Tiffany Dien

25 Mar

CAMPION SENIORS NAVIGATING FOR AN UNKNOWN FUTURE

In

By Tiffany Dien – Loveland, Colorado … The past year has made a significant impression on many high school seniors at a point in their lives where decisions are critical. They have had to adapt to the changing times of online education platforms, standardized testing, and college applications. The pandemic world has compelled many to reevaluate their plans for college and careers.

Campion senior Sharmaine Monreal’s plans for college before the pandemic are not so simple now. “I planned to go to college overseas, but COVID travel restrictions would have made it difficult. So, this opened up a door for me to start looking into American colleges.”

She went on to explain that “all my plans have completely changed, but I managed to find a way around them with my parents’ help. I tried to stay positive and prayed a lot. Now I’ll be able to start college in the U.S. this fall.”

Many seniors are having difficulty making their final decision on a college without getting to visit a variety of campuses.

Ryan Bell, Campion senior, was looking forward to visiting colleges in person as a way of getting a feel for the right school. “I’m still struggling with coming to the realization that traveling and visiting colleges just isn’t going to happen at this point. It’s disappointing not being able to have those experiences that I was expecting before COVID began.”

Some students were depending on acquiring a scholarship through activities such as sports and music, which have been on hold for the majority of the year. Dominick Maldonado, Campion senior shared, “I really wanted to get a soccer scholarship. As a team, we were proud of each other because we went undefeated last year. If we had had a strong soccer season again, there would have been potential for scouts and scholarships. Then COVID hit, and we never got the opportunity to see whether one of us would have gotten even just a small scholarship. I feel like it brought down the team’s morale and whole mindset.”

Despite these challenges, the majority of seniors at Campion are still planning to attend college next year. Colleges are helping students make those decisions by holding virtual events, such as tours and fairs, and sending recruiters to visit our campus. In addition, most universities have waived their requirements for SAT or ACT scores and are accepting students and basing scholarships on grade point averages.

“Even though we didn’t have college days for a big group of students, I was still able to visit Union during my spring break and get a tour of the campus. I’m looking forward to taking the next step in the direction of my career,” Jayce Treat, Campion senior said.

–Tiffany Dien is a senior at Campion; photo supplied

18 Feb

International cultures color the weekend at Campion

In

By Tiffany Dien … Loveland, Colorado … Campion church was filled with colorful flags and the sound of greetings and songs in various languages on February 13 as the church embraced and celebrated the cultures and countries of many of their students for International Sabbath.

Students and members paraded a variety of flags from countries all around the world, many wearing traditional cultural clothing from the countries they represented. They sang in six different languages and read Bible verses in other languages as well.

Reflecting on the event, Airi Nomura, international student from Japan, said, “It was very hard but fun to sing in many different languages. I really liked when everyone was trying to say “Jesus loves you” in Japanese.”

A group of Indonesian students performed for special music.

“I loved how I could speak to God in another language and sing for Him. I was able to express my culture in a way people could remember,” commented Blessing Simamora. “This International Sabbath was definitely worth performing for and it’s something I will cherish for a long time.”

Continuing on the global theme, Campion Academy’s International Club created a special evening activity for dorm students, who rotated to four stations representing the home countries of the international students. At the station in the gym, Brazilian students organized a game of taco, a Brazilian form of cricket, and offered carnival mask painting. Students from the Democratic Republic of Congo held soccer games and hosted a drum circle.

The Chinese students offered games of ping pong and taught rotating students to write the Chinese character ‘love’ for Valentine’s Day. In the chapel, student Airi hosted Japanese karaoke and origami. Throughout the stations, students could win traditional Chinese red packets with a raffle number for their participation. Five winners received a free take-out meal. The night ended with sparklers and fireworks in celebration of Chinese New Year.

“I really enjoyed how we could all come together and share our cultures even though we are from different countries. I liked the evening games because we learned new games and other things from other countries,” Sophie Baez, Campion student said.

–Tiffany Dien is a senior at Campion Academy; photos supplied

You can view more photos from International Sabbath and Club Activities at Campion.net/news

25 Nov

CAMPION STAFF UNWINDS AT END-OF-SEMESTER TALENT SHOW

In

By Tiffany Dien – Loveland, Colorado … “Twas the night before finals, and all through the school, not a student was stressing; it was surprisingly cool…”

Laughter erupted throughout the gym as Campion Academy staff entertained students with skits and songs during the annual Staff Talent Show on Saturday night.

To kick off the night, the Student Association (SA) lip-synced “Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson led by SA sponsor and talent show organizer Erin Johnson.

“It’s a fun event for both the students and the staff. The staff get to show a different, less serious side of themselves,” Johnson explained. “My favorite part of the talent show is [the] performing. It’s fun for me to get the staff involved, and to see how the students react.”

Principal Don Reeder’s act drew big laughs from the crowd. Three student volunteers, oblivious to his tricks, were told to race to name the type of sports ball hiding underneath a row of towels on a table. Little did they know, Bill Hay was hiding under the table with his head sticking up under one of the towels. The volunteers were shocked causing two of them to fall to the ground in surprise while the audience howled in laughter.

“My favorite part was when Nelly and Chrino fell [down] from screaming because it was funny to see my friends scream and fall,” commented Kevin Perez.

Next, Yves Clouzet sang the Hamilton song, “You’ll be back” with a twist. He impersonated Reeder and changed the words in a humorous performance about COVID-19 restrictions, including Zoom, sick list quarantine, and social distancing.

Cafeteria director Chef Allen and Mrs. Allen performed a rendition of the act “Who’s on First” as chef and assistant planner who misunderstood the names of workers who would fill a kitchen position.

Carlos Santana took students by surprise, busting out some beats in a Christian hip-hop rap. Students got down to the beat by waving their hands in the air.

The Great Helmdini–Dean Helm–never fails to awe the audience with his magic tricks. His mind-blowing card tricks leave everyone wondering, how? His final performance left students in amazement as he pulled a long length of toilet paper, once ripped and crumbled, from his mouth.
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–Tiffany Dien, is a senior at Campion Academy; photos supplied.

15 Oct

WHIPPED CREAM, KARAOKE, FILMS, AND MEMORIES AT CAMPION FALL GATHERING

In

By Tiffany Dien – Loveland, Colorado … It was a “sea of flannel” as students gathered for fun, films, and food at the annual Campion Academy student association (SA) fall party.

The party centered around a short film festival where students watched both funny and serious videos complied by those who had gathered and focused on the theme fall and rise.

“Odalis and her team’s video was my favorite because it had a lot of meaning behind someone going through rough times, and Odalis was a really good actor,” said Lexi Davenport, Campion freshman.

Students lined up for popcorn and cotton candy.

SA members prepared games, including corn hole, gunny sack races, whipped cream eating competition, and glow-in-the-dark tic-tac-toe.

“The games were so much fun! I liked getting candy for participating even though I didn’t win. Also, I had a five-minute winning streak in the whipped cream competition. It was so fun and yummy,” said Airi Nomura, Campion junior.

The photo booth was a popular stop as friends commemorated the night with memories to cherish.

Andy Obregon, Campion senior, commented, “My favorite part of the party was the picture taking. Most of us seniors like to take our precious time with the photos and the whole process of taking one. One photo was the funniest part of that night.”

The evening concluded with karaoke as students took turns trying to sing-along to their favorite songs.

The senior class kept the Campion tradition alive when they took to the stage to sing Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again.”

Nelly Salinas, senior, said, “I was so happy our entire class sang together; it was also sad because I realized that this is my last year with these amazing people who have changed my life.”

–Tiffany Dien, is a senior at Campion Academy; photo supplied.

10 Sep

CAMPION ANNUAL PICNIC LIGHTS UP THE NIGHT

In

By Tiffany Dien – Loveland, Colorado … In 2020 style, Campion students celebrated the annual Student Association (SA) outside picnic, indoors and at night.

The nearby forest fires, which are filling the air with smoke, inspired SA officers to get creative with their approach to this annual event by planning an evening indoors, filled with competitive games and glow sticks.

“I thought it was really smart that we could do it inside. It was nice not to get eaten up by the bugs,” Sandra Arlt, Campion junior, said.  “I think the fact that we did it Saturday night was cool as well because it meant no sunburns. It was a fun time and I made really cool memories.”

The night started out with a social distancing version of tug-of-war; classes chose just five students to participate, while their fellow peers cheered them on. Despite the slick gym floor, seniors quickly took the lead.

Afterwards it was time for a new glow-stick game. The objective was to jump down a glow-stick hula hoop path and battle it out in a game of rock-paper-scissors with other classes. The freshmen class mastered the glow-stick hula hoop game, coming in first. However, their victory was short lived when the seniors took back first place in the annual mini-bike relay race. Finally, the evening of fun came to an end with a game of musical chairs and sing-alongs.

Even with the change of time, venue, and added safety precautions, Campion students made the most of the night.

“I thought it was amazing and so different. I personally think it was better than last year. I truly had so much fun with all my friends and got to talk to people I don’t usually talk to,” Nicole Dominguez, Campion sophomore, said.

—Tiffany Dien is a senior at Campion; photos by Sami Hodges and Bentlee Barry

01 Sep

NEW INSTRUCTOR GETS VEGGIES GROWING AGAIN AT CAMPION

In

By Tiffany Dien – Loveland, Colorado… Vegetables are growing again under the newly-formed agriculture program at Campion Academy.

The Acquainting Agriculture Program is led by Russell Branham, program director, and recently-hired class instructor Doug Hoos.

“I was looking to get involved with more extensive gardening, but after my wife retired, we kind of discontinued that and had other plans for this summer. But COVID-19 came along,” Hoos explained. “So, I was praying for some place to do some gardening and saw the Campion newsletter come out saying they were re-starting the program at Campion. The timing seemed to be right.”

The students are welcoming the chance to learn gardening and farming techniques.

“During Agriculture class so far, I learned how to plant vegetables and how soil could change the development of the plants,” Gregory Lang, Campion sophomore, said. “It is a fun class. Mr. Hoos is a kind man, and he has the passion to make this class a good learning experience.”

The class in Acquainting Agriculture is open both first and second semester to all students.

“[I’d like] students to learn simple, very low-cost methods they can take home or anywhere in the world to use to garden,” Hoss explained.

Produce is available for sale to the community on a limited basis. Currently, the program offers zephyr squash, green beans, emerald okra, crimson okra and lots of basil. Carrots, beets, brussels sprouts and radishes are not quite ready. The agriculture class will grow mostly root-type vegetables through the winter as well.

—Tiffany Dien is a senior at Campion Academy; photo by Jill Harlow