October–December 2013

A Hike in the Woods By Noah Marlin

Harvest Hike was on October 12, 2013. Harvest Hike took place in

the back woods of Spring Vale Academy. Starting at the quad, we walked

though the woods and ended at a camp fire. We stopped and ate some great

food. Different awards were handed out to four people: Anya, Marcos,

Tabitha, and Kyle. Then we played talk or get sprayed. Talk or get sprayed

is a game where someone out of the group is picked to talk for a minute

about a certain topic, or they get sprayed in the face with water.

After we played and really enjoyed talk or get sprayed, we cleaned

up the area and headed back to campus. After about fifteen minutes, we

arrive back at the quad and decided to watch a movie in the rec center. For

the movie, we watched Barnyard and ate snacks. After the movie, the guys

and girls went back to their dorm. That ended our Harvest Hike.

Awards:

King and Queen: Anya President and Marcos Roman

Most Comical Hiker: Tabitha Flood

Most Musical Hiker: Kyle Schmitz

Index

A Hike in the Pg. 1

Woods

A Call for Emails Pg. 1

Student of the Pg. 2

Month

Homecoming Pg. 2

A Revived Church Pg. 3

We’ve Got Spirit! Pg. 4

Defining Hope: Pg. 4

SOUND and ACTION

2013-14

In It To Win It Pg. 5

Take It To The Pg. 5

Hoop

His Love Endures Pg. 6

Forever

“No other gods” Pg. 6

Two Day Get Pg. 7

Away

Torch Staff Pg. 8

Upcoming Pg. 8

Birthdays

A Call for Emails By Leticia Moore (Torch Adviser)

For the past year or more, Spring Vale has been endeavoring to

create a database of emails so that the Torch may be sent out by

electronically instead of by mail. This will help Spring Vale cut down on

our expenditures. It currently costs the school about $4500 a year to print

and mail the Torch newsletter every year. By switching over to electronic

mailings, this money can be used for the school in other capacities. Some

people have already sent their emails to the school, but we need more in

order to make this successful.

Please email SVA at svapublicrelations@springvale.us to join our

emailing list. The current and recent Torch editions are also available

online at springvale.us under the Torch Newsletter tab.

The Torch

2

Spring Vale Academy Student of the Month

by Noah Marlin

Each month the staff pick a student that showed great

behavior that month for the award of Student of the

Month. Here are the first semester Students of the

Month:

August/September: Benjamin Arend Ben is a sophomore and is

participating in soccer and

basketball. Ben is smart, and tries his

hardest at everything. Mr. Ciavarella

says, “He has been constantly help-

ing even when he is not asked, and

we appreciate it a lot.”

October: Marcos Roman and Carrie Nienhuis Marcos is a sophomore, and he

participated in soccer and is in

SOUND. Marcos is a funny,

musical, and athletic student. Mrs.

Arend says, “Marcos is an all-around

good student and is a pleasure to

have on campus. Spring Vale is

blessed to have him.”

Carrie is a senior this year. Carrie is

participating in girl's volleyball,

basketball, SOUND, and cheerleading.

Carrie is a caring person, and is always

positive. Pam Noble says, “She is

awesome! [She is] a great student, a

great friend, very helpful, and a great

teacher’s assistant!”

November: Benjamin Noble Ben is a junior at Spring Vale

Academy. Ben is participating in

soccer and basketball. He is hard-

working, smart, and a leader. Mr.

Peterson says, “He has good

attributes as a student: he is hard-

working and is willing to help others

in the classroom.”

Homecoming

By Marcos Roman

This year on October 4th-6th was the 2nd

annual Homecoming for Spring Vale Academy.

The alumni came and enjoyed hanging out with

old friends and staff. They also came to played

soccer and volleyball against the Flames.

Bryan Baker from Colorado was the speak-

er on Saturday morning. He talked about his

missions in Africa and how they suffered hunger,

war and poverty. He also showed a video about the

people in Africa and how they survived great trials.

On Sunday the alumni soccer game was

rainy and cold, but despite the weather the game

was fun. There were a lot of messing around and

funny moments in the game. It was a high-scoring

game. The players weren’t really focused on

winning but just hanging out and having a good

time with the old guys. The alumni volleyball

game was intense. The Lady Flames played hard

and did their best, but the alumni came up with the

win.

After the games, we loaded the bus and left

for Lansing. We went to watch a Christian movie

called “Grace Unplugged.” The movie was

meaningful, and it really touched a lot of people.

Overall, Homecoming was a success and everyone

had fun.

The current and alumni soccer players after

the game

3

The Torch A Revived Church

By Noah Marlin

From October 31st through November 2nd, Lyle Kendrick gave a series of sermons for fall revivals. He

talked about the church's need for revival and what revival is. Lyle talked about how worship is about God not

us. He said that we can't have revival without hope, hunger, humility and honesty. Part of what he said was

how we need to be hungry for God. If we are not humble we can't have revival because we will not give

everything to God. Lyle also talked about how we need God over our own dignity. He used the passages of

Matthew 19, Matthew 22, and Philippians 3 during his services. It was a great and moving fall revival.

Lately Spring Vale has been going through some great spiritual changes. One thing that comes to

mind is the “Thirty Days of Praise” that started just before revivals. Every day for two hours people meet in

the sanctuary and have a time of worship and prayer. This has been a huge blessing for many of the local

church members. The “Thirty Days of Praise” was so good that they turned it to “Sixty Days of Praise.” Ever

since the revival, the Friday and Saturday services have gotten more spiritual and personal. The services have

a whole new feel to them.

On December 1st, the men got together for their monthly men's breakfast. Reports of the breakfast say

that it went very well and that the men didn't just talk about politics. It went more in depth, with the men

confessing things, asking for forgiveness, and praying for each other. The breakfast went on for several hours

after it normally would have.

On December 6th we had a Freedom Worship service where many were moved. We made sure

everyone had room to worship God however they wanted, like raising hands or kneeling down. To do this, we

took out the first four or five rows in the middle of the church. The service was mostly singing, but we had

four young adult speakers: James Edwards, Brendon Noble, Edmund Peterson, and Jessica Caswell.

To wrap it all up, we've had some great services lately, and we wish you could enjoy them too.

Left: Lyle Kendrick

speaking during the

revival service.

Right: Spring Vale at the

Freedom Worship service

4

Spring Vale Academy We’ve Got Spirit!

By Hadassah Albert

“We’ve got spirit, yes we do! We’ve got spirit,

how about you?” This year, we’ve got quite a few

girls on the cheerleading squad. Led by their

wonderful coaches, Hope Kendrick and Leticia

Moore, the cheerleading squad is progressing well.

Making up the squad this year are Amanda Miller,

Carrie Nienhuis, Norma Perez, Alexandria Albert,

Jennifer Rodriguez, Tabitha Flood, Olivia Arend,

Liberty Kendrick, Sequoia Greer, and Madeline

Hinds.

Of course, having more cheerleaders means

having more uniforms. The girls got together and

brainstormed ideas to raise money to buy their new

uniforms. One of the fundraisers they came up with

was gathering pop cans around a nearby

neighborhood. Even though it rained, the girls pulled

through and managed to raise almost two hundred

dollars!

At the first game, the cheerleaders came

looking great in their cheer warm-ups! They were very

motivating throughout the game, and during half-time,

there were even some fancy flips! The cheerleaders

kept the crowd loud and entertained while we cheered

on our boys. On top of having a larger squad, the girls

have also branched out and added some new cheers to

our already lengthy list of cheers.

The girls are looking forward to cheering the

boys on for the rest of the basketball season!

Above: The cheerleaders show spirit at half time.

Below: Some cheerleaders hard at work depositing

cans to raise money.

Defining Hope: SOUND and ACTION

2013-14

By Olivia Arend

Every year students in the SVA community

look forward to finding out who will be in the

SOUND and ACTION group. This year’s lovely

members are seniors, Carrie Nienhuis and Norma

Perez; juniors, Josiah Carbajal and Matt Nienhuis;

sophomores, Anya President, Olivia Arend, and

Marcos Roman; and freshman, Danielle Endecott.

This year’s theme for SOUND is “hope.” I

think Mr. Noble picked hope as the theme because

it’s easy to say we have hope, but what exactly is

hope? It’s something we should really be thinking

about.

In addition to their annual summer tour,

which is headed to the West Coast, the SOUND has

performed at Oliver Woods Retirement Village in

Owosso. SOUND will also be singing at the annual

SVA Winter Concert on Friday, December 13.

(L to R): Josiah Carbajal, Danielle Endecott, Anya

President, Carrie Nienhuis, Olivia Arend, Marcos

Roman, and Matthew Nienhuis

5

The Torch In It To Win It

By Hadassah Albert

On November 21st, 2013, the junior varsity and the varsity Flames suited up to play against Midland

Homeschool.

The junior varsity team – Benjamin Arend, Abel Molinar, Jacob Schmitz, Zion Albert, and Nicklaus

Kendrick – played hard. They hustled and demonstrated wonderful teamwork, and they pulled ahead to finish

with 48 to Midland’s 18 points.

Shortly after the junior varsity’s victory, Christopher Acosta, Josiah Carbajal, Colby Hinds, Matthew

Nienhuis, Benjamin Noble, Kyle Schmitz, and Adam Slawson took over the court. The adrenaline was

pumping, and the cheerleaders and the crowd were cheering them on as they played. Although they played

hard, the varsity lost with a score of 54 to 65 points.

That was just the first game of the season. Coach Kelen Caswell has been working with the boys and

there has been much improvement. The boys work hard in practice and give it their all to win. They are

excited to see how much they’ve improved in their skills and in their

teamwork.

With the junior varsity having ten games left of the season, I asked

one of their players, Adam Slawson, a junior, who plays for both teams,

how he felt about the upcoming season. “I think that things will start going

a lot smoother once we mature in the sport. When we start growing and

getting more confident in our game, things will get a lot better.” The

varsity has thirteen games left in the season. I pulled aside one of their

starting players, Kyle Schmitz, also a junior, to ask how he felt about the

season. “It’s going to go very well if we work as hard as we can,” he says.

It seems as if the boys are in for an incredible season!

Taking it to the Hoop!

By Olivia Arend

The Lady Flames are having a great season!

This year’s girls’ varsity basketball team is Carrie

Nienhuis, Norma Perez, Alex Albert, Anya President,

Olivia Arend, Mariah O’Neal, Abby Molinar,

Madeline Hinds, and Micayla Kendrick.

After three weeks of hard practice, the Lady

Flames started off their season with a game against

Owosso Homeschool. The game was close, but the

Flames ended up winning, 31-24! Alex Albert

remarks about the game, “We did well for our first

game. [We had] lots of team effort. Go Flames!”

The Flames have two more games before

break and are ready to play hard, despite a knee injury

to a vital starter. Anya President says, “We’re doing

really well, and we’re playing as a team. I’m proud

that we’re not quitting even when the odds are against

us.” The girls’ basketball team is anticipating a

winning season!

6

Spring Vale Academy

By Anya President

Harvest of Thanks is an annual banquet where the

students, staff, and church members all come together as

one and fellowship with each other. This year’s theme

was “His Love Endures Forever.” Throughout the night

we heard some powerful testimonies, had some wonderful

laughs, and played an intense game of bingo.

We started off the evening with the song “His

Love Endures Forever.” It was led by Jessica Caswell,

and following that, she gave a short testimony of how the

Lord has shown Himself in her life. We also heard

testimonies from Azael Garcia, Stefanie Kendrick, Evan

Schmitz, and Bethany Coulson. The school band also

performed. Next, it was time to eat! We all had full plates

of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, cranberry

sauce, carrots, potato salad, and lots of pie!

After eating, we did an activity where we had five

minutes to write the best thanksgiving poem or jingle. It

was judged by Carrie Nienhuis, Arlene Caswell, Bruce

Noble, and Devin Caswell. This was followed by a game

of Thanksgiving Bingo for prizes.

Everyone had a fun filled night of fellowship and

enjoyed each other’s company. The event was planned,

set up and hosted by the young adults. We are very

thankful for their leadership and for stepping up to be in-

volved. It was a night to remember!

“No other gods” By Marcos Roman

After a long first quarter full of school

and homework, the boys couldn’t wait for

retreat. This year’s boys’ retreat was held at

Little Pine Island Lake on October 12-15th. The

retreat was hosted by Pastor Tim Hinds and Kurt

Lang. Lisa Hinds was the cook. The food was

amazing, especially the roasted venison that she

prepared. All of the guys thanked her and Pastor

Tim for all of their hard work in preparing the

meals for them.

This year’s theme for boy’s retreat was,

“No other gods.” Kurt Lang was the speaker,

and he spoke to us about the things in our lives

that become idols. Some things we don’t even

realize have become idols in our lives. We

mentioned some of the big idols and discussed

them. We also received a book called Gods at

War by Kyle Idleman, which talked about

defeating the idols that battle for our hearts.

Some of the idols that he talked about were

food, entertainment, success, money and

romance. The messages that Kurt gave were

eye-opening. Everyone thanked Kurt for coming

and sharing his message.

We were not bored at retreat because

there were always things to do. We went on

walks, played football, soccer. We did other

activities, too. There was a sling shot contest in

the woods, where we put up targets and had a

competition on who could get the most shots on

target. We also played extreme rock, paper,

scissors. Everyone had an amazing time at

retreats. It was relaxing and full of fun.

7

The Torch Two Day Get Away!

By Anya President

A couple of days to get away and just relax is what all of

us girls were looking forward to!

Girls’ retreat took place this year at Sleeping Bear Resort.

We arrived at around 4:30 p.m. and everyone immediately rushed

to the rooms that we would be staying in for the next two days.

Some unpacked, some toured the resort, and some went down to

the lake and enjoyed a boat ride.

Our hostesses were our cook, Barbie Coulson, our

supervisor, Tracy Schmitz, and our devotion leader, Sandra

Sexton.

We had devotion every morning and afternoon about

various different things, but the thing that stood out most to me was when we discussed how girls are

sometimes a stumbling block to guys, and we don’t even realize it. We need to watch the way we act, talk,

dress, and carry ourselves around guys.

Over the course of the two days, we played Ping-Pong, card games, catch phrase, went out on the lake,

made bracelets, ate a bunch of snacks, and slept a lot!

Hadassah Albert says, “My favorite part of girls’ retreat was beating everybody in Ping-Pong and just

getting to spend time and bond with the other girls that I don’t see that often.”

Mariah O’Neal says, “I loved going out on the lake with Norma and just hanging out because it was so

peaceful, and the trees were so beautiful.”

Girls’ retreat was amazing and it gave us girls a chance to grow closer to each other and have fun.

Left: The girls are ready to devour some eggrolls that Mrs.

Coulson made.

Below (L to R): Mrs. Coulson, Mrs. Schmitz, and Mrs.

Sexton

8

Upcoming Birthdays

January:

2 Jon Arend

12 Marcos Roman

February:

4 Manny Molinar

12 Barbie Coulson

19 Anya President

22 Pam Noble

25 Angel Rodriguez

March:

9 Scott Fischer

10 Leticia Moore

24 Lauren Caswell

24 James Patchen

29 Liz Fischer

Torch Staff

Hadassah Albert-Editor

Olivia Arend-Editor

Noah Marlin

Anya President

Marcos Roman

Torch Advisor

Leticia Moore

Spring Vale is

proud to announce

we are now

accepting

International

applications!