Graduation Week at SBEC

This is Graduation Week. For seniors, the activities of this week include final exams, a number of lunch get-togethers, several family open houses and parties, graduation and baccalaureate practices, and signing their 2012 year book, which is in full color his year. These fun activities, however, are sandwiched between the senior chapel at the beginning of the week and two significant and serious recognitions at the end of this week.

During the senior chapel on Monday, the entire senior class led the singing of praise songs. Some seniors sang and played special songs while others spoke on the significance of their time at SBEC. Jakin Delony, Salutatorian of the class, spoke on the spiritual support he received from so many faculty members and staff. Class President Matt DeBerry challenged Will Tobermann, president of the class of 2013, to lead his class next year to honor God and to do everything for the betterment of the class and school. Probably the most significant part of senior chapel occurred toward its end when the seniors were called to the front of the sanctuary by the grade in which they began at SBEC. Most students began their SBEC career in kindergarten through the elementary grades. As later grades were called, more seniors joined their classmates. After all the seniors had assembled at the front of the sanctuary, the faculty and staff came forward to surround groups of seniors to pray for them. It was a significant time of prayer.

On Friday of this week, the seniors will participate in the Baccalaureate Service beginning at 7:00 PM in the sanctuary of Broadway Baptist Church. Dr. Sam Brassell, father of senior Philip Brassell and Senior Pastor of Covenant Baptist Church, will present the Baccalaureate Message while David Galante and his son, Sebastian, will give the Prayers of Blessing for the seniors and their families. Students and families will be challenged to use the knowledge and lessons learned at SBEC to live for the Lord and His kingdom. On Saturday, May 12, beginning at 11:00 AM, the seniors will receive their diplomas at the Commencement Exercise. As a part of this ceremony, Jakin Delony will deliver the Salutatory Address and Wesley Pena will give the Valedictory Address.

The seniors have chosen CRAVE as their class theme and Psalm 63:1 as their class verse,

O God, You are my God; earnestly I seek you. My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land, where there is no water.

From Our Elementary Principal- Summer Activities

As we approach the end of another school year, our thoughts turn to summertime family fun such as vacations, cookouts, swimming, camping, and a trip to the beach! 

Over the years, parents have asked me what their children should do during these summer months to keep their minds active. I recently read an article that suggests five or six activities that parents can do with their children that will accomplish this and at the same time relieve them from a school type environment.

READ TOGETHER -   Research shows that the most important way parents can help their children become better readers is by encouraging them to read at home.  Parents should also try to find a time when the whole family can read together.

VISIT THE LIBRARY - Many libraries plan special summer activities.  Kids need to learn that adults read for fun too so take – don’t send them to the library.

PLAN OUTINGS TOGETHER - Every community has interesting places to visit: museums, drama productions, concerts, and the zoo.

WRITE LETTERS – If your family is planning a vacation this summer, have the children write to the department of tourism in states that you intend to visit.  Also, they could write their relatives, friends, or a missionary in another country.

PLAY WORD AND READING GAMES – Try looking for letters of the alphabet on signs as you drive in the community or on vacation.  For older children, games like Scrabble help build vocabulary.

LEARN HOW THINGS WORK - Have the children tinker with an old alarm clock or a calculator that you were going to throw away.

STUDY THE WEATHER – Keep a notebook to record temperature, humidity, etc. Make a rain gauge in a coffee can and measure the precipitation.  Read about clouds.

These are just a few examples of how to make summertime experiences not only fun but interesting and educational as well.  I would also encourage parents to check out internet websites for additional ideas related to summer activities.

  

Have a great summer!!!

David W. Fox

Elementary Principal

From Our Assistant Elementary Principal

At SBEC we use Foundations & Frameworks (F&F) as our elementary reading program.  A recent article in the March issue of Educational Leadership by Richard Allington and Rachael Gabriel outline six essentials of reading instruction that a program needs to be effective.  A comparison between these elements and F&F was revealing.

ü  Every child reads something he or she chooses.  In our reading program, there are book choices of as many as three per unit.  Students are given choices after the teacher gives the class a summary of each book.  The children love the “unveiling” day, when they find out what their book is.
 
ü  Every child reads accurately.  Through small group times, the teacher hears every child read aloud.  This ensures they are reading the text of the chapter book or novel correctly, and unknown vocabulary words are explained as they explore the unit.
 
ü  Every child reads something he or she understands. Teachers oversee the children’s choices to make sure a student is in the correct book level.  Occasionally students can be placed in a book that is difficult for them if they desire a challenge.
 
ü  Every child writes about something personally meaningful.  In SPECS (Space for Extending Comprehension Skills) Logs, students write about what they have read that day, extend that learning into various visual tools, or summarize the reading.
 
ü  Every child talks with peers about reading and writing.  Daily discussion in small groups forms the backbone of F&F.
 
ü  Every child listens to a fluent adult read aloud. Through the read-aloud books used to introduce each unit, students are treated to different types of stories read aloud by the teacher.

We are encouraged at the individual and group success we have seen with Foundations & Frameworks and are thrilled with the strength of its elements.
 

Cathy Laster

Assistant Elementary Principal

From Our High School Principal

The Easter holiday is behind us. We mourned the death on a cross but we also rejoiced in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. One event is meaningless without the other. Without the sacrifice of Jesus there would not be payment for our sins and without His resurrection death would still maintain its hold over us. But with both we have not only our sins cleansed but also the righteousness of Christ bestowed upon us so that we may enter into the presence of the Almighty God. What a glorious thought. May we not forget as we get back to the daily requirements of school and work.

April is spring sports and year-end trips. Baseball, softball, soccer, track, and tennis are in the middle of their seasons. Afternoon matches and 7:00 pm baseball games are the norm now. In addition, the band is getting ready to leave for their trip to Washington DC and the spring Home Missions Class goes to Nashville. STEM day and the physics field trip to Six Flags are rapidly approaching and then there are all the year-end celebrations being planned. We have a lot of events that can distract us, but we need to remain focused on our purpose and our mission.

School ends in about six weeks, less for our seniors, and our time for this year is coming to a close. As teachers plan their closing weeks and students look forward to the summer break, it seems as if we are always looking ahead. While planning for the future is a good thing, let’s not forget to live today. God has given us each day to rejoice and be glad in it. Easter is all about what God has done for us so that we may live in relationship with him today. 

Sam Wrigley

High School Principal

From Our Director of Development

As colleges and businesses have embraced the use of technology, so SBEC has increased its attention on incorporating technology into the school environment. That is, technology itself is not our goal, but creating ways to learn subject matter better and communicate with all of our constituents is our focus. 

In the classrooms, laptop carts, Ebeams, and Smart Boards are permitting us to engage students with more online, grade level and subject matter projects. Even Senior Kindergarten students are using iPads and hope to use smaller, easier-to-hold cell phones to download education apps for learning. Currently, junior high computer classes are engaging in a cross curricular study with the English department to assist students with the papers they are required to write. High school technology uses cooperative projects to make children’s books utilizing PowerPoint, create brochures, prepare and write business letters, and use Excel to analyze and shop for computers and prepare a budget for a family. Finally, our libraries are purchasing EBooks for the benefit of our students.

This year we introduced our online re-enrollment program for our current families. Our parents and families have expressed great appreciation for this capability. Today, 85% of our current students have used the online resource to re-enroll for next year. By adding the number of current students whose families have said they plan to return, almost 92% of our current students will have re-enrolled through our online program. You may find out more at Admissions Application. The complete online enrollment forms for new students will be available shortly.

Technology has permitted us to communicate better and more often with our parents. Our weekly newsletter, InTouch, allows parents to quickly scan the many activities at school, the awards our students have earned, and learn about important upcoming events. In addition, we communicate with parents through an “opt in” texting program. To join the network, just text “sbec” to 8850 on your cell phone and you can be included in future alerts, updates, and information. Through Facebook, and Twitter the school has followers and fans with whom we communicate regularly. 

Beginning this week we are using our online capability to permit our families and alumni, relatives and friends of the school from around the country to bid for items on our Online Auction. Proceeds from this auction are used in our Annual Fund to benefit students and teachers at the school. 

George Carnall

Director of Development

A Word From Our President

During Spring Break it was my privilege to travel with the International Biblical Studies class, consisting of 26 students, and 4 additional faculty members to Costa Rica for the annual IBS mission trip. This was the twelfth international mission trip that SBEC has taken dating back to our first trip to Austria in 2000. Since that time we have been to such countries as Brazil, China, Italy, Russia, Romania, Guatemala and several others. On each trip we spend our time working with local missionaries. It has been my joy to go on ten of the trips and all have been unique in their own way. The recent Costa Rica trip was no exception. Logistically, it was one of the best trips we have taken. Though there were a few minor adjustments, the students and chaperones demonstrated great attitudes and cooperative spirits throughout the trip. Our time was well spent.

You may ask why is it important for us to have a class such as IBS and to take these trips. At SBEC, we want our students to see that the world is much bigger than Desoto County, Mississippi. We are blessed to live in such a great place, but the comforts we experience are not common to most people. We also want our students to experience different cultures. Most important, we want to expose our students to what God is doing throughout the world. We serve a God of the nations and He is at work throughout the world. Finally, we want our students to catch a glimpse of what it means to be on the mission field and to learn from some of the many faithful people who have committed their life to being obedient to God’s calling for the sake of the Gospel.

The IBS class, the Home Missions class, and the mission emphasis in our elementary school serve to provide our students with an awareness of some mission opportunities. What a joy it has been over the years to support and to visit graduates and former staff members of SBEC whom God is using on the mission field, both at home and abroad. Who knows, maybe God used something at SBEC to prompt their hearts to go serve Him. 

David Manley

SBEC President

From Our Elementary Principal

Spring Break is a special time of the year for our entire SBEC family.  It is a time when all concerned can be refreshed, renewed and prepared to face that sprint to the finish line and the conclusion of  another school year.  The spring season officially begins on Tuesday, March 20 but for several weeks now we have seen numerous signs and activities that this special time of the year is about to “burst out” with new growth and changing colors.  This new season and the miraculous events that occur in God’s creation, always remind me of the growth that takes place in our students at this approximate time each year. We trust that over these remaining weeks and months of the 2011-2012 school year that we will continue to see our students grow spiritually, academically, and socially and that these positive changes will lead them to a deeper level of maturity and preparation for the coming years ahead.

 

David Fox

Elementary Principal