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March 26, 2024

Learning is more than just information on a page. Whenever possible, Cornerstone teachers put learning into action with some amazing field trips. Recently, Mrs. Macgregor (Environmental Science and AP Environmental Science) answered some questions for us about field trips.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT FIELD TRIPS?

Mr. Schreffler and I love a field trip! Our environmental science students have been on 4 trips this year and have two more planned.

WHY Bother to GO ON FIELD TRIPS?

Environmental Science is a BIG PICTURE science that incorporates all the sciences the students have learned before. Getting out of the classroom helps them apply what they’ve learned from the textbook to the real world. Feeling the ocean breeze, smelling pine needles, and encountering wild animals reinforce memories. It also gives us the opportunity to connect with environmental professionals in our community.

HOW IS CORNERSTONE AN IDEAL SCHOOL FOR FIELD TRIPS?

Cornerstone Academy is especially blessed by our small class size and close-knit parent community. Our Gainesville location and access to free Alachua County and University of Florida resources help too. We are able to scoot out and see amazing things right here in Gainesville and still have time for other classwork. It’s not uncommon for us to receive invitations to return for volunteering events and internships when our hosts meet our eager, well-dressed, and polite students.

University of Florida’s

Whitney Marine Lab

St. Augustine, FL

University of Florida’s Austin Cary Forest

Leveda Brown Transfer Station Tour

March 22, 2024

"...address one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ."

Ephesians 5:19

Join us in just under two weeks as we do all of these things together in one evening! Our grammar students will be lifting their voices in praise and we will also celebrate and give thanks for the character we see God building in our youngest students.

If you have any questions or would like to offer to serve that evening, please contact Mrs. Broadway at sherri.broadway@ca.school.

March 8, 2024

For her Capstone project, senior Abby E is raising money to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Abby, diagnosed five years ago with Type 1 Diabetes, believes in JDRF's efforts to fund research; advocate for government support of research and new therapies; ensure new therapies come to market and are recommended by healthcare providers; and connect, engage, and educate the T1D community.

For LIGHT Day, she will be hosting a car wash to raise additional funds to support the Northern Florida Chapter of JDRF. We know your car is covered in that yellow dust this time of year, so it's a win-win!

Stop by between 9am-2pm on Friday, March 8th to support Abby and JDRF!

March 6, 2024

LIGHT Day is quickly approaching!

Cornerstone students, staff, and parents will spend the day putting their faith into action as they serve others in our community.

Our Cornerstone family will be serving Haven Hospice, The Atrium, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Southwest Advocacy Group, the Boys and Girls Club of Alachua County, Keep Alachua County Beautiful, Gainesville Community Ministries, and more!

However, LIGHT Day is not only an opportunity for those who are serving to be the hands and feet of Jesus. It's an opportunity for people like you to step in and support the mission and vision of our school by partnering with us financially, much like you would support a missionary going out into the mission field.

Please consider giving as we serve our community!

Donate here: https://tinyurl.com/bdef4jxe

January 11, 2024

Cornerstone is proud to announce that two of our students have artwork in the 2024 Saving My Alachua Calendar.

2023 was Cornerstone's first year participating in the Saving My Alachua art contest. This contest, judged by employees at the Alachua Environmental Protection Department, encourages students to create an artwork depicting their passion and ideas for being better stewards of our local environment.

Congratulations to Cougars Allie S. and Duncan M.

January 3, 2024

Cornerstone Students Participate in Morse Code “Straight Key Night”

Our volunteer Lorilyn Roberts (callsign KO4LBS) invited all of her middle school Morse Code students over to participate in the 2024 American Radio Relay League “Straight Key Night.” This is a fun radio get-together when the clock strikes midnight to start Jan 1 each year in England (UTC time). Participants try to make radio contacts using time-honored Morse Code, but using only mechanical Morse Code keys (so-called “straight keys” like Edison used, or mechanically vibrating “bugs” used by railroad telegraphers). Modern electronic systems that allow sending really FAST code are gently forbidden during this send-it-slow-for-the-newcomers event.

Two middle-schoolers, Rowan and Nora, were game to try, and both were able to “get on the air” at Lorilyn’s FCC-licensed shortwave transmitting station and reach over to KX4Z, the station operated by math and science teacher Gordon Gibby. They “chatted” over Morse Code for over 30 minutes exchanging pleasantries, names, ages, etc. This is always quite a challenge for new “operators” – how to make yourself understood in a “foreign language” over the radio, when there is no way to reach out and explain mistakes, or clear up confusion. It was even harder because a “net” (radio-meeting) powered up right on top of the frequency the group was using (3.560 MHz) and we had to “QSY” (change frequency) to continue hearing each other. That required a small cell phone text to accomplish but other than that, the entire communication was managed over pure radio Morse Code.

We’re still far behind our Loften Magnet School path-forgers, who have a huge group of students that routinely make hundreds of contacts in contests, using speeds up to 30 words per minute. But great things start from small things, and Lorilyn and the students made another advance for Cornerstone Academy! We are hoping these students will be able to participate in the Winter Field Day Contest, Jan 27/28, in competition with Loften, and the University of Florida!

Photo of the type radio transmitter the young ladies were using.

Photo of typical “straight” Morse Code key.

December 13, 2023

Our Grammar art teacher, Ms. McCarthy, has been doing great things with our youngest artists! They’ve just completed a unit on Vincent Van Gogh and their artwork has brightened up our hallways!

December 8, 2023

Nine 5th through 8th graders took the stage for Cornerstone’s School-Wide Spelling Bee, the second stage of the 2024 Scripts National Spelling Bee. After winning their classroom competitions, these brave spellers competed for a chance to advance to the County Bee on February 8th. A joyful congratulations to Grammar School Champion Zoe N. and Logic School Champion Mitchell E., and huge thank you to parents and teachers who helped make the Bee Bee-utiful!

Logic School Winner: Mitchell E. (Winning Word: Versailles)

Logic School Runner-Up: Tyler W.

Grammar School Winner: Zoe N. (Winning Word: Sacred)

Grammar School Runner-Up: Julianna S.

All participants: Zoe N., Julianna S., Kamilah B., Rowan M., Elvis M., Callie B., Mitchell E.

November 20, 2023

Town and Country at Cornerstone 4-H club celebrated National 4-H Week by participating in the Peanut Butter Challenge. Our school collected over 130 jars of peanut butter, with 1st grade bringing in 57 jars to earn first place in the challenge!

4-H participates in this challenge each year for a number of reasons. Service is a significant part of the 4-H program. One of the ‘”H”s is “Hands to Larger Service.” 4-H desires to teach youth the importance of compassion for others.

Florida is ranked third in the country for the amount of peanuts we grow and process. Peanut butter is a shelf-stable source of nutrient dense food. All the peanut butter we collected was taken to IFAS where it was distributed to food banks.

Way to go, 4-H!

November 9, 2023

Yesterday at Chapel Dr. Nukunya and our students honored our Veterans with a special message and performance from our Cornerstone Band. Specifically honored were three of our teachers who have served our country with honor - Mr. Doug Lawson, Mr. Matt Fleming, and Mr. Ryan Orce.

Below is Dr. Nukunya’s message.

Veterans Day is held on the 11th day of the 11th month in honor of the 11th hour on this day when World War I ended in 1918 - signaling Armistice Day. We are celebrating it today because we will be out of school on the 11th.

When Francis Scott Key wrote the “Star Spangled Banner” almost 200 year ago, he called America, “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” Those words are as true today as they were then. Throughout this Nation’s history, America’s soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and coastguardsmen have bravely answered the call to defend our freedom, to aid our friends and allies, and to turn back aggressors. Stand with me a minute while we honor our fallen service members with a solemn moment of silence.

Thank you.

We can never fully repay our debt of gratitude to the American servicemembers who died in battle or the millions who were wounded. We can, however, recognize and thank the 25 million veterans still living today. These words are inscribed on the Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C.: “Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met.” Those words apply equally to our World War I, World War II, Vietnam

War and Gulf War veterans as well. They apply to today’s active duty servicemembers — tomorrow’s veterans — who are helping to maintain peace throughout the world.

Today, it is our privilege to say “thank you” to all of America’s veterans, especially to those serving here at Cornerstone Academy to let them know that we appreciate them for their service and honor them for their sacrifices. The theme this year’s Veteran’s Day is service.

The price of freedom is high. We cannot afford to forget those willing to pay it. Today, we celebrate America’s veterans for keeping this Nation “the land of the…. free and the home of the………. brave.”

Thank you, Veterans!

November 6, 2023

Some of our Cornerstone Band raised Money for Music during the Gator game! They showcased their talents for Gator fans passing by who were happy to support our Cougar Band. We are so proud of our amazing music program. Thank you Mrs. Broadway!

October 28, 2023

Congratulations to Cornerstone Academy AP teachers and students who have aided our school in receiving Gold recognition on College Board’s AP School Honor Roll for the 2022-2023 school year!

As a school, Cornerstone reached platinum status with 88% of our 2023 senior class experiencing one AP class before they graduated. We also reached platinum status with 63% of our students scoring high enough on their tests to receive college credit. We reached Gold status with 13% of our 2023 senior class taking five or more AP classes with at least one of those being in nineth or tenth grade.

October 27, 2023

Cornerstone Academy Logic School Moving Forward With Technology

Not only are Cornerstone middle schoolers learning how to program an Arduino MICROCONTROLLER in the famous C language under Mr. Angerhofer’s expert tutelage, but they are also learning the oldest DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM in the world – Morse Code! Volunteer Lorilyn Roberts has our young students up to the level that used to be required for a beginner’s ham radio license. Friday Oct 27th Ms. Roberts introduced them to on-the-air communications! Using the Lumpkin County (GA) public web-based radio, she intercepted 7 MHz shortwave signals from Gordon Gibby in Black Mountain NC and the students decoded the news about a BEAR traipsing through the nighttime. The students replied using Morse Code over the Internet (Zoom).

Our students, have been offered positions in the January 27th Winter Field Day radio contest at the Alachua County EOC if they can get their speed up to 15 word per minute.

October 26, 2023

Cougar Community Connection Campaign

Now that the first quarter has ended and we are settling into the second quarter, we are excited to announce our first school fundraiser of the year! We have big goals that we would like to achieve in order to grow our school and increase our impact in our community. It’s such an important time in history to be able to inspire the next generation of classical Christian thinkers!

To kick off our fundraising efforts this year our school will be holding a telethon. Please use the form on the back of this call for action to make a list of all of your friends, family and neighbors that you plan to call. The more people you contact, the more opportunity for success in your fundraising efforts! Every call you make will have a huge impact on your goal, whether those you call can give only a little or a lot. Each dollar is valuable and meaningful towards the future of our school.

We ask that each student call at least 20 people and the plan is for the entire school to begin making their calls on Sunday, October 29.The telethon will wrap up on Sunday, November 5. The Grammar class (along with their Cougar Pal) or house that raises the most money will win your choice of either a pass to play M2 Battle sports laser tag or a pass to DEFY trampoline park.

CLICK TO GIVE!

October 22, 2023

From the Classical Difference:

Q: Why do classical Christian schools require uniforms?

A:For a rich, rigorous school, a dress code is usually essential, typically via school uniforms. What students wear is directly linked to what students learn.

To many parents, uniforms may seem like a hassle—uncomfortable, controversial, unimaginative, robotic, or expensive. School uniforms are nothing new in the educational tradition, but they are recently misunderstood.

The basic purpose of school uniforms is to promote good, honest learning, without distractions and without compromising beauty. They promote focus, reduce sidelong glances, and foster unity. Learning class material well is arduous, and uniforms show respect for that task.

But this might not be immediately clear without understanding that everything in God’s world speaks (Rom. 1:20, Ps. 19:1). Nothing is neutral, which means there is no part of life that can claim exemption from the way God made things, and there is nothing—plant, animal, or mineral—that can opt out of speaking. As Bonhoeffer once said of Christians, “Not to speak is to speak.” Just as the heavens declare the glory of God, the clothes we wear also declare something. They either speak well or badly.

Still, uniforms tend to give the impression of robots, not students. Why dress all students the same when no other area of society does that? The answer is that every area of society does that. Businessmen must wear suits. NFL athletes must wear helmets and tights. Swimmers must wear swimsuits. And every public school student must wear whatever is considered most cool. All areas of life have dress codes and uniform policies. So when a classical school student who wears a uniform envies his public school counterpart who does not, he is simply envying a different kind of uniform (and one usually much less classy). He is not envying that student’s freedom, which does not fully exist.

Why do classical Christian schools require uniforms?

While the principle should be the same for every Christian school—dress in such a way that God is honored and academics are the focus–the methods can be different. One school allows navy blue pants, the other only allows khaki. Both methods are perfectly fine.

Students and parents should clearly understand the standard and know that their school’s uniform policy is simply one way of upholding that standard. When this harmony between principles and methods is clearly understood, and everyone knows that it’s not a moral issue, a uniform policy becomes a freedom, not a restriction, and everyone is able to lighten up a bit. ✤

Early on in my parenting journey, I vowed I would never send my kids to a school that didn’t require uniforms. I can’t imagine anyone rejecting this simple way to eliminate the morning stress of figuring out what to wear. Add to that the social, emotional, practical, and financial burdens that clothing in our culture heaps upon our children, and uniforms become freedom! —Mom of 3 CCE students

~NATE AHERN, Principal of Augustine Classical, Lakewood, CO

October 20, 2023

DOXA’s Sleeping Beauty visits Cornerstone

DOXA Dance Studio is a local studio that was founded in 2004 by Suzanne Barroso, who was once a teacher at Cornerstone! Many of Cornerstone’s students have previously or currently dance with DOXA.

Each year DOXA’s Company dancers perform their take on the traditional Sleeping Beauty, which has been danced for audiences since 1890. In DOXA’s version, the prince demonstrates his love for Princess Aurora by giving his life to save her from the curse, representing Christ’s sacrifice for us.

Two of the fairies in DOXA’s performance this year are Aseyeshika (11th) and Caitlyn (12th) as the Silver Fairy and Fire Fairy, respectively.

The annual performance of Sleeping Beauty will be held at the Phillips Center on Saturday, November 4th at 6 PM. Please consider supporting DOXA by seeing the show!