Blog

RAA’s Pace Patrol (Pawtrol) is up and running…Literally. In its second year, it has grown from 30 students to around 50 students in grades K-5 which means about 40 percent of elementary students are participating.

The Pace Patrol run club meets Thursdays after school as long as weather permits, giving our younger students a fun and inclusive activity that lets students of all levels join in. It is wonderful watching the students led by siblings, Dr. The and Ms. The-Kay, as they teach students to enjoy activity, helping them develop healthy habits and build camaraderie, giving them skills that will be with them for life.

In that vein, something new this year is that the Pace Patrol has joined the New York Road Runners, a nonprofit run club associated with the New York Marathon. This nonprofit organization partners with schools to provide resources such as curriculum, gear, equipment, and other support as a way to promote running. This year our students will receive free shirts and possibly even New Balance shoes. We are very excited about this new opportunity and look forward to what this connection will bring.

As their website says, “When you encourage kids to move, you’ll inspire them to soar.”

To learn more about the New York Road Runners visit their website: https://www.nyrr.org/youth 

Lauryn Karpenko, the head of photography for Redlands Adventist Academy's Yearbook team, snapped a photo of Garrison Chaffee, the youth pastor of PUC Prep, for the interview challenge, just one of many that the Yearbook team conquered on their annual, beginning-of-the-year trip.  This was just one of the many projects and moments captured at the annual Publication Workshop hosted by Pacific Union College, where our yearbook team was joined by other schools' yearbook staff from across the West Coast.
The team's adventure began with an early morning flight (read 6:30 AM), arriving just in time to settle in before dinner and an icebreaker session the first night. At the icebreakers, our team met yearbook teams from other schools and heard some inspiring words from keynote speaker Julie Z. Lee, the executive producer of Maranatha Mission Stories. She emphasized the power of storytelling and reminded everyone in attendance of the importance of their work.
The days that followed were filled with workshops led by PUC professors, where students learned valuable skills in writing, design, and photography. Each student was then assigned a faculty member to interview, photograph, and write an article about, putting all their newfound knowledge to the test. The articles were finished, submitted, and then evaluated by the professors, who provided the students with valuable feedback to improve their work.
Editor Shemariah Tohdjojo reflected on the experience, saying, "We were expecting a story of stress, but in that pressure we found confidence in our team." That confidence is the foundation the team will rely on this year as they work diligently to create this year's masterpiece of a yearbook.
Not only is Publication Workshop a chance for the yearbook teams to gain that foundation of confidence and skills, but it is also a chance to showcase what each team accomplished in the time between the yearly workshops, accompanied by an awards ceremony. This year, the RAA yearbook team dominated, winning awards for Best Photography, Best Writing, Best Layout and Design, and Best Overall Yearbook. It was a testament to their hard work, dedication, and the skills they acquired both at this workshop and as they worked on previous projects.

What's even better than getting an autograph from a famous person? How about giving one?

Fifth graders recently practiced the lost art of letter writing. They started by thinking of somebody they admire. After disappointingly finding out that they were not allowed to write to Principal Arnold, they switched to their backup choices. A myriad of notable personalities picked included recently retired tennis pro Serena Williams, YouTuber Mr. Beast, female education activist Malala Yousafzai, former football quarterback Peyton Manning, Wonder author R.J. Palacio, and former President Obama.

Once recipients were picked, student writers researched fanmail addresses. Their letters included introducing themselves, sharing multiple compliments, and asking several questions. Students enjoyed writing their names at the bottom, in effect signing their autographs as if they were the more notable person.

Now, for the hard part . . . waiting for a response. The average letter reply takes about three months, while the longest once took a patient fifth-turned-sixth grader an entire year. Although the fastest responses tend to come from authors (they like to write) and politicians (they want you to vote for them), the quickest reply occurred a few years ago when Brazilian-American skateboarder Bob Burnquist responded with a letter and autographed picture in only three weeks.

Who sent the most letters, you ask? Fifth grader Parker Houck, with an impressive 15 letters (and self-addressed signed envelopes, to boot)

Riddle me this: Which prominent figure is going to receive the most number of fifth grade letters from RAA? Let's just say that these students are hoping to get their letters back "Swift-ly."