Ten Questions with Mrs. Anderson

By Raelyn Hedger and Sienna Alexander

We interviewed Mrs. Anderson. She is the Spanish teacher at GCA and she is nice, creative and funny. Her class is a mix of learning to speak, sing and write in Espanol. 

What's your favorite part about being a teacher?

learning from the students


What’s your favorite dish in Cuba?

Arroz con pollo


Why did you become a Spanish teacher?

My kids grew up, and I wanted to be around kids.


What’s your favorite video in Senor Wooly?

puedo ir al bano


How long have you been a Spanish teacher?

6 years


How long have you known Spanish?

Since I was born.


What would you teach if you didn't teach Spanish?

History


What is your favorite Spanish word?

Que desastre


What’s the best grade that you teach?

High School


What other language would you speak?

I took seven years of French

   

New Year, New ??

By Eli Romano

What will the new year bring? I interviewed GCA teachers and scholars to bring you a little something about what their plans are for the year. I found their answers to the question, “What is a goal you are committing in 2025?,” inspiring. Personally, my goal would be to become the best football player I could be by the end of the year!

Here’s what Spanish teacher Mrs. Anderson had to say, “I am committed to reading the Bible chronologically, all 66 books of the bible.”

Scholar Ethan Spicola answered the question about something new to try in 2025 by saying. “I really want to try seaweed at a seafood restaurant, it would be a new food that I would enjoy trying for the first time.”

Baseball is a popular topic for some students. Scholar Bobby Mcgee, 7th grade, said “Probably the thing I’m looking forward to the most is the world series this upcoming season.”

Some people just want to go out on a vacation and relax. But the question was, where do you want to go? I asked Scholar Jayven Phillips, 6th grade, this question. The result was “I want to visit Hawaii, the sunny beaches are so fun to play on, the sandcastles will be fun to play with, and the beach is great to play volleyball and football.”

People hope that GCA will continue to grow in the months ahead. Eighth-grade scholar Anthony said, “I think there are going to be around five-hundred kids at GCA by the end of 2025.”

I asked Noah Willits, 6th grade, what he wants to do better this year. “I want to be more kind,” he said.

Kids love to know their friends' electives for 2025, and Ethan Whitman is really happy about his second-semester choice, “I love doing drama and musical theatre,” he said.

Ethan S. says his motivator for 2025 is to, “Get some good grades!”

I asked Scholar Landon Johnson, 8th grade, the question “What's your theme song for 2025?” He smiled. “I think the theme song for this year is It’s a party in the USA,” he said.

Many people enjoy the new year, some people don’t. But everyone has some sort of plan. It's fun to think about the year ahead will bring!

Weekly News with Ethan Martinez

Free Verse News        

New England’s Unexpected Earthquake              

With a surprising magnitude of 3.8, the quake centered 10 kilometers southeast of Maine’s York Harbor. "Earthquakes are unusual but not unheard of along the Atlantic Seaboard," Said the U.S. Geological Survey. Houses and establishments report feeling the quake in Concord, Massachusetts, stated by their local police. The occurrence happened on Monday morning with Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Boston, Massachusetts an hour away feeling the earthquake. 

Now here is this week’s forecast!

Wednesday 29th: Partly Cloudy 66/50

Thursday 30th: Cloudy 66/51

Friday 31st: Sunny 77/63

Saturday 1st: Partly Cloudy 75/59

Sunday 2nd: 75/57


"While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease". Genesis 8:22 niv


RIDDLE TIME!

What gets wetter as it dries?

lewoT A            

              

Smiles Bring Joy to Mrs. Michele

 By Aubrey Santo and Grace Rodriguez

Imagine, seeing the students walk by with big smiles on their faces as they walk through the hallway towards their classes. It’s a typical day for Mrs. Michele. She works the front desk at GCA, and loves to greet students with a cheerful hello. 

Today, she sits at her desk waiting for a phone call. “Hello, this is Michelle from Generation Christian Academy. How can I help?” She would typically be getting calls from the students' parents or someone with important information. While waiting for calls she helps with the school clinic, by handing out bandages, and ice.

“My favorite part about the day is seeing the children and delivering lunches,” she said. 

In the morning she waits at the door for kids to walk in to greet them with hugs and hellos. Mrs. Michele delivers hot lunches on Wednesdays with Huey Magoos and Fridays with cheese and pepperoni pizza from Westshore Pizza. She stays busy visiting six different lunch groups grades K-8. She also helps by delivering lunch boxes and backpacks to students who forget them at home.

Mrs. Michele said that the craziest thing she has ever encountered during her eventful day was when a boy fell on the playground and badly hit his head. When kids came up and told her she sprung into action. Soon, she heard a teacher had already called the parents and they quickly arrived. Mrs. Michele helped in any way she could by comforting children.

Mrs. Michele has a daughter in 6th grade here at the school and decided to work here to be closer to her family. She also has a nephew here in 7th grade. We are so glad to have her here with her positive attitude and heart for the students.

Swimming with the Manatees

By Shah Williams

On January 17th, 6th grade went on an adventure field trip. We went to see and swim with manatees an hour away at Crystal River. The water was very cold, but we still saw a lot of fish. They were snook, yellowish-green and big snook with a stripe on the side. 

When we first arrived at Crystal River, we started getting on wetsuits and we went into a classroom to learn the rules. DON’T TOUCH MANATEES BUT THEY CAN TOUCH YOU! That was probably the most important rule. Then we drove to the docks and got on the boat. It was a blue pontoon with the tour company name on the side. 

There were about 20 of us, students and teachers and the tour guide. They explained the rules again on the way and then we got to a spot, we climbed down a ladder. They gave us pool noodles on the way down. Like 15-feet out we saw the manatees, some were big, some were small. One booped me on the forehead. It was a first time experience. 

It was really fun and I think most people liked it. We swam back and we saw one last manatee next to the boat. After we saw the manatee we got back on the boat and went to the docks. I want to go back with my uncle to go fishing. We would catch a lot of fish!

Weekly News Update by Ethan Martinez

         Free Verse News

                           DELAYED NOTICE 

Due to health issues, the “Free Verse News” newspaper was temporarily halted and is now back in production. We hope you enjoy this issue of “Free Verse News”

America’s New Golden Age Starts Now!

With Donald J. Trump’s and J.D. Vance’s inauguration being held Monday January 20, Donald Trump has already made some stunning changes! These changes include things like renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and unbanning TikTok (But still disappointing it only lasted 12 hours…)

Anyway, with Trump making valuable moves on the USA, we are in for an awesome 4 years! Now it is time to move on to the rest of the week’s weather!

Wednesday 22nd: Rain; 49F/43F

Thursday 23rd: Rain; 50F/40F

Friday 24th:   Sunny; 51F/35F

Saturday 25th: Sunny; 58F/44F

Sunday 26th:  Cloudy;  68F/53F   

                   

                TIKTOK DISPUTE

Because of Joe Biden successfully banning TikTok, many users and addicts experienced withdrawals such as “extreme anxiety, irritability, insomnia, depression and cravings,” said the New York Post. People worry about “missing out, boredom, and worrying about finance.” Due to this, this is more of a health and society burden and will only worsen if not regulated.


Verse: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

RIDDLE OF THE WEEK: “Nobody empties me but I’m never full for long. What am I?”

Soccer Try Outs a Success

By Alexander Hlebak and D.H.

The sports program at GCA is growing. Competitive soccer tryouts for grades 5 - 8 were held the first week in January for girls and boys teams. We asked some of the new players, and Soccer Coach, Mrs. Booth, about the tryouts and upcoming season.

When asked what skills he plans to bring to the team, Anthony Lewczak, 8th grade, said, “I’m going to be the Messi of the team by dribbling the ball around everybody. I want to make the most goals.”

Since this is the first season, many wonder if the Lions will win their games and dominate. They might have a good shot because the teams bring experience. Many have played in other competitive leagues.

Peyton Hoag, 7th grade, said he doesn’t want to be a professional soccer player, but he enjoys playing.

“I like passing the ball to people and being outside,” Peyton said.

Coach Booth has been involved with soccer since she was a kid. “Soccer was my favorite sport growing up to watch and play,” she said. She has coached teams for eight years, and previously coached the team at Seven Springs Middle. This is her first year coaching at GCA.

Sixth-grade student Dean Gaita said the game is all about hard work and timing plays right. He has been injured in the game but never gives up. “I’ve been playing soccer for 6 years,” he said. “It was the first sport I played." 

Sofia Mougros, 8th grade, said injuries are a downside to the sport, but the positives outweigh the negatives.

“ I like how after you make a goal you get to celebrate with your team,” she said. 

Mrs. Booth, who will coach the girls team, is looking forward to the season open. "Soccer tryouts went good," she said. "The next practice is going to be Feb. 3 and there are going to be around 10-20 players for both the boys and girls team."

Go Lions!

Dancing the Night Away at Winter Formal

By Javen Phillips, Grace Rodriguez, and Aubrey Santo

  

The blue lights, the white balloons, the loud music. This is everything we hoped for. It was a perfect night! All of the young women looked beautiful. Most of the young men were wearing suits and ties. We entered through the main lobby doors and we saw the photo booth, the DJ stand, and the delicious food.

One of the things that we got to do was go on a 360 camera that spun around and took a video of us. The platform was a multitude of colors. The dance music played in the background as the camera spun around the platform. At the tables, we talked, ate, and waited for the dancing part to start. For most of us, it was our first time going to a dance.

The dance went by really quick, but it was a great experience. “My favorite part about the dance was jumping around with my friends,” Emma Hanratty, 7th grade, said.

The dance was for middle school scholars, grades 6th through 8th. Invitations were sent two weeks before Christmas break. The day of the dance most middle school girls left early to get ready for the big and exciting night, then some came to Chestnut Park in Starkey Ranch to take pictures before the big night!

“I hope there will be dancing and food,” said Kai Spolar, 6th grade, the day leading up to the event.
Once everyone got there, there was a red carpet waiting and walking in there was floor length tinsel that set the mood. The theme was a winter formal and we danced to the cupid shuffle, cha cha slide and the church clap. 

D.J Crazy (Aiden and Finley Scott) made the night a fun one, the Generations Christian Church youth staff Chris and Rafe were our “Security Guards” and youth leader Savannah Pulte was the life of the party! The middle school teachers and staff came and danced their hearts out.

We all ate so much from the pasta bar catered by the Vesh Family, and enjoyed the sweet cupcakes, macaroons and rice-crispy treats. A few of us played foosball and as the evening went on, most of us kicked off our shoes. At the end of the night, all middle students left with a new core memory!

Ten Questions with Mrs. Herzig

By Raelyn Hedger and Sienna Alexander

We interviewed Mrs. Herzig. She teaches 4th grade math, ELA, and Bible. We like her because she is fun and caring. She uses group work to make learning fun. She is the only teacher we know who loves to drink Prime. She is a kind, awesome woman of faith and Christian character.


What’s your favorite part about being a teacher?

Enjoying the kids


What’s your favorite subject you teach?

Bible


How long have you been a teacher?

34 years


Why did you become a teacher?

My husband was a teacher, and what I was doing was boring.


What grade would you teach if you had a choice?

10th grade


How long does it take you to grade a test?

A minute


What is your favorite time of the day?

When I pick up my husband from teaching


How would you describe your classroom?

Colorful and full of llamas


What is your favorite thing you’ve taught?

Creative writing and Shakespeare


What’s the best snack you can eat during teaching?

A bar and crackers

GCA Kindergarten is High Energy and Full of Fun

By Grace Rodriguez and Aubrey Santo

Photos: (1) Lily Kincaid, Everly Hedger, and Everly Parish smile outside their classroom. 

(2) Kinders dance and sing in class. 

“Math is my favorite because I learn a lot”, said GCA kindergartener Everly Parish. She is excited to share about her class. Her teacher, Mrs. Jenzer is always coming up with ways to make the day fun.

There are three classes of kindergarteners at GCA; taught by Mrs. Jenzer, Ms. Green and Mrs. Schlingman, with help from assistants Ms. Bottoms and Mrs. Ponce. The kindergarteners at Generations are inquisitive and very bright. They are bubbly and always asking questions. 

When we walked into Mrs. Jenzer’s class, the kids were learning how to show place values of numbers going up from 10 and how to write them.

In addition to their reading and math they are able to take Art, P.E., Spanish, Computer Lab, and Music. Lily Kincaid said that she likes Spanish the best. “I like the puppet Choco, and speaking in Spanish,” she said. Choco is Mrs. Anderson's puppet, a hedgehog the kids in kindergarten through 2nd grade get to see and interact with. Kincaid said the puppet makes her laugh. 

Kindergartener Everly Hedger said  her favorite part of her week is going to chapel and worshiping “I love going to chapel because I get to sing and dance and worship Jesus!” she said.  All of the kindergarteners really said they loved chapel! Mrs. Jenzer does too! 

"I love to watch my 5 and 6 year old students worship and pour their heart out to Jesus," she said. 

One popular opinion beyond kindergarten is involves uniforms. Out of all of Mrs. Jenzer's class 66% said they liked or loved having a uniform. Only 34% said they disliked having a uniform.

Mrs.Jenzer said she really enjoys teaching her class. Before starting college, she chose to become a kindergarten teacher because she had a bad kindergarten experience having a rude teacher who yelled and didn't take time to understand kids. Jenzer  wanted to give kids who were starting school for the first time a good experience, "so they can enjoy school." 

Mrs. Jenzer's room is spacious, bright and colorful with shades of pastels on posters with numbers and A,B,C’s. Watching her teach the kids place values in the 10’s and how to write numbers correctly, we saw one student make a mistake. Mrs. Jenzer calmly told her that the number was backwards and showed her how to fix it. 

Because of the wonderful teachers at GCA like her, kindergarteners start their school experience loving every minute!

Weekly News Update by Ethan Martinez

Free Verse News

By Ethan Martinez

JIMMY CARTER’S OFFICIAL FUNERAL

Death: December 29th, 2024

Former President Jimmy Carter’s death in Atlanta, Georgia, has the nation in quite the mourning. Living for an impressive 100 years old, (1924-2024), he died peacefully of old age while successfully holding the title of longest living president ever. Let us remember him as one of our nation's good leaders.

Anyway, up next is this week’s forecast!

Mon 13 High: 62 Low: 48

Tue 14 High: 56 Low: 41

Wed 15 High 54 Low:41

NO UV INDEX

Credit: Google Weather

WEEKLY VERSE: Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism. Colossians 3:25 NIV

RIDDLE TIME!!! “If I’m fed I’ll grow, If I drink, I die. What am I?” a: smoky thing

WEEKLY REVIEW:

Interview with Mrs. Whitman 

1. Customer Service?

“People in Chick-Fil-A are really nice unlike those at McDonald’s, they are a well-set example for my kids.”

2. Spicy Chicken Sandwich is her favorite.

“It tastes really good, and when you add pickles it really enlightens the experience!”

3. Peach Milkshake gets five stars. 

“This milkshake is very unique because when other companies do it, it doesn't turn out as well.”

Thank you for reading, and have a blessed day, GCA!

The Fabulous Fourth Grade Team

 Gia Mougros

My name is Gia Mougros. I am 9 years old, and I am in 4th grade. I have been at GCA for one year.

I play softball and flag football, so I would love to write about team sports.

Raelyn Hedger

My name is Raelyn. I am 9 years old and I am in  4th grade. I have three sisters. My hobby is playing the piano. I would love to write about a singer!

Karolis Ivanauskas

My name is Karolis. I like to play Fortnite and I play with friends. I like Busch Gardens and I respect my family. I am looking forward to journalism because I want to learn about people’s lives, what they do when they’re bored and where they go on the weekends.

Keenan Fielding

My name is Keenan. I am in 4th grade, and this is my first year at Generations.

Meet the Middle School Team

Grace Rodriguez

My name is Grace Rodriguez. I am in 8th grade and this is my first year at GCA. Some of my interests include sports, art/painting, music and reading. I look forward to interviewing people for journalism class.

Ethan Martinez

My name is Ethan Martinez, and I'm in 6th grade. This is my first year at GCA. I live with my mom, dad, and two sisters. My latest hobbies are drawing, reading, video games, and studying the French language. I like surreal art and pop music. I like to try a lot of foods, so I like to eat many foods. I look forward to writing articles for journalism class!

Aubrey Santo

My name is Aubrey Santo. I am in 7th grade and am 13 years old. I play volleyball and soccer! I love reading, writing, going to the beach and playing with my 2-month old Bernadoodle puppy named Baylor. She is loving and loves cuddles! This is my first year at GCA! I look forward to writing articles with one of my best friends, Grace, in journalism class. 

Eli Romano 

My name is Eli Romano. I’m 12 years old, turning 13 in February. I’m in 7th grade and this is my first year at Generations. I enjoy playing with my two brothers and two sisters. My favorite thing to do is play football with my brothers. I also like WATCHING football. My favorite team is the New York Giants. I’m looking forward to Journalism because I get to interview people and learn more about them.

Shah Williams

My name is Shah Williams. I'm 11 years old and in 6th grade. I like to go fishing with my uncle and friends. I have been skiing in Colorado and North Carolina. My favorite color is green. My favorite holiday is Halloween. My favorite month is June. 

Jovian Newson

My name is Jovian. I am 12 years old and in 6th grade. My favorite hobbies are bike riding, playing basketball, and playing video games on my PC.  This is my first year at GCA

Alexander Hlebak

My name is Alexander Hlebak. I am 13 years old, and I like to launch model rockets. I also like to golf on the weekends, and I also like to go sled in Colorado. I would also like to visit Dubai and Japan. I am interested about writing about the military.

Jayven Phillips

My name is Jayven Phillips. I'm in 6th grade an this is my first year at GCA. I like basketball, video games, my family and Jesus. I am excited to write stories on many topics.