The Junior/Senior Banquet was fantastic! The French Country theme of the evening featured

beautiful decorations with the seniors’ chosen color, purple. Wren Farm, a barn in Mechanicsburg, was

the setting of the banquet. The evening started with the seniors riding in a limousine from Shekinah to

Wren Farm. After arriving at The Wren, the seniors joined their parents, the juniors, and the staff to eat

appetizers and take pictures. Soon after pictures were finished, everyone went to the upper room of the

barn for the delicious meal.

(See inside story on page 4)

Mr. Brice Kauffman

The 2016-2017 school year

has ended. Looking back

from the finish line we have

many reasons to celebrate.

Just two weeks ago over

100 students, teachers, and

parents made the trip to King’s

Island to celebrate the

successful memorization of

all assigned Bible memory

passages for the year. “This is the best field trip I’ve ever had!”

exclaimed one high school student. Several students asked,

“Mr. Kauffman, are you going to ride the roller coasters with

us?” When I politely declined the opportunity, one student

responded by asking why I had approved of a field trip to

King’s Island if I wasn’t going to ride roller coasters. I

reminded them that this reward was for their benefit, not for

mine. Whether it’s a trophy, encouraging word, or an all-day

trip to King’s Island, I believe we must be intentional about

celebrating student achievement. Here are other reasons to

celebrate the 2016-2017 school year:

We graduated six students (3 with honors diplomas).

Two of our seniors (Sabrina Slabaugh & Chris Conte) have

been nominated as Finalists for the Columbus Dispatch

Scholar-Athlete Scholarship Awards.

Our senior class average on the ACT was 25.3

(>3 points above the state average).

Multiple graduating seniors received significant

scholarships to attend the colleges they wanted.

Our first Community Impact Day surpassed expectations

of students, faculty and local organizations.

One of our elementary students recently made the

decision to surrender his life to Jesus Christ.

Our golf team won its first conference championship

(Mid-Ohio Christian Athletic League).

Our fundraising campaign (Refresh Shekinah)

surpassed last year’s total by over $7,000.

We launched our brand new website this spring!

(www.shekinahchristian.org)

We have hired a full-time math and full-time Spanish

teacher for next school year.

We have installed our first interactive whiteboard (like a

SMART board) with plans to install three more this

summer.

There are many more students and faculty who

engage in positive interactions and make a difference

throughout the year behind the scenes. One such

individual is our administrative assistant, Ann Grissom.

The school publications class rightfully chose to

dedicate the 2017 Reflections to Mrs. Grissom because

of her invaluable role in the daily operation of our

school.

We learned about a few other noteworthy, but

“unnoticed” actions when reading student comments

during the nominating process for our annual Shining

Star Awards. Congratulations to those who received the

most nominations from their peers and earned a Shining

Star Award: Eleyna Beachy (K-2nd), Wyatt Helmuth

(3-6th), Elijah Salierno (7-8th), and Sabrina Slabaugh

(9-12th). These students were recognized for their

exemplary demonstration of Christ-like character in our

student body.

Godly character is worth celebrating! Psalm 13:6

says, “I will sing the Lord’s praises, for He has been

good to me.” Would you join me in praising God for

His goodness to us throughout the 2016-2017 school

year?

Reasons to Celebrate

King’s Island

From the Journal of Eleyna Beachy

First we went to a recycling house. Then we saw

reindeer, bears, polar bear cubs, giraffes, ostriches,

and the cheetah run. Some of my favorites were

seeing bear cubs playing together, looking up at the

giraffes, and seeing ostriches running. We had fun.

Second Grade Journals: A Trip to the Zoo

Fourth Grade Acrostic

Clamor and clapping is the sound of my class.

Loud and unusual, laughing, a sound that lasts.

Adventurous, odd, are words to describe.

Special, peculiar, and one of a kind.

Strict, firm, but loving and kind.

Reliable, genuine, and always unique.

Optimistic, loud, describe this crowd.

Off, bizarre, we all came here from near and far.

Merry, carefree, for sure, this is the perfect

classroom for me.

~Ruby Gossard 4th

Baseball & Softball

Season Summary 2017

The 2017 Shekinah baseball team was

coached by Aaron Miller with assistant

coaches Trent Helmuth and Tom Chrysler.

The team finished with a record of 5-12 after

losing their first round tournament game to

Fisher Catholic.

The Shekinah softball team was coached by

Paul Kilzer and David Grissom. This was the

first year Shekinah has had a softball team.

They finished the season with a record of 5-9

after losing their first tournament game to

Ridgedale.

Although it was not the season ending

either team had hoped for, they still had lots

of fun and were able to make new memories

with their friends.

~Alissa Miller 10th

From the Journal of Ben Miller

On May 15, the second grade class went to the

Columbus Zoo. We saw giraffes, cheetahs, snakes,

lizards, polar bears, black bears, lions, a penguin, and

camels. We also saw some other animals. My

favorite one was the cheetahs because we got to

watch the cheetah run! We had a great time at the

zoo.

An Evening at The Wren

(Continued from page 1)

After climbing the rustic stairway to the

top floor of the barn we found our places at

candlelit tables. The meal started with a

spring salad with honey balsamic dressing.

The main dish was braised beef rib with

red wine reduction, blackened pork

tenderloin with pineapple salsa, Green

Bean Almondine, and Risotto rice with

sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese.

The crowning taste of the meal was

Bluescreek Farm cheesecake. After the

meal ended, juniors Natalie Headings and

Milla Reed gave the seniors their

prophecies. Following that, the senior

parents told memories and funny stories

about their graduates, and the seniors

gave their gifts to the juniors. To end the

banquet, Mr. Kauffman led in prayer and

then dismissed everyone.

~Sam Chrysler 11th

Ali presents a “gift” to Milla.

Shekinah Graduates of 2017 Austin Agriesti’s favorite memories from Shekinah are playing

soccer, being on the worship team, and “completely destroying Mr.

Shenk’s 8th period study hall.” The class he enjoyed the most was

literature because no other class allows you to write and read literal words

of art. He would like to start a family and travel the world, playing music

and praising God. His advice for underclassmen is, “Don’t stress, don’t

overthink, and don’t let school and grades become your identity. Find that

in Christ. You’ll be able to do anything if you have faith. Oh, and if at all

possible, try to remember that stressing about anything will get you

nowhere. Don’t procrastinate (unless it’s to eat food).”

Austin Agriesti

Parents: Tony & Karen Agriesti

Chris Conte’s favorite memories from Shekinah are going to

Arthur, Illinois for the Arthur Tournament, Choral Fest, playing home

games, and eating food throughout the school day. His two favorite

subjects were Old Testament and Philosophy with Mr. Shetler because he

learned a lot about God and evidence of the Christian faith and because

“Mr. Shetler is a boss.” In the future, he would like to have a job involving

music and would possibly like to be a youth pastor. He advises

underclassmen: “There’re tons of things grabbing for your attention and

time. Make sure you don’t allow stress to take over and stop you from

having fun. Always keep Jesus #1, because He’s more important than

everything else that tries to grab your attention.”

Parents: Harry & Catherine Conte

Christopher Conte

Class President

Valedictorian

Parents: Jeff & Karen Helmuth

Jessica Helmuth

Jessica Helmuth enjoyed her Spanish trip, Senior Skip Day, Jr./Sr.

Banquet and roasting Chris with Sabrina. She had fun in her Spanish classes

because of all the activities they would do as a class, and Algebra 2 was

fun because she enjoyed Mr. Hershberger as a teacher. Ten years from now

she hopes to be a Vet. Tech. and maybe own her own kennel. She also plans

to travel the world and have a family and goat farm. Her advice for

underclassmen is, “Enjoy every moment with your friends and try to make

the best of every situation. Remember to just have fun, be yourself, and

don’t stress the little things.”

Class Secretary

Alexandra Reed

Parents: Jarrod & Tamera Reed

The things Ali Reed enjoyed about her years from Shekinah were

playing volleyball for all four years of high school, the Ecuador trip,

Jr./Sr. Banquet, and going to Choral Fest even though she wasn’t in choir

and didn’t know any of the songs. Her favorite class was history not only

because of the topic but also because “Mr. Shenk is a great teacher.” She

is hoping to play volleyball for Columbus State Community College in

the fall, but ultimately wants to become a lawyer or do something in the

political world. Her advice for underclassmen is, “Learn how to balance

your life. Learn to know when you can go out with friends and when you

need to stay in and study. Live your life to the fullest and don’t waste the

four years you have here because they go by so quickly.”

Madalyn Schrader

A few of the things that Madalyn Schrader enjoyed about her time

at Shekinah were her Senior Skip Day, Jr./Sr. Banquet, the Spanish

trip, being in Something’s Rotten in the State of Denmark and

Seussical, and goofing off instead of studying. She loved Spanish,

Intro. to Philosophy, Office Applications, Chemistry, and any class

taught by Mr. Shenk. In ten years, she sees herself married with little

“ninos” and doing well in the graphic design world. Most of all, she

wants to be known as a woman of faith. Madalyn’s advice toward

underclassmen is, “A life centered around Jesus is the greatest thing

you can accomplish. Keep Jesus above everything else in your life,

read your Bible, and spend time with Him. Also spend time building

relationships and doing crazy things with your friends! Look for the

joy in life. Have courage and be kind.” Parents: Tim & Lynette Schrader

Class Vice President

Salutatorian

Parents: David & Collette Slabaugh

Sabrina Slabaugh

Some of Sabrina Slabaugh’s favorite memories from her time at Shekinah

are her Spanish trip, the Jr./Sr. Banquet, Choral Fest, Senior Skip Day, going

to the Arthur Tournament, and roasting Chris. Two classes that she enjoyed

were Old Testament and Intro. to Philosophy. She hopes to become a

pediatric nurse, and she would also like to travel and have a family. Sabrina’s

advice for underclassmen is, “Enjoy high school while it lasts. Work hard,

have fun with friends, and above all, keep God first in your life.”

Class Treasurer

Article by Sierra Coblentz

On April 21-23, Shekinah’s high school choir went to Rosedale Bible College to participate in the

2017 Choral Fest. Other choirs from Atmore Christian School, Clinton Christian School, Faith

Christian Academy, Greenwood Mennonite School, and Pathway Christian School also joined

Shekinah to make a total of 98 choir students. The director for the weekend was Jared Stutzman from

Eastern Mennonite High School, Harrisonburg, VA. The weekend was filled with rehearsals for

Sunday’s performance and recreational activities. The boys played in a basketball tournament against

the other schools and the girls played in a volleyball tournament. Our students had fun and had the

unique experience of singing in a mass choir.

~Rebecca Grissom 10th

First Graders Read for Heifer International

For the month of March in first grade, we added an

extra dimension to our monthly reading goals. We

did a Read-a-thon for Heifer International, an

organization that helps needy people around the world.

The students had the opportunity to find sponsors who

either pledged an amount for each minute read or gave

a donation. We were excited to find that we had raised

$695.05. It was so much fun to go through their

catalog and choose the items we wanted to pay for. We

paid for a water buffalo, an irrigation pump, a bio-gas

stove, a flock of 20 chickens, a goat, and a sheep. We

found it is a blessing to be able to bless others!

~Miss Maust

On May 5, 2017, elementary and junior high students

performed at the Fine Arts Showcase at Shiloh. The

kindergarten, first, and second grade students started the

evening with their reenactment of the Chinese Folk Tale, Tikki

Tikki Tembo.

After this, the Jr.. High took the stage. They sang and

played three songs on their ukuleles including, “Somewhere

Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World” and “You’ve Got a

Friend in Me.” After that the fifth and sixth graders sang a

song and then were joined by the third and fourth graders to

sing “My Favorite Things Medley.” Then, the third and fourth

graders remained on the stage to sing their song “The Happy

Wanderer/Yodel-ay.” Finally, the fifth and sixth graders took

the stage one more time to perform Romeo and Juliet.

To finish the evening, the third through sixth grade students

sang a benedictory song: “Go Now in Peace.”

~Anna Pratt 10th

A lot has changed since I was last asked to write an

alumni update. My family and I are currently serving in

full time missions in Homer, Alaska with YWAM Arctic

Mercy. Megan is the kitchen manager, and I am the

maintenance manager. We also serve as the Outreach

Leaders for DTS (Discipleship Training Schools).

Being leaders for the outreach teams is a challenge

that is extremely

rewarding. We are

blessed to see the

students put into

action everything

that they have

learned during

their DTS.

This past fall

we led a team to

Savoonga, a village

on Saint Lawrence

Island that is

located in the north

Bering Sea between Nome, Alaska, and Russia. The

people there are Siberian Yup’ik and most live their lives

as traditionally Eskimo as possible. While there, we host

church services, VBS, small group studies, and youth

events. Some of the other practical areas we serve in

are: vehicle and home repairs, visits to pray with the

elders, and community service. On the last trip there I

was humbled and honored to be asked to pastor a

funeral.

Food is one of the things that the natives love to share

with us while we are in the village. We are served

mangtak (raw whale skin and blubber), walrus, seal, and

akutuq (Eskimo ice cream).

Our youngest three children: Elijah (12), Josiah (10),

News From the Far North

and Charity (9) are still homeschooled and get to go

with us on the outreach trips. They love to be in the

village and consider it another home for themselves. Our

oldest son, Ethan (18), has a full time job and stays in

Homer working and taking care of the house while we

are gone. He is planning on attending the local

community college this fall.

Please check our

Facebook page

Adventurous6Missions,

for pictures and

updates. Thank you

so much for your

prayers and support.

~Mark Gordon ‘94

Alumni,

We need your email addresses!

We want to hear from you. Please email us at

theflame@shekinahchristian.org with your news

and your updated email address. We are currently

sending The Flame by email to alumni, parents, and

grandparents. If you are getting this newsletter by

mail, we either do not have your email address or

you have let us know you prefer getting this publi-

cation in the mail. You can also find The Flame on

our website, www.shekinahchristian.org.

Production Manager:: Ann Grissom * Alumni Editor: Linda Shetler * Student Editors: Student Publications Class

Phone 614-873-3130 * Fax 614-873-3699 * E-mail: theflame@shekinahchristian.org * web site www.shekinahchristian.org

Shekinah Christian School

10040 Lafayette-P.C. Road

Plain City, OH 43064

A Honor Roll

8th — Brooke Cooley, Sierra Knepp,

Elijah Salierno, Danielle Wilcox

9th — Makayla Byars, Graham Coblentz,

Kent Gingerich, Josh Showalter

10th —Anthony Conte, Rebecca Grissom, Ben

Hershberger, Shantia Knox, Alissa Miller,

Anna Pratt, Mandi Scheffel, Jana

Schlabach, Malia Schrader, Kloe Yutzy

11th —Stephen Byars, Cole Gingerich, Sarah

Grissom, Natalie Headings, John Michael

Hershberger, Milla Reed

12th —Christopher Conte, Jessica Helmuth,

Madalyn Schrader, Sabrina Slabaugh

Merit Honor Roll

7th — Jack DeFrancesco, Shay Greenwell,

Connor Slabaugh, Danae Wilcox,

Andrew Yutzy

8th — Danielle Headings, Sydney Lyons

9th — Shelby Dawson,

10th —Sierra Coblentz, Jeanie Schlabach,

11th — Nicole Cooley, Cheyanne Knepp,

Madison Miller

Mark your calendars…...

May 26—Graduation at 7:00 p.m.

June 12-16—Boys’ Basketball Camp

May 27-August 20 —Summer Break

Fourth Quarter Honor Roll

Births:

Jake & Chelsea (Mast) Moran ’02; Danielle Nicole

born April 25, 2017; fourth child, second daughter.

Jonathan ‘03 & Caranda (Beachy) Miller ’01;

Avery Lynette born April 22, 2017 (in the process

of adopting); first child, first daughter.

Ryan ‘04 & Rebecca (Troyer ) Mayer; Emer son

Grace born April 26, 2017; second child, first

daughter.

Winston ‘11 & Emilee (Bender ) Coblentz; Addison

Lynn born May 27, 2017; first child, first daughter.

Weddings

Richy Zhelezny ‘11 and Alyson Monagan on May

26, 2017.

Rachel Troyer ‘11 and Shane Moser on May 27,

2017.

Alumni News & Notes