Soccer practice is well underway with Coach Josh and Coach Yanic at the helm of this year’s Bear team. The competition for most unique pair of cleats has also begun. Does anyone else remember when the choices for soccer cleats were black with white stripes and black without any stripes?
Go Bears!
Nos encanta el helado!
Students of the Spanish Class got a sweet treat for great classwork when teacher Karen Peterson took them to La Concha, a Mexican style ice cream parlor in nearby Walhalla, South Carolina. Michael, Loucas, Alex, Nick and Sam thought the place was amazing.
“They had different types of flavors like caramel popcorn and pistachio. My favorite was strawberry shortcake,” Nick said.
“It was kind of cool because it had weird flavors of ice cream like corn which tasted a little like popcorn,” Alex said.
“The corn flavor actually had corn in it. (Andrew) Leviner ordered it and said it was really good. There was a Spanish soap opera on the t.v. It was a pretty cool place,” Loucas added.
Spanish class continues through the summer and with the continued great efforts of the boys, more field trips to interesting cultural experiences are sure to be found!
Memorial Day was a day to remember the sacrifices of those who served in our Armed Forces to ensure we all enjoy the freedoms we have as Americans. It’s also the kickoff to summer, and a great day to swim, enjoy a little beach volleyball, and cook out.
Some of our boys had visits with their families, but for those on campus it was a chance to break free from the classrooms with the teachers. Please enjoy this mini album of photos from the days events. And of course, Happy Summer to All!
Sand Between our Toes
Loucas, Angel and Andrew hang out
Swimming and Hanging on the Mini Dock
Sam munches and guards
Bears Beach Volleyball
Andrew and Sam make sure there are burgers for all
FLAG FOOTBALL — Bears defeat Whetstone with high flying offense.
Bears Make a First Down
The weather on Saturday afternoon was perfect for the first round of the flag football tournament. The ninth seed Whetstone was set to face off against the eighth seeded Bears.
The Bears began the game on defense. With six Bears defenders lined up to take on seven Whetstone offensive warriors, the Whetstone QB connected for a deep pass over the middle for a gain of 60 yards. The Whetstone offense began to walk a little taller to the line of scrimmage as their confidence surged. The Bears defense made quick work of the confidence surge and was able to point out what was real and true about what was going to happen in the game.
The Bears offense was ferocious and highly effective that afternoon. The Bears out scored Whetstone 49-7.
SOFTBALL LEAGUE — The boys have been participating in the Foothills Community Church softball league on Sunday afternoons. Despite a win-less season, they showed improvement on every game. Coach Ryan Natale said, “Our goal is always to help the guys learn commitment, sportsmanship, and how to encourage and support one another. When somebody was struggling, it was a teachable moment we looked for as coaches. From start to finish, there was great improvement in all these areas.”
The Win-Less, But Victorious Softball Team
Below are some of the highlights of the season, according to the boys:
“My highlight of the season was being in the lead (for an inning) and having fun.” — Michael
“My highlight of the season was catching a pop fly that was supposed to burn me.” — Rick
“My highlight was getting a base hit.” — Tommy
“My highlight was running, having fun, and seeing (Coach) Natale slide … again.” — Eddie
“My highlight was (Coach Brandon) hitting the inside the park homerun. I think everyone had a great time.” — Sam D.
My highlight of the game was getting a run.” — Barron
“My highlight for the first game was having fun and doing what I was supposed to. My highlight for the second game was getting on base and getting my first run.” — Vincent
Tuesday’s humid evening put the Bears to a test against Liberty. The Bears’ offense looked good coming out the gate. Jimmy moved the offense down the field at a steady pace. The Bears were up 8-0 in quick fashion. But the Liberty Red Devils were pesky on offense and tied it up.
Back and forth the game went. The Bears pulled ahead 14-8. The Red Devils were trying to keep pace with the Bears, but their defense held strong. With an interception, the bears went into halftime with a commanding lead. The Bears were up 30-16 at the half.
Several missed calls for illegal contact helped the Red Devils get back in the game and take the lead.
The Bears marched down the field to tie the game with one minute to play. The Red Devils ran out of time and penalties gave them the opportunity to toss an interception to Jimmy, closing out regulation play.
During overtime the Bears offense sputtered while the Red Devils put together a nice series to take the win, 36-42.
“Our guys are such warriors. They played hard and pulled for each other the entire game. Even with some questionable calls, our guys held their composure and battled through the game. I am proud of their hard work and determination. Under this kind of pressure it would have been easy for them to quit. They don’t know how to quit.”
-Coach Shep
From left: Artie, William and David are headed for the coast
The Father & Son Sea Kayaking Adventure is underway!
At about 10:00 this morning Executive Director David LePere, Counseling Department Manager William Carpenter and Therapist Artie Smith – along with students Alex, Alexander, Jake, James, Loucas, Sam, Sam, Tommy and Vincent – began their journey to the Georgia coast. Now, this is not what David, William and Artie are typically up to on a Tuesday morning. But for our first Father and Son Adventure it would be hard to find a more perfect crew!
The boys are looking forward to connecting with their dads tomorrow morning. Together, they will paddle with the tide to Cumberland Island National Seashore where they will spend the next few days camping in a primitive area of the island. This exciting Father & Son Adventure has been months in the making and is sure to garner many “tall tales” and “fish stories.”
More to come…
New students Keith and Angel are hard at work painting pottery.
Paint seems to be the theme this Spring Break as the boys took a field trip out to Glazed Pottery in Clemson yesterday. We hope we’re not giving away any upcoming gift secrets with this post, but the boys had a great time selecting and customizing green ceramic ware. The next step is firing at over 1000 degrees, which makes the paint come to life and hardens the projects. We love the focus and concentration the boys put into their painted projects.
Two Big Bad Football Players
Tuesday’s flag football loss to the Easley Yellowjackets was by a wide margin, but the Bears have hope!
“We haven’t practiced much. We had two days notice for this game, so we have lots more work to do to improve,” Rick said. Rick played QB for this game and was besieged with interceptions. However, he also scored the only points of the game by picking off a pass in the opponents’ end zone and running it all the way back for six. He then threw a pass to Zach for the two point conversion.
“We played a team that has played together for years. We were nervous and missing some key players, but I expect them to bounce back tonight,” Athletic Director Yanic McDowell said.
Tonight’s game is against Wren at 8 p.m. No games will be held next week due to Spring Break for CCBS and most area schools, and the schedule resumes for the Bears on April10th. Hope to see you there.
The Bears Cross Country team set out on a 5K Trail Run in Demorest, GA March 10th, and left the rest of the crowd wondering who they were and what the heck happened.
Jimmy took First Place in his age group and First overall with a 20:33 time, averaging a 6:38 minute mile. James took First Place in his age division and Third Place overall, finishing just 50 seconds behind Jimmy . Rick took Third in his age group, also right on Jimmy’s heels at 22:45, and Sixth overall. Nick took Third in his age group and 12th overall.
Loucas took 10th, Dain took 11th and Tommy took 15th in their11-14-year-old age group.
Congratulations to all our boys, and Coach Josh as well, who finished a respectable sixth in his age group too!
Next up is the Chick-Fil-A 5K Road Run on April 21st. Go Bears!
Laser focus from the boys during Regional Mission work.
Our Bears have a winning streak going on, and we’re proud to let you know it!
Not only did they place 11th in the Robot Performance category in last weekend’s State LEGO League competition — their highest finish ever — but our own Coach Nick Linscott brought home Coach of the Year AGAIN! The presentation of this particular award has not been made at the State level since 2005, when Mr. Linscott was also its recipient. Does it sound like we have someone special leading our boys? We think so! Tommy remarked, “I couldn’t do this without my coach. He helped the team through everything. To us, it’s obvious why he won Coach of the Year.”
The always humble Nick refocused the accolades back onto the boys during an assembly Monday morning, honoring the team’s accomplishments. “Rick was a rock while driving the robot,” Nick said. “He was focused and laser sharp on accumulating points during the mission. Tommy made an amazing recovery when he attempted to place a tool on the robot and it fell apart in his hands. He reassembled it and got it on the robot quick enough to make some more buzzer-beating points for us.”
“Everyone had a great part in this and I’m proud of their accomplishment,” he added. Michael said the best part of the weekend was really, “when Nick got his award.”
“I feel happy and excited that our teamwork didn’t fail,” Vincent commented.
“I would never done this at a regular public school,” Eddie said. “I would have felt like I would be judged (badly for joining LEGO League) there.”
“Going to Columbia was one of the best experiences that I’ve ever had,” Dain remarked. “I’ve learned so much about technology while working with the robot.” Rick added, “It was a pretty cool experience.”
Only six more months until the 2012 Missions are released. Here on campus, we can’t wait!