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HAAPPENINGS
HINSDALE ADVENTIST ACADEMY NEWSLETTER, SEPTEMBER 2015
Commit your work to the Lord, then it will succeed. Proverbs 16:3
I have often been asked why I believe
so strongly in Adventist education. On
such occasions, many quotes come to
my mind from the spirit of prophecy,
and statistics from the Value Genesis
and Cognitive Genesis studies flow
freely from my lips. However, as
important and impressive as these
things are, there is a more compelling
reason for my commitment. That
reason is the impact that my personal
experience in Adventist schools has
had on who I am today. When I
reminisce about my school days, I feel
so blessed.
I think about my teachers: stellar
individuals who not only taught me
reading, writing and arithmetic, but
also showed me what it meant to serve
Jesus. Many of them continue to
mentor me and encourage me today.
I think about my friends: a bunch of
kids from all walks of life who,
because of our small school setting
were more like a family than merely
classmates. No matter how far we have
been scattered around the world, we direction.
remain friends, and our reunions are
always joyful.
As I join you here at Hinsdale
Adventist Academy, it is my prayer
I think of my parents: a committed that each student who walks our halls
couple who sacrificed many luxuries and enters our classrooms will have
throughout their lives to send seven such an experience. We all know that
kids to Adventist school. New clothes, there will be good days and bad days,
new cars, vacations, and dinners out pleasant experiences and not so
were willingly bypassed for the greater pleasant experiences. This is just the
value of investing in their kids’ eternal reality of life wherever we are. We will
future.
get along with some people better than
others, understand some teachers’
I think of my church family: an lessons better than others, and prefer
unbelievably supportive group of certain activities over others; but at the
people who invested many dollars and end of the day, when we look back on
many hours into our youth programs so our days at HAA, I hope that we all
that we would feel connected to and feel blessed.
cared for by our church, and who gave
additional gifts to support scholarships It is my prayer that our students will
so that their young people, including receive the same blessings from their
me, could attend our SDA schools. I time at HAA that I did in my schools. I
always knew that I was loved because want this to be a slice of Heaven on
of them.
earth where we learn and grow while
walking with Jesus and making friends
It was a total package. A team effort. A for eternity.
I love Adventist
unified front. Home, school, and education, and I hope you do too!
church all leading me in the same
~ Janesta Walker, Principal
$100,000 Grant from
Adventist Health Systems
At Hinsdale Adventist Academy we are blessed to have a wonderful
relationship with the Adventist Health Systems over the years, under
Dr. Babcock’s leadership we were able to start a Certified Nursing
Assistant’s program in conjunction with Adventist Hinsdale Hospital,
this coming year will be the 6th year the program has operated and we
recently received state approval for another 2 years. Building on this
relationship, we have been able to secure a grant from the Adventist
Health system to cover the cost of the CNA program for the next 2
years.
This grant also allows us to provide other enhancements to our
school’s program. Mabel Noverola has been hired to provide ESL
services to our international student population, this includes an
introduction to religion class, which teaches the basics of the bible to
students who have never been exposed to Christianity before.
With the hiring of Ms. Noverola we are also able to offer advanced
classes in the history department, in addition to our other enriched
courses, give Pastor Frederick some additional time to focus on more
chaplaincy work, and offer Spanish language classes to preschool students.
Board Member Profiles
HAA’s Board consists of highly professional people, dedicated
to the success of our students and the long-term future of our
school. Hinsdale Adventist Academy has in a place a strategic
board focused on financial sustainability over the long term.
Dr. Meechai Tessalee has successfully led the
HAA board for the past 6 years, and will continue
as Board Chair this year. He and his wife Daphne
have three children attending HAA. Dr. Tessalee is
a cardiologist and partner at Suburban Cardiologists in Hinsdale. He is excited about the future of
HAA and proud to be part of the governing body.
Heather Hoffman, former Home
and School President, is the mother of two students at HAA and a Hinsdale Junior Academy alum. She brings 17 years of marketing and development experience to the board with specific areas of interest being strategic planning, project
and relationship management. With a passion for
Christian education and a strong belief in Christian service Heather prays that her experience
and God given talents will be an asset in further
positioning HAA as a institution of excellence and purpose.
PEE WEE SPORTS
MAKE A
COMEBACK!
After a year on hiatus, the Pee Wee Sports
program is back!
Coach Alabata is running 3 sports over the
school year, baseball has already begun,
with basketball planned for the winter and
soccer in the spring.
The season is 6 weeks long, students pay
$25, they receive an official uniform and
learn all there is to know about the selected
sports!
You can sign up by contacting Coach
Alabata at [email protected]
Preschool—third grade learning the basics
of the baseball!
A VISION FOR MISSION
You don’t have to go to another country to experience service!
Hinsdale Adventist Academy is partnering with Southern Adventist University (SAU) to provide elementary students
an opportunity to be part of the Partnering For Eternity Program, and High school students can be involved in the
ASSIST program.
Partnering for Eternity (PFE) is a scholarship grant program for Adventist elementary schools is designed to
encourage student involvement in service and in forming relationships with older adults while providing funds for
tuition assistance. Students interested in providing service and developing relationships with older adults are eligible
to apply to join the PFE program. PFE requires students, accompanied by a parent, to spend a minimum of one hour
per week in service activities with an older adult, their “Senior Mentor.” SAU then provides funds in the form of
tuition assistance to all students involved.
ASSIST is a grant program for high school academy students who serve older adults through their school’s work
program. The mission of the ASSIST program is to promote mutually beneficial, service-oriented intergenerational
relationships by providing tuition-earning grants to partner institutions.
Last year there were 8 students participating in the program, who collectively earned over $2500 in tuition credit.
This year we have 11 students participating, these programs are open to every student grades 3-12. If you are
interested in participating, please contact the front office for an application packet, and more detailed information.
How you can help:



If you know an elderly person or student who could
benefit from this program, please contact Kym Parker
([email protected])
Make a tax-deductible donation today to HAA,
designating it for the ASSIST/PFE Work Program
Pray for Hinsdale Adventist Academy students and
the lives they are effecting.
As many of you know, HAA
has been in need of a bus for
a long time. God has
answered our prayers!
Through the generosity of
the Vanguard Fellowship
and the foresight of one of
our parents, Manny Davila,
we have been able to
purchase a used school bus.
Now we just need to get it
painted, have our name put
on it, and reupholster the
seats and it should serve us
well for a long time.
Chinese Super Club—中国超级俱乐部
As many of you know, Hinsdale Adventist Academy is
hosting a number of international students from China this
year. As a way to give back, four of our Chinese students
have started an afterschool club for American students to
learn about Chinese culture, festivals, food, games and
language.
The first meeting was held on September 22, there were
around 12 people in attendance, Alexander Du provided a
number of Chinese dishes, which were delicious, then Carrie
Liu (club president) and Christina Yang taught the club
members the Chinese names for all the foods they had just
eaten.
This club is open to all students in grades 8-12 and meets in
the multi-purpose room the first and third Tuesday of the
month from 4:00-4:45pm. We hope to see you there!
Carrie teaching the Mandarin (Chinese) names for the food the students were
eating.
Mr. Daniel’s passion
for music is infectious
and it’s spreading to
Middle School!
Over 30 students have
signed up to participate
in Middle School band
this year. From
students who have
never played before, to
those who are highly
skilled, we can’t wait to
hear what they are able
to accomplish under
Mr. Daniel’s direction.
Robotics Club
Senior Dedication
Recently Mrs. Walker was able to secure a $4000 grant
that will be used to start a Lego robotics league at HAA!
The league, which will be sponsored by our new math
teacher Mrs. Kelley, will be open to students in grades 7
-12 who meet the criteria. Stay tuned for more details
about this exciting opportunity for our students who
love math and science. If there are any parents who
would like to volunteer to help with the league, please
contact Mrs. Kelley.
[email protected]
On September 18, we dedicated the class of 2016 and
their families, we are excited to see God’s plan for them.
FALL WEEK OF PRAYER
Left: LoAmmi Richardson, guest speaker.
Below: High school juniors listening intently to the message.
Preschool—fourth grade loved hearing what LoAmmi shared with
them, looks like he was having fun too!
Gianna (5th grade) following
along in her bible.
Our students are incredibly
gifted !
Selfie time! I wonder if he got all the
students in the shot?!?
Song service is always such a
blessing! How fortunate we
are to be able to praise God
in school.
NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY
As Difference Makers in National Honor Society, we
have made it our goal to help our community and learn
more about it. Besides USAgain, Anti-Bullying Month,
and the marathons we will be volunteering for, we will
also have the opportunity to participate in various activities throughout
the year. We recently
had the opportunity to
visit the Garfield Park
Conservatory in Chicago!
There, we saw various
plant species such as
ferns and cacti. We
viewed a number of
flowers, seedlings, and
types of trees. There
were even beehives (you
could buy honey from them in the gift shop!).
We were also able to
learn more about these
plants, how/where they
live, what they do for our
Earth, and how we can
take care of them. We
also participated in a
scavenger hunt bingo
game that enabled us to
explore the park as a
whole.
From the gorgeous lily
pad ponds, to the desertesque cacti chamber, NHS saw it all. Those in Photography also joined us and were able to take beautiful pictures that will be showcased around HAA in the future.
All in all, our experience enabled us to appreciate God’s
gift of nature and sense of community. ~ Raina Price
USAgain Campaign donates 2.5tons of Fabric!
This year the National Honor Society (NHS) will be
kicking off its third year of our USAgain campaign.
So far, we have collected up to 2.5 tons, and we can't
wait to increase that number exponentially! We are
asking that all families with old clothes, carpets,
towels, or even rags, will donate it all to this service
project.
These textile fabrics give jobs and new starts to
thousand of people worldwide. It's a campaign that
blesses others, and it's our own way to show Christ
through our actions. If you could help out in any
way, we'd greatly appreciate it! Thank you for you
regular donations, the box is often overflowing
which is such a blessing!
Mrs. Rich’s fourth
grade class has been
asked to perform
random acts of
kindness. Nathan
Tessalee & Noah
Indreiu in 4th grade
both decided to
donate clothing for
their Random Act of
Kindness. Anyone
can donate!
If you have any questions or for more information,
please contact Jerry Newsom,
[email protected]
NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY COMING SOON!!!
For students in grades 5-8 who are outstanding leaders and scholars.
Contact Ms. Catron for more information [email protected]
CHIPOTLE
FUNDRAISER!!!
Please join us on October 7 at
Chipotle on Ogden Avenue in Westmont between 4pm and 8pm to help
raise funds for the Hinsdale Adventist
Academy Senior Class Mission Trip.
You have to eat, so why not support
HAA while you’re doing it?
MISSION TRIP
In November a group of high school
students, faculty and parents will be
headed to Kentucky to participate in a
domestic mission trip!
How can you help?


SAVE THE DATE!
OCTOBER
28 & 29
Parent Teacher
Conferences
Make a tax-deductible donation today to HAA,
designating it for the HAA Mission Trip
Pray for Hinsdale Adventist Academy students and
staff
FALL FEST
November 7
6:30-9:30pm
FOOD - GAMES - FUN
OCTOBER 2015
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
Leadership
Retreat
2
Leadership
Retreat
3
Leadership
Retreat
8
Jr/Sr Campout
9
Jr/Sr Campout
10
Jr/Sr Campout
16
1st Quarter
Ends
17
ALUMNI
weekend
4
Leadership
Retreat
5
6
7
NAD College Picture
Fair
Retake
11
Jr/Sr Campout
12
No school
Columbus
Day
13
14
15
Fall Concert,
HS Choir,
band, bells
18
19
20
21
25
Art/Sci Fest
at Andrews
26
HS Spirit
Week
27
HS Spirit
Week
28 Parent/ 29 Parent/ 30
Teacher
Teacher
HS Spirit
Conferences Conferences Week
22
23
Constituency Art/Sci Fest
Meeting
at Andrews
24
Art/Sci Fest
at Andrews
31
NOVEMBER 2015
Sun
1
Mon
2
Tue
3
8
9
10
Jr Preview at Jr Preview at
Andrews
Andrews
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
4
5
6
7
Fall Fest
11
12
Drama
Performance
13
Drama
Performance
14
Drama
Performance
15
Mission Trip
16
17
18
19
20
21
Mission Trip Mission Trip Mission Trip Mission Trip Mission Trip Mission Trip
22
23
29
30
Classes
Resume
24
PreK-2
Thanksgiving prog.
25
Thanksgiving break
26
Thanksgiving break
27
Thanksgiving break
28