all, it was great to become closer to my peers.”

cont’d. page 1

more Guatemala coverage at www.ccamessenger.com


Record Snowfall Hits DFWby Erica Twiss

North Texas was transformed into a winter wonderland on Th ursday, February 11. An ankle-deep layer of snow blanketed the area and granted Carrollton Christian Academy students, along with students from many other schools and districts, a few extra days off of school due to unsafe driving conditions. Th ese days were not put to waste; children sprinkled across their snow-covered yards sledding down hills, building massive

snowmen, and throwing snowballs at friends. However, many were aff ected with power shortages and cancelled fl ights.

Texas had never seen so much snow. Th e National Weather Service confi rmed a record-breaking snowfall of 12.5 inches over a 24-hour period in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Th e previous record was set in January of 1964, with 12.1 inches.

However, Texas was not the only state that was hit by the wintery mix. 49 of the 50 states, the spoiler being

tropical Hawaii, were dusted with snow on Friday, February 12. Th is concept is so strange and unusual, federal weather offi ces don’t even keep track of that statistic. It therefore cannot be confi rmed as a record. Th e area hit the hardest, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia was buried in over 24 inches of snow. Some parts of Maryland and Pennsylvania received over thirty inches.

Referred to as “Snowmaggedon”

by President Obama, this February snowstorm was the biggest seen in nearly ninety years, setting over 1180 new weather records. After spending the whole day playing in the snow together, sophomore Nicky Stuart and junior Morgan Berrier commented, “We made the most beautiful snowman and drank hot cocoa on our day off . It was the most snowfall we’ve ever seen.”

49 of the 50 states, the spoiler being Referred to as “Snowmaggedon”

Senior Brittany Ribble stands with the two snow-

men she built after the snowstorm hit on Febru-

ary 11 and schools closed all over Dallas.

CCA Science Team Rolls at Regionalsby Nick Norris

Inadequate sleep from an early departure did not seem to hinder Carrollton Christian Academy’s Alpha Science Olympiad team as they competed on Saturday, February 27, placing second overall. Th e high school and middle school teams left early Saturday morning at 5:30 a.m. in order to arrive on time at Tarleton University, the sight of the regional competition. CCA sent two high school teams, alpha and beta, and a middle school team. Th e alpha team’s underdog win guarantees them a spot at the state competition held at A&M University on April 24-25. Th e Alpha Science Team exceeded previous year’s standard by placing second instead of third, a fi rst for CCA.

Alpha team members medaled in eight out of the fourteen events off ered, as well as placing fourth in several others. Seniors Nick Norris and Priscilla Cruz placed fi rst in Anatomy and Physiology, and Seniors Kyle Th iele and Ryan Doyle also placed fi rst in Forensics. Second place medal winners included Norris and junior Stephen Bass in Environmental Chemistry, and

juniors Morgan Schultz and Ashley Six in Chemistry Lab. Cell Biology participants Cruz and sophomore Kara Kaiser placed third, along with s e n i o r Ryan Doyle a n d

Kelsey Stokes in e l e v a t e d bridge, Bass and Th iele in Mousetrap Vehicle, a n d sophomore Jane

Lee and j u n i o r

Victoria Stroo in Protein Modeling. Th e three teams from CCA arrived

at Tarleton State University and checked in at 8:30. Th e events began at nine and

concluded at three, about one hour before the awards ceremony. After winning

their second place trophy, the students

left the university and went to Chili’s

where they celebrated their t r e m e n d o u s victory by t r e a t i n g

themselves to delicious food.

S c i e n c e Team co-sponsor Wendy Blaine

was incredibly pleased with the event, saying, “I’m very happy with our performance at regional’s, and I’m glad that we got that automatic advancement to state. I’m looking

forward to it.”CCA’s Science Olympiad team holds up their second place trophy after defeating schools like Comanche High School on February 27 at

Tarleton University.

Seniors Garett West and George Lubke stand proudly with their eight foot snow sculpture they

spent their day off making in Castle Hills.

Junior Ellen Fleck-enstein and CCA football coach

Eric Fleckenstein pose with their

identically made snowmen outside

their house in Carrollton.

Inadequate sleep from an early departure did not seem to hinder Carrollton Christian Academy’s Alpha Science Olympiad team as they competed on Saturday, February 27, placing second overall. Th e high school and middle school teams left early Saturday morning at 5:30 a.m. in order to arrive on time at Tarleton University, the sight of the regional competition. CCA sent two high school teams, alpha and beta, and a middle school team. Th e alpha team’s underdog win guarantees them a spot at the state competition held at A&M University on April 24-25. Th e Alpha Science Team exceeded previous year’s standard by placing second instead of third, a fi rst

Alpha team members medaled in eight out of the fourteen events off ered, as well as placing fourth in several others. Seniors Nick Norris and Priscilla Cruz placed fi rst in Anatomy and Physiology, and Seniors Kyle Th iele and Ryan Doyle also placed fi rst in Forensics. Second place medal winners included

juniors Morgan Schultz and Ashley Six in Chemistry Lab. Cell Biology participants Cruz and sophomore Kara Kaiser placed third, along with s e n i o r Ryan Doyle a n d

Kelsey Stokes in e l e v a t e d bridge, Bass and Th iele in Mousetrap Vehicle, a n d sophomore Jane

Lee and j u n i o r

Victoria Stroo in Protein Modeling. Th e three teams from CCA arrived

at Tarleton State University and checked in at 8:30. Th e events began at nine and

concluded at three, about one hour before the awards ceremony. After winning

their second place trophy, the students

left the university and went to Chili’s

where they celebrated their

delicious food.

Team co-sponsor Wendy Blaine

was incredibly pleased with the event, saying, “I’m very happy with our performance at regional’s, and I’m glad that we got that automatic advancement to


Dates to Remember.

Big Bad Wolf Goes on Trialby Katelin Howell

In “Big Bad,” the middle school one act play at Carrollton Christian Academy, the Big Bad Wolf, played by eighth grader Kyung Park, stood on trial in the Sanctuary on March 9. Several classic fairy tale characters such as Little Red Riding Hood, played by seventh grader Sydney Meador, gave accounts to the judge how the Wolf had harassed them and demanded justice for his actions.

Th e hilarious play revealed several memorable characters including Bill Woodcutter, played by sixth grader Matthew Hahn, and the Judge, Wise Old Woman, played by seventh grader Gabby Dellepiane. Th e legendary Th ree Little Pigs, played by eighth grader Jordan Doyle, and seventh graders Jazmine O’Neal and Sabrina Zeiler also testifi ed against the Wolf saying that

he had threatened to blow down their houses and eat them. Eighth grader London Wolski appeared as the gracious Fairy Godmother who was the attorney testifying against the Big Bad Wolf. Evil Stepmother, played by eighth grader Emily Harbison, was the Wolf’s rude and sarcastic lawyer whose attitude kept the audience laughing.

Th roughout the play, each of the characters who had ever come in contact with the Wolf got to plead their encounters to the Judge. Both Fairy Godmother and Evil Stepmother were able to ask the witnesses questions in order to come up with a fair sentence for the Wolf.

Finally, the Wolf pleaded his case to the Judge. An interesting and surprising twist came into play when the Big Bad Wolf said he once had a human sister that he loved. Th e sister turned out to be Ms. Muff et, eighth grader Meredith Miller, who was a witness in the audience who could not manage to have a seat without her tuff et.

Th e play had three diff erent closings. In each ending, the Judge came out saying, “Or it could end like this!” Each synopsis resulted in a diff erent sentence for the Wolf.

About 50 parents and students attended Big Bad, loving every minute of it. “I am so proud of the middle school musical theater kids for doing such a great job!” commented Donna McWilliams after the performance. All of the theater kids were pleased with their accomplishment and the hard work they had put into the play.Eighth grader London Wolski testifi es against the

Big Bad Wolf in the FUMC Sanctuary on March 9.

Some of the cast of “Big Bad” waits their turn to testify in court for the Judge, played by seventh

grader Gabby Dellepiane, during the middle school drama’s annual one act plays.

Willy Wonka Brings Sweets to Children

by Erica Twiss

Th e Advanced Drama class is preparing to put on the children’s theater porduction “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” on April 15. Th e group will do a total of three performances in one day. Th ey will travel to Conevant Pesbeterian Preschool, Parker Chase Preschool, and fi nally return to perform for the preschool here at Carrollton Christian Academy.

Th e cast made all of their own props and built their own set in order to be able to take it with them as they travel. Narrated by Morgan Berrier and Morgan Schultz, the play is led by Nicky Stuart, playing Willy Wonka, and Jacob Little, playing Charlie Bucket. Augustus Gloop will be played by Cameron Dorman, Veruca Salt by Laine Foith, Violet Beauregarde by Natalie West, and Mike Teavee by Jacob Arnold.

Th e play begins with the narrators telling the story of Willy Wonka, and how the contest with the golden tickets came about. Th ey describe the fi ve children who found the tickets, including Charlie Bucket. Th e children travel to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory with one of their parents or grandparents. Th roughout the tour of the factory, the children slowly break Wonka’s rules, and are dismissed from the tour one by one. When the tour comes to a close, Charlie is the only child left. As his reward, Wonka grants him and the rest of his family the priveledge to inheret the entire chocolate factory and live inside. Charlie is overjoyed, and immediately accepts the off er.

Regarding the play, Advanced Drama director Elaine Marchant commented, “Th e most exciting thing about doing elementary theatre is to see the children get so excited about the performance.”

April 6 - Prince of Peace Invitational Golf TournamentApril 6 - JV Softball Game vs. Hockaday April 6-7 - Varsity Tennis District MeetApril 8 - Varsity Softball vs. � e Highlands (away)April 9 - Varsity Baseball vs. Dallas Lutheran (away)April 10 - Varsity Track Meet - Prince of Peace InvitationalApril 12 - Regional Golf TournamentApril 12 - Varsity Baseball vs. Colleyville CovenantApril 13 - Varstity Softball vs. Ovilla Christian (home)April 13 - Elementary Science FairApril 15 - Varsity Baseball vs. Lakehill (away)April 15 - Varsity Softball vs. Legacy Christian (away)April 16 - End of 5th six weeksApril 16-17 - TAPPS State Instrumental and Vocal Music CompetitionApril 20 - Varsity Softball vs. Prince of Peace (away)April 20 - Varsity Baseball vs. Legacy Christian (home)April 21 - Varsity Track District Meet at Prince of PeaceApril 23 - Middle School Distric Track Meet at Prince of PeaceApril 23-24 - State Tennis TournamentApril 23-24 - State Science Olympiad MeetApril 26-27 - State Golf TournamentApril 28 - Early DismissalApril 29-May 1 - MusicalMay 7 - Powder Pu� Football GameMay 7-8 - State Track MeetMay 11 - Fine Arts BanquetMay 11 - Baseball and Softball RegionalsMay 13 - Middle School Awards ChapelMay 14 - PromMay 13-15 - Baseball and Softball State TournamentMay 18 - Senior BreakfastMay 18 - High School Awards Chapel

Advanced Drama students Natalie West, Mallory Taylor, Laine Foith, Jacob Little, Kristen Rosales, Cooper Wolski, Jacob Arnold, and Maddock May rehearse in Drama class for the Children’s Theatre

play that will be performed on April 15.


A record setting crowd of 108,713 people fled to Arlington Texas, where many gathered to see the spectacular new Cowboys stadium, but primarily to see multiple NBA stars going head to head in entertaining events all weekend long. The All-Star festivities took place the weekend of February 12.

The All-Star weekend kicked off with the Rookie vs. Sophomore game, which took place in the American Airlines Center. The teams consisted of the elite Rookies and Sophomores of the NBA. Dejuan Blair and Tyreke Evans led the Rookies to a dominating victory over the Sophomores, in which both of them decided to share the MVP trophy. Although, Sophomore Russell Westbrook dropped forty points on the Rookies, his efforts were still not enough to prevail the Sophomores over the Rookies.

All five feet, nine inches of Nate Robinson slammed over competitors at the dunk competition, taking home the trophy at the American Airlines Center on Saturday, February 13. Although this was Nate Robinson’s third time to win

the dunk competition, he proclaims that it will also be his last. Robinson defeated Toronto’s Rookie, DeMar DeRozan in the final rounds of the competition.

Following Nate Robinson, Paul Pierce and his fellow three point

competitors took center stage on Saturday, February 13, also at the American Airlines Center. This was Paul Pierce’s first appearance since his embarrassing eight point performance previously put up in the 2002 three-point competition. In the final shooting round, Paul Pierce put up 20 total points to surpass Golden State’s Stephen Curry, with 17 points, and Denver’s Chauncey Billups with 14.

Phoenix’s guard, Steve Nash was also a winner on Saturday

night, snatching the first place trophy from a multitude of younger, more agile NBA players. Nash didn’t take any time to warm-up; he simply walked up to the court, hoping his experience over the younger players would carry him to a victory. Utah guard, Deron Williams, was in competition with Steve Nash until the final seconds, where Steve Nash prevailed.

The NBA All-Stars gathered at center stage of the brand new Cowboys stadium in Arlington. The record setting crowd, representing a wide variety of players and teams, entered the stadium with hopes to see the elite NBA players battle it out in the main event of the weekend, the NBA All-Star game. The two teams were split up by conference: the Eastern Conference team, and the Western Conference team. Dallas Maverick Dirk Nowitzki, started the game off strong with four early points, which anchored the Western side off with quick lead. Dwayne Wade dazzled the crowd with his range of talent, and finished the game with 28 points, and received the MVP honor. This All-Star game will go down in history as one of

the most memorable All-Star games, due to the nail-biting finish. Dirk Nowitzki and the Western Conference got fouled in the closing seconds, sending him to the free throw line. Dirk tied the game up at 139-139 by making both free throws. But this game wasn’t over, Chris Bosh and the Eastern Conference, got fouled shortly after Dirk, sending Bosh to the free throw line, where he hit both free throws. As a result, the Eastern Conference went up, 139-141. The game was over after Carmelo Anthony missed a last second effort at the three-point line, and time expired. “There was not a seat open,” Lebron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers said, “to be part of history is something that you always wish and dream for.”

All Stars Come to the “Big D”by George Lubke

Mavericks Gear Up for Playoffs

by Matt Rife

Over the last few weeks there has been some major excitement building up in the Dallas Mavericks franchise. Due to a few roster changes and lineup changes, the Mavericks have been pulling away from the competition in their division. They have pulled into second place in the western conference and are now 4.5 games ahead of the spurs, the next closest team in the division. Also, The Mavericks have clinched their playoff possision in the western conference.

The roster changes consist of adding star forward Caron Butler to the lineup. The Mavericks traded Josh Howard and power forward Drew Gooden to the Wizards for Caron Butler and Center Brenden Haywood. The trade ended up being an amazing deal for the Mavericks considering three days later Josh Howard tore his ACL in his second game as a wizard and will be on the injured reserve list for the rest of the season. While the trade was not good for the Wizards, the Mavericks

are reaping great benifits from it. Caron Butler is averaging 16.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game as a Maverick and Brenden Haywood is averaging 10 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Having a center who runs the floor well and puts up consistant numbers is something that is new to the Mavericks basketball team. Brendan Haywood is the addition to the team that will make the most difference to this team. He has the unique ability to take the inside post into his hands and dominate it, no matter who is guarding him.

Since the trade, the Mavericks had put a thirteen game winning streak under their belt. Also, the next few games for the Mavericks are projected to be the second easiest schedule in the NBA. The Lakers are the only team ahead of the Mavericks in the Western Conference and their upcoming schedule is projected to be one of the hardest. This is a good opportunity for the Mavericks to take control of the Western Conference and make a far run in the playoffs

Battered by earthquakes, the country of Chile has had two hits in the past two months. One of the largest earthquakes in history rocked Chile on February 27, 2010 in Santiago. The earthquake was an 8.8 magnitude on the Richter Scale and destroyed bridges and demolished buildings. Though the earthquake was very strong, it did not cause nearly as much death or damage as the 7.0 earthquake in Haiti.

Fifty years ago, the largest earthquake in all recorded history hit Chile with a magnitude of 9.5. Since then, the Chilean government has set up stricter building codes to help prevent the damage that had recently occurred in Haiti. Even with the building codes, about a million buildings were damaged. Approximately 700 people

by Jordan Rogers

Former New York Knick Nate Robinson dunks at the dunk competition during All-

Star weekend.

NBA Commissioner David Stern presents the All-Star Game MVP Award to Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade.

Second Quake Shakes Southern Hemisphere

have died as a result of this earthquake; a significantly smaller amount than the 250,000 people that died in Haiti.

The second quake was a large aftershock with a magnitude of 6.9, almost as strong as the one in Haiti. It happened on March 11 and was the largest aftershock after the earthquake in February. However, there were no reports of any deaths as a result of this aftershock.

Chile’s newly elected president, Sebastian Pinera, has his hands full with the situation at hand. He promised, on the night of his election, that he would make Chile one of the best countries in the world by stimulating economy growth and creating jobs. However, it looks like he will have to focus on rebuilding infrastructure before his other plans can take effect.


My Heart will always be with the stu-dents and families at CCA. I am proud to be the parent of two alumni students who attended CCA from age 4 through 12th grade, Rachel & Davis Rhea. Hav-ing been a teacher and Principal at CCA over an 18 year period prepared me to excel in the world of Real Estate. Your support as a community has helped me achieve my goals. Your business and referrals have supported a very large part of my success. I’ll always be thank-ful for CCA! My message to the athletes this 2009-10 school year will be as it has always been - play hard, play with integ-rity, care for each other as a united team and remember Micah 6:8 Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God!

Go Saints! I love you all!

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Underdogs Sweep Final Four

by Matt Rife

Every college basketball team works year-round for an opportunity to be invited to the biggest tournament of the year known as “march madness”. Only 64 teams get a chance to be in it and it is the biggest basketball tournament our country has to off er. Th e best colleges in the nation come together for several weeks to compete and show there skills for a chance to be called the “national champion”.

Fans fi ll out their own brackets of the tournament and try to predict the outcome, but usually end up very disappointed with their results. Th e ranking system for the brackets is decided by overall record and how well the team did in their conference. Th ere are seeds one through sixteen and the teams are put as a seed according to there performance. Th ere are also four teams in each seed in the tournament. Th is year, the four fi rst seeds and the favorites to win the tournament include Kentucky, Duke, Syracuse, and Kansas, but sadly Kansas had a quick exit by losing in the second

round to the ninth seed underdogs of Northern Iowa. Syracuse lost in the sweet sixteen and kentucky lost in the elite eight. Duke was the fi rst seeded team that went the furthest. Th e Kansas and Northern Iowa game has been one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, although there has been a few other notable ones. Th e fourteenth seed Ohio defeated the third seed Georgetown in the fi rst round, the tenth seed Saint Mary’s outplayed the second seed Villanova in the second round, and the twelfth seed Cornell beat the fourth seed Wisconsin in the second round as well. Th ere are also six team coming from texas to play in the tournament, however they have not made it very far. Texas, North Texas, UT El Paso, and Houston all lost in the fi rst round. Texas A&M also lost, but they made it to the second round. Baylor is the only Texas team that has made it to at least the sweet sixteen. Th e fi nal four consisted of the second seed, West Virginia, fi rst seed Duke, and fi fth seeds Michigan State and Butler.

by George LubkeOn Friday, March 5, the students took on the

faculty, fi ghting the for the alpha position on campus. Th e faculty’s team consisted of Micah Moore, Dustin Moore, Carl Goff , George Teague, Chip Bloecher, Liz Powell, Frank Weiss and Chris Evans. Th e student’s team consisted of seniors George Lubke, Matt Rife,

Ben Knighton, Drew Sullivan, Matt Addison, August Evers and Garett West, Juniors Cameron Lott and Zac Crumpler and Sophomore, Addison Martin. Th e game was reff ed by Jules Street, and Stacy Martin, who has

no reffi ng experience. Th e students were anchored by the seniors

determined eff orts, while the faculty tried to pull every trick out of the bag to defeat the students,

but ultimately failed. Th e seniors were out to get a win, in hopes to forget about their last home game defeat of the district season against Prince of Peace.

Senior Garett West commented on the game, “Being around those old, sweaty men was a little unnerving, but I still had enough resolve to help

my team with the shot I made.” Th e game was a constant battle to decide who comes out on top. Although, at the end, the

students prevailed over the faculty 53-51, ending their four game winning streak over the students. Sophomore Addison Martin hit a three with seconds remaining, to put

the students up by two. Th e game remained a nail-biter, until faculty’s Micah Moore

missed a last second layup to send the game to overtime. When the time expired, the students celebrated their victory, and

claimed their dominance until next years student faculty game.

Millenials “Pwn” Baby Boomers

Faculty star, Micah Moore, drives the lane

past senior Matt Rife at the annual CCA

Stduent/Faculty game.

Senior Drew Sullivan rejects Coach Dustin Mooore in the lane on March 5 in the CCA gym,

Senior Ashton Martin is entering her fourteenth year at Carrollton Christian Academy. She has been playing softball for four years, and is this year’s team captain along with senior S u s a n Rabadi. She played outfi eld freshman year, t h i r d base sophomore and junior years, and i s the pitcher this year.

Along with softball, Martin has been a cheerleader for CCA for seven years. She is also involved in

the Leadership Corps and the Missions Team. She worked backstage for the drama productions Charlie’s Aunt, Guys and

Dolls, and � e Beauty and the Beast as props manager as well. Outside of school, Martin enjoys going to Qdoba and

hanging out with friends. She attends Bent Tree Bible Fellowship and is involved in the Youth Ministry.

Next year, she plans on attending the University of Oklahoma and majoring in Psychology.

Among the many softball memories she has, Martin’s favorite was going to the Taylor Tournament freshman year. As captain,

she would like to see her team do well in district and make it to playoff s. She remarked, “I am very excited for this season. We have many newcomers to the sport, but I think we will do great. We have a lot of hard workers on the team.”


Player Profile:

Ashton Martinby Jordan Rogers by Erica Twiss

A s one of four seniors on the Carrollton Christian Academy varsity baseball team, Danny Straus is helping lead the Saints

through this new season. Straus plays pitcher and catcher for the Saints and has played baseball since he was four years old. He is now entering his fourth and fi nal year of playing for the team. He has high hopes for the team in this rebuilding season, “I really hope we have a winning season this year and make it far into the playoff s,” said Straus.

Straus has attended CCA since he was in sixth grade. He currently works on the CCA “Twenty X” year book staff and loves to work with Photoshop. He attends Valley View Church and occasionally plays in the worship team there. He also attends small groups at Bent Tree Bible Fellowship.

Straus is planning on attending University of Texas Dallas and plans to go into Graphic Design. He would also like to play baseball there also. “My favorite part of the

game is watching the batters tremble at the velocity of my pitch,” commented Straus when asked about his favorite part of baseball

Girl’s Soccer Makes New Records in Playoff History

by Drew Sullivan

Exceeding their expectations, the girl’s varsity soccer team lost in a nail biter game to the state champions. Th e girls worked hard this season with key leaders such as seniors Mallory Taylor and Kelsey Roberts, and juniors Laine Foith and Ellen Fleckenstein. Th e team grew throughout the year and accomplished their goals and objectives by getting past bi-distract. Coach Luna stated, “It has been a great honor working with these girls and watching them grow as a team. Th eir defense improved leaps and bounds throughout the year, which provided many opportunities for success. “

Th e fi rst playoff game was held at Trinity Christian Academy against Colleyville Covenant with an ending victory

for the Saints with a score of 2-1. Kristina Locke, a sophomore on the girl’s squad led the team with two goals taking them into the next round. Katey Pope John, the next opponent, was faced on their home fi eld. After a hard fought game between two great teams, Katey Pope John pulled out a two-nil victory sending them to the state championship game in San Antonio. Katey Pope John’s state game verse Prince of Peace Christian Academy ended up with an easy victory as Katey Pope John skunked Prince of Peace with a score of fi ve to zero. Th e expectations of the next years goals are raised since Carrollton Christian Academy lost by only two points to the State winning Division III soccer team.

Senior Ashton Martin is entering her fourteenth year at Carrollton Christian Academy. She has been playing softball for four years, and is this year’s team captain along with senior S u s a n Rabadi. She played outfi eld freshman year, t h i r d base sophomore and junior years, and i s the pitcher this year.

Along with softball, Martin has been a cheerleader for CCA for seven years. She is also involved in

the Leadership Corps and the Missions Team. She worked backstage for the drama productions

Dolls, and � e Beauty and the BeastOutside of school, Martin enjoys going to Qdoba and

hanging out with friends. She attends Bent Tree Bible Fellowship and is involved in the Youth Ministry.

Next year, she plans on attending the University of Oklahoma and majoring in Psychology.

Among the many softball memories she has, Martin’s favorite was going to the Taylor Tournament freshman year. As captain,

she would like to see her team do well in district and make it to playoff s. She remarked, “I am very excited for this season. We have many newcomers to the sport, but I think we will do great. We have a lot of hard workers on the team.”

one of four seniors on the Carrollton Christian Academy varsity baseball team, Danny Straus is helping lead the Saints

through this new season. Straus plays pitcher and catcher for the Saints and has played baseball since he was four years old. He is now entering his fourth and fi nal year of playing for the team. He has high hopes for the team in this rebuilding season, “I really hope we have a winning season this year and



game is watching the batters tremble at the velocity of my pitch,” commented Straus when asked

MS Track Speed is a Must

by Katelin Howell

Coached by Micah Moore, middle school track is in full swing. Th ere are a total of 32 people on the track team and Coach Moore is pushing each member everyday so that they will be able to perform well in each event.

Coach Moore stated that some of his most important participants include eighth graders Melissa Whitman, Bella Conte and Nadia Livingstone, and seventh grader Allan Wallander. Wallander “does basically everything” according to Coach Moore as he is in over ten events and hopes to be just as involved in high school.

“I’m really trying to get every student to try diff erent events in order to prepare them for what they will be doing in high school track,” commented Moore. Coach Tim Fisher is the assistant coach for middle school track as well as the head coach for high school track. He said that he enjoys helping out with middle school because it gives him an opportunity to see the future high school team members.

Coach Moore’s coaching philosophy for track is to teach the fundamentals and to better them for the years in the sport to come. Building confi dence in each person is very important to him and he makes sure to remind them that they can do anything through hard work and dedication.

Player Profile: Danny Straus

A s one of four seniors on the Carrollton Christian Academy varsity baseball team, Danny Straus is helping lead the Saints

through this new season. Straus plays pitcher and catcher for the Saints and has played baseball since he was four years old. He is now entering his fourth and fi nal year of playing for the team. He has high hopes for the team in this rebuilding season, “I really hope we have a winning season this year and make it far into the playoff s,” said Straus.



game is watching the batters tremble at the velocity of my pitch,” commented Straus when asked about his favorite part of baseball

Cheerleaders Double in Sizeby Erica Twiss

After a long week of vigorous cheer clinics, held after school March 8-11, the new Carrollton Christian Academy 2010-2011 junior high and varsity cheerleading squads were chosen. Th e girls spent the week learning a dance taught by senior Kari Medearis, and a cheer taught by senior co-captain Alyssa Stanley. Th ese were both performed at the offi cial tryouts, held March 12.

Th e junior high squad, coached by Preschool teacher Karen Porter, consists of new additions Marisa Villarreal, Sydney Brown, Jada Teague, Nicole Collodi, and Sierra Zeiler, along with returning members Sabrina Zeiler, Tyler Harrington, and Sydney Meador. Th e new members of the varsity squad, coached once again by Lauren Fuston, include Kelsey Kistler, Laine Foith, Raegan Snyder, Katelin Howell, Callie Landwehr,

Shelby Jones, Victoria Stroo, Kristen Rosales, Jane Lee, Christy Barke, Alex Dellepiane, London Wolski, accopanied by returning cheerleaders Morgan Berrier, Morgan Schultz, Natalie West, and Kelsey Zwerner. Berrier was named varsity captain and Schultz was named co-captain for the upcoming year.

Both squads will commence practices in April; the varsity will practice each Wednesday, and the junior high will practice three times

a week, including tumbling. Th e squads will also be attending a cheer camp here at CCA June 6-9, taught by Universal Cheerleaders Association staff .

Concerning the upcoming year, varsity captain Berrier exclaimed, “I think it is going to be a great year! I have never been on a squad with this many girls. I am really excited to see what the next year will bring!”


Softball Gains Momentum

Baseball Slides Forward

Twiss Sets New Records

Tennis Backhands the Competition

Golf Gets Things Swinging

by Garett WestCCA tennis is

reaching for the stars this year. Th e varsity tennis team is led by Coach Brett Marcotte. Currently, the best single players are senior George Lubke and sophomore Taylor Price. Th e best doubles teams are senior Kelsey Stokes and junior Alex Price and senior Matt Addison and junior Cameron Lott. April 6 and 7 are the days of District play. If players place high enough during District, they will be participating in State. District matches will be held in Tyler. Lubke commented, “I am very anxious to start District in tennis. I hope that our team performs to our full potential, and applies what

we learned from practice to our games.” Th e Saints biggest competition will be Lakehill and Tyler All-Saints. Price said, “I have worked hard this off -season practicing. Th e competition at District is tough, but I hope all my

hard work pays off , and I play really

well.” Th e varsity Saints tennis team is looking to stir things up in the District meet and go to State. State hopefuls include Taylor Price and George Lubke. Th e State meet is Friday through Saturday, April 23 to 24 in Waco.

Junior Cameron Lott prepares to hit the ball to continue the volley the

against Shelton on March 25.

Learning the fundamentals and improving each aspect of their game, the Carrollton Christian Academy Saints varsity baseball team is competing in district play in hopes of a future playoff spot. Th e Saints, who currently have a 1-9-1 record, are in the middle of district competition.

So far, the Saints have faced Prince of Peace, Dallas Lutheran, Colleyville Covenant, and Lakehill, and will face Legacy Christian on Th ursday, April 1. Th ough the Saints have lost their fi rst four district games, they are still in the hunt for a playoff spot. Led by senior captains Ben Knighton and Danny Straus, the Saints are prepared to do well in their upcoming games and are looking forward to the competition.

“Th ough we have lost some early games, we are working hard as a team and are getting better,” commented pitcher Straus. Also helping the cause is fi rst year head coach Mayan Corioso, who has impressed his players with his knowledge of the game and his ability to help them improve. Centerfi elder Knighton commented, “Coach Corioso has done a great job with developing all the young talent on this team.” With many games left to be played, the Saints have just as much opportunity as any other team in district to make playoff s. Th ough the schedule is tough, the Saints have a great opportunity before them and hope to achieve their goal of making post-season play.

by Drew Sullivan

by Matt Addison

Rodney Jackson, the head coach of the Varsity Lady Saints softball team, has started out the new season strong. Th e girls practice everyday after school and their hard work has paid off as they head into district play. Th is years Lady Saints Softball team is led by fi ve starting seniors. Susan Rabadi, Ashton Martin, Shay Dickerson, Kayla Bonina, and Ally Kilby. Martin stated, “Th is season has been going great so far! Th e team has gotten much better and district play will be challenging but fun!” Th e goals for the promising softball team consist of winning out their district, making the playoff s,

and possibly attending the state tournament.

Some of the most valued memories of the softball team consist of the Carrollton Christian Academy Swing into Spring Tournament which included schools like McKinney Christian Academy, Prince of Peace Christian Academy, Fort Worth All Saints, Tyler All Saints, Fort Worth Country Day, Trinity Christian Academy, and Austin High Park. Th e Saints fi nished third in the tournament. Seniors Rabadi, Martin, and Bonina along with freshman Victoria Norman received medals for being on the All-Tournament team.

Baseball

Forward

Learning the fundamentals and improving each aspect of their

“Th ough we have lost some early games, we are working hard as a team and are getting

by George Lubke

Th is years golf season started out with an early morning tournament at Brookhaven Country club, where golf team members Mallory Taylor, George Lubke, August Evers, Casey Sprague, Dan Twiss and Jake Sullivan all competed in pre-district play. Th e overall scores of the tournament were heavily eff ected, due to the conditions of the course. Th e temperature during the tournament remained around 48 degrees, while gusting winds and heavy rain occurred frequently throughout all 18 holes.

Another pre-district tournament took place on Tuesday, March 23 at Indian Creek golf course. Despite the windy conditions, the players shot much lower scores than the previous tournament, and saw this tournament as a good preparation for district.

District this year took place at Indian

Creek, on March 30. Seniors, George Lubke, August Evers and Mallory Taylor all competed in district play, along with freshmen Jake Sullivan, Cooper Wolski and Dan Twiss. Seniors Mallory Taylor and George Lubke placed in district. Mallory Taylor received third place, while George Lubke placed tenth. Th e scores from both Mallory and George advanced them to regionals, taking place on Monday, April 12 at Indian Creek. Senior Mallory Taylor commented on the season, “I have really enjoyed my last year of golf at CCA. I was excited to place in district, and hope to do well in regionals also!” For the rest of the golf team that didn’t place in the district tournament, their golf season ended, and saw this years season as good preparation for the next.

by Jordan Rogers

Th is year’s CCA varsity track team has begun preparing for the district competition. Th e Saints’ focus in practice is to be able to peek in each of their individual events come the district meet. So far the team has competed four meets this season. Th e girl’s team has done very well so far in these fi rst few meets. In the fi rst meet at the Pantego Christian Relays, the girl’s team came in fi fth overall. Th ey also continued to do well in the

BVU Invitational at St. Marks placing seventh overall and senior Erica Twiss set four meet records.

Twiss qualifi ed for the Texas Relays at the University of Texas at Austin. “It’s my second year qualifying for the Texas Relays, but I’m competing in three diff erent events. It’s a really fun meet and I’m looking forward to competing in it this year,” said Twiss. So far this year the girl’s team has broken or set records in seven diff erent events and the boys have broken records

in two events. Coach Tim Fisher has made the

training more dynamic for the athletes this year. He has added techniques to training this year that he has learned from USA Track and Field Coaching Education. A few commented that the practices are more challenging, but have a positive aff ect overall. He hopes that the team will go far this year. Added to the coaching staff this year are Coach Liz Campos and Coach Liz Powell. Campos has been coaching high school

throwing and middle school track, and Campos has been helping out with the high school track team.

Fisher expects the girls’ team to place in the top four at state and stated that the boys’ 4 by 200 meter relay looks promising this year. “We’ve already tied or broken our record in nine diff erent events. Hopefully we will continue to improve and be able to gain recognition for college opportunities for the athletes,” said Fisher.

hard, realizing that the winner would move into the playoff s and the loser’s season would be over. After 80 minutes of physical play and some controversial calls, one being a no-goal by senior Nick Norris, the game ended in a 0-0 draw, which resulted in the Saints reaching the playoff s for the third year in a row.

Garnering a playoff berth allowed the Saints to

a c c o m p l i s h their goal at the beginning of the season of making playoff s, with whatever happening in the playoff s being icing on the cake. Th e fi rst game was against the Fort Worth Lake Country Eagles. Having not played the Eagles all season, the Saints were not sure of what to expect in their fi rst match up. Th e game started off slow, with the score being tied at half-time 0-0 but two goals were scored in the second half by senior Karl Heidenhofer and freshman Cooper Wolski.

Mixed with solid defense and a two-goal lead, the Saints held on to shutout the Eagles and win their fi rst playoff game 2-0. Th e second playoff game was the toughest game of the season for the Saints, who were trying to make a repeat trip to the Final Four in San Antonio. Th e Saints, again, had to play a team whom

Exceeding expectations from the goals set at the beginning of the season and defending the 2009 State championship title well, the Saints fi nished their season in the Final Four for the second year in a row.

Th e varsity boys soccer program, after winning the state title in 2009, lost 14 seniors, most of whom occupied the starting roster spots for the entire season. Of those starters, only one remained, senior forward/sweeper Mark Lee. Th e remainder of the roster was comprised of nine seniors, most of which had little to no experience in soccer. With so many guys graduat ing and a completely new roster t a k i n g over, it was not clear as to how the defending state champions’ season was going to go. No one expected this new team to live up to last year’s success and it was questioned as to how the season was going to go. Th ese feelings seemed to be weighty as the season started off shaky with a couple hard pre-season losses.

Th ough Coach Stanley knew there would be hard games for the inexperienced Saints, he was looking for the long run, in hopes that these games would prepare the Saints for district competition and future playoff games.

It turned out to be useful for the Saints, who, throughout the season, continually made progress and got better with each passing week. In district play, the Saints had to continue to face tough competition, going up against Prince of Peace Christian School and Ovilla Christian. Th ough the Saints tried their best, it was not enough to overcome the talent and ability of Prince of Peace. Th e way to playoff s for the Saints was through Ovilla. Th e Saints needed either a win or a tie in the second and fi nal game against Ovilla. Both teams played

they had never faced before, going up against the Bryan Brazos Christian Eagles. Bryan came out hard and scored within the fi rst ten minutes of the game. Th e game continued to seem to get worse for the Saints when Bryan attempted to shoot, but senior goalie Matt Addison defl ected the ball backwards. After blocking the ball, it bounced back onto the fi eld and a Bryan player headed the ball back into the net, with what was thought to be a 2-0 lead. However, the referee called off the goal for technical reasons.Th ese events waked up the Saints who responded

quickly to Bryan’s lead when senior forward Michael Rymer scored a goal after the

corner kick by freshman mid-fi elder Daniel Twiss. Th e rest of the fi rst half

was a defensive struggle for both teams, with the fi rst half ending in a 1-1 tie. Each team picked up where they had left off , playing physical and working hard the entire 40 minutes. Th e game seemed that it would go into overtime, with neither team scoring for 20 minutes. However, the Saints

found a way to get past Bryan’s defense when senior forward Karl

Heidenhofer scored with 16 m i n u t e s l e f t ,

giving the Saints a 2-1

lead. However, Bryan caught a break with less than ten minutes to go when senior sweeper Mark Lee accidentally got a handball within the goalie box, which resulted in Bryan scoring on a penalty kick and tying up the game 2-2. Neither team scored in the last ten minutes of the game, sending it to overtime.

By the time the fi rst overtime ended, both teams were still tied. Th e second overtime was just the same, with both teams struggling to generate any off ense and unable to get the ball past both goalkeepers. With less than two minutes left in stoppage time, sophomore mid-fi elder Jordan ‘Ginger’ Rogers passed the ball to senior Michael Rymer who had a one-on-one with Bryan’s goalie. Bryan’s goalie stopped Rymer’s fi rst shot, but lost the ball, which Rymer took and scored the winning goal.

Th e Saints, who never expected to reach

this far, had earned themselves a return trip to the Final Four in San Antonio, in hopes of repeating as State Champions. Th e set up for the Final Four was familiar, with all four teams, Prince of Peace, Bullard Brookhill, Irving the Highlands, and Carrollton Christian Academy all returning back for the second year in a row. Th is time, however, the Saints were matched up against Bullard Brookhill, instead of Highlands. Th e game started off terribly for the Saints, giving up a goal in the fi rst minute of play and allowing a second Brookhill goal not much longer after the fi rst. However, the Saints woke up and fi nished the second half with a 2-0 defi cit. After half-time, the Saints played as hard as they could and managed to score a goal with 20 minutes left, making it 2-1. Th e Saints continued to play hard, trying to tie up the game and send it to overtime. Sadly, Brookhill managed to score a goal with about 12 minutes left, and scored another goal four minutes later, ending the Saints season.

Wanting to fi nish the season with another State trophy, the Saints were disappointed

to not fi nish as champions, but were ecstatic to go back to San Antonio for another shot. “No

one expected us to make it this

far. I

think even t h e players

w e r e surprised how

far we made it. I am happy with

how everyone did this year,” commented senior captain Michael Rymer. He was not the

o n l y one proud of the Saints accomplishments. Head

C o a c h Tom Stanley was also p r o u d of his team, “In some w a y s , I am happier with this year’s team than last years. Th ese boys did a great job and I will n e v e r forget what they have

accomplished.”

Th e mission of Carrollton Christian Academy is to develop future leaders through Christ-centered academics, arts, and

athletics, who choose character before career, wisdom beyond scholarship, service before self, and participation as a way of life.

CCA MESSENGER APRIL • PAGE 16

Boys Soccer Exceeds Expectations and Ends Season Ecstatic

by Matt Addison

Documents

April 2010 Issue