Spirit Week
Friday: The final day of Spirit Week began with each team using creative efforts to out perform the other during the combined team cheers. The Royal Knights went so far as to stage a “rescue” of one of their team leaders (Mrs. Tipton) when Mr. Tipton came roaring in on a motorcycle to save the day. In the main chapel session, Guest speaker Will Galkin talked to the students about having courage to live out the Christian life. For the split sessions, he talked about the importance of devotions plus attending church and the youth meetings at Harvest to help the students grow in their Christian walk. The final games of the week were Freeze Tag Frenzy and The Gauntlet. For the last activity of the week, all the students sat down on the gym floor in front of the stage in the Family Life Center as the Harvest Faculty and Staff performed funny skits like “Channel Changing” and “The Harvest Faculty” (sung to the tune of “The Addams Family). Just before the day ended, Mr. Abels announced that the Royal Knights pulled ahead at the very end of the team competition to claim the Spirit Week trophy!
Day Three: Thursday of Spirit Week started with more cheers and competition and ended with one of the craziest games yet in the history of Spirit Week at HCA. In between, Will Galkin continued to minister to the 7th-12th grade students of Harvest. His morning message in the combined session reminded the students that the Christian life demands a change. Also on this day, the Family Life Center and surrounding properties were the location for a huge version of “Knockout” as students tried to knock out the person in front of them by shooting a basket before they did. At the same time outside the FLC, teams competed in races around the parking lot while being pushed on skateboards! The final competition on Thursday involved all types of various obstacles including kayaking, dumping water in bottles sitting on someone’s head, and climbing a huge dirt pile and planting the team flag. Although it is hard to believe, the final day of Spirit Week is just one day away–a day sure to be a highlight with student testimonies plus an afternoon session with crazy and funny skits by the faculty and staff of HCA.
Day Two: Wednesday of Spirit Week at Harvest Christian Academy began with a new round of team cheers. Each team met individually to go over cheers and to hear instructions from their team leaders. After the team meetings, everyone gathered in the Family Life Center for a team challenge involving huge golf clubs and an attempt to get closest to their teams’ statue. The Scarlet Knights broke the 4-4 tie when Mr. Jeff Borchart, team captain of the Scarlet Knights defeated the Royal Knights team captain, Mr. Matt Lewis. All the 7th-12th graders then gathered in the main auditorium for singing and a message from Will Galkin on the “Five Questions About Eternity.” More team competitions took place between the Royal and Scarlet Knights during games like “Ultimate Battle Dodge Ball,” “Tube Slide,” and “Big Ball Foosball” throughout the day plus Will Galkin again had the opportunity to speak to the students, this time on the topic of “Rebels.” Tomorrow, Spirit Week 2009 continues with “Water Games!”
The Scarlet Knights cheer during day one of Spirit Week
Day One: One word that could be used to describe Spirit Week at HCA is LOUD! Nearly 400 7th-12th graders trying their hardest to out-cheer–to out-scream the other team results in an ear-splitting volume that can only be appreciated if you are in the room at the same time. Other words that could be used to describe day one: hot (the outdoor competitions took place under the Guam sunshine), wet (one of the games was suddenly interrupted by a sudden Guam rain shower), and fun (imagine being with all your school friends enjoying games, laughter, singing, cheering and more!). Yes, Spirit Week is all that, but it is so much more. After morning team cheering and a fun game, the students all gathered in the church auditorium for a challenging message from Evangelist Will Galkin on the topic “Remember God.” Later in the day, Evangelist Galkin challenged the students with these words during an afternoon service, “Don’t Waste Your Life!” Spirit Week at HCA is indeed a loud and fun time in the sun and rain of Guam, but it is also a life-changing experience for many of the Harvest students. Check back each day for photos and updates from Spirit Week 2009.