sCHOOL bLOG

Leah D. has been dancing since the age of four. She trains in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary and Hip Hop between 25-30 hours a week at Xtreme Dance Studio in Sanford, FL. During the past few years Leah has received numerous competition awards, titles and scholarships including acceptance to The Joffrey Ballet School (NYC, Chicago, L.A.) and Elevation Studios in Los Angeles, CA where she will train this summer with choreographers from the hit television show "So You Think You Can Dance." In addition to a heavy competition schedule she currently travels the United States with NRG Dance Project on the weekends to assist choreographers who work with such stars as Madonna and Taylor Swift. Leah's ultimate goal is to attend The Juilliard School in NYC and become a professional dancer.

We are very excited to announce we have three middle school students advancing to the State Social Studies Fair. We also have two Alumni from Father Lopez who advanced in the High School category. They will attend the state competition May 3-5 in Tallahassee. Below are the the students who received recognition at the County Social Studies Fair:

1st Place in Exhibits
Trevor S.: Apollo 1
1st Place in Performance
Kaitlyn B.: Malala Yousafzai
1st Place in Historical Papers
George R.: Winston Churchill
Community Award 
(This award is by Local Organizations to top projects)
Savanna C. & Bella G.

The following students also participated in the county competition and deserve recognition:
Exhibits: Madison S. & Christopher S
Documentary: Dylan K
Crafts: Anastasia G, Ai H, Emmy M, Luci W
Posters: Sophia M

The Bryks’ Story

Cory Bryk is an incredible young man who has made a difference in many lives, including that of Bennett Tompkins, an alumni of St. Barnabas School.  I first met Cory after Bennett suffered a life altering accident and was immediately taken with his compassion and calmness.  He was incredibly encouraging and positive with Bennett.  After learning Cory’s story, I understood.

Cory left his home in New York and joined the Marines.  He served in Haiti and Iraq.  As an infantryman, he saw some of the worst Iraq had to offer.  Upon returning to the United States, when he had leave from Camp Lejeune, he would head to the Blue Ridge Mountains, away from the warrior way of life.  He met his wife, Jenny during that time.  Needless to say, he suffered dark times after his deployment, but Jenny and his faith helped to put him on the road to recovery.

Jenny is a native of Boone, NC and so they returned to the Highlands.  Cory earned his BS in Agriculture with a major in sustainable farming.  They leased 25 acres and that land has provided for them and their community for the past several years. They recently began the financing process to buy their own 40 acre farm.

They have 3 children and one on the way.  Last year, their eldest daughter, now 5 year old, was diagnosed with leukemia.  They have no insurance, but the community has donated over $20,000 toward their medical expenses.  During all of this, they have remained faithful and positive.  Their farm is New Life Farm.

February 22, while at church, their home burnt to the ground.  They lost all but the clothes on their backs.  Yet, they are truly thankful that The Lord placed them in a safe haven during what could have been disastrous. 

Rummaging through layers in a can of "garbage' for clues, creating a shield for another civilization to find, using special tools to dig in a container of dirt for "artifacts" and cleaning, categorizing, recording and plotting out their location. These are only a few of the adventures our Enrichment students are having as they dig into their new unit - Archaeology. We are learning that clues from the past help to unlock many mysteries and teach us important facts about other cultures. 

Coming up is a visit with an experienced archaeologist, a special educational program with Dr. Cole at the Gillespie Museum, and an actual dig experience!