The Friday Finish - "Amazing transformation" - "The Spirit is here..." - History Comes to Life! - Professional Students Connect - S.O.A.R. Taps Middle School
- Tim Crawford
- Apr 4
- 6 min read
April 4, 2025
Red Bird Cheer - “Amazing transformation”
The vibe was electric and full of excitement as students, teachers, and families came together to show school spirit at the Red Bird Christian School (RBCS) Pep Rally. This event was all about celebrating the dedication and hard work of our Senior and 8th grade students in sports and the band. Students wore their school colors proudly, their faces glowing with excitement. This was more than a pep rally; this was a celebration honoring the dedication and achievements of our students.
The gymnasium filled with the sound of pumped up beat as the cheerleaders took to the floor to introduce the high school basketball team and show them support. Dressed in red and black uniforms with bright smiles on their faces, the cheer team showcased their hard work with stunts and enthusiastic chants that echoed through the gym. The crowd stood to their feet in applause at their formations and impressive routine.
The 17 members of this year’s Red Bird Varsity Cheer Team have persevered through practices and juggling schedules for space with other sports to finish the 2024-25 year proudly representing RBCS. The coaches for the Red Bird Cheer teams, Candace Collins and Meredith Asher (Class of 2012), brought their experience, passion for cheerleading, and excellence for both the Varsity and Elementary teams this year.
The coaches presented a contract at the beginning of the year for each person to sign that held each one to a high standard of conduct as representatives of RBCS before their peers and the community at large. Some of the cheerleaders admitted at the season’s end that they were ready to quit rather than agree to the contract.
“They stuck it out,”
as Candace put it, and everyone witnessed an
“amazing transformation in skills, stunts, formations, sportsmanship and attitudes.”
That hard work and excellence was on display at Red Bird games this year, and at a varsity regional cheer competition with several other teams in Jackson County. Their leadership and performance at the Senior and 8th Grade recognition pep rally set the bar high for next year’s cheer teams.
“The Spirit is here…”
Rev. Brian Reinhardt, currently Lead Pastor at Son’s Life Missionary Church in Sebewaing, Michigan, was at Red Bird Mission this week for the 31st time leading a Work Camp team. This week’s trip is the first since 2019 when the COVID pandemic interrupted their spring break mission trip to Red Bird, but his church is back on track offering opportunities of service to youth and adults that shape their lives afterwards.
His volunteer service at Red Bird in the early 1990’s led to his entrance into full time ministry. He said,
“The Spirit is here at Red Bird.”
Over four decades, he’s had team members decide to go into the ministry and some have even come to salvation while at Red Bird. While most team members are youth, he said older folks have gotten a stronger sense of serving by coming to Red Bird. He remembers one volunteer later said,
“This [Red Bird Work Camp] is where I learned to serve.”
Once, he said that a “grandpa” that never responded to Brian’s invitation to come with him agreed to come on his first trip after he lost his job. The experience was pivotal in that man’s life leading to greater service and a new outlook on life.
Brian is retiring this year but the youth pastor at Son’s Life now has multiple years of experience leading the teams. That gives Brian an assurance that his church’s mission trips will continue to shape lives for servanthood for years to come.
History Comes to Life!
A field trip transformed into an exciting educational adventure for 3rd-6th grade students at Red Bird Christian School on Friday, March 28th, as they visited the State Capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky. This trip was an absolutely perfect opportunity to engage students with the history and governance of their home state. During their day in Frankfort, students toured the old and new capitol buildings and explored the Kentucky History Museum seeing artifacts relating to Kentucky history and culture.
Experiencing these places up close and in person truly brought their classroom lessons to life. These ties to history are sure to spark curiosity in many of these young folks, inspiring them to dive deeper into Kentucky's past and what's ahead for the future.
Professional Students Screen, Teach and Connect
The skit on the cons of vaping presented by the four nurses would have vaporized in the adolescent minds at Wednesday’s Middle School/High School Chapel at Red Bird Christian School (RBCS), but the no-hands somersault by Ravi drove home his decision to “flip” his attitudes that vaping is harmless. Earlier in Elementary Chapel, Ravi took on the role of “Germ Man” as the nurses shared practices to reduce the spread of airborne and surface germs in public places.
Ten (10) students from the College of Nursing and the College of Audiology and Speech Pathology accompanied by three faculty members from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville spread out across Red Bird’s Queendale and Beverly campuses this week sharing their expertise in physical health and mental health education. Students performed screenings for hearing, speech, height, weight and vision for RBCS students and the elderly in an effort to improve overall health of our communities.
Allison Caton spent most of the week at the school, but also had opportunity to ride with Cody on a meal route. She grew up as an Appalachian in Sevierville, Tennessee giving her better understanding of the issues faced in our Red Bird communities. Allison said,
“It was really cool to use my knowledge of the Appalachian culture in a way that I could connect with the population here. Cody and I talked a lot about how he sees a lot of different cultures that come here and don’t really understand why life is the way it is here, so I thought it was cool that I understood on that level.”
The nurses joined DeWall Senior Center participants at the Beverly Campus demonstrating chair yoga and strengthening exercises to promote bone health. Mind and spirit was also given attention as nurses and seniors decorated beautiful eggs for the Easter season and conversations at the craft and lunch tables built bonds of friendship.
Seth Thomas who taught strengthening exercises at the Center grew up in the rural mountains of California. Seth related,
“This felt like coming home a little bit to me with the community and some of struggles and issues that arise in communities that are this small when you have limited resources and viable means of income. For me, it was the lumber mills that closed down when I was a kid.”
One of the nursing faculty, Robin Hicks, said,
“One thing that we’re really excited about that has been unique this year is collaborating with the College of Audiology and Speech Pathology. “Hopefully next year, we can do more in-depth hearing screenings and assistance with speech and swallowing issues to continue the health education and screenings at the Senior Center.”
S.O.A.R. Taps Middle School Members
Celebrating academic success and personal growth is always something special. Thursday’s
S.O.A.R Honor Society ceremony at Red Bird Christian School captured how wonderful these moments truly are. Families, friends, and community members came together to celebrate the 7th and 8th graders who earned their spot in this respected group. The S.O.A.R (Scholarship Outstanding Achievement Respect) Honor Society is all about recognizing students who not only do great in their studies but also step up as leaders and give back to their community.
Ms. Melanie Adams, Guidance Counselor, began the ceremony with a meaningful message, emphasizing the importance of this milestone in the students' academic journeys. Becoming a member of the S.O.A.R. Honor Society is more than just a badge of honor; it's an opportunity to grow, lead, and motivate others. This ceremony highlighted that dedication is rewarded, and their journey has only just started. To our students: continue striving and reaching for the stars!
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