Pictured: The Spanish classes show their “Spanish Country” Pumpkin Project. Ama a tu prójimo como a ti mismo. ( Levítico 19:18) – Love your neighbor as yourself. Leviticus 19:18

“Spanish Country” Pumpkin Project

Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 students worked really hard on their Spanish-speaking country project. Students got to pick a Spanish speaking country, and they did research to learn about interesting facts, each country’s cuisine, sports, different celebrations, facts, tourism and attractions for the country. They also painted a pumpkin with the flag colors of their country.

Learning about each Spanish-speaking country has given an opportunity to the students to learn the different cultures around the world to help us understand each individual person and love them and accept them as God has mandated.

Poster for Spanish 1 & 2 pumpkin project

Chapel re-imagined

Southwest MN Christian High School’s theme, “Deep Roots Bear Much Fruit,” is based off of our new mission statement. Due to COVID concerns, Leaders For Life hasn’t planned as many chapels as in previous years. Typically our chapels involve inviting a number of speakers from our community. However, this year is different.

We have been doing a Bible study called “A Beautiful Design” by Matt Chandler. It is a ten-week study in which we watch a video safely spread out in the gym one day and then split off into groups the next day to discuss the video. The video discusses biblical truths of our identity as men and women in Christ and in complimentary union with each other.

Prior to Thanksgiving break, we had a praise and worship chapel which involved a variety of songs led by the praise team made up of 9th-12th grade students and Mr. Lee. At the beginning of the year, we were fortunate enough to spend a day at Split Rock Creek State Park in Ihlen for our annual Fall Retreat. Retreat is always a highlight of mine, so I was very thankful to spend a day outside playing a variety of games.

The hallway in school has been beautifully decorated with trees, lights, and snowflakes for Christmas, and Leaders for Life is currently planning some fun activities for the student body to experience before Christmas break. It has been a crazy year, but we continue to make the best of it!

–Makenzie Snyder

Christmas giving project

Each year, SWMCH and ECES have chosen a particular outreach ministry to contribute to at Christmas time. The ministries have varied from wheelchairs for Hope Haven, sponsoring children in need in Africa, and purchasing chickens, goats, and other farm animals for families and communities worldwide.

This year, the schools have united not only in name but also in their efforts to contribute to the same ministry.  SWC Schools is contributing to a new local ministry: SW MN Royal Family Kids. Royal Family Kids is a national organization partnering with local churches and communities to create RFK teams that respond to Jesus’ command to serve the least of these.

The Royal Family Kids Team of SW MN plans to facilitate a five-day summer camp in 2021. This RFK camp is a local mission in which children in foster care experience the joy of being a kid while learning their true value and identity as a child of God.  Kids take part in outdoor activities, group games, worship, skits, arts and crafts, along with an array of other kid-centered activities with a one-to-one mentor. The care shown and the values instilled during camp have the power to alter kids’ lives and the lives of the volunteers who mentor kids at camp.

This year’s gifts will cover the expenses for the week-long camp experience for many children in southwest Minnesota. Each student is also being asked to pray for the children, families, and volunteers involved in the camp this summer. With God’s help, this one-week camp experience has the power to break the cycle of neglect, abuse, and abandonment, and change a child’s life forever.

Band and choir at SWC

This fall, the concert band and choirs prepared pieces for their annual fall concert. Unfortunately, due to COVID, the fall concert was not able to happen. So as a solution, some of our fall pieces will be performed with our recorded Christmas program, and some with our spring program later next year.

The concert band worked on A Children’s March by Percy Grainger, Smoke on the Water in preparation for pep band season, Beautiful Savior, and Phat Kat (a jazz tune performed by our full band). For Christmas our band is performing Deck the Halls with Chips and Salsa (a jazzy twist on Deck the Halls), Coventry Carol, Gabriel’s Message, Grand Angelic March (a fun arrangement of the classic hymn Angels From the Realms of Glory). Our program will also include Phat Kat and Beautiful Savior from our fall concert pieces.

The SWC choirs are moving a number of pieces from our fall concert to our Christmas concert. The Eagle Choir will be singing My Vision, My Shepherd which is a combination of Be Thou My Vision and The King of Love My Shepherd Is, which was originally prepared for our fall concert, and now will be performed at our virtual Christmas concert.  Along with that number they will be singing Welcome to Our World and One Star.

The Chamber Choir originally prepared Salmo 150 and I Said A Prayer for You Today for the fall concert and will now be sharing those pieces at the Christmas concert. Along with those numbers they will be singing Sing We Now of Christmas, Mary, Did You Know, and All is Well, which is a piece that reminds me of a Christmas version of It is Well With My Soul. We are looking forward to sharing our music and the true message of the Christmas season with our community.

The Christmas concert will be held at 7:00 p.m. on December 21, at the SWC gymnasium and will follow whatever mandates are in place regarding audience participation.  If the governor’s orders are extended, the concert will be sent out virtually on the same day.