1. Thursday, May 8, 2014 Page 3The Chronicle-News Trinidad, Colorado
Education
Phi Theta Kappa inducts
new members
By Greg Boyce
Special to The Chronicle-News
Trinidad State Junior College inducted this year’s honor
students into Phi Theta Kappa Wednesday night in a cer-
emony held in the Leone Lounge on the school campus.
Phi Theta Kappa is the International Honor Society for
two-year colleges and is the largest honor society in Ameri-
can higher education with more than two million members
in 1,200 chapters across America.
TSJC HONORS
Photo courtesy of Trinidad State Junior College
The students who took the pledge at the ceremony are, from left
to right, Tracy Sanchez, Zachary Glorioso, Vanessa Gonzales,
Daniel Lieberman, London Lusk, Kaitlyn Mantelli and Kori Mar-
tinez.
The Trinidad High School Prom Court is, from left to right, Jer-
emiah Casias-Espinoza, Eric Luna, Rebecca Bowman, Abigail
Bowman, Madison Lamden (Queen), Christa Rhoads, Dante Be-
gano (King) and Ricky Waits.
Photo courtesy of Louis Rino
2014 THS PROM COURT
The Queen & King . . .
MadisonLamdenisthe18-year-olddaughterofChrisand
Jessica Lamden, and Dante Begano is the 18-year-old son of
RandyandMaryBegano. TheQueenandKingreignedover
this year’s Trinidad High School Prom, themed “Music of
the Night,” with music by band director Charles Shober.
The event was held at the Mt. Carmel Reflection Hall and
Garden.
Court Attendants . . .
Rebecca Bowman is the 17-year-old daughter of Patricia
Bowman, and her escort Jeremiah Casias-Espinoza is the
18-year-old son of Jolene Casias and Daryl Espinoza.
Abigail Bowman is the 18-year-old-daughter of Patricia
Martinez and Vincent Bernal and Gilbert and Carol Bow-
man and her escort is Eric Luna the 18-year-old son of
Frank Luna and Angie Marquez.
Christa Rhoads is the 18-year-old daughter of Donnie
Justus and Jenny Rhoads and her escort is Ricky Waits, the
18-year-old son of Amber Briego and Ricky Waits, Sr.
Grace Christian
School celebrates
milestone
By Steve Block
The Chronicle-News
Grace Christian School has certainly
come a long way since buying the former
Spanish Four Square Gospel Church and
manse at 1001 Obregon Avenue in 1985. A
lot of hard work, love and money went into
remodeling the two buildings into today’s
school facilities, and after many years of
making payments on the property, church
leaders were able to burn their mortgage at
a special ceremony held at the school last
Thursday afternoon.
School Superintendent Jean Griffis
spoke to a sizable crowd of students, par-
ents, teachers and well-wishers before the
mortgage was torched on Thursday. She
passed around some photos of what the
property looked like when it was purchased
in 1985 by the school’s board.
“As you’ll see from those old pictures,
there were plenty of people who thought
we were crazy to buy this place those many
years ago,” Griffis said. “We want to thank
all the wonderful people who supported us
and helped transform these buildings into
the fine facilities we have today.”
The school has 34 students this year in
grades K-12 and uses the Christian-based A
Beka curriculum. Subjects covered include
science, Colorado-, American- and World
History, English, literature and geography,
math and algebra, geometry, calculus and
daily Bible study. Computer, art, music and
physical education are also available as
elective classes.
The students work hard to master the
challenging curriculum and it shows in
their test scores, which are consistently in
the 95th percentile in the Stanford Achieve-
ment Test Series, according to Superinten-
dent Griffis. Most students score at least
two grades above their actual classroom
grade, with many high school students test-
ing at college level in many subjects, Griffis
said. The Stanford Achievement Test Series
is a product of the privately owned Pearson
Education Group.
The school’s building fund is responsible
for repairs and the maintenance of the two
buildings, and it is supported by an annual
Christmas concert performed by the Wal-
ton Brothers, who play for free.
Tuition covers the costs of the school’s
educational services, with an average tu-
ition cost of $225 per month, per student.
Tuition costs vary with the student’s grade
levels, with high school tuition costing
more than grade school tuition, Griffis said.
The school is a member of Associated
Christian Schools International (ACSI),
and its curriculum is accredited by the
Colorado Department of Education. Grace
Christian offers a Christian education
while maintaining and teaching basic and
simple moral characteristics, in order for
children to develop a sense of purpose in
life. The small classrooms, in which a few
teachers teach multiple grade levels, fea-
ture a great deal of one-on-one instruction.
Children of different age levels are not only
able to — but are encouraged — to interact,
offering one another motivation, healthy
competition and respect.
On Thursday, Griffis invited the stu-
dents to come up and say an individual
prayer, and elementary school kids sang a
Christian song with coordinated gestures.
Griffis, teacher Mary Sue Mangino and
board member Bruce Walton, to the accom-
paniment of loud cheers, ceremoniously
burned the mortgage.
Jeanne Galbraith’s twin children, Star
and Skye, are both in eighth-grade at the
school. She said she’s very pleased about
their academic and religious learning expe-
riences.
“Well, I like the integrity of the teachers
and the students, and the atmosphere of
love here. They get to come here and learn
about and worship the Lord,” Galbraith
said. “They have an exceptional and ad-
vanced curriculum that’s really astound-
ing, and they really push the students to do
their best, and to be independent thinkers
and to be self-motivated.”
Pearl Zapata’s granddaughter, Selena
Gonzales, is also an eighth-grader at Grace
Christian School. She said she was delight-
ed that her granddaughter was getting such
a good education.
“The academics are fantastic,” Zapata
said. “It’s Bible-based and the kids are
great. They all get along together very well,
and she’s known most of these kids since
she was in kindergarten. She really enjoys
it, and I love having her here.”
Grace Christian School is currently
taking registration for the 2014-2015 school
year. Call the school at 719-846-6133 or 719-
845-8769 for more information. Limited
space is available.
MORTGAGE BURNING
Photos by Steve Block / The Chronicle-News
Mary Sue Mangino and Bruce Walton torch the mortgage at Grace Christian School. The faculty at
Grace Christian School includes, at left, from left to right, Priscilla Santistevan, Mary Sue Mangino,
Shandelle Mangino, Jean Griffis, Deborah Griffis and Christine Garcia.