Remembering the Israel Journey

The journey started at early in the morning at 1am where the group climbed onto the backs of their camel to start the three-hour ride to the base of Mount Sinai. The night sky was clear and the moon was our guide as our thoughts easily connected to Israel’s journey out of Egypt to this Holy area where Yahweh declared His wedding vows to Israel through the Ten Commandments. Awkwardly the group dismount the camels to feel the cold air bite through the layers of clothing. There is still an hour hike ahead of us as we ascend to reach the summit of Mount Sinai. Upon arriving at the Summit the temperature has dropped below zero but thankfully wool blankets are available to keep the cold at bay. We wait for the rising sun as it does every day but somehow this day the rising sun becomes an act of worship as it ignites the sky with colour. To be sitting on the top of Mount Sinai as the sun rises above the horizon was truly amazing and worth the difficult journey to experience this lifetime experience.

Fifty students, parents and staff from RCS had an incredible Israel Discipleship Journey that was transformative, inspiring and informative. The experience cannot be summarized by its locations of the Dead Sea, Petra, Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem, the Garden Tomb, and more as each place left unique fingerprints on individual’s soul that will last the rest of their lives. Whether it was singing worship songs on a boat in the Sea of Galilee, taking communion outside the empty tomb of Jesus, listening to the Sermon on the Mount on the Mount of Beatitudes, having 22 students baptized in the Jordan river or praying at the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was with us and used the trip to turn our hearts, minds and spirits closer to Him.

Thank you to Mr. Phil Harbridge for heading up this amazing experience with Christian Journeys to give RCS an unforgettable and life altering experience.

Mr. Jason Paul
Principal

Track and Field

Congratulations to the Track and Field team for the hard work they put into this season. As a team they placed 7th (out of 20) at the Christian School’s meet and 6th (out of 18 schools) at the Burnaby/ New Westminster/Richmond Zone meet.

This year’s team was a small, yet dedicated group of athletes. The Jr. Girls were incredible encouragers and supporters of one another, determined to improve (which they did) at each meet. The Jr. Boys team was our strongest team, with three Athletes Elijah, (Long and Triple Jump), Eli, (Shot Put and Discuss), and Josh (3,000m) qualifying to participate in provincials. These athletes put forth a strong effort at provincials this past weekend where they competed amongst the top Track and Field athletes in BC.

The Senior Boys team showed grit and determination in their desire to break school records. As a whole team, this year’s track and Field team broke 10 RCS Track and Field records! Well done, athletes!

Juvenile Boys Volleyball

This past spring for the Juvenile Boys Volleyball has been a wild season full of achieving milestones and overcoming setbacks. Early in the regular season, we experienced a tough fifth set loss against Burnett Secondary that helped demonstrate that we had great potential but had still a ways to go in development. So we trained hard, in skills, teamwork and mental toughness. The next time we played them at the Air Attack High School Invitational, we faced Burnett again. Despite only having one setter available that day, we managed to pull a 2-1 victory against them.

But when it came to Richmond Finals, we again lost in the fifth set. But the boys did not despair. Instead, we had a time of reflection (and more practices!) that reinforced that we need to play as a team rather than individuals on the court. In the end, we fought hard managing to defeat Burnett in the Vancouver & Districts Championship in a tight 17-15 fifth set! But what impressed me as a coach throughout the season is how the team continued to support and encourage each other unceasingly. While winning is always desirable, these athletes prioritized their character, integrity and each other more. Sometimes it’s easier to play the blame game, but they took the harder path of responsibility and mutual support.

I am proud of how these boys carried themselves this season. Many thanks goes out to my five Grade 11 assistant coaches, the athletic director, Ms Contant, the administration, the parents and the community of RCS for their unwavering support and enthusiastic cheering, whether it’s in the bleachers or behind the scenes.

Mr. Sigfried Ong

Grade 10 students learn to ‘keep the faith’ at Camp Jubilee

The Grade 10 class learned about leadership, physical activity, and one other during the outdoor adventure trip to Camp Jubilee from April 4 to 7.

The annual camping trip, now in its 10th year, is part of the physical education curriculum. Students push themselves physically and mentally, bond with one another, and experience God while pitching tents, kayaking, canoeing, participating in group challenges and camp fires, and much more.

Michelle Contant, RCS’s athletics director for the Secondary Campus, coordinates the trip every year, and believes it’s vital. “The spring of Grade 10 is such a key time,” she said. “They really establish who they are.”

Several Grade 12 students also attend to lead devotions, help facilitate campfires, and act as role models. “There’s something really powerful about kids leading,” said Ms. Contant.

The theme for the week was 2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” This was especially fitting when students were faced with new challenges such as climbing a rock wall, hitting a target with a bow and arrow, or even sleeping in a tent and going without indoor plumbing for the first time.

For Ms. Contant, one of the highlights was teaching students to change their mindsets. Many of the students had never been camping before, and some were intimidated by activities such as the high ropes course, thinking they wouldn’t be able to do it. But Contant encouraged them to think they could—and they did. “Now imagine applying that to a challenging school project,” she said with a smile.

She also loved seeing the students come together. “Seeing kids get excited about other kids’ successes was encouraging.”

Here are a few highlights the Grade 10s shared:

• “I really enjoyed high ropes because I conquered my fear of heights.” —Tiffany
• “Everyone is so encouraging and positive. It’s great to learn something new.” —Kevin
• “I’ve learned that I need to allow myself to make mistakes, because it’s often from the mistakes I make that I learn the most.” —Lance
• “I can do things if I tell myself I can.” —Rachel
• “It was difficult at times, but I learned to appreciate a lot of the things I have.” —Jayden
• “It was great having time to sing and share together at camp fire.” —Conner
• “Devotion time was really good for getting closer to the Grade 12 leaders.” —Phoebe

RCS Ball Hockey 2017

This years RCS Ball hockey team travelled to Duncan, BC to compete in the annual Duncan Christian Ball Hockey tournament. The team opened the tournament with an impressive win followed by a hard working tie in the second game. The team was fired up with lots of energy throughout this tournament and competed with great sportsmanship and determination. After each game we selected a player of the game recognition (Cole, Ethan, Justis, Jackson,). As we competed in the playoffs, we finished with a hard fought 4th place.

As special recognition, Elijah was recognized as the teams tournament most valuable player. Coach BT would like to thank Coach Patrick Wong for his guidance and leadership with the team in Duncan. Members of RCS Ball Hockey include: Brandon, Jonah, Justis, Sean, Cole, Tim, Daniel, Joshua, Sam, Ethan, Dru, Elijah, Jackson, Conner, Ben, and Jayden. Congratulations on a solid performance boys!

Mr. Rob Buller-Taylor

Senior Badminton

Congratulations to the Senior Badminton team this season! Well done to all the individuals for playing competitively and with great sportsmanship at both the Cambie (May 2-4) and Christian School’s (May 12) Badminton Tournaments! Well done to all the Sr. Badminton team members for taking part in the Richmond League as well. With their perseverance and determination, the Sr. badminton team qualified for the Richmond Playoffs and the Lower Mainland Tournament for the first time ever in RCS history, having placed third in the Richmond League playoffs.

Many thanks to David for his persistence and dedication to score keeping for both the Junior and Senior Christian School Badminton Tournaments. The team would also like to give special thanks to the alumni coaches: Terrance Tang and Ronny Chan.

Congratulations to Justin and Samuel for placing in the 3rd in Sr. Boys Doubles at the Cambie Badminton Tournament!

The Senior Badminton team came in 1st place at the Christian School’s Badminton Tournament for the 8th time in row. Congratulations to the following individuals for placing in the top 3 in their individual events at the tournament:

Sr. Boys Singles:
1st – Justin

Sr. Boys Doubles
1st – Jason  & Nathan

Sr. Girls Doubles
1st – Caris & Sanmi .
3rd – Kaitlyn  & Andrea

Sr. Mixed Doubles
1st – Justin & Hannah
2nd – Jason  & Sanmi

Ms. Athena Tam

Ultimate Frisbee

This has been the first year that RCS has had a Secondary Campus Ultimate team, and it’s been a very exciting beginning. Lead by a capable coaching crew (head coach Evan Chan, assistants Princeton Dychinco, Shawn So, and Joel Tecson, and staff sponsor Mr. Roosma), the team is beginning to make significant improvement in the sport. With many first time players and lots to learn, the Ultimate program is being run both as an after school club and a team. Tryouts happened, and a team was chosen, but practices are still open to anyone. At practices, practice players have all the same opportunities, run the same drills and play in the scrimmages with the team players. This has allowed for newer players who didn’t make the team to really develop their skills and learn the sport.

Ultimate is a sport where progress can be made in leaps and bounds when just a little bit of time and effort is put in. We are hoping for more junior students (grade 9 and 10) to start coming out to practices before the end of the year, and to join the team next year! And finally a big thank you to Mr. Suderman for driving the team out to their first game against Carver Christian School, and to Ms. Contant for her constant support of this new program!

Mr. Tim Roosma