"Jewel has been a hard-working student the entire school year. She is always engaging to speak with and ready to share her thoughts and experiences with me, which I truly appreciate. Jewel has been active in school clubs as well, participating in the Cooking Club and starting a book club. This is all while maintaining fantastic grades! Jewel's sweet spirit and her work ethic make her an outstanding young person, student, and an asset to our school community."

Mrs. Suzanne Holyde

"Jaya is hard-working, responsible, and diligent with all her school work. She has a positive attitude and comes prepared to our meetings. Recently, Jaya moved across the country to another state. She did exceptionally well academically and I enjoyed all the pictures she took documenting her trip. She has a creative passion for drawing and photography. I am so blessed to have Jaya as my student this year."

Mrs. Nelly Campos

"Adelaide (6th grade) and Kira Blaivas (7th grade) just joined our school during the semester break taking a math class each. They are both still enrolled full-time in their original middle school so they are having to work double hard! The girls will be enrolled full-time next semester. I am thrilled about that because they are both such a joy to work with. They are polite, intelligent, hardworking, and creative. Next year, they hope to launch a coding club on campus! I can't wait. I hope you have a chance to meet them."

Mrs. Laury White

"I am so impressed with Hunter's determination and his improvement as a student this year. He works so incredibly hard and it is such a blessing to watch him grow. Not only is he a great student, but he is also one who spreads joy all around him. His kindness and zest for life are always present. He is a blessing to have as a student and a blessing to our whole community."

Ms. Jamie Benedetto

"Kendall Murff is a talented student who also manages to balance many extracurricular activities with her coursework. She is involved in dance, cheerleading, helps teach a tumbling class, and stays active in her church. Kendall has been a pleasure to work with this year because of her straightforward approach to the tasks she completes. I am always delighted to read her responses to discussion assignments and learn what she has been reflecting on in her New Testament Survey class. This semester I also discovered that Kendall draws really well as I've enjoyed admiring the art she submits in her Fine Art class. Kendall was accepted to her top choice university for next year, and I am very excited for her."

Ms. Katherine Fankhauser

"Kaleb is such a blessing! His desire to honor God in all that he does is incredible. He is not only engaged in our community at Calvary but also in his local community. He is a prime example of a student-athlete, does excellent work in the classroom as well as on the field/court. It is so fun to see him grow and I can't wait to see what God has in store for him."

Ms. Jamie Benedetto

1. 30 years.

2. I can fence flip (I am 54 years old, mind you!) I am also an accomplished seamstress as well (clothing and upholstery). I just don't enjoy doing it much.

4. Philippians 4:6-10. I had to memorize this passage to go on a backpack trip in high school. I had no idea that I would quote it and depend on it almost every day of my life for the next 35 years! It has become my lifeline.

1. I have been teaching for 3 years.

3. The funniest thing a student said to me this year is “God’s wisdom is top of the line wisdom!”

5. This isn't my worst fear but I am always afraid that my alarm clock will not go off and I will miss meetings with my students.

1. I have been teaching since 1976.

3. The funniest thing wasn't this year, but several years ago. A parent explained how their son/daughter's assignment on the computer was deleted because of their dog jumping on the keyboard.

5. We live in a rural area, and I always worry that a snake will either bite my dog or my husband when they are out working in the grove.

1. I have been teaching for 18 years.

3. When asked to think of the funniest thing a student has said this year, I don't know if this counts, but my son said, "Mom, do the people at dad's school know how crazy he is?"

4. My favorite verse is 2 Corinthians 5:21, "He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." I love this verse because it not only sums up the Gospel, but it gives us hope that Jesus bore our sins for us, and as a result not only do we no longer bear them, but instead we are clothed in the righteousness of God; all because of what Jesus did on the cross and nothing that we did of ourselves!

1. I have been teaching for almost eight years.

2. A passion I have, besides my passion for Our Lord and teaching, is for the makeup/beauty industry. Therefore, I love to buy makeup products and apply them on myself. I have fairly good makeup application skills. My family and friends have complimented me on some of the makeup looks I have created and applied on myself in the past.

4. My favorite Bible verse is "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13. I love this verse and I remember it even more so when I am going through a stressful time and have difficult responsibilities and tasks to complete.

1. I have been teaching for 13 years.

4. One of my favorite Bible verses is 1 Peter 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." It is a beautiful verse to lift up as praise to God, and it is so good to be reminded that when we have put our trust in Jesus, we don't just have hope, but "living hope." No matter how bad things might feel and no matter how broken the world is, God is keeping us and we have so much to look forward to.

5. Flip flops - I can't walk in them!

1. This is my first year teaching at CPA, but not my first year being a teacher. Overall, I have been teaching since 1993.

2. Embarrassingly, I can sing along to most 80's-90's pop songs.

3. I had a conversation with a student about what it would be like if Dwayne 'the Rock' Johnson became president. We gave the cast of Jumanji all positions in his government. It's hard to explain, but it was very funny.

1. I have been teaching for 9 years.

2. I can Greek dance. In middle school and high school, I was in a Greek dancing group that competed against other groups from around the US and in Canada.

5. My worst fear is showing up to work in my pajamas. Just kidding! I sometimes do that for my 5:30 am meetings. On a serious note, my worst fear would be if something happened to my husband or one of my kids. Nevertheless, everything that I have (including my family) is from God, so that is a fear that I need to release to Him.

1. I have been teaching for over 10 years.

3. One of my students was writing comments for himself on the weekly report and he told himself: "Try harder nerd." It made me laugh! (I knew he was kidding).

4. 1 John 4:8: "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." I love this verse because it shows us what it really looks like to know God. We are called to love everyone!

1. I'm not a teacher. :) I am the School Advancement Strategist...I help market the school, communicate with the school body via emails, social media, and head up fundraising for the school. I've been in this position for one year. Before that, I was a family law paralegal for 16 years.

3. At CPA, I get to monitor the Daily Discussion Forum, and April 19th stands out in my mind. Mrs. White asked the students to post a funny meme. For some reason, the first student didn't post a meme, but posted one word: "Sheesh." Not sure why he chose to do that, but then the next 35 or so students posted the same word: "Sheeeesh" in various forms. Mr. Beck and I were cracking up!

4. My favorite Bible verse is Ephesians 2:10 "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

1. I have been teaching for 4 years.

3. One year I had a student write an English free-writing journal about how his favorite activity, which is to go surfing in the summertime when it's crowded. He explained that this is because there are tons of tourists trying to learn how to surf and he can run over them over with his finless soft-top surfboard.

And I quote: "The third and most brutal is saved strictly for during the summer and only works on finless boards. This technique is like a hit and run car crash. I literally hit them with my board and then run over them. I only do this when I don’t have fins and I am on a soft top so it doesn’t even hurt them, but is always so rewarding."

5. As a kid, I used to have nightmares about drifting away in a hot air balloon. I think it was because I didn't understand how they got down. I knew hot air from a fire made them rise, but still to this day am not quite sure how balloonists get their balloon back on the ground. What if there is a strong breeze that keeps them up there forever? What if they land hundreds of miles away from their car? Or in the ocean? What if you fall out? Due to the many uncertainties I still have about balloons, you can be sure that I will never ever, ever be stepping foot in one.

1. I have been teaching for twenty one (21) years.

4. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3-10

I like that God gave us instructions on how to best live our life and the Bible verses I mentioned are simple instructions to help me.

5. My biggest fear is letting my students down so that they would not have the best learning experience in school possible.

1. I have been teaching for 12 years.

2. A talent I have is that I’m good at roller skating.

5. My worst fear is accidentally deleting grades or important information in the gradebook.

1. I have been teaching for 25 years.

4. My favorite Bible verse is Psalms 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God." It reminds me that God is in control and that I need only to be still to hear him.

5. I am afraid of rats! I'm not sure of the origin of my fear, but if I see a rat, I get super speed and will run a marathon if necessary.

1. I have been teaching for 13 years, but I have taught at CPA for 9 of those years.

2. I used to be good at riding horses, and I can usually tell when someone is lying to me.

4. My favorite verse is Philippians 4:13 because it helps me rest assured in decisions that I make that are hard.

1. 7 years.

3. An entire workshop of 12 students and not a single one had heard of a pager before. ( I guess I am older than I think sometimes!)

4. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

– Romans 8:38-39

This verse has sustained me and given me peace through the best of times and the worst of times.

1. As CPA's Homeschool Parent Mentor 1.5 years. As a homeschool teacher, for 6 years.

4. 1 Samuel 1:27; For this child I have prayed and the Lord has granted the desires of my heart.

When I got married I thought I only wanted TWO boys. I'm so thankful the Lord knew the desires of my heart more than I did, because I could not imagine life without all THREE of my children, one being my daughter who is my best friend.

5. The Dragon Swing at the carnival. No seatbelts and I swear I almost fell out of one as a kid.

"Ms. Katherine has taught me a lot in the last four years, and shown me so much grace. I think high school would have been a lot harder without her. She would always find something to talk about and connect with me. I appreciate Ms. Katherine so much because of how sweet and caring she is."

Sarah Dujay

"Thank you so much for being a tremendous teacher, Ms. Fankhauser! Thank you very much for being insightful, informative, and helpful when I don't fully understand a subject! Thank you so much for being encouraging, and supportive when I am feeling down! Thank you so much for being kind, and understanding when I unfortunately procrastinate! Thank you for being heartening throughout our weekly meetings! Thanks ever so much, Ms. Fankhauser!" :)

Richard Mutangi

"What I appreciate about Mr. Beck is how he can make a subject I usually find boring (Bible) enjoyable! He is always talking to everyone in the Bible club, and jokes around with us when we run into a funny name or an odd situation in the Bible. :) I look forward to the Bible Club meeting every week! Mr. Beck is kind, caring, funny, talkative, and one of the best Bible instructors I ever had!"

Jaya Creel

"Mr. Beck is the Bible club's advisor, and the school's director. Being the director, Mr. Beck has so much to do but he is always in a good mood and ready to help. He is always friendly and makes sure that everybody is okay and doing well in school. Did I mention that Mr. Beck has a good sense of humor? Yes, we always have something to laugh at in the Bible club. May the Lord bless you, Mr. Beck and your amazing family. May He answer all your prayers, and give you the desires of your heart. I appreciate you, Mr. Beck!"

Léa Mulasi Kalangwa

"Mrs. Lashlee, I pray that God will continue to give you strength and that He will heal you. I pray that you will be able to start teaching again this fall because you are deeply missed and loved by the whole school community. God is so good and has been with you on this journey so far, so I know He won't stop now. He is right there with you through it all. Praise and glory be to Him! Amen!"

Emma Ruetz

"I have been inspired by Mrs. Lashlee every time I have talked to her since she was diagnosed with cancer. Through this fight, she has chosen to place her trust in God and to walk joyfully through this difficult season in her life. The light of Christ shines through her brightly, and I can personally testify that God is using the hardship she is going through to minister to others. I cherish the memories of Mrs. Lashlee being my teacher and I'm incredibly grateful that she is planning to return to CPA, so that many students will be blessed with the opportunity to learn from her!"

Elliana Kirk

This month the photography has been working on editing and taking different photos. Their subjects have been the skies, trees, and prized possessions. They meet every Monday at 8:00 am PST in Mrs. Russell's classroom. You can also contact her through email!

(jrussell@calvaryonlineschool.com).