Monthly class feature: 8th grade

Class photos by Susan Goode

For the first time in the history of Brookstone Schools, we have an 8th grade class! Ms. Rebecca Essah came onboard as the 8th grade teacher. She took a few minutes to answer the questions below:

What one word best describes the group?
Peaceful

What are the students currently learning?  
Motion, Speed, Scientific Method

Describe a moment that you won't forget this school year.
The first class skit that the students did for History Class. During this assignment, I was privileged to witness these students learn to work together, come out of their own shells and personalities, and use their various gifts and talents to accomplish the task at hand. It was a pleasure to watch them develop as leaders, and I thoroughly enjoyed their finished product!

8th grade skit - September 2014

The 8th grade class studied the country of Turkey for our recent Nations Day event. Students researched the Turkish culture, clothing, foods, flag, religions and presented the information for guests who were visiting.

Above photos taken on Nations Day - October 29, 2014

We are grateful for the Lord's provision in allowing Brookstone to expand to the 8th grade, and we pray many blessings on this group of talented and bright individuals.

Kindergarten Devotional

Every morning the classrooms of Brookstone engage in a devotional to give their days to the Lord.

This particular morning in September, Mrs. Wasko's kindergarten class began their day learning about how God is good; how He created the world, and how He loves them. The main scripture was derived from Genesis 1:31 which says, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.”

Mrs. Wasko asked the students what were some of their favorite things that God made. Reponses ranged from people, to animals, to airplanes. After Mrs. Wasko prayed corporately, they prayed together in a circle with the opportunity for each student to pray out loud.

The prayers of each of the children who prayed aloud were precious and I was reminded of Matthew 18:3 which says, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Contributed by Lani Short, Charlotte Fellow

Mark your calendar for February 26th!

Thank you, Church at Charlotte!

Brookstone was greeted last week by Cathleen Gallagher and the week prior by Robin Weaver, both loving volunteers and also members at Church at Charlotte. They had very good news to share!

Church at Charlotte selected Brookstone as the recipient of two separate grants through their Jeremiah Fund, totaling $1,500. This is a program that invites their church members to apply for a grant to be given to a non-profit organization in Charlotte where they have volunteered at least 20+ hours.

Cathleen and Robin are both dedicated "Lunch Buddies" at Brookstone.

We are honored to receive such a meaningful gift. Not only was a check handed to us, but with it came much encouragement! Thank you to everyone at Church at Charlotte for recognizing our mission to represent Christ well and to make a difference in the future of the young children here in Charlotte.

From right to left: Suzanne Wilson, Director of Advancement, receiving the grant award; Cathleen Gallagher, presenting the award along with her lunch buddy, Justice (7th grade)

(To learn more about Brookstone's Lunch Buddy Program, please click here.)

A Sweet Tradition

There's a tradition at Brookstone that happens once a month, on Friday after the CHAMPS ceremony at chapel. It's a tradition the kids love, and it involves ice cream!

To back up a bit, CHAMPS is an award ceremony that recognizes students in each grade who have excelled academically, socially and have displayed excellent Christ-centered character traits for the month.

Following the ceremony, ice cream awaits for the CHAMPS recipients.

The ice cream treats are lovingly donated, prepared and served by our dear volunteer, Bob Lee, who has made this his special gift to students for the past two years.

Mr. Lee often has the help of his daughter and granddaughters (who are in high school and college), and who also enjoy coming to see the smiles on the kids' faces.

Nancy Turbeville, our Volunteer Coordinator said, "Bob has chosen to bless Brookstone in so many ways in his retirement, and we are especially thankful for his willingness each month to not only purchase the ice cream and toppings for more than 60 students, but to cheerfully serve them. His joy is evident in his smile, and his extended family has joined in this effort to make this special celebration happen each month."

All of us at Brookstone appreciate the people who share their time to make life a bit sweeter for our students. Thank you, Mr. Lee!

The mailing miracle

One of the roles of the Advancement Office is to communicate information to our supporters. A primary way we do that is through mailings. This week, we had nearly 2,500 letters to mail announcing our new location. The process for getting a letter delivered involves several steps: printing, sorting, folding, stuffing, sealing, sorting again, etc... It's a big job, and we couldn't do it without the help of volunteers.

Typically, we have one dedicated group from Matthews OPC who tackles the mailings. They're efficient and incredibly kind to Brookstone, often showing up and spending the whole day working together to finish the task.

We didn't have them for this week's mailing, and we weren't sure how it would unfold.

On Monday, a few volunteers from the parent group worked alongside two of our Charlotte Fellows, and they were able to complete about 25% of the mailing. On Tuesday morning, the remaining 75% of the work was staring us in the face, and we had absolutely no idea how it would get accomplished. Although it seemed daunting, the four Advancement Team members decided to simply start - taking it piece by piece.

Little did we know that God was sending us helpers.

Seth showed up. Mae came in with Nancy. Meg D. was helping in 1st grade and came after that. Meg H. was here for her lunch buddy's birthday, and she stayed to help. Lynn was here with her lunch buddy, and said she couldn't leave knowing we needed her. Artaevia, Debi and Valerie cheerfully strolled in to seal the envelopes. Elizabeth popped in for a few hours.

With each new face that walked through the door, we felt thankful. What a loving God we serve! He provides for Brookstone in the big and small ways, sending us exactly what we need. When our team wasn't sure how the next 30 minutes would look, we were amazed at the joyful and unexpected display throughout the day.

By 3 pm, the mailing was done! Each piece was neatly in it's bin according to zip code, ready for the post office.

It's a day our team won't forget. It's a lesson that will always be a good reminder.

Welcome, Charlotte Fellows!

On Monday, September 8th, Brookstone welcomed 10 Charlotte Fellows to work alongside us in this mission. They show up bright and early at our school every Monday morning from 8 am - noon and help us tackle many jobs.

Charlotte Fellows is a local initiative that disciples recent college graduates as they learn to use their gifts and talents to help meet the needs of our community.

Please join us in welcoming these interns to Brookstone.

To learn more about Charlotte Fellows, please visit: http://www.charlottefellows.org/

Gardening and Growing

Thank you to our volunteers, Kathleen Smith and Elizabeth Stamas, for helping us grow sweet potatoes and teaching us how fun it is to garden.

Thank you also for coming earlier in the school year to help us create all natural bird feeders. 

We love learning about the garden with you two!

Reaching high places

This post is contributed by Lynn Purdum, Advancement Advisory Board member. Just as the kids at Brookstone are accomplishing goals, so are our leadership! 

This summer my family and I took a trip to Africa. Part of the trip included climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest free standing mountain in the world and Africa’s tallest mountain. Kili, as it is affectionately called by the people who climb it, is 19,341 feet tall.

We began the climb on Saturday July 5, 2014, however, the moment we committed to climbing Kilimanjaro is when the climb began for us. This was my husband’s ultimate bucket list item and for some reason my son, daughter and I agreed to join him on this adventure. Though climbing Kilimanjaro is considered a “walk” with no mountain climbing gear such as crampons, picks or ropes required, we needed a lot of gear. There was much planning involved. We began purchasing equipment 7 months in advance. The hiking company had detailed recommendations of what we would need. Though I complained about the quantities and sometimes absurdities of the items we purchased, we needed and used everything that was recommended. The weather on top of the mountain ranges from -5 degrees to -45 degrees Fahrenheit. You must plan on all types of weather as you are in the elements for 8 days and you walk through 5 climates zones.

But more than all the many details required was the physical and mental preparation needed. We hiked, walked, and I lifted weights and took spin classes to prepare. My husband and daughter walked on a treadmill that could be elevated up to a 40 degree incline. Several days prior to the hike I started drinking 60 ounces of water daily to stay hydrated, as was recommended. Mentally you have to know you can accomplish this goal. 

Preparation and the knowledge that you can accomplish a goal are necessary for success. This is not something I did on my own.  I prayed for safety and preparedness not necessarily for success. Without my family and the guides who strongly encouraged us, we couldn’t have made it. Three quarters of the way up the summit, I wanted to quit, but the guides kept me going. They were with us all the way. They believed in us. They carried our day bag when it became too burdensome, and they stopped and rested with us but also cajoled us to keep going. They told us we could do it. At one point when I was so exhausted it took all I had to put one foot in front of the other, my guide Musa, broke off pieces of my energy bar and fed me like a baby, one piece at a time.

We set a goal, researched, learned about the difficulties and what we would need, read books other climbers had written, hired a great company to lead us, prayed and prepared physically and mentally. It was no different than achieving any goal in life. It requires hard work and determination and this was by far the hardest thing I had ever done. This was a trip of a lifetime and one I will always remember with a great deal of satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. Now I’m curious as to what the other items are on my husband’s bucket list. No telling where he may lead us next.

Happy Trails, Lynn Purdum

Music, milestones and memories

Meet Aria:

Aria was on the cover of last year's annual report.

Her name means "song" and her baby sister's name is Symphony.

Mom and Dad both have musical backgrounds. Mom's instrument is her voice while Dad's is the trumpet. Following in their footsteps, Aria is also musically inclined. She receives violin instruction at Brookstone and says that one of her favorite things in the world is music (oh, and reading - Aria reads 168 words per minute, and she's only in 3rd grade).

The lyrics of their family's story are filled with beautiful tones.

Mom (Italia) and Dad (Jameth) were married in 2003. Only one year later, while still newlyweds, Italia started experiencing blurred vision and an inability to walk. She remembers her legs feeling like "stiff bricks." After much testing and many doctor visits that year, she was diagnosed with MS.

Aria was born in 2006, two years after the diagnosis, and they soon moved back to Charlotte to be near family. In particular, they wanted to be near Aria's grandmother, Mrs. Karla Morgan who prayed everyday that Aria would love Jesus and have the best education.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Morgan was also in prayer for her sister, Donna Cloud, to find meaningful work and to be at peace about her previous school employer closing down. During that time, their mother encouraged her to apply at Brookstone and was hired in 2008. Donna currently teaches Bible class for K-5th grade and also operates the National Institute for Learning Development (NILD) tutoring program. Interestingly, Mrs. Cloud was also a music minor in college!

Donna Cloud with her niece, Aria

Aria began Kindergarten at Brookstone two years after her grandmother (and Donna's sister), Mrs. Morgan, passed away. Donna says that her sister's prayers for Aria to have the best education were answered and that she, too, is grateful for the experiences they both have here at Brookstone.

Mrs. Cloud wanted to share this story in memory of her sister in thankfulness for how she ministered to every life she came into contact with and how, even now four years after her passing, she and Aria are enjoying the blessing of her prayers.

What one word describes your family? "Supportive," Mrs.Cloud answered quickly. She said that they've overcome difficult obstacles, the loss of Aria's beloved grandmother & Donna's sister and a challenging diagnosis for Italia. Yet, with a smile and sense of sweet determination, she adds, "Jesus is the source of our strength." And as we finished the conversation, she echoed Italia's words, "...although my body has been attacked, I wait in hope on the manifestation of God's healing."

This family holds on to their faith amid every milestone. They sing with gladness.

Brookstone's impact reaches even further

This fall, Brookstone added a touch of diversity to its face with the addition of 15 Montagnard students from the nearby Westerly Hills neighborhood.

The Montagnards are a tribal people, the native inhabitants of the Central Highlands of Vietnam.   They were the allies of the United States during the Vietnam War, fighting alongside US Special Forces and often serving as interpreters and guides. Their people suffered tremendously during the war: 85% of their villages were destroyed and 50% of their fighting age men were killed. After the war, they continued to pay a heavy price. Their ancestral lands were seized for state-run enterprises and they were moved to the least desirable lands in their mountain home. Many of their leaders were arrested, tortured, and executed or sent to “reeducation camps.”

The Montagnards in America are overwhelmingly a Christian people. Large numbers responded positively to the Gospel when Christian missionaries shared Christ with them in the early 20^th century, and the good news has spread rapidly through all the tribes since then. In recent years, whole villages have come to Christ as Montagnard faith has flourished under Communist persecution.

Many Montagnards have been legally relocated to Charlotte through the international refugee program, and they are now working hard to build lives in their new homeland. Two of Brookstone’s teachers, Steve and Susanne Parker, have been serving in ministry to the Montagnard community for the past few years and last year started an afterschool program in Westerly Hills for some of their children. These are the students that are now attending Brookstone, and the school is already making a difference in their lives.

The Parkers report that some of the students felt out of place in the public schools and were often bullied. This created a heaviness that many students carried with them, and it sometimes created challenges working with the students at afterschool. That has changed this year. The students come to afterschool directly from Brookstone, and there is no longer a heaviness. Students are smiling, happy, and ready to engage. “For some,” Susanne Parker said, “it is like the difference between night and day.”

When you consider that students have only been at Brookstone for a couple weeks now, to hear these kinds of positive reports is truly encouraging. One only wonders at what the ongoing difference will be for these young lives, and what kind of seeds are being sown that will make a difference for generations to come.

Contributed by: Steve Parker, middle school math and social studies teacher

A caring conduit

Ms. Graham, owner of Graham's Daycare, greets us wearing a beautiful blue dress and a great big smile. She's so excited to talk about Brookstone and the impact its made on several generations in her family.

She's owned her daycare since 1972, and first learned about Brookstone Schools from a sign near Wilkinson Boulevard. Since then, she's encouraged 13 family members including 9 of her own grandchildren and great-grandchildren to enroll at Brookstone. Olivia, now in 11^th grade, was the first, followed by John Martin, David, Tanasia, Takori, Tamijai, Tajaree, Dominic, Za’caria as well as 2 great nieces, 1 great nephew and 16 other children who graduated from her daycare. Ms. Graham keeps Brookstone applications handy in case mothers are interested, and she tells them when they first enroll that she hopes they graduate her daycare and go straight to Brookstone!

Ms. Graham loves that we are a school “shielded by God” and she often prays that God will continue to bless the school, keep it safe and give the teachers love and understanding to do their work.

With the Charlotte skyline visible in the distance, Ms. Graham sits in the rocking chair with a happy girl on her lap telling us what Brookstone has meant to her family. The generational impact is significant. She especially points out how the kids from Brookstone are given a strong foundation, taught proper respectful behaviors and they are safe and happy while they're at school.   

She sweetly tells us before leaving that our ears must always be burning because she's always talking about Brookstone. 

Her contentment is contagious. Her joy, hopeful. We're grateful for Ms. Graham and for the many children and families she's directed toward Brookstone. 

Tanner's birthday gift to Brookstone

On Friday, August 22nd, Tanner Hart arrived at Brookstone with his mom (Fran), dad (John) and younger brother (Bennett). When Tanner arrived, he let us know that he was bringing gifts he collected at his birthday party. Tanner recently turned 10 years old. 

Instead of requesting gifts for himself, he asked his birthday party guests to bring something for Brookstone. 

He and his family carried in construction paper, folders, journals, notepads, markers, boxes of tissue and a backpack to be used as needed. 

When asked what they thought about their son doing this, Tanner's parents said, "We are very happy that Tanner chose to do something for other children. Both Tanner and his friends are developing giving hearts and a desire to follow God's teaching." 

Thank you, Tanner Hart, for sharing your heart (and your birthday) with Brookstone!

She's more than a volunteer...

She's also Ms. Carmola's mom!

Kelly & Cindy Carmola

For over seven years, Cindy Carmola has been a volunteer at Brookstone Schools. Six years ago, her daughter, Kelly Carmola, was hired as the 3rd grade teacher. Since then, the two of them have worked side by side in the classroom, and third graders have come to consider them both their teacher!

Cindy is a whirlwind. For example, on the playground today in a brief span of five minutes, Cindy was observed fixing a student's braid that had fallen loose, having a funny conversation with a student about how hot the weather was, tying a shoe string for a different student, reminding the group to tuck in their shirts and lining everyone up to go inside. She does all things with the loving command of a seasoned teacher. The students adore her.

What's her impact on children? Her daughter, Kelly, says, "My mom is the most selfless person I know. Her passion is helping other people, especially students at Brookstone. She has a heart for the Lord and that is evident watching her minister to my students. The kids light up when they see her and if she ever misses a day, the kids are sure to ask where she is and if she’s OK. I feel so thankful God chose me to be her daughter. I don’t know what I would do without her!”

Our school principal, Ms. Preston, added, "The kids LOVE her! She is so sweet and willing to help in any way. She helps with too many things to list (pizza parties, pool parties, playground duty...) and she's built lasting relationships with many of the children and their families." 

We feel deeply grateful for all of the volunteers who serve here at Brookstone, and we consider them all a part of our family! (It's extra special when they technically are.)

The blessing of a breakfast

Faculty and staff were treated to real sweet treat this morning!

A caring volunteer showed up an hour before school began to host a wonderful breakfast for the team. She brought her own lovely dishes and table linens - bright and cheerful.

She baked two breakfast casseroles, prepared fresh fruit, bagels with cream cheese, yogurt, juice and brought serving supplies. 

We were all deeply touched by her kindness and thankful for such a beautiful beginning to our day!

A Girl Gives Back

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4

In Paul’s letter to the Philippian church he urges us to humbly put others ahead of ourselves. Here’s a story of how one sixth grade girl did just that for the sake of Brookstone. Shortly after moving with her family from Virginia to North Carolina, Gina Fieber became coordinator of Davidson United Methodist Church’s Mission Mall. Every year around Christmas time the church invites several organizations and nonprofits to set up booths in order to raise support for their mission. For the past two years, Brookstone Schools has participated in the DUMC Missions Mall, selling Christmas cards and birdhouses.

Enter Ashley Fieber, Gina’s precocious and outgoing sixth grade daughter. As you may or may not know, the current craze among children today is Rainbow Loom--a process of making bracelets and necklaces out of multi-colored rubber bands. After her principal banned them from school, Ashley was at a loss for what to do with her massive collection of bracelets. She and her mother began to brainstorm ideas. Then they came up with a winner. She could use her bracelets to support one of the nonprofits at the Missions Mall! Since Ashley technically couldn’t sell them on her own, they decided she would give her bracelets to one of the organizations and then help sell them at the booth. But then came the important question: which organization would she support?

According to her mother, Ashley has a huge heart for helping local kids in need. Since she had been a part of the previous year’s Missions Mall, Ashley was familiar with Brookstone and its mission to serve underprivileged children in Charlotte.

"I want to do it for the Brookstone kids!" she decided.

So Ashley went to work designing more bracelets to sell, even using her own allowance money to pay for the rubber bands. When the time came, she proved a natural salesman. Her warm demeanor and determination not only helped sell her bracelets, but also drew plenty of other customers and donors to the Brookstone table.

When all was said and done, the booth raised $1,720 for Brookstone Schools. Of that amount, $325 came from “Goods for Sale,” which included the birdhouses, the greeting cards, and Ashley’s Rainbow Loom bracelets.

"It made her feel good that she was able to do something completely herself for others," said Gina.

"A lot of children with Asperger’s tend to be self-centered. But I think helping other people brings her out of herself more."

Thanks to all who, like Ashley, have given their time, resources, and skills in service
to Brookstone and its mission.

From Third Grade to Center Stage – A Brookstone Student Performs with Opera Carolina

If you see De’jon Dash walking down the hall at Brookstone you can usually count on two things: that he has a big smile on his face and that he is happily humming a tune in his already-developed tenor voice. So, it was not surprising to his mother or those of us who know him here at Brookstone, when he was cast in the Opera Carolina production of “Rise For Freedom.” This English opera written for the stage by Dr. Adolphus Hailstork, a living African American composer, was performed for Charlotte audiences April 3rd-5th, including De’jon’s mother, Tasha and his brother and little sister. They were all awed at his performance and so proud of their son and brother. I asked his mom what one thing impacted De’jon the most about this experience.  She gave me three: the education about the Underground Railroad, the opportunity to sing and perform with professional actors and singers, and the friendship her son developed with his on-stage father. She also said she was “so grateful” that De’jon had this opportunity and she knows it would not have been possible without Brookstone School.

What’s next for De’jon? According to him, he CAN’T WAIT to be on stage again. We can’t wait either!