DCHS Praise and Worship Team

DCHS Live Arts Drama

Pastor Vaughan

He was one of only 100 male students from across the United States to be sent from the Boys State program to be a delegate to Boys Nation in Washington, D.C. Sponsored by the American Legion, Boys Nation educates young leaders about the structure and function of federal government.

“I really enjoyed debating and sharing my Christian perspective on issue that define who we are as a country,” John said.

Each delegate acted as a senator from his state. The young lawmakers caucused at the beginning of the session, then they organized into committees to conduct hearings on bills submitted by program delegates. For instance, John wrote legislation to protect the borders through a national security program called SBINet.

The week of government training also included lectures, forums and visits to federal agencies, institutions, memorials and historical sites. On Capitol Hill, Boys Nation senators met with elected officials from their home states.

The American Legion Auxiliary program also organizes a summer leadership and citizenship program called Girls State leading to Girls Nation. This year, the two female students representing DCHS at Girls State in June were Maeghan Bourne and Jordyn Gum.

“We feel very honored that for the first time we had representatives at both Boys State and Girls State,” Principal Kemmerling said. “John’s participation as a national leader speaks to the caliber of our program and how we prepare students to expand their knowledge and then articulate what they know.”

Pastor Tim Dukes from Central Worship Center speaks on the DCHS theme for the year of Maturing in Holiness and challenges us to think about what is in our box for 1 Peter 1:16.

DCHS has seen continued growth as it enters its seventh year. Principal Scott Kemerling shared that enrollment has continued to climb each succeeding year, with 11 percent growth over last year. “We have 186 students in grades 9-12 and have been blessed by the quality of students who have chosen to be a part of what we are doing.”

This year, 15 students from Herbrechtingen, Germany, have spent part of their summer with DCHS host families. “The German students from Buigen Gymnasium have always added so much to the life of the school. We look forward to continuing our friendship with them over the years,” said Mrs. Denise Parsons, DCHS school nurse and German host mother.

Concluding an end-of-the day Chapel service and celebrating the first day of school at DCHS, students acknowledge their new German friends. Over the summer, fifteen students from Germany spent time with DCHS students by participating in numerous activities including trips to the beach, pool parties, barbeques, bowling, and various site seeing excursions.

At the start of the new school year, students assembled in the gym for opening ceremonies and words of inspiration. Following the ceremony, DCHS students prayed for one another. Seniors Grant Callaway, Tyler Troyer, and Shayne Ivory pray for freshmen Hamilton Schlabach, Sam Schlegel, and Freddie Barnard and others for a successful school year.

After a day of classes, DCHS parents, grandparents, and siblings joined the DCHS students for a school-wide family-style barbeque. While at the BBQ, Freshman Deelia Clarke introduced her new friend, also a freshman, Haley Steelman to her parents Brian and Katina.

“They led the way for the classes below them to follow, setting a new standard for perseverance,” Kemerling said. “It’s not easy to earn a DCHS diploma, and that is something of which they should be very proud.” Kemerling said the value of holding students to a higher standard is proven repeatedly by the performance of DCHS graduates in college. “One mother complimented us publicly at our recent orientation session for incoming students,” he recalled. “She had herself returned to a local college and was dismayed by the young students’ lack of respect for their professors. One of her professors told her that the rude student is the norm these days – ‘except for the kids coming out of DCHS; they have a much higher level of maturity.’”

DCHS students also reflect a higher level of academic excellence. The 22 graduates forming the Class of 2010 were accepted to no fewer than 55 colleges and universities, and they received some 87 scholarships. “For our class, it seems that Striving for Excellence has been the theme of the past four years. It has been the theme of our high school career, and I pray that it will be the theme of our lives,” said Senior Sarah Betts, addressing the audience of over 600 in the school’s Draper Family Foundation Gymnasium.

The Student Leadership Council Senior Executive, Betts advised her classmates: “But there is one other thing that I believe we should be striving for. When you strive for excellence in everything that you do, it can be far too easy to become focused on what you are doing and lose sight of your ultimate purpose; that purpose common to us all. You will only succeed in being excellent if you also strive to maintain an eternal perspective. An eternal perspective is one that sees beyond now, sees beyond tomorrow, sees beyond ten years from now, sees beyond this life into eternity. We can be goal-oriented people and we can make plans for the future, but if we lose sight of eternity, we’ve lost perspective.”

“Perspective is not an easy thing to teach,” Kemerling said, “but it is very gratifying to see it well-learned.”

Delmarva Christian High School Class of 2010:
Annelouise Barnard, Millsboro; Stephanie Barry, Milton; Sarah Betts, Georgetown; Joshua Carter, Lewes; Rachel Grant, Rehoboth Beach; John Hale, Lewes; Keina Harmon, Dagsboro; Lauren Henry, Laurel; Samantha Hommel, Selbyville; Loriana Johnson, Milton; Stephen Kary, Bethel; Michael LaPointe, Georgetown; Ryan Marion, Laurel; Jessica McCleaf, Bridgeville; Thomas Catalfamo, Georgetown; Dario Gaspar, Lincoln; Philip Gordon, Delmar; Emily Pentoney, Seaford; Kenneth Reilly, Lincoln; Heather Spicer, Seaford; Jessica Stratton, Magnolia and Michael Tirrell, Millsboro.

::Graduation Photos
::Graduation Video
::Baccalaureate Video

Two seniors graduating from Delmarva Christian High School have been accepted by Georgia Tech (The Georgia Institute of Technology) as incoming freshmen this fall: John Hale and Philip Gordon.

Both seniors have chosen rigorous academic paths for themselves, taking college-level calculus and differential equations courses, as well as Advanced Placement Chemistry, both testing out at the highest possible grade. They also have won multiple statewide Science Olympiad awards, Hale in Forensics, Five-Star Science, and a math event called Fermi Questions; Gordon in Circuits, Chemistry, Astronomy, and Environmental Chemistry.

And both are pleased to be going off together to one of the nation’s top engineering schools. “It’s a comparatively hard school to get into,” Hale said. “Georgia Tech is ranked fourth in the country and seventh in the world in engineering.”

Hale plans to study chemical engineering, “Though I might switch, possibly to nuclear or industrial systems,” he said. Gordon aspires to a Master’s degree in electrical engineering, following a five-year, year-round plan of study. And then? “I want to see where God leads me from there,” he said.

“I really look forward to being able to open up to new opportunities,” Gordon said. “We really saw the drive for learning there (Georgia Tech) and the number of opportunities for the students to take to explore their interests with like-minded students.”

“I’m looking forward to being able to pick a definite line of study and to being around people who are also studying chemistry,” Hale said. “I look forward to the academic spirit.” Hale didn’t exactly take to chemistry like a duck to water at first, but rather as an infant thrown into the deep end. “I was challenged to take AP Chemistry when I was 14 years old in my sophomore year,” he said. “I did well in the class, and it became one of my favorite classes.” Hale did well enough to score a five out of five on the national AP Chemistry exam, as did Gordon.

“It has been rewarding to play a role in preparing these exceptional young men to fulfill God’s purpose for their lives with excellence,” said science teacher Kim Henry.  “I’m excited to hear about their endeavors and accomplishments in the engineering departments at Georgia Tech.”

“The teachers here pushed us to start preparing for college early,” Gordon said. Colleges look at every grade, at everything you’ve done over four years. The research and essay writing here is very challenging and educational. The school has done a good job of preparing us for that completely different world out there.”

In their senior year, Gordon served as the president of the Delmarva Christian High School Chapter of the National Honor Society, and Hale served as vice president.

“We’ve been challenged,” Hale said. “But,” added Gordon, “the staff has supported and encouraged us.”

John Lanzone, youth paster at Central Worship Center, speaks to DCHS students from Genesis 25.

“The training I’ve received from Coach Keevan has definitely played a vital role in what I’ve been able to accomplish today,” said Parsons as she reveled in setting a new personal record. “Although I’ve vaulted 10’ in practice, it is Coach’s encouragement and perseverance that has brought me to this level in an official event.”

Also competing was 5’1” Kayla Burd. Although small in stature, Burd proved herself to be a mighty force to be reckoned as she vaulted 9’ and became the Second-Place Division II State Champion.

“God receives all the glory,” said Burd. “As I took my last turn at 9 feet, the bar lifted up, hit the post and miraculously landed back down on the post. My first thought was it was going to fall, but it didn’t. We call it the Jesus jump. It was amazing.”

DCHS Track Coach Janice Curtis witnessed the split-second drama from the sidelines. “Saving the 9’ jump was just one of the many blessings the team received this season,” Curtis said. “We were also blessed to see one of Cape’s pole vaulters cheer our girls after only knowing them a short time while practicing together. It was heartwarming.”

Curtis was referring to a partnership of sorts that Delmarva Christian High School has enjoyed with local public schools. Although DCHS does not have an outdoor pole vaulting pit, it does have the only indoor pit downstate. During the winter months or when weather prohibits outdoor training, DCHS invites other schools to use their indoor facilities. In turn, these other schools, namely Division I Sussex Tech and Cape Henlopen High School, allow DCHS athletes to practice outdoors at their schools.

The week prior to the State Meet, Coach John Keevan took his girls to Cape Henlopen High School where the new friendships were made.

With their successes at the State Championship, second-seed Parsons and third-seed Burd will compete at the DIAA Meet of Champions on Wednesday, May 19 in Dover.