Dr. Ben Carson Visits Brookstone Schools

On March 21 Brookstone had the privilege of hearing from Dr. Ben Carson at our annual Fund & Friend Raiser.

Dr. Don Larson, Dr. Ben Carson, Candy Carson and Suzanne Wilson

In the afternoon, Dr. Carson and his wife, Candy, made a visit to the school to speak with the children and learn more about the founding of Brookstone. During that time, Dr. Carson talked to students about his own life's struggles and encouraged them to strive for excellence. Our gymnasium was packed with students, parents and staff, plus special guests from Charlotte Christian School and Reid Park Academy. All assembled to hear from Dr. Carson.

That evening, Dr. Carson's uplifting address at the Fund & Friend Raiser dinner helped raise over $150,000 (and another $120,000 in pledges).
 

Brookstone parents, Seth and Nah Darkwa, volunteer at the evening fundraiser event

Elisah, a 5th grader at Brookstone, said Dr. Carson's speech inspired her to become a doctor. "I see how many ambulances go by every day and how many people get hurt. It makes me start to worry and it inspires me to cure them." 

 

"Working hard gives me joy and makes me feel good about what I did," Elisha said. "It makes me feel confident about doing better things in life."

"He came from being a dumby to being the smartest in the class," Nygell, one of our 5th grade students said. "It is good to work hard and not give up. I think about what Dr. Carson said when I feel dumb. I start working harder and studying harder."

We encourage each of our students to strive for excellence, making the most of their God-given talents, just as Dr. Ben Carson has done in his own life.

Kicks 4 Kids Hits the Ground Running!

Kicks 4 Kids helps Brookstone students learn about fitness and healthy habits. 

Kicks 4 Kids Organizers, Ansley Rikard and Emily Wakeman

 

Emily Wakeman and Ansley Rikard, sophomores at Southlake Christian Academy, organized Kicks 4 Kids, a 5k run on April 20th, to support Brookstone School. Their goal is to promote healthy lifestyles by giving children running shoes and PE equipment and sharing their love of running and fitness with the younger students.

 

Brookstone supporters Kamilah Peebles (pictured above), John Stamas, Denise Smith, Susan Goode and Jill, Rafic and Alex Dahan came out to run in the race and volunteer.

It was a chilly sunny Saturday morning at Jetton Park in Cornelius, but such a great way to come out and support the children of Brookstone!

Thanks to their great efforts, on May 30th Emily and Ansley will present Brookstone's students with new pairs of running shoes and new PE equipment. We hope this blessing will inspire our students in their own fitness endeavors.

Sheila Wakeman, Emily's mom

 

Another great way to combine your interest in fitness with supporting Brookstone is to participate in Wakeman Charities' Jetton Park Sprint Triathlon on May 11. They will be donating half the proceeds of the triathlon to Brookstone!

Be a part of this amazing experience and sign up to be an athlete, sponsor or volunteer. Brookstone will be providing a crew of volunteers to help with the triathalon. Contact Nancy at nancy.turbeville@brookstoneschools.org to learn more about volunteering.

Or visit the Jetton Triathlon website at www.jettontri.com.

The Arts Corner: A new musical experience

The Brookstone Fine Arts Program welcomed Sue Schmidt, from JAARS, to the school on April 9^th, where she gave a presentation entitled, “Musical instruments from around the world.”

There were about 30 instruments on display from Africa, Asia and South America, which Ms. Schmidt explained how they should be played and for what purpose they might be used. The students also watched video clips of people from the instruments’ countries of origin playing them.

We thank Sue Schmidt for coming to Brookstone Schools for this fascinating presentation and experience for our students! 

At the end of the presentation the students gathered in circles to pass the instruments and play them. They had a blast! We were thrilled that the students got this experience!!

 

JAARS is a non-profit organization that helps organizations around the world get practical, day-to-day support for Bible translation. As of November 2012, JAARS focuses on five main types of practical support: aviation, land transportation, water transportation, information technology, and media.

If you would like to learn more about how you can support our Fine Arts Program, please contact our Fine Arts Director, Carey Kuznar, at carey.kuznar@brookestoneschools.org.

Calling all Runners!

Join us by running or volunteering for the Kicks 4 Kids 5K event to raise money to purchase athletic shoes for Brookstone Schools students. Kicks for Kids in Charlotte is an unincorporated non-profit association that was started by high school Ansley Rikard and Emily Wakeman in November of 2012. Their mission is to promote health and fitness by supplying underprivileged youth with athletic shoes. This will be a great event with food, prizes, great shirts and awards!

Put on your running shoes and run for Brookstone Schools or come and volunteer at this event to support such a wonderful cause. The event will be held on Saturday, April 20, 2013 from 6:15am - 10:00am at Jetton Park in Cornelius, NC.  We'd love to have as many people there as possible, so grab a couple of friends and volunteer!

Sign up at www.queencitytiming.com or learn more about Kicks 4 Kids at www.kicksforkidscharlotte.com

We are also so excited to announce that Wakeman Charities, Inc. is donating half of the proceeds from their 5th Annual Jetton Park Triathlon to Brookstone Schools.  The passion and dedication in putting together this triathlon has been inspiring and contagious within the community. The event has been successful beyond expectations and has become a triathlon favorite within the Charlotte area. It is a sprint triathlon, which consists of a 750-meter swim, a 20 kilometer bike ride and a 5 kilometer run on May 11, 2013 from 6 am - 11 am at Jetton Park in Cornelius. 

Brookstone will be providing a crew of volunteers to help with the triathalon. Contact Meg Hancock at jgh3girls@aol.com to learn more about volunteering.

Be a part of this amazing experience and sign up to be an athlete, sponsor or volunteer. Learn more about the Jetton Triathlon at www.jettontri.com.

 

Dr. Ben Carson

Brookstone School is proud to announce that Dr. Ben Carson will be joining us in our Fund & Friend Raiser on March 21, 2013 at 6:30 pm.  Dr. Carson is a renowned pediatric surgeon and professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom which is the highest civilian honor in the land. The list of accomplishments is long. Above all, Dr. Carson is a man of courage and convictions, a leader who speaks openly about "the gifts of faith," which has enabled him to contribute to humanity. Below is an article about Dr. Carson's address at the 2013 National Prayer breakfast that first appeared on February 9, 2013 in the Wall Street Journal. 

Ben Carson for President

The Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon has two big ideas for America.

Whether this weekend finds you blowing two feet of snow off the driveway or counting the hours until "Downton Abbey," make time to watch the video of Dr. Ben Carson speaking to the White House prayer breakfast this week.

Seated in view to his right are Senator Jeff Sessions and President Obama. One doesn't look happy. You know something's coming when Dr. Carson says, "It's not my intention to offend anyone. But it's hard not to. The PC police are out in force everywhere."

Dr. Carson tossed over the PC police years ago. Raised by a single mother in inner-city Detroit, he was as he tells it "a horrible student with a horrible temper." Today he's director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins and probably the most renowned specialist in his field.

Late in his talk he dropped two very un-PC ideas. The first is an unusual case for a flat tax: "What we need to do is come up with something simple. And when I pick up my Bible, you know what I see? I see the fairest individual in the universe, God, and he's given us a system. It's called a tithe.

"We don't necessarily have to do 10% but it's the principle. He didn't say if your crops fail, don't give me any tithe or if you have a bumper crop, give me triple tithe. So there must be something inherently fair about proportionality. You make $10 billion, you put in a billion. You make $10 you put in one. Of course you've got to get rid of the loopholes. Some people say, 'Well that's not fair because it doesn't hurt the guy who made $10 billion as much as the guy who made 10.' Where does it say you've got to hurt the guy? He just put a billion dollars in the pot. We don't need to hurt him. It's that kind of thinking that has resulted in 602 banks in the Cayman Islands. That money needs to be back here building our infrastructure and creating jobs."

Not surprisingly, a practicing physician has un-PC thoughts on health care:

"Here's my solution: When a person is born, give him a birth certificate, an electronic medical record, and a health savings account to which money can be contributed—pretax—from the time you're born 'til the time you die. If you die, you can pass it on to your family members, and there's nobody talking about death panels. We can make contributions for people who are indigent. Instead of sending all this money to some bureaucracy, let's put it in their HSAs. Now they have some control over their own health care. And very quickly they're gong to learn how to be responsible."

The Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon may not be politically correct, but he's closer to correct than we've heard in years.

A version of this article appeared February 9, 2013, on page A12 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: Ben Carson for President.

  

Reflections on a Christmas Memory

As the students all lined up to make a joyful noise to the Lord on December 14, sweet Christmas carols and hymn such as, What Child is This, Silent Night and Joy to the World filled the gymnasium of Brookstone that morning.

3 John 4 says "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." The program reflected this verse as the Children sang with passion and excitement about the birth of Jesus in Brookstone School's Christmas Festival.

Rev. Matt Ham who has been involved with Brookstone's Lunch Buddy program for years, delivered a beautiful Christmas Message as he emphasized the true meaning of celebrating the season.

We are so thankful for everyone who attended the program and look forward to seeing you next year!

OrthoCarolina Serves our Students

Huntersville and Mooresville OrthoCarolina staff members are involved in many projects around Brookstone. They came to celebrate our school's CHAMPS of the month Nov. 9 with an ice cream party! CHAMPS are the outstanding students of the month who display excellent attitudes, effort and Christian character.

"Our experience there was great," OrthoCarolina employee Alisha Sumuel said. "We not only got to get out and do a community service project but we were able to interact with the children and attend the CHAMPS Program. We were able to see the children receive their awards during the banquet and were able to put a smile on not only the children's faces, but the staff as well."

OrthoCarolina employees Alisha Saumuel, Terry Saye, Tasia Moore, Sharon Robinson, Gale Fox, Pamela Leazer and Sandy Stanback also joined 2nd and 3rd grader for an art lesson in December. The volunteers helped the students make collages out of construction paper, for a unique and beautiful piece of art.

“The volunteers from OrthoCarolina were wonderful,” Julie White said. “The kids enjoyed having them and thanked them numerous times for their help -- it was sincere! The volunteers did a great job and the kids seemed to really like the project.”

We have enjoyed the support of the staff of OrthoCarolina and look forward to more creative projects together in the future! 

Alumna Shamani Stafford

Meet Shamani Stafford

Shamani Stafford graduated in 2011 from Brookstone Schools. While at Brookstone Shamani thrived, growing in her spiritual walk and academic success.  She learned to follow Christ more faithfully, and how to help share the Gospel with her friends. Shamani thanks Brookstone for teaching her how to read the Bible and apply it to her life.

She appreciates Brookstone for teaching her how to utilize tools that will lead to success. Shamani believes through the school she learned how to study and apply her education to her work.
 

“I know from Brookstone that nothing is impossible with God. I have learned that at times when you want to quit you just have to keep going. Things are going to get difficult in life but you just have to stay focused and keep pushing forward. God didn’t give up on us, so let's keep persevering.”
 

Shamani is excelling at Cramerton Christian Academy by utilizing the skills she learned at Brookstone. While she is on track to make the honor roll this semester, Shamani has also made the varsity and the JV high school volleyball team as a 7th grader. She thanks Brookstone for her study habits, organization skills, and ability to multi-task. Shamani hopes to be a veterinarian one day. We look forward to hearing more about our young alumna in the future!

Runway 5K Run

Our Brookstone Running Club ran their first race, a 5K on October 27, at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Representing Brookstone were 4th grade boys Joseph, Jourden and Micka'l, and 5th grade girls Talajah, Justice and Elisah.



Leading up to the race, the Running Club trained on Mondays and Wednesdays with volunteer coaches Meg Hancock and Lynn Wilkerson. Not only did the students run during practice, but they also participated in character building activities and lessons, and learned to stretch properly.


 "The kids brought Lynn and I so much joy," Hancock said. Coach Hancock learned a great amount of patience and gained appreciation for our Brookstone teachers. She loved spending time with the children.

 

 

The coaches were particularly impressed by the turnout for the race. Only one of the students, Enchantiss, was unable to run due to a family commitment. "The parent and family support the day of the race was overwhelming!" said Hancock.



The coaches hope to have greater student turnout for cross-country next year. They would like to participate in a program called Cross-Country for Youth, which would allow the Brookstone team to compete against other elementary school teams.

We are so grateful for our volunteer coaches who gave so generously of their time to teach these students to set goals, persevere and run with joy!

A Right Fit

Brookstone Supporters Trent Andrews and Samuel Snapp, members of Matthews Orthodox Presbyterian Church, reached beyond traditional fundraisers to meet the needs of students in a unique way. 

After seeing young students at their church wearing ties too big, they organized a tie and belt drive to provide these items to our students.  On October 8th they delivered 21 youth-sized ties and 20 belts to the school. Trent and Samuel are currently organizing a Book Drive to provide teachers' classrooms and the school library with books they want the students to read. We are so thankful for these supporters and look forward to the Book Drive in November! 

Planting One Seed At a Time

Salsa created big smiles for Brookstone students on September 24. Our friends from St. Patrick Catholic School came to teach our 2nd and 3rd grade students about vegetables and health through Scissor Salsa. 

"I can't wait until we make spicy sauce with garlic in it because I'm going to be the happiest boy in the world,"said third grader Ramierre.

Starting in the garden, students and volunteers picked tomatoes, basil and green onions for the salsa. Elizabeth Stamas, our Brookstone garden committee co-chair, then gave a small nutrition lesson about the importance of vegetables in our daily diet. Afterwards, students cut the vegetables with scissors into their bowls and squeezed some lime. The volunteers added some peppers and garlic and the students mixed it all together to make salsa! They were provided tortilla chips to go with the salsa, making a healthy snack for the children.

 

The garden was also uprooted, cleaned out and replanted by the students for the winter crop on Friday, October 12. Children and volunteers planted many vegetables including: lettuce, radish, collards, mustard and specialty greens, carrots, dwarf grey sugar peas, swiss chard, spinach, cabbage, beets, broccoli, brussel spouts, shallots, yellow onions and elephant garlic.

Stundents are excited to see the harvest in the months to come, but are most excited about the sweet potatoes they also planted. Students in 2nd grade will dig up their sweet potatoes on harvest day on October 29. These will be used in a school-wide Sweet Potato Pancake Breakfast held in the cafeteria on November 20. The pancakes will be made by our garden committee members and Johnson and Wales University chef Megan Lambert.

We are so excited show off our garden in these upcoming events! 

Family of Musicians Inspire Our Students

Minds on Music brought the Smoak family, Brookstone partners, to our cafeteria to play the violin for our students on Thursday, October 11. Two of the Smoak children, Caroline, 9, and William, 7, take violin lessons not only to learn and enjoy, but also to give back to others through their music. 

Caroline and William played a variety of songs from "Happy Birthday" to classical pieces, accompanied by their mom, Beth. After they performed, Brookstone students asked questions about the violins, how they practiced, how they played and about the different sounds the strings make. It was a great opportunity for our students to identify with these young musicians. 

 

We are so appreciative that the Smoaks shared their gifts and talents with us!

Music Through the Halls

Classical music benefits children in wonderful ways. Music helps children to make better grades and think more creatively. Children have a chance to develop musical skills, discipline and self-esteem. Students learn the value of excellence while they explore creativity and expression through music making.

We are excited to announce that our students are enjoying Minds on Music, a unique music education program which features a new composer each month.  Every morning when students arrive at school, classical music rings through the halls. This month our featured composer is Beethoven, and the children are enjoying learning about his music and life.

Our Suziki Violin Program is off to a good start. Violin teacher, Jessica Ker, is teaching lessons before school on Mondays and Wednesdays to a group of enthusiastic kindergarten and first grade students. We are excited to see the Lord bless these children through music. 

 

Help Needed!  Brookstone's children are in need of violins and funding for the program. If you have any small violins (sizes: 1/10 through 1/4) or would like to donate to provide violins, our students would be greatly blessed. To get involved and offer these students an opportunity in classical music please contact Nancy at nancy.turbeville@brookstoneschools.org.

Straight to the Top!

Brookstone's 2012 Summer Learning & Enrichment Camp

 

Over the years, God has led us to see the creative ways we can witness to the world through the doorway He has provided for us at Brookstone.  We believe God has a tender regard for marginalized children and their families. As Jesus commands, “Let the little children come unto me…” (Matthew 19:14). The path of duty is plain for us.



In June 2011 we launched our first summer camp and mobilized church teams to make it happen. It was a great success, thanks to God’s sustaining grace, hard work, and the collective action of many faithful volunteers.

The Counselors and Staff

This summer we doubled the number of children (daily attendance - 70 campers) which included Brookstone students and children from the Reid Park neighborhood around the school.  Straight to the Top provided Christian teaching, reading instruction, field trips, and enrichment in the arts and athletics.

Straight to the Top boosted reading skills; provided underprivileged children with enrichment through the arts, athletics, and Christian teaching; provided educational field trips (e.g. Reedy Creek Nature Center, NC Transportation Museum, Schiele Museum); and built social skills through strong adult-child relationships.

    Thanks to the help of so many, we were able to nurture the mind, body, and spirit of each child in our camp this summer. Our special thanks goes out to our volunteers and donors...

Mebane Charitable Foundation

C. Ray & Cynthia M. Kennedy Foundation

Anonymous

Roy & Susan Goode

Jill Dahan

Rose Chauffeured Transportation Ltd.

Christmas Village Toy Store

Robert Haggart

Jonathan Bacon

Matthews Orthodox Presbyterian Church

Reformed Theological Seminary

Davidson United Methodist Church

CROSS Ministries-Myers Park Presbyterian Church

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Southlake Presbyterian Church

Seek the City-Christ Covenant Presbyterian Church

In Kind Gifts

Bob Lee

Ann Tarwater

Vesta Gray

Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated

Carrie Luke Photography