THE SAGA SECONDARY NEWS FROM MARANATHA ACADEMY IN THIS ISSUE Athletics Alley Man Up Campout Study Tips Choir NYC Trip Upcoming Events Dark Side of Technology Practical Application VOLUME VIII ISSUE V APRIL 2015 By Mr. Schultze Superintendent Brad Huddleston spoke in venues across Kansas City in early April. His message was one of caution and hope. He warned how technology is medically altering your brain and that of your children. More importantly he warned of how that reshaping of the brain is affecting our relationship to God. Brad is an author, TV and radio personality and produces visual media as well. One of his books is titled The Dark Side of Technology, and his newest book is titled Digital Cocaine, I recommend getting to know his work. It has changed my life and my outlook on technology. I believe it should yours. You can start at http://bradhuddleston.com/. He has spoken all over the world about the impact of technology on our lives. The hope side of his message starts with going “analog” and opening up our minds and hearts to God instead of pouring digital food through our eyes into our brains for 7-8 hours a day. He gives practical ideas about how to go analog. Try these with your kids if you want them to do better at school and at life. It will require some radical changes on your part including the willingness to confront because you know what is best for them. Do it in love and with patience and firmness. They will love you for it later. Bonus Info: Where do the heads of Microsoft, Google, etc. send their students to school in California? Answer: Waldorf Schools. Why is that important? Waldorf does not let technology within the classroom until the student reaches middle school and then severely restricts its use. Ways to go Analog according to Brad Huddleston 1) Remove all digital devices from the bedroom: TV, phones, tablets, etc. Anything with a screen. 2) Understand your child may not be ready to handle a smart phone. Parents of young children, his advice is to not even let them look at a screen for as long as you can after they are born…we are talking years. He recommends until age 12. 3) Get aerobic exercise of at least 30 minutes a day for 5-6 days a week. 4) Get enough sleep. 9.25 hours for teenagers and 8.5 for adults. 5) Read analog books – research shows this can help with attention deficit disorders. It has also been shown to extend short-term memory transference to long-term memory (read better grades!) 6) Connect with nature. God placed within his nature a peacefulness that is almost impossible to replicate. 7) Set aside regular, contemplative quiet time. Your brain needs time off from all the stimulation technology provides. 8) No multi-tasking with technology. Your brain is a sequential processor. Multi-tasking with technology has been proven to reduce productivity by a minimum of 40%. Plus other issues, but more on that at another time. (Read less time doing homework and being better at retaining the learning that should happen with homework.) 9) Listen to music to refresh other than at night when going to sleep. Music while sleeping is actually harmful. 10) Reduce video-gaming to 1/2 hour a week. Research has tied video gaming to many harmful social issues such as people losing their ability to feel emotions. Athletics Alley Baseball team is 10-2 at this point. We will host the Regional tournament with the winner advancing to the State Tournament in Great Bend. Our Region includes: Burlingame, Lyndon, Kansas City Christian, Heritage Christian Academy, and Us. Girls’ soccer, boys’ tennis, track & field, and junior high soccer and track continue to play hard this season. High school sports are working toward regional and state competitions that will be held next month. Please keep our teams in your prayers for safe travels to games and matches, good health, and minimal injuries. Schedules for each sport are available on the athletics page at mca-eagles.org. You can also follow twitter page @makcsports for current sports updates throughout the season. Choir NYC Trip Twenty-two members of the Maranatha Christian Academy High School Choir traveled to Carnegie Hall last month. At 8:30 p.m. in Stern Auditorium on the Perelman Stage, the Shawnee group joined eight other choirs from Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin to perform Schubert’s Mass in G under the baton of Eduardo Garcia-Novelli and Mozart’s Miss Brevis in C Major under Paul Nesheim, as part of a concert featuring the New England Symphonic Ensemble. Additionally, the Florida A&M University Wind Symphony from Tallahassee, under Shelby Chipman, performed works by Jack Stamp, Eric Whitacre, Tchaikovsky, Bob Lowden, and John Williams. The MCA group spent some time as part of the New York experience to take in a performance of the Phantom of the Opera and tour New York City. “This experience is a great opportunity for our students to dig in on some very, very challenging music and sing as part of a larger group of incredible musicians. Getting the musical experience AND the trip to New York is a win-win, educationally,” according to Steve Gordon, Director. Junior High performed in “Rhythm City Junior,” a musical by MCA alumnus Jeremy Moritz. High School performed two one-act comedies “Why do we Laugh?” and “Louder. I Can’t Hear You” A big thanks to everyone who came out and supported the high school and junior high Spring Productions on April 9th and 10th! Elementary and Jr. High participated in and hosted a boosterthon fundraiser and Fun run on April 1st, raising over $15,000 for our school. Thanks for all your pledges! Man-UpDiscipleship Campout By Mark Hoduski What does it mean to be a man, and more importantly, a man of God? This year, ten Juniors and Seniors and two alumni attended the annual Man-up Barbeque and Olympics that is a culmination of the weekly Bible study attended by as many as twenty different boys over a nine week period. Bernie Zarda, longtime track coach and friend of MCA, shared his vision on Godly manhood. He challenged the men to be hard workers, love their wives, accept that God can use disappointments in your life for good, that men should take care of the little things in life, and that we should be like King David’s mighty men - practicing our craft, persevering, and being strong in God. His main text was David’s charge to his son Solomon, 1 Kings 2:1-2 “As David’s time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying, “I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man.…” Another part of the evening was the Olympic style competition that saw team Washington winning the coveted Sword of Victory over team Do-or-Die. The young men also enjoyed barbeque, a Bible study on being a “one-faced man,” multiple RISK games, and a devotion led by alumni. In the end, each person that attended the event knows it is up to them to, “ Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man.…” Study Tips By Bekah Westerfeld With May approaching, students are probably feeling more pressure to procrastinate anything school-related in efforts to slowly slide into the bliss of summer. Teachers and staff are encouraging students to finish strong and work hard these last several weeks of school. I wanted to share a few study tips that I personally find beneficial to any age that may help ease this seasonal sluggishness that many are experiencing. -Find a change of scenery. The older I got, the harder it became to be productive at home. I find that if I go to a coffee shop or library, I’m more committed to the task at hand and finish more quickly and my time is a lot more effective. -Munch on a healthy snack. Sometimes just having a small snack or mint helps me to concentrate. -Use a study application. StudyBlue and Quizlet are great apps to create and share electronic notes/flashcards and can be used anywhere: on the bus ride to sports, during down time at sporting events, outdoors, etc. -Study with others. When I surround myself with people who are also on task, we seem to get a lot more done. This is also a bonus for auditary learners who benefit from speaking and hearing information out loud. Feel free to share these with your kids and try them out in efforts to find something that motivates and empowers them academically throughout the remainder of this school year and in the future. Find additional study habits at http://opportunity.org/learn/lists/10-habits-of-successful-students Class registration is available and will be open through the end of school! Registration is available online including course descriptions and a video tutuorial to make the process as smooth as possible! Check it out at http://mca-eagles. org/?s=registration Specific course schedules will be officially released during the summer Come join us for Graduation of class of 2015 on Saturday, May 16th at 1:00p.m. in the Cross Points Church sanctuary