After weeks of planning and ensuring that we could safely allow students back into our building, September 1st and 3rd were exciting days at ECA! The secondary students started first, followed by the elementary students 2 days later – everyone was so excited to see each other again after almost 6 months away due to COVID school closures back in March.
School looks a little different this year as we all have to wear masks, maintain social distance, practice proper hygiene, leave the building for cleaning after every period, etc.. The secondary students are getting lots of exercise everyday as they climb stairs a minimum of 8 times a day! Right now, we are all enjoying the opportunity to breath in some fresh air when we go outside and are hoping the nice weather sticks around for awhile longer.
Our student body stands at 93 students this first semester with 31 in elementary, 32 in middle school and 30 in high school. Our only new teacher this year is Mrs. Zetelian who is teaching elementary art, and Spanish and also serving as an aid in the elementary classrooms and covering some secondary study halls. We are so grateful for her help! Another new elementary teacher will be arriving in a couple of weeks and a new Chaplain is also due to arrive before the end of 1st quarter! We welcomed back Ms. Antonishek after her year away, as well as Mrs. Steffens who was gone 2nd semester. God is so faithful to provide for our needs!
All of us are greatly enjoying our new road! After months of work over the spring and summer, it is proving to be a great asset to our school. Carpool procedures are going well and so much less mud is getting dragged into the building which makes our cleaning crew very happy! A special thank you to Mr. Dirks for his many hours overseeing this important school improvement project!
Our school verse this year is Romans 12:12, “Rejoice in hope, persevere in tribulation, be constant on prayer.” This is our prayer as we rejoice in hope that we can continue in person, we persevere through the trials that COVID brings and we pray every day for protection for our students, families and staff from this awful disease. Though it creates a certain amount of dis-ease in all of us, we are so grateful that we can depend on God to carry us through these uncertain days of COVID.