Former Graduate Wilson Agramonte Signs With the New York Yankees!

 

Here is a picture taken earlier this month of former Upper Room Christian School graduate Wilson Agramonte signing with the New York Yankees. Wilson graduated in June and was signed in December. This was his dream as a young boy growing up in the Dominican Republic.

 

 



Wilson's Dad, who lived in Manhattan, heard of Upper Room Christian School's baseball program and wanted his son to spend his last year in high school at Upper Room playing for Coach Passalaqua. Wilson is a left hander throwing at about 89 mph making him a real asset to any program. Coaches Passalaqua and Jackson both worked hard with Wilson getting him ready and getting him before the scouts.

 

Coach Passalaqua of URCS also partners with his son Anthony at Long Island Baseball a baseball training facility they founded to enhance and promote young baseball players here on Long Island. They also put together Long Island's only Baseball Showcase where 25 of Long Island's best players come for the day to be observed by Major League and College Scouts.

 

When I contacted Wilson to congratulate him he was so happy and said, "Thanks for everything"! Wilson, it was our pleasure and we will be cheering you on throughout your professional baseball career!

 















Community Service

Yesterday we took our band and choir to the Carillion Nursing Center in Huntington for our annual Christmas Concert. We have been going there for three years now. The students get a feel for how fortunate they are to be well and with their families during the holidays and they enjoy bringing smiles to those who are less fortunate.

We did a series of Christmas songs and ended with a medley of Christmas Carols that had most of the ambulatory residents up singing and dancing. In the spring we will be taking the group to a senior center in Nassau County for a Spring Concert.

Part of the education process must include teaching the students the value of what they already have and the importance of "giving back". Community service is an important component of the educational process here at Upper Room.

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
Ed

Thanksgiving Outreach

Each year we ask our senior class to help out Upper Room's Mercy House Thanksgiving food distribution. Our seniors will work from 10:30am until 3pm unloading trucks and filling over 2,0000 bags of groceries for the less fortunate. It's a chance for them to "give back" to their community and learn about caring for and giving to others in their time of need.

This year is even more significant in the wake of Hurricane Sandy! Many here on Long Island remain without power or even find themselves homeless. Upper Room's Mercy House is a place where folks can come and receive food, advice and prayer. Each person goes home with a Turkey and 4 bags of groceries!

The distribution will start tomorrow and continue on Sunday. On Thanksgiving Day many of the students will come back as we prepare and deliver over 300 complete hot Thanksgiving dinners to shut-ins throughout the Long Island area. It is especially moving and impacting for our 19 International Students as many of them never saw anything like this in their country! We believe that part of being thankful is reaching out to those in need and knowing that "there but for the grace of God go I"!

Blessings!
Pastor Ed

Why Private Education?

Today we ask the question, "Why do more than 6,000,000 families in the US choose private education over public, charter or magnet schools"? The answers to this question are too numerous to answer here in one article but I'll try to list a few.

Private education is good for the students! Private schools benefit students by fostering academic excellence and high achievement, educating the whole child within a values-based setting, and preparing youngsters for success in life. If you want a caring, challenging, nurturing, safe and secure environment for your child--a place where he/she can learn and succeed--consider a private school.

Private education is good for the families! Private education benefits families by offering a wide range of educational options, including schools rooted in religious traditions, schools that provide intensive academic experiences, and schools that are specialized for specific populations. School choice, which should be every family’s right, enables parents to select an educational setting based on the needs of their children and their sense of what a school should be.

Private schools are good for America! As America’s first schools, private schools established our country’s foundation for education. Today, private schools help fulfill the American ideal of educational pluralism. Our nation is blessed by a rich diversity of schools. Whether public or private, these diverse schools constitute the American educational experience and share a worthy goal: the education of our country’s children. Private schools help educate the public—including students from a wide diversity of backgrounds, income levels, and ability levels—at considerable savings to taxpayers. They produce high-achieving students who make significant contributions to the country. And they strengthen their communities economically, socially, and educationally. Research shows private schools to be particularly effective in educating disadvantaged students. Minority students who graduate from private high schools are more than twice as likely to attend four-year colleges than their counterparts in public schools.

If you are interested in finding out more go to the Council for American Private Education's website at http://www.capenet.org/index.html . There you can find all of the data supporting what was said here.

Blessings,
Ed

"Smart Boards" in Schools

We took delivery last week on three Sharp Aquos 70" presentation "smart boards". These boards are 70" monitors that can do everything your computer or tablet can do and more. They interface with the new Sharp copiers we bought so a teacher can scan a document to the board, modify it using the collaboration of the group and send it back to the copier with all of the changes intact.

Teachers can also bring in digital media and broadcasts to augment the student's textbooks. The picture on these screens are crisp and the students love them! We have been using then all around the school. Below is a picture of Mr. Horodeski's computer class using the Aquos board while doing a mapping project.

We continue to move in the direction of digital learning with the additions of Ren Web, Moodle and "Smart Board" technology as major textbook publishers make less books and provide more digital learning tools.

Blessings!
Ed

Hurricane Sandy

The stop sign I'm holding was blown down by the biggest storm to hit Long Island in my lifetime. Hurricane Sandy made landfall Monday, October 29th at 6pm. As a result of this super storm our school was forced to close for a week! This is the first time in our 31 years that we were ever out of school for a weather related issue for more than 3 days.

While many of the local school districts (28) chose to remain closed yesterday due to extensive power outages, downed trees and power lines we were able to resume classes! We had 126 students attend (driven into school by their parents) and only two teachers were unable to get into work.

The forecasters are predicting a Nor'easter for tonight, into tomorrow and possibly continue through Thursday. We are in a wait and see mode to asses the effect this new storm will have on our Island and our ability to open for school. We continue to pray for all of the people affected by Sandy!

Blessings,
Pastor Ed

School Hallways

School hallway decorum is an important part of a good school environment. We do our best to keep our hallways neat and clean. We also try to keep the traffic in the hallways as clear as possible especially during classes.

Students have 4 minutes between each class to gather their books and get to their next class. Students are not permitted in the hallways without a pass once the second bell rings. We also require any student leaving a class to sign out and back in including the time and destination.

We also require all guests to sign in and keep a visitors badge on at all times while in the building during school time. Keeping the hallways clean and safe provide a great atmosphere for our students and staff to work in!

Blessings,
Pastor Ed

Music in Schools

This is a picture of a 4th grade music class. Miss Mary Ellen Flynn is one of our music teachers and she is conducting a music theory class. Elementary students receive music instruction twice a week. One class is theory and the other is practice with recorders.

Miss Mary also oversees our school choir and lead vocalists. They minister in our weekly chapel services as well as performing in local rehabilitation centers, senior centers and other schools whenever possible. Miss Mary also oversees our after school private music lessons.

Music is an important part of a students overall growth. We all enjoy music and these classes give the students insight as to how music is composed and performed. Music is another vehicle for the students to express their creativity and involves language and math skills. Music also fosters working together as a small or large group. Perhaps most importantly most students look forward to their music classes and their opportunity to perform and many go on to study or play throughout their lifetime.

Blessings,
Ed

Art in Schools

In some schools art is considered an elective but here at Upper Room Christian School we see art class as an integral part of a students overall learning. Art, music and drama classes all foster creativity and give students outlets for expression.

In our art classes students learn art history as well as learning hands on techniques with pencil, pens, markers, watercolors and oils. We have had students go on to College and major in Art, Music or Performance Arts. The students art work is showcased throughout the school which creates a wonderful atmosphere in the school!

While other schools are forced to cut back what they consider to be "elective" courses, we here at Upper Room Christian School have offered art each year for the past 30 years and we plan to do it for 30 more!

Blessings,
Pastor Dono

School Secretary/Receptionist

A good School Secretary is crucial to having a smooth operating school! Here at Upper Room Christian School we have always been blessed for the past 32 years with great women who filled this position with grace and competence. From Mrs. Joan Tomasselli, to Ms. Rachel Dono to Mrs. Cheryl Clarke to Mrs. Alice Smith and this year's school secretary/receptionist Mrs. Peggy Dono.

The role of the school secretary/receptionist cannot be overlooked. From taking calls to doing dismissal. The school secretary's role is to provide critical information and help for students, parents and staff. Her office is the central hub of the school. She is the "first impression" one gets when either calling or coming to the school.

I have watched these awesome women work from 7:30am until 3:30pm and beyond. Their role has them actively working from the time they come in until the time they leave. They manage our database, handle attendance and uniforms and answer all manner of questions. Without them there would be no school!

Peace!
Ed

School Lunch Program

This is Mrs. Gregg. She and Mrs. Frazier oversee our school's hot lunch program. As a small school, we don't have access to a large commercial kitchen so we bring our program in from two awesome outside vendors. Mrs. Gregg and Mrs. Frazier work with the vendors parents and students to plan a healthy and delicious lunch for our students.

The children especially like Taco Tuesday, Pizza Friday and Wednesday's Wings! Each meal comes with a drink and healthy side dish. Mondays and Tuesday's alternate with offerings like soup and a sandwich on wholesome whole grain bread, chili or delicious wraps.

Our school works closely with the NYS Board of Health to keep our service safe and nutritious. We follow all of the food safety precautions when serving our food and our staff is required to take and pass the State's Food Safety Course.

Nutrition is an important part of our overall health and can affect the way a student performs in school! We monitor our meals and vending machines and try to make the best, most healthy choices  without sacrificing flavor and satisfaction.

Blessings!
Ed

Anti-Bullying Program

We had our annual anti-bullying Chapel Service this past Friday. This year we had Master Instructor Robert Gravel speak. Master Gravel is the owner/director of Premier Taekwondo in North Babylon, NY. Robert has co-authored a comic book and designed posters that outline his "ABCs to stopping bullying". He spoke from experience as he was bullied as a young child.

While we do not have a big problem with bullying here at Upper Room Christian School, we address the issue each year to keep awareness high and give our staff and students access to techniques and strategies to help keep our communities free from this unnecessary evil.

We thank Master Gravel for coming and speaking to our students and staff and for his generous donation of books and posters for our school and students!

Blessings,
Pastor Ed

MSG High School Experience

This is a photo of Mr. Vanbenthuysen one of our High School science teachers in our lab. MSG Varsity did a piece on our school for a segment they call "The High School Experience". It's a two minute overview of our school.

You can view the video on our Facebook page at: http://www.Facebook.com/UpperRoomChristianSchool or at http://www.msgvarsity.com/optimum/RetrievePremiumContent?id=1PqSE2WAU2fL%2FAR1WCSwCePBmVYEqjR8iRWtcMog%2BFw%3D

 

 

We will be featured again on Cablevision's MSG Varsity channel 14 this Saturday, October 13th at 12noon. That segment has us hosting and reporting on 5 other area schools. I will try to post that piece here on our blog as well as on our Facebook page.

 

Be Blessed,

Pastor Ed 

Upper Room Christian School on Cablevision's MSG Varsity

Upper Room Christian School will be featured on Cablevision's MSG Varsity Channel 14 on Thursday, October 11th at 6:58 and again on Saturday, October 13th at 12noon. Our school was selected to host this segment for MSG Varsity.

We began our partnership with Cablevision's MSG Varsity 3 years ago and our involvement has grown each year. In fact, last year we won the Excellence in Video Production award. We attribute part of our success to Mr. Clyde Davis who is a respected sports photographer and magazine publisher. Mr. Davis volunteers several hours a day overseeing our HD TV class.

Cablevision's commitment to education is commendable as they provided our school with some much needed equipment as well as grants and awards to fund this well liked class. Several of our graduates have actually decided to major in either Communications or Journalism as a result of their experiences in this exciting elective class.

E-Scrip Fundraising Program

Our school just signed up for the E-Scrip Fundraising Program. It's simple, free and powerful. You just go to http://www.escrip.com and search for Upper Room Christian School. Then you just enroll your Pathmark shopping card and/or selected credit cards and a percentage of your qualifying purchases will be donated to the school.

They also have an online mall you can shop from and a rewards dining program. So each time you use your registered cards they send a portion of that purchase to the school. It's a great way to help us as we continue to provide a Christian Education to underprivileged students here on Long Island and throughout the world!

Sincerely,
Pastor Ed

Bulletin Boards

 

Bulletin Boards are an important part of a school's decor. They can serve many different functions as well as being "easy on the eyes". Here is an example of one of the many Bulletin Boards that are on the walls of our school. This is one used by our Kindergarten class and is located right outside their front door.

Many teachers like to personalize their Bulletin Boards by placing the names of their students on the boards as this one does or some get more creative and even have pictures of the students. Some buy kits, like the one above, that just require a background color and contrasting border. Some make the elements themselves and assemble them which requires more creativity and artistic ability.

However you make them Bulletin Boards are a key component in a school's decor that add color, form and function to any classroom or hallway.

Computer Class

Students love when they have computer class! Here at Upper Room Christian School our students have computer class at least twice a week and some grades have daily classes. Here is one of our 2nd graders at her computer station learning basic keyboarding skills.

The world of Education is changing both radically and rapidly. More and more schools are switching from traditional learning classrooms to blended learning classrooms which bring into the classroom resources and ways to learn that were never available before!

We here at Upper Room are purchasing state of the art smart boards, expanding our wireless capabilities and adding Moodle to our school this year to stay on the cutting edge of the trends in Education.

To God be the glory!
Ed

Chapel with Nathan and Mary Ironside

We had an awesome Chapel Service today at the school! We had Nathan and Mary Ironside formerly with Hillsong Ministries in Australia! First Jesse and Elyssa opened up the service with a beautiful worship song. Then we gave it over to Nathan who introduced his wife Mary. They both spoke about the importance of Worship. That we were created for worship and that we all worship something.

Later on Nathan who has produced over thirty CD's internationally strapped on his guitar and began to minister in song while our school band backed him up. The students were singing, clapping and dancing as we celebrated and worship God together!

Afterward Nathan had an altar call where he and Mary prayed for over 100 students who responded to rededicate their lives to the Lord and to a lifestyle of worship. We are so blessed to have a Christian School where the name of Jesus is lifted up and obedience to His word is paramount!

Blessings,
Ed

PGA Fed Ex Cup

The Barclays tournament officials have announced that the 2012 event will again give New York and New Jersey charities the opportunity to participate in TICKETS Fore CHARITY™ – a unique fundraising initiative designed to improve the quality of life in the communities where PGA TOUR tournaments are held. The Barclays, the first event in the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup, will feature 125 of the top players on TOUR, Aug. 21-26 at Bethpage State Park: The Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y.

Through TICKETS Fore CHARITY, The Barclays is providing Upper Room Christian School with the opportunity to promote tournament tickets to benefit their organization. Best of all, 100 percent of the net proceeds from the ticket sales – net proceeds exclude tax or processing fees – go to charity: 75 percent to Upper Room Christian School for promoting the tickets; and 25 percent to The First Tee of Metropolitan New York. The First Tee is an initiative of the World Golf Foundation aimed at positively impacting the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and education programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf.

“This is an incredible opportunity to raise unlimited funds for Upper Room Christian School and there are absolutely no costs to the organization,” said The Barclays Executive Director Peter Mele. “Fans will get to witness the very best the PGA TOUR has to offer and generate revenue for charities in New York and New Jersey during a time when these organizations need our help more than ever. 

The TICKETS Fore CHARITY program was announced on April 5 at a charity reception at the Bethpage State Park Clubhouse, attended by more than 70 representatives from both New York and New Jersey charities. In 2011, the third year of the program, $333,450 was generated for local charities, and the tournament has set a goal of $400,000 for 2012. 

The ticket available through TICKETS Fore CHARITY is a weekly grounds ticket available for $150.  This is a grounds ticket for each day of the tournament from Tuesday, Aug. 21-Sunday, Aug. 26.  The promoting charity will receive $112.50 of each ticket purchased on their behalf.  Tickets can now be purchased on behalf of Upper Room Christian School by visiting www.buytfc.com and entering the code "PUTTER" when purchasing your tickets or you can buy them directly from the school by calling 631-242-5359 ext.203 and speak to Pastor Dono.

Upper Room Christian School Graduate Invents Super Sponge to Absorb Oil Disaster

Upper Room Christian School Graduate, Daniel Hashim, is being heralded for creating what looks to be the best material available to clean up oil spills! Using Nano Technology Daniel has created a material that attracts oil, repels water, is magnetically influenced and is completely reusable!

Daniel graduated Upper Room Christian School in 2004. He attended RPI on a full academic scholarship as Upper Room is a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Medal School and Daniel was the Valedictorian of his class majoring in Nano Technology.

From RPI he went on to Rice University for his Master's Degree and to further his research with Nano Tubes. Two years ago he received a federal grant to continue his research and this material was the result. Daniel is still at Rice working on his Doctorate and finding ways to bring this new patent pending material to market.

Congratulations Daniel!!! Your hard work and perseverance is paying off for us all as your science will impact all of our lives.

You can see the orginal video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=OCKyMn-2edo

Or check out the Fox News Report at http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpps/news/nanosponges-soak-up-oil-hate-water-dpgoha-20120418-fc_19237267

Grace and Peace,
Ed

Nyack Announces Jason Crafton as Head Men's Basketball Coach

April 4, 2012 -

Nyack College Athletics Director Keith Davie is proud to announce the hiring of 2003 Nyack College graduate Jason Crafton as the head men’s basketball coach. Crafton previously served as an assistant coach for seven years at the United States Naval Academy. He was elevated to the role of associate head coach two seasons ago and has played a vital role in the program's success. During his tenure he assisted in all phases of the program along with serving as the head coach of the Junior Varsity team for seven seasons.

Davie states, “We are excited to have Jason bring his passion for excellence, discipline and the overall development of young men to our program. His skills and knowledge of the game perfectly fit our goal of building a winning program and we are excited to have him with us.”

In April 2011, Crafton was named by Basketball Times/Hoop Scoop as one of the top 50 mid-major assistant coaches.

“It’s a true honor to be back on the hillside to lead my alma mater. I’d like to thank Keith Davie along with the search committee for this great opportunity. I humbly accept this position with great pride in the institution and what it stands for. I look forward to getting started and igniting a new era of excitement in Nyack College basketball.”

Before his tenure at Navy, Crafton had previously served for two years as an administrative assistant with the Villanova men's basketball program that reached the NIT Quarterfinals in 2004 and the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in 2005. Crafton served in many roles while with the Wildcats, including video coordinator and the Villanova Basketball Camp coordinator.

While at Villanova, Crafton worked with 1985 NCAA champion and current Chicago Bulls Assistant Ed Pinckney who states, “Jason is a tremendous leader, motivator, communicator and recruiter. I’ve had the chance to be around many great coaches during my career as a player and coach in both college and in the NBA and, in my opinion, Jason is well on his way to becoming one of the premier coaches in America. There are not many who will outwork Jason.”

In the summer of 2004, Crafton was a member of the support staff for the Under-20 National Team Training Camp that took place at the New Jersey Nets practice facility. He served as the video coordinator, assisting the coaching staff with their preparation for the Olympic Games. That team went on to win the gold medal.

As a player at Nyack, Crafton was a three-year starter at point guard and two-year captain for the then Purple Pride. He was a member of Nyack's first-ever conference championship team in 2000 that advanced to the national tournament. Crafton graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Communications.

Jason attended Nyack College on scholarship from Upper Room Christian School. He will also be the keynote speaker for our annual Sports Banquet. Congratulations Coach!!!

Grace and Peace,

Ed

2012 Fed Ex Cup comes to Long Island!

Upper Room Christian School will be selling tickets for the PGA 2012 Fed Ex Cup to be held at the Bethpage Park Black course. Barclays bank and the PGA have joined together to make this great event a charitable event as well! 100% of all ticket proceeds will go to various charities throughout the area.

Tickets are only $150 for a 6 day pass. Children under 18 go free with a paid adult and tickets are 100% transferable! This is a great deal and 100% of the ticket price goes to charity!

Tickets can be purchased for $150 through the school by calling 631-242-5359 ext.203 or by going online to www.buytfc.com and putting in the code "PUTTER". Online tickets sell for $165 due to tax and a service fee. Either way you'll be in for 6 great days of watching 125 of the world's best golfers compete for the prestigious Fed Ex Cup! Oh, and because the pass' are 100% transferable and come as 6 individual passes you can go to whichever days you like and give the others as gifts or the can be resold for $25 a day.

Grace and Peace,
Ed

Call this one the ‘Challenge of the Champs’

Here is an excerpt from the Roanoke-Chowan News Herald:

For the second straight Friday, Lawrence Academy played a baseball double-header featuring one visitor from north of the Mason-Dixon line. This week it was Upper Room Christian School of Dix Hills, New York, two-time defending National Christian School Athletic Association champion facing a Warrior nine that had won four straight North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association titles.

In a game shortened because of darkness on an unlit field, Lawrence’s comeback fell short and the Royals prevailed, 12-6. “We played a really good team and we showed a lot of character,” said Lawrence coach Robert Kravitz.

Upper Room right-hander, Ramon Aureano, picked up the win with a seven-hit, 12-strikeout performance. He also surrendered six walks. “We got our hands full, but it’s good to be brought back down to earth and play real baseball, so it’s fun,” Kravitz said.

In the top of the sixth inning Upper Room sent 14 men to the plate and smoked Lawrence for 10 runs. Part of that onslaught included three homeruns. Despite Kravitz making a pitching change the Royals continued to score.

“I never think it’s over,” said Upper Room coach Tony Pasalacqua. “Baseball’s such a funny game and give them credit, they never gave up and that says a lot about their coaches and their character,” he added motioning toward the Lawrence dugout.

GO ROYALS!!
Ed

Private Education vs Public Education

A recent poll showed that 1 in 4 parents are considering switching their child(ren) from a traditional large public school environment to a smaller (independent, private, charter, religious) school. Parents feel that smaller schools have a clear academic focus and vision for high quality successful learning.

Many feel that in the public school system, there is a greater gap in achievement between socioeconomic classes, more violence and higher dropout rates, and children can easily get lost in the large, impersonal system.

Upper Room Christian School is a medium sized K-12 Private Christian School located on Long Island, NY. We have been established as a NYS Regent approved school for over 30 years! Our class size is small and we provide a safe academic environment that fosters intellectual growth while emphasizing Character Development.

Grace and Peace,
Ed

Keith Davis at Upper Room Christian School

 

Featured on:

   . ABC, NBC, CBS, TBN, BET, CBN and ESPN Sports

   . USA Today

   . Sports Illustrated

   . Ebony, Essence and Parade Magazines

   . National weekly broadcast of the "Power Connection"

Scholastic Awards:

   . Degree in Finance, University of Southern California

   . Dean's List - Scholar Award Winner

   . Graduated with team's highest grade point average

   . Academic Achievement Award Recipient

   . Academic All-Conference - 3 consecutive years

   . Academic All-American Nominee

   . Post Graduate Award Winner

Athletic Accomplishments:

   . Professional Football - New York Giants *Pre-Season injuries

   . 2 Rose Bowl Championship Rings

   . All-American Football Strength Team

   . All-Conference ( PAC-10 Conference )

   . Team Captain

   . All-Star Hula Bowl

   . One of America's strongest linebackers:

         . 6'1" tall, 265 pounds, bench presses 515 lbs., leg presses 1800 lbs.

Leadership Awards and Community Service:

   . Toyota Leadership Award for Outstanding Academics and Citizenship

   . Community Big Brother

   . Dallas County Volunteer of the Year Nominee

   Rose Bowl Champion, professional football player, and academic scholar student. A speaker in more than 3,000 schools worldwide . Motivational programs in 47 states and 40 countries including Australia, Brazil, England, Japan, Russia, Egypt, India and South Africa

   Keith Davis is a man who loves to see people succeed. Keith is a former college and professional football player that you may have seen on ESPN, ABC, USA Today or Sports Illustrated. He is also an entrepreneur as well as a motivational speaker.

   Keith Davis Graduated from the University of Southern California with his team's highest grade point average and a degree in Business Finance. While at U.S.C., Keith was the leading tackler, an All-Conference linebacker, and was selected to the All-American Strength Team. Keith also played twice in one of college football's biggest bowl games, the Rose Bowl.

   He has won 2 championship rings. After college, Keith signed his professional football contract with the New York Giants. During the pre-season, he was one of the strongest players on the team. Yet , injuries caused his time as a pro to be brief. Keith Davis stands 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighs 265 lbs., bench presses 515 lbs. and leg presses 1800 lbs.

Keith has a powerful testimony and word for today's youth and we are so glad that he will be doing a Chapel Service for us tomorrow. 1:15-3pm.

Open House

We had our first "Open House" this past Saturday. We had about 25 families come to hear and see what's going on here at Upper Room Christian School. Dr. Eck, our Principal, opened at 10am and began sharing the history of our school and the vision of where we're going. I was up next with some more info and inspiration.

The school band and choir ministered to us in song and there was a tangible presence of God in the room. After they finished we introduced several parents of students who attend our school to share their experience with our prospective new families. Our teachers were on hand to answer personal questions afterward and we had out a sampling from our art department, student publications department and the various curriculum that we use for each grade.

All in all it was a great two hour presentation of our school and as a result we had 10 families enroll new students for the upcoming 2012-2013 school year. As schools are closing all around us both in the public and private sector we are grateful that God continues to bless, provide and enable us to go forward with the vision he gave us 30 years ago to "Train up our children in the way they should go so that when they are old they will not depart from it"!

Grace and Peace,
Ed

Sydney Zambrotta

On Tuesday, January 24, 2012 8th grader Sydney Zambrotta broke the Long Island Girls Varsity All Time Scoring  Record  with 63 POINTS in one game! The previous record was 60 points in a game. Sydney is only an Eighth Grader and she plays on our Lady Royals Varsity Team. OSNA tried everything to stop her....even triple teaming her but together with the rest of her teammates she was able to score both from the outside and by "going to the hoop". The girls went on to win the game 77-17 against OSNA. They're defense opened up plenty of opportunities for Sydney to score. The girls play in the IPSALL League and are 3-3 for the season so far.

Sydney is already being scouted by several Division One Schools and even has some commitments already! She is a natural athlete and works super hard. She practices before and after school, 6 days a week and travels with her AAU team in the summer.

Our new Athletic Director Ms. Becky Stevens who is also our Girls Varsity Head Coach has done such a great job with her team this year. They improve each game as they learn the skills that Ms. Stevens learned while she played at LuHi, College and Overseas. She is also fostering lifelong relationships with the girls as they pray and fellowship each day before and after practice and games.

Grace and peace,
Ed

Family

Upper Room Christian School is like an extended family. Here we learn not only how to read and write but how to get along and take care of each other. There is a very strong connection between the staff and families being served by the school.

Many of our graduates come back to chapels, games and events throughout the year. They stay in touch via the phone, e-mail and Facebook. We believe that God has brought each of us here to be together and learn about ourselves, our world and most importantly our God. We do it in an atmosphere of mutual respect and care.

In this photo 10th grader BJ is giving us the thumbs up when he was asked how do you like Upper Room. He came to us this year from a local public school where he was failing. He is now on the honor roll! As you can see, he's quite happy and back on the right track!

Grace and peace,
Ed

Physical Education

Physical Education is an important part of Upper Room Christian School's overall program. Our motto is, "Growing Up in Christ, Spirit, Soul and Body". This is a picture of some of our elementary students learning the fundamentals of Basketball. We have been blessed with a beautiful facility with plenty of space for the children to run, play and learn.

In fact, Upper Room Christian School has produced some professional athletes and coaches and it all starts with the fundamentals learned in gym class. When the weather is nice we conduct some of these classes outside on our spacious property.

These days, with our increasingly sedate lifestyle, exercise play an increasingly important part in a student's  overall health program. Eating well, drinking plenty of pure water, rest, exercise and regular hygiene are all components taught in our health classes to reinforce the necessity of a healthy lifestyle to our students.

Grace and Peace,
Ed

Honor Roll

We gave out our quarterly Honor Roll certificates Friday. Here is a picture of Emmanuel Gomez. "Manny" is an I-20 student from The Dominican Republic. He has been with us for three years now. Even with the difficulty of having to learn a new language our international students compete and study for the same goals as our local students. Over 60% of our middle and high school students made the Honor Roll for the past quarter and we are very proud of all of them for that great achievement.

Honor Roll starts with a total average of  88%, we then have "High Honors" at 92% and finally "Highest Honors" at 97%. High school students are also enrolled in the "National Honor Society" for having at least 3 quarters on the honor roll at any level. This gives students a goal to aim for and rewards them for achieving it.

Grace and Peace,
Ed

Media Class

Last night at 6:58pm Upper Room Christian School was featured on MSG Varsity channel 14 for the work that Mr. Davis and this year's class is doing! The class covers everything from current events at the school to interviews with professional athlete's.

The class is designed to give our students exposure to the world of journalism. They plan, film, interview and edit pieces learning how to use still photography, HD video, sound engineering and editing programs to produce their final product.

Their teacher Mr. Clyde Davis, a professional photographer and magazine publisher brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and opportunities that they would never have without him. Next week, for example, they will be going up to the Knicks training camp to watch a workout and interview some of the players.

The students love the class and as we all know you work hard at what you love! We are grateful to have a partnership with Cablevision's MSG Varsity program and to have such great staff that enable our students to get exposure they would never have otherwise! In fact, two of the students in last years class have gone on to study journalism in college as a result of their exposure to the field.

Blessings,
Ed

Happy New Year 2012!

Happy New Year from Upper Room Christian School! We are looking forward to all that God has in store for us in this upcoming year! We have been so blessed throughout the past 30 years! From our humble beginning as a small ACE school to a full fledged NYS Regent school offering AP level courses approved and accredited from the prestigious St. Johns University.

As we begin this New Year we are continuing to strive for excellence in education, excellence in character and excellence in athletics. We are committed to our staff, parents, students and community as we seek God's best through Faith, Prayer, Hard Work and Patience. To God be all the glory for the things He has done, is doing and will do this year!

Blessings,
Ed