The tournament began on Friday, March 4, and was held at Indiana Christian Academy in Anderson, Indiana. The Cougars entered the tournament as the #2 seed, which meant they would play Cornerstone on Friday night. The first half was sloppy, but the Cougars still held a sizeable lead. The team finally got their act together in the second half and won handily, 56-32.

     Unlike past years, the tournament was set up so that the semifinal games were played on Saturday morning, only hours before the championship match later that afternoon. The

Cougars knew that they would have to beat their rival, Colonial, to reach the championship.

     This game was an exact opposite of the first tournament game as the Cougars came out on fire in the first half. Their good play gave them a 12-point lead at halftime. However they failed to carry the success into the second half. By the end of the third quarter, Colonial had tied the game. Colonial continued their momentum and had a 10-point lead in the closing minutes. Despite a valiant comeback attempt by the Cougars, it simply was not to be. A 63-59 loss ended Community’s season.

     Despite the sour ending, this year’s varsity basketball season was a fruitful one. The guys had a lot of fun and made good memories, but more importantly they learned some valuable life lessons.

     The youth choir, directed by Pastor Greg Habegger, won first place with its two pieces, “By the Gentle Waters” and “Praise the Lord with Music.” The band, also directed by Pastor Habegger, came in second, showing a large improvement from the beginning of the school year.

     Many CBCS students also placed in individual competitions with quite a few first places and/or superior rankings:

Kate Weaver – New Testament Bible Testing (1st, superior)

Kenny Parsons – Digital Media (1st, superior)

Sara Pennington – Crafts (1st, superior)

Randi Jaqua – Instrumental Percussion Solo (1st, superior)

Kenny Parsons – Expository Preaching (1st, superior)

Kate Weaver – World History/Geography Testing (1st)

Ashley Flaugher – Bible Teaching (1st)

Jon McKeever – Bible Memory (1st)

Wesley Hocker – Landscapes and Architecture Photography (2nd, superior)

Ashley Holland – Still Life Photography (2nd, superior)

Crystal Utley – Printmaking (2nd, superior)

Emily VanderKooi – Textiles (2nd, superior)

Stephen Lee – Sculpture (2nd, superior)

Aaron Charles – Humorous Interpretation (2nd, superior)

Sara Pennington – Classical Piano (2nd, superior)

Sara Pennington – Instrumental String Solo (2nd, superior)

Michael Frushour – Evangelistic Preaching (2nd, superior)

     Many students practiced for weeks, even months, to do their best for the Lord. And with the Lord’s help, it was an excellent day overall.

      Katie VanderKooi (’10 alumnus), the preschool director’s daughter, had a very extensive back surgery about a year and a half ago. The doctors put two rods in her back because of her aggressive scoliosis. During her recovery, the VanderKoois stayed at the Ronald McDonald House without any cost—thanks to the many supporters who collected pop tabs.

      The Ronald McDonald House provides “a home away from home,” keeping families together while their child is receiving medical treatment far from home. It provides a comfortable and private room and opportunities for families to bond with other families going through similar situations. The staff is very friendly, and the meals are cooked by volunteers who are only paid if someone donates money or pop tabs.    

     So if you are a pop drinker and would like to participate, give your pop tabs to a student here at Community or to Mrs. Brenda VanderKooi. Join the many excited preschoolers

that have taken on this challenge to make a positive difference.

The day, Thursday, March 4, happened to be “Color Day” of CBCS’s annual spirit week. Each class had been assigned its own color and was to wear as much of that color as possible on the specified day.

When the alarms began blaring for the drill, single rows of green, yellow, white, red, orange, and purple emerged from the building into the parking lot, representing each segregated grade. There were students dressed simply in tee-shirts and pairs of pants in their selected color, while others were garbed in more extravagant attire with painted faces and oversized glasses and carrying accessories such as sleds and flyswatters in their class color.

Throughout spirit week, participation, creativity, and school spirit were high.Though some students just took advantage of spirit week’s more relaxed dress code, others sacrificed comfort for creativity in the competition by making costumes of green broccoli and celery for “Food Day.”

There couldn’t have been a more “interesting” day for the firemen to check up on Community’s safety codes. They certainly chose a day during the week that is infamous for its frivolity.

Thursday, March 18th, was the beginning of the chaotic two days. About eighty teens from seven different schools arrived around eleven o’clock. For most of the school, class continued as normal. But for the members of the quiz team and students who were helping at the quiz meet, the competition had begun. The quiz team looked like they were in good shape after getting a high and medium win. But after two losses in a row, they were out of the competition.

Friday was a different story. Community tied for first with rival, Colonial Hills Christian School, in theoverall Speech category. We also won the Music Award and Academic Testing Award and received second overall in both Art and Bible. These school accomplishments are due to the many individual students who worked long and hard on speeches, music pieces, and artwork: Katie VanderKooi performed or accompanied for eighteen pieces in the music category; Abby Edwards, Missy Bowler, Tanner Hulin, and Ben vonBergen carried CBCS in the speech category; and Kenny Parsons and Nicole Nafrady both received exceptional marks on their individual art pieces.

For Pastor Bradford, the excitement of organizing and scheduling the event is done, and the two days went off without many problems—congratulations to the many students who worked hard and were rewarded for their efforts and congratulations to all of the staff members who were involved in organizing this event. At the end of the week, IACS was a huge success.

In 2004 as a first-year teacher, Miss Tammy Anderson requested the opportunity to start a pep club in an effort to unify the student body during games, but she was turned down. She proposed the idea again, five years later, and this time the Pep Club was approved. As her society’s spirit leader for three semesters at Bob Jones University, Miss Anderson is a highly qualified leader, but taking the Pep Club from idea to reality required many hours of hard work.

“Finding the right fit, color, and price for the shirts took up ninety percent of the time,” said Miss Anderson. But deciding the benefits for students who joined, drawing a logo for the pep club, and checking everything with Pastor Bradford took time as well. Credit is due to Miss Anderson and Pastor Bradford, who organized it, and Miss Andrea Herbster, who designed the Pep Club logo.

The final product was introduced to the student body on November 5th. Students could join for thirteen dollars and would receive a shirt to wear on game days, a season pass, a seat in the new student section, and the chance to wear jean skirts and tennis shoes to school on game days. The only requirement—coming to six of the nine home games.

The Pep Club is a great deal for everyone: The involved students will benefit from great spectator seating. The cheerleading squad will benefit from an enthusiastic audience; and the basketball team, from the increased audience zeal. So on December 4th, come support the Cougars by cheering with the new Cougar Pep Club.

When the recipe is followed, the ingredients listed above will transform into a pumpkin pie worthy of a Thanksgiving dinner. When the directions are disregarded, the result is a flawed or ruined dessert. In a way, life is like a recipe, including ingredients of experiences and struggles. The author of our recipe for life is God, but his desired masterpiece can be burned or contaminated if His instructions are not followed correctly.

As a student at Community Baptist, I am very thankful for the school’s influence in my life. This past summer, my faith was tested as I lived in Bloomington at Indiana University for four weeks. I was surrounded 24-7 by people with a great need for Christ. A difference in me was noticed as I built relationships, and several conversations led to God. Community’s Biblical foundation has given its students the resources to successfully live and share their faith in circumstances such as this. I personally am very grateful for this school’s genuine care not only for their students’ learning but also for the well-being of their souls.

Twenty school staff members, five hours of Bible teaching per week, two full weeks of revival services per year, discipline added when necessary, and classroom-integrated godliness as the main ingredient are all components “baked” into CBCS. Community, then in turn, is a component of all its students’ lives, being used to sweeten the developing concoction with an application of Biblical knowledge.

The ultimate goal of this change was summed up by 6th grader Elisabeth Stevens, "It's a little confusing, but it gets me ready for junior high." When asked about their favorite part of rotating rooms, Sean Carroll of 6th grade exclaimed, "Mr. Parson!!" We want him as a homeroom teacher!" - a statement with which his fellow classmates chirped agreement.

Another student commented with classmate support, "We get more homework and more strikes." Students have been given more freedom and responsibility to help reduce the struggles of the students' graduation into seventh grade. Kinks are still being worked out, but overall, this transformation of the upper-elementary school day has been very positive.

Computer class websites are by no means a novel creation. Students have been making them for nearly twenty years. In fact, according to Mr. Bell, Community’s long-time computer teacher, students were creating websites before they even had an intranet on which to post them.

When asked about his favorite websites from former years, Mr. Bell had no answer. “I usually forget everything once a year ends and start over new the next year,” he replied with a chuckle. He did note that one former website, Microsoft Help, is still in use today.

The inspiration for last year’s websites was not as insightful as some may have thought. Tyler Radke (`09), co-creator of “You Ate What!?”, claimed, “The idea just came to me.” When asked about his debate website, The Forum, Jordan Wellin (`09) stated that the idea came from another member of his group who then claimed the idea came from Jordan. With websites featuring upper school interviews, elementary interviews, sports updates, writing projects, gross food, and heated debates, the school’s computer class always enjoys the opportunity to express themselves while learning valuable computer skills, which will help them in the future.

Three students from Community, Jessica Risinger (senior), Jordan Wellin (senior), and Elli Edwards (junior), participated in this competition; and all three of were named finalists. Jordan Wellin and Elli Edwards won their divisions, while Elli finished as the grand champion of the event. The following Saturday, Jessica went on to win the South Bend Symphony Concerto Competition, thus earning the opportunity to perform a solo with the South Bend Youth Symphony.

When asked about the competition, each of these students commented on the event's supportive atmosphere and the friendliness of the other contestants. "You didn't even care who won, because everyone there was so awesome," responded Elli after being asked about the other musicians. Jordan and Jessica strongly agreed and added that they were much less nervous in the second round when the other contestants were allowed to watch them play.

Jessica Risinger will be performing with the South Bend Youth Symphony on March 1st at IUSB. On May 17th, Elli and the South Bend Symphony will be playing at Bethel College. Be sure to mark your calendars, so you can come and support these talented young musicians.

My radio alarm turned on at 6:45am. The reporter came on with a list of school cancellations: Bremen Public Schools--cancelled, Cassopolis Community Schools--cancelled, Community Baptist Christian Schools--cancelled. I turned it off. For the first time in my life, I was disappointed to hear that we had a snow day. Today there would be no Christmas recital, no Christmas parties, no Christmas presents, and no grand-finale before Christmas break.

The Thursday before break, Pastor Bradford announced that in the case of a snow day the Christmas recital and class parties would take place on the Friday of the first week we came back to school, January 9th. So Two weeks later, despite that Christmas was long gone and a new year had already begun, we were determined to enjoy this "Christmas in January." It started with the traditional Christmas chapel during first hour. Since a basketball game was taking place later that evening, cheerleaders performing in their uniforms were a new sight at the annual recital; and although they had not rehearsed for two weeks, the seniors' Sleigh Ride still had the people crying from laughter.

After chapel classes continued as usual, except with less homework and more Christmas gaiety. Then, we all headed back to our homeroom for our class parties. From the hall could be heard the sound of the seniors playing Mad-Gab in the library, the seventh graders playing dodge-ball in the gym, and the juniors telling scary stories with a piano and violin in the background. We finished the school day with a few more classes full of fun and joviality. Although at first many students voiced disappointment about the untraditional start to Christmas break, our once-in-a-blue-moon "Christmas in January" was fun-filled for everyone.

• 1st Place in Piano Ensemble (29 entries) - Jordan Wellin and Jessica Risinger
• 1st Place in Organ Solo (2 entries) - Jordan Wellin
• 2nd Place in Men's Vocal Solo (40 entries) - Jon Fiedler
• 2nd Place in Sculpture (11 entries) - Paul Parsons
• 2nd Place in Watercolor (13 entries) - Nicole Nafrady
• 3rd Place in Small Vocal Ensemble (36 entries)
• 3rd Place in Photography (117 entries) - Ashley Crawford
• 3rd Place in Harp/Guitar (6 entries) - Jessica Risinger

• Large Vocal Girls' Ensemble (24 entries) - one of 7 finalists
• Elli Edwards in String Solo (49 entries) - one of 6 finalists
• Katie VanderKooi in Sacred Piano Solo (60 entries) - one of 11 finalists
• Jordan Wellin in Classical Piano Solo (72 entries) - one of 13 finalists

Democracy is a form of government where you can say what you think even if you don't think. (Unknown)

Democracy is a process by which the people are free to choose the man who will get the blame. (Unknown)

When they call the roll in the Senate, the senators do not know whether to answer "present" or "not guilty." Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)

A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have. Gerald R. Ford (1913-2006)

It is out of the question that there should be a Christian government even over one land...since the wicked always outnumber the good. Hence a man who would venture to govern...with the gospel would be like a shepherd who should place in one fold wolves, lions, eagles, and sheep together and let them freely mingle. Martin Luther (1483-1546)

It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible. George Washington (1732-1799)

We have no government armed in power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion... Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other. John Adams (1735-1826)

The Bible is the rock upon which our republic rests. Andrew Jackson (1767-1845)

No person who shall deny the being of God, or the truth of the Christian religion, shall be capable of holding any office or place of trust or profit. Constitution, State of North Carolina (1836)

Government originated as an ordinance of God. It is, in one sense, God's response to the nature of the people themselves. While it cannot redeem the world or be used as a tool to establish the kingdom of God, civil government does set the boundaries for human behavior. The state is not a remedy for sin, but a means to restrain it. Charles Colson (1931- )

Balancing our Christian realism (that government cannot produce righteousness) with our Christian responsibility (being salt and light in the midst of corruption and darkness), we find ourselves fighting a battle for righteousness in America.  May the Lord burden each of us to seek the Lord while He may be found, to call upon Him while He is near.  These days of trial in our land MUST remind us of our dependence upon HIM as we seek to be faithful stewards of our freedoms.

After returning from mission work, Luke became an entrepreneur in the Michiana area working in several different ventures and also acting as a part-time micro-finance specialist helping develop local economies in mostly third-world countries.

Today Luke is running for Congress in Indiana's 2nd Congressional district. In addition to his stand for traditional family values, the topic of energy policy has been a significant part of his campaign. In July of this year he traveled to Alaska to study domestic oil drilling and on that trip he met Governor Sarah Palin.

Growing up, Dan Herbster always had an interest in politics. Even as a child, his ears would perk up at the sound of his parents talking about political matters. Now the 2001, CBCS graduate is seeing his childhood dreams realized as he seeks a seat in the Indiana House of Representatives this November 4th:  a big undertaking, for sure, but Dan's education, particularly his years at Community, has prepared him well for the challenge. "History and government classes had a huge part in helping me see the importance of God-given government, as well as the goodness of God in giving America an amazing system of self-government."

After graduating from college with a degree in Social Studies Education, Dan worked in Washington, D.C. for two years; when he came back to South Bend, his initial intention was to get a job while studying for law school. Little did he know that his main job would be running for public office. After attending some meetings to stay informed about local campaigns, Dan was notified of an open running slot for the House District Seven seat. After much prayer and consideration, he accepted the call, because "I have a burden to serve the people of this district and I believe I can make a positive difference for our state."

Should he win the election, Dan is excited about seeing several changes take place, many dealing with education. "I'd like to see parents have more educational options for their children; I want people to have the access to the kind of exceptional education I received at Community." Also on the minds of many voters in his district are high property taxes, which Dan supports eliminating if a plausible solution is presented.

Regarding this undertaking, he knows he needs much financial support and many hours of volunteer labor. Yet in the end, Dan trusts that God will be magnified through his campaign, regardless of the results.

(The above article on Dan Herbster was written by Jordan Wellin, a senior at CBCS.)

Though a Biblical philosophy of education must of necessity do more than develop intelligence and courage - it must instill Scriptural truth and motivate Christ-focused love - Professor Hook's challenge is appropriate in a Christian context.  At Community Baptist Christian School we have endeavored over the years to give your children the finest academic training possible in order that their intellectual development might advance.  Objective data, such as testing, has proven us successful time and time again.  Likewise we have challenged the young people to develop moral courage, to be willing to stand up for Biblical truth in a world that is anti-Christian.  That confrontation may be passive as students quietly live out their Biblical faith, or it may be active in areas such as soulwinning and local church ministry to the community. Our mission statement at CBCS has remained for three decades to co-labor with parents in producing servants who love and serve Jesus Christ.

One of the reasons CBCS has excelled over the past decade in these areas has been the leadership of our principal, Mark French, a man who has consistently demonstrated intelligence and courage in his ministry here.  He has led our school academically with expertise and commitment.  At the same time he has been willing to demonstrate courage, confronting young people (and their parents at times) with the challenge of doing the right thing.  All this has been accomplished in the context of a man with a servant's humility and a pastor's heart. Well done! 

As has been announced, Pastor French has moved into a new role in our church ministry, and Jay Bradford is our new principal for the fall of 2008.  As the senior pastor, I have every confidence that Pastor Bradford will continue the excellent track record that Community has achieved over the years.  His balance of intelligence and courage mirrors that of his predecessor. God is so good to us to have given us the caliber of leadership that we enjoy at Community.

By God's grace we look with enthusiasm and excitement to the future as we continue to see our young people develop into balanced Christians with the skills they need to effectively serve Jesus Christ!

As Pastor Bradford and I were interviewing her, it became obvious to us that she has a passion to use English Class to develop young people who read, think, and write correctly - from a Biblical perspective. She is eager to come back and minister in a place that ministered to her for so many years.

She graduates with a bachelor's degree from Bob Jones University, and will be spending the summer preparing for the position. Pray for Andrea as she is getting ready to become part of the team whose goal it is to "train young people to love Jesus Christ fervently and serve Him effectively."

Below is a list of how we placed in the general categories as well as lists of how we placed in separate categories.

• Music- 1st Place
• Bible- 1st Place
• Academic Testing- 2nd Place
• Art- 3rd Place
• Speech- 3rd Place

• Bible Memory- Matt Utley
• Expository Preaching- Joey McKeever (Superior)
• Evangelistic Preaching- Jesse vonBergen (Superior)
• Male Vocal Solo- Jon Fiedler (Superior)
• Brass Solo- Tanner Hulin (Superior)
• String Solo- Ellie Edwards (Superior)
• Small Instrumental Ensemble (Ellie Edwards & Summer Daily)
• Classical Piano Solo- Jordan Wellin
• Sacred Piano Duet- Abbie French & Maggie Wright (Superior)
• Sacred Piano-Organ Duet - Laura Lee & Jordan Wellin
• Classical Piano Duet- Jordan Wellin & Katie VanderKooi (Superior)
• Poetry- Laura Lee (Superior)
• Original Persuasive Oratory- Summer Daily
• Scripture Interpretation- Ben vonBergen (Superior)
• Digital Media- Ryan Loucks (Superior)
• Woodworking- Kate Wehlann (Superior)
• English Testing- Laura Lee (Superior)
• Political Science/Economics Testing- Branden Herron
• Music Theory Testing- Jessica Risinger

• Topical Preaching- Nate Fink (Superior)
• Large Vocal Ensemble (12 Voices) (Superior)
• Choral Group (22 Voices)
• Woodwind Solo- Abbie French (Superior)
• Sacred Piano Solo- Abbie French (Superior)
• Youth Choir (Superior)
• Duet Acting - Laura Lee & Caris Daily (Superior)
• Readers' Theatre
• Calligraphy- Christine Gonder
• Polychromatic Drawing- Christine Gonder (Superior)
• Watercolor- Nicole Nafrady
• Acrylic Painting- Ryan Loucks
• US History/Geography Testing- Branden Herron

• New Testament Testing- Taylor Wright
• Small Vocal Ensemble (6 voices) (Superior)
• Large Instrumental (Brass) (Superior)
• Organ Solo- Jordan Wellin
• Handbell Ensemble
• Handbell Choir
• Dramatic Interpretation- Jordan Wellin
• Humorous Interpretation- Nate Fink
• Oil Painting- Kayla Endres
• Sculpture- Paul Parsons
• Alg/Geom. Testing- Jesse vonBergen
• Biology Testing- Lydia Haas
• Chemistry Testing- Maggie Wright
• Physics Testing- Joel Yakym
• Expository Writing Essay- Kate Wehlann
• Home Economics Testing- Elizabeth Eash

• Crafts- Elizabeth Eash

With only a month left until the quiz meet, this experience was very beneficial for both teams. It was a close race in all four matches; however, Community pulled through with a high win three out of four times. The competition was tough but both Community and Colonial learned much from the scrimmage. All seven of Community's team members made mistakes, corrected those mistakes, and learned from those mistakes. With pointers from both team's coaches, the 17 quizzers realized what areas needed improvement and what chapters should be reviewed. But above all, a good time was had by all and this year's Bible quiz meet is more anticipated than ever.

Maggie Wright, Senior, CBCS

Some decisions I have made I regret. But the decision we made to place our children in Community is one in which I rejoice. It was 1995 and we had just moved to the area. I was working in a machine shop, and the Lord led us to place our children here.

As I look back over the 13 years my children have attended Community, I'd like to give some of the reasons I'm rejoicing today for that decision I made years ago.

Godly examples - I believe some of the godliest people I know have taught my children. I hope I have been the right example to my kids, but I am very grateful that they have also been able to look up to other spiritual leaders in their lives - spiritual leaders like the teachers here at Community.

Academic tools - I recall reading a paper one of my children wrote while they were here. Honestly, I was surprised at how well it was written and the level of vocabulary that was used. I knew I did not teach him those things, and it made me very thankful for the quality English instruction he received while here.

Music opportunities - I play the harmonica, but only one song well - Oh Susannah. If my children were to receive music instruction, it was NOT going to come from me. All three of my children are involved in music and will have that tool for the rest of their lives - and it came from the excellent music training here at CBCS.

Small school benefits - Because of the size of the school here, one child can get involved in a lot of different things - choir, band, drama, sports, yearbook, etc. - and the varied experiences tend to develop a more well-rounded individual.

As reenrollment month begins this month of March, I pray you make the decision to continue to give your child the benefits of a solid, Christian education. This is one of those decisions that will impact your child for a long, long time.