gsaa link spring 2014

GSAALINKEngaging in ser vice. Training for leadership. Preparing for eternity. Spring 2014

GSAA Link.indd 1 5/7/14 10:06 AM

At the end of the school year, time

seems to speed up. Although it is nice

to stop and reflect on how the school

has received blessings, like April

showers, these past few months.

The school is moving forward by leaps

and bounds. In the past month we have

received donations for equipment

amounting to $20,000 for the school

garden. Along with the donations we

have received, many wonderful people

have supported with their gift of time

and skills. Please check out the website

(gemstateacademygardens.com) and see

what is happening. Glen Rick is signing up

summer workers and already needs more

student help. If you know of any students

needing work or wanting to work on the

school farm please contact Glen Rick at

[email protected] or 208-963-1246.

At the writing of this letter, more and

more individuals are coming forward to

assist the school as contract teachers

and volunteers with special skills and

talents to assist the school in preparing,

maintaining, and planning for a new

I’m

presently

reading a

book by Rick

Dunham,

“If God Will

Provide, Why

Do We Have

To Ask For Money?” It is a great book and

the key phrase early in the book is from

Ephesians 6:12: “For we wrestle not against

flesh and blood, but against principalities,

against powers, against the rulers of the

darkness of this world, against spiritual

wickedness in high [places].” Thus we covet

your prayers and ask that you keep Gem

State Adventist Academy in mind as God

leads and directs us according to His will.

We are looking forward to a great

school year with new classes, schedules

and work opportunities on the farm,

grounds and maintenance.

Have and great spring and summer!

Wayne Wentland

Letter from the Principal

Wayne WentlandPrincipal of GSAA

school year. We are getting support

for the school grounds, maintenance

repairs and now have a volunteer who

will be serving as our maintenance

director starting June 4, 2014.

A very successful Academy Day has

come and gone. If you did not attend

you missed a great day and much fun.

The students were able to participate

in school activities and get a good taste

of academy life. As our school year

continues, we have received word from

the Brazil Conference that students will be

coming to Gem State Adventist Academy

and enrolling for the coming school year.

You can help the academy by sharing

with us names and contacts that you

believe would benefit a Christian

education at GSAA. You may contact me

at [email protected]. We are

following up on all names and we don’t

want to overlook anyone. We believe

God will and does make a way for those

who wish to attend an Adventist boarding

school. In advance, thank you for your

help with any contacts you may have.

The Graduating Class of

2014Cordially invite you to their graduation weekend ceremonies:

Concecration May 30 7pmBaccalaurate May 31 11amClass Night May 31 9:30pmCommencement June 1 10am

Please join us in celebrating the 96th gradu-ating class of Gem State Adventist Academy.

Gem State Adventist Academy

100 YEAR PROJECT1 9 1 8 – 2 0 1 8

Gem State Adventist Academy’s Centennial is just around

the corner. To help celebrate, we are collecting stories,

memories and photographs to commemorate this

milestone. We would love your help! Please submit a

photograph or a special story or memory of your time at

GSAA to:

Gem State Adventist Academy

100 Year Project

16115 S. Montana Ave.

Caldwell, ID 83607

[email protected]

2


If You Say Go

Tommy PooleChaplain

Students rush into Chapel, propping their

backpacks by the door and plopping their

backsides in the pews. It’s a whir of noise

and laughter and texting. It’s an exciting

time; morning classes are over, fifteen

minutes until lunch. I’ve found the best

way to cut through the chatter and get

everyone thinking in the same direction

is a praise song. One of our favorites here

at GSAA starts like this: “If You say go,

we will go. If You say wait, we will wait. If

You say step out on the water, and they

say it can’t be done, we’ll fix our eyes on

You and we will come.” I love this song.

It makes me dream how full life could

be when totally surrendered to God.

Is Christianity too concerned with safety?

Now, I know it’s good to be safe, and I

love the ways that Gem State and other

Adventist Schools teach healthy lifestyle

choices and what not, but I can’t help but

get caught up in the stories of people

like Abraham who followed a call from

God to leave his comfortable existence

and follow God on some harebrained

adventure to a far off place. Or Moses,

who left his manageable flock to take on

the empire of Pharaoh. Peter, stepping

out onto the water. These stories capture

me. I’m compelled by these people,

their trust in God; so much trust that

wherever God called them, they went.

I wonder where God might take us if we

had that kind of faith. How many of us have

ideas for a new ministry to start at church,

or a new small businesses to pursue, or

some activities

to do at home

to make

your family

closer, that

we don’t act on because it’s too risky.

We’re not ready to step out of our

boat of safety, and risk failing, or

being laughed at, or challenged.

I look at our students in the pews at

Chapel with their different postures:

hunched, perky, gazing, eye contact,

slouched, smiling, whispering. I hear the

echoes of their song: “If You say go….”

I pray that it is a song that they, me,

and you can not only sing, but live.

In the rainy month of April, a group

of students had a strange notion. This

notion was to spread the hope of Jesus

throughout the world. So, what did we

do? We flew to Peru. Two weeks we

would spend; construction during the

day and building souls by night. Many

who attended this mission trip will tell all

sorts of tales, often mentioning a very

noisy night spent on concrete floors in

the middle of a village buried in the midst

of the Amazon jungle. Others will tell of

the amazing experience at the Iquitos

Prison. People, both free and imprisoned,

were brought together to worship God.

Throughout the whole experience, what

impacted me the most was not the jail,

the house we built for a young mother

and her daughter, or even the absolute

poverty of Iquitos, Peru. No, it was the

children. Every night during the week we

would all cram into a rickety wooden bus

and head to a tiny concrete church with

whitewashed walls. Our mission: hold a

vacation bible school for the kids in the

area. As we bumped along the dirt road,

kids would come running out of houses

to meet us. When you stepped off the

bus, you were soon enveloped in frenzied

hugs. Several children, for reasons I do

not know, decided to choose me. Every

VBS this small girl and boy would search

through the crowd for the red-haired

“gringa.” The little boy would latch onto

me with a hug so fierce I couldn’t shake

him off. Once I walked all the way to the

bus with him clinging on to me. Every

time I looked down into those big brown

eyes, my heart would instantly melt.

When our stay in Peru was over, we had

to say goodbye. Even though we spoke

different languages, we had come to know

the children so well. Though I didn’t get

to tell the little boy all the amazing things

God can do, I finally realized that it was

alright. Sometimes a smile and a hug

say everything. Although I do not know

how much I affected that little boy, whose

name I sadly was never told, I do know that

he affected me more. There is no possible

way that I will forget his joyful face. When I

get to heaven, I am going to be searching

for that little boy with the happy eyes.

To Peru We Flew

by Sandy JensenFreshman

3


Hi! My name is Megan and I became a

student at Gem State at the beginning

of second quarter. In April, we held

our Student-led Week of Prayer. This

is a special time where we have an

extra-long chapel to sing songs, play

games and have students (picked by

their peers) get up front and share

how God has worked in their lives.

I was asked to speak, and, although I was

a bit nervous, I had been feeling God

encouraging me to get up front and

7 4-year Seniors 6 3-year Seniors 1 3½-year

Student Week of Prayer

share even before I had

been asked. Our theme

was “Through the Looking

Glass,” and I used that

theme to describe God’s

definition of beauty versus

the world’s view of beauty.

It was a really amazing experience; the

best part was feeling so close to God

during the entire week but especially as I

spoke. The other students responded very

positively and I knew that they supported

me and wouldn’t judge me on what I said.

To anyone who may be asked to get

up front and share their story, I say

just do it. You never know when you

might have that opportunity again.

Megan McMurphy

Junior

Senior Statistics 2014

13 1are off to college is headed to trade school

1 Business/Accounting

2 Communication/Media

1 Aviation

1 Undecided

2 Education

5 Pre-Professional/Medicine

1 Art 1 Cosmetology

13 work on campus

11 are in a music group

12 played on a varsity sports team 6 participated in a mission trip

11 are in a leadership position

Favorite GSAA MomentsScience Trip

Softball

Sophomore Colorado Trip

Senior Survival

Winter Camp

senior photos by Valerie Music

4


The GSAA Garden is our school’s newest

program created to offer more student

employment opportunities. It became

evident that the school needed an industry

that would generate funds from outside

of the academy instead of recycled from

within. Currently the Garden is employing

six students. In addition to providing work

experience, it gives GSAA an opportunity

to reach out to our community.

The Garden is using a CSA (community

supported agriculture) model where

members sign up in the spring for a

weekly, bi-weekly or custom box of fresh

vegetables that they will receive during

the summer. Produce and plants will be

supplied to a local market and veggies

will be provided to GSAA’s cafeteria.

Glen Rick was called to coordinate the

Garden program. He has provided student

employment at Adventist Academies for

20 years, first at Auburn Academy (with

Principal Wayne Wentland), then at Mt.

Vernon Academy and Indiana Academy.

Glen and his wife Carol appreciate

the opportunity to help students

earn money for Adventist Education

as well as giving them the chance to

explore a potential career path.

The Ricks had a large task in front of them,

and the fact that they arrived in Idaho to

begin preparing for the Garden during

the time most people were getting ready

to start planting, didn’t help much. But

God answered many prayers, and with

the help and mentorship of local growers

and friends of GSAA, the Gem State

Academy Garden is up and running.

Donations have been key to getting this

project off the ground. With the help of

many volunteers and generous friends

of the academy items such as seeds,

tractors, pick-up trucks, and rototillers

have all been supplied or lent to the

Garden Program. Four individuals offered

the use of their land, which has been

a huge blessing to the program and

plans are being laid for the future of the

Garden. We are hoping to operate year

round by using greenhouses, testing

a hydroponic gardening technique,

and possibly providing an agriculture

class in our school’s curriculum.

We appreciate your support and prayers

as we work together to ensure that GSAA

is a viable option for all students who wish

to attend an Adventist boarding Academy.

Visit us at gemstateacademygardens.com.

If you would like to help with the Garden Project, here is a list of immediate needs:

• Volunteers for marketing and promotion

• Volunteers for weeding and planting

• A travel trailer that would serve as a portable

office (as well as a washroom)

• Farm stand

• High tunnels for season extension/year-round growing

• BCS rear-tine rototiller (not a borrowed one)

• Drip irrigation/black-mulch layer attachment and supplies

• Front-end loader attachment

• 5-gallon plastic buckets for harvesting into and misc. uses

• Prayers, donations, volunteers, sign-ups for CSA boxes

GSAA Gardens

5


ALUMNI WEEKEND

We just wrapped up the 2014 GSAA Alumni

Weekend and want to thank all of you

who attended for making it a successful

weekend. We also appreciate all of

you who participated in the programs,

with a special thanks to Dave and Kathy

Iwasa and Jaime Thietten for our Friday

evening vespers, Buell Fogg, the speaker

for our worship service, Tommy Poole

and GSAA students for the Sabbath

School program, and Randy Maxwell,

the speaker for our Sabbath evening

Hallowed Moments program. We also

appreciate all the staff and students

of GSAA for their participation and

hard work throughout the weekend.

We hope you are beginning to plan for

our 2015 Alumni Weekend. The honor

years are 1935, 1945, 1955, 1965, 1975, 1985,

1990, 1995, and 2005. We are looking for

a person from each of these classes to

be the class agent to help with organizing

your class for the 2015 weekend. If you

are willing to help, please contact Valerie

Trees at [email protected].

New for the 2015 Alumni Weekend, we

are working on

putting a 5k/10k

run and/or walk

fundraiser together

to be followed

by a breakfast/

brunch. We are

in the beginning

stages of working

out the details, so

be looking for more

information to come

on this event and

plan to participate

Sunday morning.

There are a lot of wonderful things

happening at GSAA and the vibe on the

campus is very exciting! The spiritual

atmosphere is very evident and God

is blessing us in many ways. Please

join us, the GSAA Alumni Committee,

in praying for and improving the

viability of this precious resource for

our kids here in Idaho and beyond.

Sincerely,

The 2015 Alumni Officers:

Perry Mace ’73,

President

Valerie (Moore) Trees ’81,

Vice-President

Veronica (Mellish) Ceniceros ’93,

Secretary

Vicki (Lutsko) Ringering ’81,

Historian/coordinator

Sheri (Culver) LaMott ’81,

Historian/fundraising

Kimberley (Peters) Mitchell ’82,

Faculty Liaison

Wayne Wentland,

GSAA Principal

6


Vicki (Lutsko) Ringering (1981)

lives in Caldwell, ID where

she is the vice-principal and

kindergarten teacher at Caldwell Adventist

Elementary School. This is her 27th year

of teaching and she still loves it. Looking

back, she was excited to be attending a

Christian school for the first time. As a new

Adventist she found it a blessing to go to

a school where keeping the Sabbath was

accepted and supported by her peers.

The people made all the difference. She

didn’t have a roommate but girls would

pop into her room to say hi, making her

feel welcome. Most importantly, GSAA

is where she got to know God. Some

of her fondest memories are of being

in choir, going on trips, and being Asst.

Director for the outreach program.

During her Senior year, Kevin Ringering

came to Gem State as a task force worker.

Due to his professionalism, Vicki was

naïve to his feelings for her, but when she

started school the next Fall at Walla Walla

College, he made his interest clear. In

1984 they were married and will celebrate

their 30th anniversary this August. Kevin

and Vicki have two children, Nick and

Beth, who also graduated from GSAA.

Over the years, Vicki and Kevin have

been involved at GSAA. Vicki particularly

enjoyed taking cookies to the students in

the dorm and showing them extra love.

She is

currently

on the

Alumni

Association

board

serving

as the

historian.

Kristin Hansen-Mellish (2000)

and Benji Mellish (2001) live in

Nampa, Idaho. After graduating

from GSAA, they attended

Walla Walla University where

they both earned degrees in

Graphic Design. In 2012, Benji graduated

from Northwest Nazarene University with

an MBA. Kristin is a graphic designer for

Pacific Press, and Benji is a marketing

director for Interstate Group and

freelances as a marketing director for

Alturas Homes, a local home builder.

Both Benji and Kristin continue to

volunteer much of their time and their

hearts at GSAA. Kristin has coached

basketball and volleyball. Benji served on

the Alumni Association Board, organized

the Saturday night Alumni v. Varsity games

for the past 7 years, and has coached

JV boys’ and varsity girls’ basketball.

In their time away from work and

volunteering, Benji and Kristin enjoy

traveling in their Airstream trailer,

going to hockey games and spending

time with family and friends, and they

really love their dogs. Some of Kristin’s

favorite memories include sports

tournaments, tours and mission trips.

Benji fondly remembers working for

Pastor Terry Edwards, winning the 2001

Friendship Tournament (basketball),

and taking trips with fellow students.

Eric Gray (2004) is currently

finishing his second year of

medical school at Loma Linda

University where he lives with his wife,

Jenny, and their two dogs. Thinking back,

he recalls that GSAA science class with Mr.

Fautheree gave him his first introduction

into a medical career (including science

trip, which is one of his favorite GSAA

memories); although that wasn’t the path

he initially took. Eric attended Walla Walla

University and began persuing his interest

in politics. He served on the student senate

for two years and then as the President

of the Associated Students of Walla Walla

University (ASWWU). After graduating

with a BS in Business Administration, Eric

spent six months in Washington DC as

the scheduling intern for Idaho Senator

Crapo. He returned to the NW to work at

Camp Ida-Haven, where he worked a total

of six summers, and says that Camp is “the

purest opportunity for [kids and young

adults] to live and learn together through

creativity and activity.” Eric promptly went

back to DC for one more year to serve as

the Door Keeper for the Senate Chambers

in the Capital building. Working in DC

gave Eric good insight into the political

world and he gained appreciation for local

politics where he feels individuals can do

the most good and impact others’ lives.

Eric’s advice to current GSAA students:

Choose a

career you

think you will

enjoy, but

make sure it

will support

you financially.

You can

always have

hobbies!

The 2013–14 LINK could not have been produced

without invaluable (free) help and contributions

from Dallas Reedy, Yvonne Iwasa & the students of

Kim Mitchell’s English classes. Thank you!

Alumni Updates

HOMECOMING

S A V E T H E D A T E !

w e e k e n d April 3–5, 2015

http://www.gemstate.org/alumni

7


has 2 blessed volunteers:

one every day and one weekly

that makes homemade bread

25,316 loads

of dishes a year

owns 36

custom

aprons

with

matching

T-shirts

and she’s

worn all

of them

served 17,981 meals so

far this year: 20 meals

per week with 6 different

dietary needs per meal

1 other employee

and she cover the 65 hours per week that

the cafeteria is open

has 15 employees,

most of whom start

work after 2:30pm

DENISE SERACK

THE COOK


gsaa link spring 2014

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