January– March 2013 Frankenmuth: Snowfest 2013 Frankenmuth

The Torch
January– March 2013
Frankenmuth: Snowfest 2013
By Evan Schmitz
Index
Frankenmuth… Pg. 1
Winterfest
Pg. 2
Service
Projects
Pg. 3
Dorm 2.0
Pg. 4
Obedience to
Parents
Pg. 4
Doomsday
Preppers
Pg. 5
It’s cold outside! The snow was coming down hard, the wind was
whistling, and icicles decorated the rooftops. What better way to spend a
beautiful winter evening in Michigan than at Zehnder’s Snowfest! Snowfest
is an annual event that happens in Frankenmuth, Michigan (north of Flint) at
which there is live music, ice and snow sculpting, and all kinds of other
winter activities.
On January 26, after the sun went down to end the Sabbath, the
students and staff traveled to Frankenmuth- “Michigan’s Little Bavaria,”- to
enjoy a lovely evening in the charming town. The atmosphere at the festival
was wonderful. Smells of fresh cheeses, fudge, coffee and baked goods
flooded the streets.
“My favorite part of the trip was going into all of the shops and
getting free samples,” says Carlos Robles. The students had a great time
exploring all of the unique shops and stores, listening to live music, viewing
all of the intricate snow and ice sculptures, and, like Carlos, trying the local
cuisine.
All in all, the event was very memorable, and it was a fantastic
experience for everyone who went along!
Flames Classic Pg. 6
Student
Testimonies
Pg. 7
Torch Staff
Pg. 8
Upcoming
Birthdays
Pg. 8
Carrie and Cathryn showing “Herman the
German”- a wax figure in the Frankenmuth
Cheese Haus- some loving affection.
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Spring Vale Academy
Winterfest
By Olivia Arend
One of the most looked forward to events of the school year is the Winterfest banquet. The theme of
this year's banquet was "Diamond Ball". Everyone dressed in their best and went to the cafeteria to enjoy a fun
night full of sparkles and memories.
The evening started with a photo booth. Everyone waited their turn to snap a picture among snazzy decor set up by the student senate. Then each student located their place card and waited to be dismissed for dinner.
The food for the evening was a three-course meal. The first course was salad and vegetables. We ate a
yummy salad (that tasted like the salad from Olive Garden), and baked potatoes with all the fixings. The entree was a delicious mushroom and potato soup. The meal was topped off with a dessert of chocolate lava cake
sundaes.
Earlier that night, the students had casted their votes for the "Diamond Ball King & Queen," "Prince &
Princess," and "Duke and Duchess." After carefully counting the votes, Cathryn Caswell and Chris Huff won
King and Queen, Adam Slawson and Ninive Robles won Prince and Princess, and Abel Molinar and Andrea
Gonzalez were awarded with Duke and Duchess.
After the awards were given, we went to a large circle of chairs to play some games. First, we played
"Honey, do you love me?" which is a game where you try to make your opponent laugh. Then we played a
game where the boys were blindfolded and they had to use their hands to guess which girl's hair they were
touching. It made everyone laugh.
The freshman cleaned up the lovely decor, and some students went to the Rec. Center to watch "Home
Alone 3" and fellowship with each other.
Winterfest was a fun night that all of the students enjoyed.
Diamond Ball Royalty: Standing (L to R):
Adam Slawson, Ninive Robles, Andrea Gonzalez,
Abel Molinar; Seated: Christopher Huff, Cathryn
2
The girls try to re-tie their dates’ ties
The Torch
Service Projects
By Kayla Silvestain & Taylor Larson
Spring Vale Academy students participate in a wide range of service project throughout the
year, such as nursing home singing and Feeding the Hungry projects. Students here at Spring Vale really enjoy
serving in the local Owosso area, when the opportunity arises. They have really shown that they enjoy bringing joy to those that might believe that they are not worthy of God’s love.
On Saturday, February 9th, a group of students went and sang at Chesaning Nursing Home. Anya expressed why she enjoyed being involved with this service project, “It is a true joy to see the elderly sing along
and clap to the rhythm. It makes me smile!”
The next Sabbath, six students went to Feed the Hungry. During this project, students demonstrated
the love of Christ in service, by providing homeless people with kind words and serving them breakfast and
lunch. Olivia expressed, “I enjoyed helping them and seeing their appreciation for a meal that many take for
granted.”
Wednesday, February 20th, Pastor Tim Hinds, Leticia Moore and six students, Jacob Schmitz, Savannah Castillo, Colby Hinds, Alexandria Albert, Alex Arroyo, and Faith Mills, went to the Rescue Mission. Savannah shared her favorite memory, “My favorite experience about the Rescue Mission was being able to sing
with an older lady the songs “Awesome God” and “Heart of Worship” and to minister to her; this really inspired me.”
Students truly enjoy giving and are always willing to help those in need! They are eager to sign up for
the next opportunity to spread the love of Christ, our Lord.
Students singing at the nursing home in Chesaning, Michigan
3
Spring Vale Academy
Dorm 2.0
By Christopher S. Huff II
Students were pleasantly surprised to come
back to the dorm this semester, and find it completely
renovated! The lounge was remodeled, and the carpet
was replaced. A large flatscreen TV now sits proudly
over the fireplace. New industrial carpet took the
place of the aging, dirty carpet which previously
blanketed the floor.
Our thanks goes to everyone who volunteered:
Ben Arend and Ben Noble removed the old carpet,
Devin Caswell and Brendon Noble did the lounge tile,
and Ben Noble, Matt Miller, Alex Arroyo, and Nathan
Coulson all helped put in the baseboards. Mr. Noble
supervised everyone’s efforts.
The remodeled boys’ dorm lounge
Obedience to Parents
Here’s the thing, most people are satisfied by
‘sort of’ following their parent’s rules as kids but forgetting about everything else God expects from them.
Being a parent is a life-long job, just as being sons/
Obedience from a SVA student’s perspective:
daughters is a life-long job. It doesn’t stop whenever
we feel like we’ve done enough. Personally, I think I
As sons and daughters, we all have responsi- could use a little more work on the ‘obeying the
bilities to fulfill toward our parents. The greatest one rules’ part. Thankfully, God has given me the respect
is to honor and respect them by following their rules. toward my Mom so that I gladly help her. I will conWhen we do this, we are also pleasing God. Colostinue to do so because I greatly respect what she, by
sians 5:20 says, “Children obey your parents in eve- herself, has done for our family.
rything for this pleases the Lord.” The key word is
everything. Even in the smallest task we are to submit
If we respect our parents, we are respecting
and follow.
God. If we love our parents, we are loving God. If we
take charge and do the things God expects from us,
But what else are we held responsible for as
we are pleasing Him immensely. Obeying comes
children? Does it stop at just obeying? No, it does
from fear and respect, it is not something we should
not. We have an obligation to pray for our parents,
help them in time of need, to care for them in old age, do. It is something we need to do.
and much, much more. It is our responsibility to give
back to them what they have given us.
By Yadira Flores
4
The Torch
Doomsday Preppers
By Hadassah Albert
February 7, 2013 was the opening evening of Spring Vale Academy’s winter revival services with Pastor Omar Mellado. He gave an analogy about our spirits. In heaven we are all known by one of two nicknames. If your nickname is Tim, then you have the spirit of a Victim. If your nickname is Tor, then you have
the spirit of a Victor.
Pastor Mellado explained that if you have the spirit of a victim, then you do whatever you can to feel
justified for your actions. He told the story of how the spirit of a victim started in the garden with Eve, because
the serpent made her feel victimized. It is important to realize that the spirit of the victim stems from the feeling sorry for yourself all of the time. We should destroy the spirit of the victim and adopt the spirit of a victor.
On the second evening of revivals, Brother Mellado spoke to us about having the spirit of a victor. He
explained that it is easier to believe a lie when it suits us; for example, if someone praises you for accomplishing something that you didn’t accomplish, and you don’t correct them, it’s because it suits you. Pastor Mellado’s definition of a victor is a conqueror/winner in any struggle or conflict. We should learn to be victorious
over the world and over Satan. He gave an example of how Paul was in prison, facing death, and sang a hymn
in the face of death. As victors, we shouldn’t worry about taking care of ourselves, but of pleasing God.
On the final day, Pastor Mellado told us to be not only physically, but spiritually prepared for doomsday. He explained to us the three types of love which are Eros, Phelos, and Agape. One type of love, Agape,
should govern our relationships in our spiritual lives.
We are to try maintain our spirit of a victor throughout our life. We are not meant to be a democracy,
but a theocracy. In a democracy the people have the power, whereas a theocracy God has the power. If you
reject the theocracy of the Lord, you will definitely suffer the consequences. By accepting the theocracy of the
Lord, we learn to maintain our spirit of a victor.
Pastor Omar Mellado preaching
Alex Arroyo and Christopher Acosta who
were baptized during the Saturday morning
revival service
5
Spring Vale Academy
Flames Classic
By Anya President and Savannah Castillo
In this year’s Flames Classic, Spring Vale fought and played hard, but in the end came out in fourth
place. The ending score of the first game was a close 49-51 against Fellowship Baptist. Our second game
was played against Battle Creek Academy.
The four teams that came out to compete in the Flames Classic were: Spring Vale Academy, Livingston Christian, Fellowship Baptist, and Battle Creek Academy. The results were:
Livingston Christian won first place for the fourth year in a row.
Battle Creek Academy came in 2nd place
Fellowship Baptist came in 3rd place
Some of the senior players gave their honest opinion about how they felt they played as a team, as individuals, and their overall thoughts of Flames Classic.
“I believe that we could have played at a gold medal championship skill level, but we did not come
ready to perform.” – Carlos Robles
“We didn’t play as a team as well as we could have. It was kind of a humbling loss because afterwards
we all started playing as a team, and it really brought us closer together.”- Doug Camero
“I think we played great our first game, but it took us a while to get going which contributed to our first
loss in the Classic. Our next game was disappointing for most of us. We did not play to win. It was a good
learning experience for the younger players, and they will do great next year.”-Michael Carbajal
“As a team we didn’t play very well. At the end of the first game we played excellent; we kept it close
until the very end. We should’ve taken better shots, and made better passes. I think I played fairly well in the
first game, but I should’ve played better in the second. Basketball is a very competitive sport, but it’s always a
good way to glorify God through your actions. We didn’t win, but we stayed positive and didn’t give up,
which is the more important aspect of the Classic.”-Wyatt Hise
6
The Torch
Student Testimonies
By Yadira Flores
Spring Vale isn't just a private Christian school. It’s a place where boys come in and leave as men
and girls transform into women. Spring Vale changes the lives of students everyday in countless ways. Their
walk with Christ strengthens and they establish long-lasting relationships with fellow classmates that last a
lifetime. I asked a few students on their outlook on Spring Vale’s influence on their lives, and what they had
to say was remarkable.
“Spring Vale has changed my life in a positive way. It has helped me prioritize what is essential for
life. I have become closer to God, diligent , and disciplined in the things of the Lord, as well as in my everyday life.” -Kayla Silvestain
“Before I came here, I was in public school with people who didn't really care which led ME not to
care also. I wanted to fit in so I did stupid things, but here the people actually care, and you get one-on-one
relationships which is what I needed. I never had the good influences that Spring Vale has. For example,
going to church and being in an environment where you believe in God freely and are not judged because
everyone else around you believes too. Being in this Christian environment, has really opened my eyes to a
lot of things and has led me to give my life to God and to get baptized.” -Alex Arroyo
“Spring Vale has brought me closer to God and has helped me get more in touch with my spiritual
side. I spend more time praying and reading the Bible this year than I ever have. Overall, I think being
Spring Vale has introduced me to a family of life-long friends rather than temporary friends.” -Clay Baker
“Spring Vale has caused me to become saved, and it has drawn me closer to God. I've also learned
perseverance, determination, and discipline. It has transformed me from the inside out and caused me to be a
different person. I will never become the same person I was ever again.” -Kristina Prince
“It has enriched me socially.” -Christopher Huff
“It has made me feel more responsible. I feel like I've got a taste of the real world. Plus, I also like
the spiritual environment.” -Matthew Nienhuis
“I have lots more friends here, and it’s nice that this school is small because I get to hang out with
them a lot.” -Olivia Arend
7
Spring Vale is
proud to announce
we are now
accepting
International
applications!
Hadassah Albert
Olivia Arend
Savannah Castillo
Yadira Flores
Christopher Huff
Taylor Larson
Cailin O’Neal
Anya President
Evan Schmitz-Editor
Kayla Silvestain-Editor
Torch Advisor
Leticia Moore
8
Upcoming Birthdays
Torch Staff
March:
24
24
27
29
Lauren Caswell
James Patchen
Kristen Girouard
Liz Fischer
April:
5
7
9
11
14
20
Matthew Miller
Nathan Coulson
Lisa Hinds
Pastor Morrow
Duane Peterson
Faith Mills
May:
13
14
26
29
31
Yadira Flores
Aaron Coulson
Matthew Nienhuis
George Boyles
TC Molinar