You may be tempted to kick 2020 to the curb and shout “good riddance!,” but let’s take a moment to pause, breathe, and reflect.
It goes without saying that COVID-19 made this year a challenging one for so many. And for some, the word “challenging” is a gross understatement. Maybe you experienced the loss of a job, a loved one, your health, or a dream. If this is the case, we mourn with you, are praying for you, and hope you have experienced God’s comfort, peace, and power that are capable of healing all wounds, no matter how deep.
And yet, despite the negativity the world will probably forever associate with the year “2020”, we can choose to remember how God showed up and carried us. Amidst the hardship, the CCA Hollywood community saw God provide and protect in remarkable ways that deserve to be celebrated!
So before we dive into this new year, let’s take a look at CCAH’s top five most impactful moments of 2020, shall we?
5. Transitioning to Distance Learning
On March 23, all Calvary Christian Academy students in Pre-K–12th grade began the distance learning journey. They gracefully adapted to the dynamics of an online classroom where they were still able to grow spiritually, academically, and socially.
If we could give everyone trophies for their hard work in making 100% distance learning possible, we certainly would!
Our dedicated faculty and staff worked around the clock to record lessons, offer individualized attention to our families, and adapt their curriculum. Our parents also did an incredible job facilitating remote learning while juggling other responsibilities. If we could give everyone trophies for their hard work in making 100% distance learning possible, we certainly would!
4. Discipling Differently & Digitally With Diligence
Even though learning wasn’t happening on campus for two months, CCA Hollywood’s faculty and staff were just as committed to drawing our students closer to Jesus and investing in their spiritual and mental well-being during this season.
CCA Hollywood’s faculty and staff were just as committed to drawing our students closer to Jesus . . .
Students tuned into pre-recorded chapel services to worship and hear an encouraging message from our school leaders. Even students had the opportunity to share with their peers what God had been showing them through His Word!
3. Creatively Celebrating Accomplishments
Living out our organizational core value of celebration was needed more than ever this year. CCAH staff planned creative and safe ways for families to connect with each other to celebrate milestones and make special memories — whether that was through an intimate, socially distanced graduation for our seniors, the personal delivery of lawn signs to honor our graduates and teachers, or the various drive-thru parades that were planned to celebrate accomplishments. Making our families feel loved and cared for was a top priority!
Making our families feel loved and cared for was a top priority!
2. Debuting a Clinic and Other Improvements
What a blessing it is to debut our new on-campus clinic where students can be treated and cared by our full-time nurse. This space is outfitted with two fully equipped exam rooms to help ensure that our students stay healthy and happy while they are at school.
We thank the Lord for blessing our school with these enhancements this year!
Additionally, we were able to make improvements to our campus that include: school lunches being cooked and prepared on campus by Chartwells to provide students with the freshest meals possible, new furniture in classrooms such as 600 desks and chairs, and more! We thank the Lord for blessing our school with these enhancements this year!
1. Welcoming Students and Staff Back to Campus
After much prayer, deliberation, and research, Calvary Christian Academy’s leadership team decided to re-open campus for the start of the 2020-21 school year, giving parents the option to choose an in-person or online education for their child(ren). Significant financial investments were made to safeguard our campus and accommodate mobile learners through the installation of high-definition cameras in each classroom. We are incredibly grateful that God gave us this opportunity to deliver in-person learning and press on during this season. We sure missed hearing the sounds of laughter and of hustle and bustle in the halls!
We are incredibly grateful that God gave us this opportunity to deliver in-person learning and press on during this season.
A phrase we often use here at CCA is: “A Bright Future Awaits”. More than being a catchy phrase, it’s something we truly believe because of the God we serve. We may walk through dark days, but He always illuminates darkness with His everlasting brilliance, as we saw firsthand this year at CCAH.
Our prayer is that He would continue to light our path and yours in 2021 as we remain committed to making disciples and developing young leaders who will change this world for Christ.
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” –Romans 5:1-5 (ESV)