NCA News

Alumni and Constituency Newsletter
Nicaragua Christian Academy
Managua, Nicaragua

September 2009

Reunion 2010!
June 11-12, Managua, Nicaragua

It's time!  We have begun a tradition of scheduling an NCA staff/student reunion every five years.  Our first reunion was held in June 2005 and was a fantastic time for former teachers and students to get together and see how NCA has grown.  We had 71 people in attendance.

Our school has grown incredibly during the last five years, and we would love to have you visit us!  The preliminary schedule is as follows:

Friday, June 11 6:00pm - Senior graduation, Class of 2010 - 18 students (NCA Chapel) Saturday, June 12 9:00am - Welcome, registration, snacks (NCA Fine Arts Center gym) 10:00am - Volleyball, organized activities 12:00pm - Hamburger and hot-dog cookout 1:00pm - Tour of NCA (now 289 students) and NCA Nejapa (now 280 students) 2:30pm - Ultimate frisbee game 4:00pm - Student/staff soccer game 6:30pm - Dinner with entertainment

Please RSVP to our Director of Development, Dan Van Zoest, at ncadevelop@gmail.com.  Information related to travel and accomodation options will be provided at a later date.

Dual-Accreditation

Since its inception, Nicaragua Christian Academy has sought excellence in all areas and continues to strive toward that goal.  Each year since the school began in 1991 has brought a record high enrollment, and this year is no exception.  Our student body is now up to 289 students!

Many of you may already know that NCA became the first ACSI-accredited school in all of Central America in 2001 after a hard year of work and self-study.  We have now reached a new landmark with the addition of accreditation through SACS CASI (AdvancEd), the largest public school regional accreditation in the United States.  NCA is now the only school in Nicaragua with dual accreditation in the United States, and one of only two schools with this level of accreditation in all of Central America!

All 77 members of our faculty and staff spent a lot of extra time last school year working on our 230+ page self-study, which culminated with the accreditation visiting team during fourth quarter.  After a successful visit and high expectations, we celebrated with our whole staff at a nice restaurant.

NCA continues in its pursuit of excellence and we pray that the next five years of accreditation will help us carry on our school growth.  To God be the glory!

HACIA Democracy

In March, NCA students participated in the HACIA Democracy Summit of the Americas 2009 in Mexico.  A delegation of 19 students from NCA and 1 student from NCA Nejapa participated in a 3-day event in Mexico City, D.F., sponsored by Harvard University and comprised of over 330 students.  Our students represented different member nations of the OAS (Organization of American States) in formal debates about problems facing the western hemisphere, including trafficking of persons, terrorism, integration of indigenous people, human rights, the FARC and other important issues.

Our students spent months researching their topics before the event and participated in several debate practices, including two with other schools in Nicaragua.  Many of our students were very active in defending their position and introducing viable solutions for further debate and support of all nations.  Many of our other students also showed very strong leadership and deserve recognition for exemplary performance.

In addition to their three days of debate, students spent two days sightseeing in Mexico City, including a visit to the Pyramids of Teotihuacán, the Basilica of Guadalupe, and Six Flags Mexico amusement park.

God's Faithfulness Through Generations

By Jeff and Marilyn Greenway
Missionary family at Nicaragua Christian Academy
Serving with Young Life (Vida Joven)

Our family has been a part of God’s work here in Nicaragua since 2006, working with the Young Life program.  The goal of Young Life is to reach kids with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Our leaders seek to meet kids where they are at and share the love of Jesus with them. Over the past 20 years, countless youths have encountered Jesus, have desired His life changing power, and have given their lives to Christ here in Nicaragua.

Many of these kids grow up and join the work as leaders; they desire to share the love they have found with others and have chosen to serve, volunteering their time and receiving training. We presently have over 50 supervisors, area directors, and coordinators who are leading Young Life in 3 different regions, 9 cities, and over 30 barrios. Working with them to reach out to kids in their areas are over 250 trained volunteer leaders.

When we first came to Nicaragua our family settled in Matagalpa, a city about 2 hours north of Managua. This was the hub of the Vida Joven and worked well for us to get to know the ministry. However, as time passed we recognized that we also needed a good school for our youngest daughter, Olivia.  The move to Managua has meant a lot of hours on the road for Jeff, but it is worth it for the many blessings we receive being a part of the NCA community. We really appreciate the high level of academics offered at NCA, but more importantly are so grateful for the Biblical worldview and commitment to spiritual formation. In a recent letter Olivia wrote, “I often think how blessed I am to be going to NCA where there is so much cultural diversity and encouragement to mature as a Christian.”

Prayer and Praise

• Praise God for a record enrollment of 289 students!
• Pray for God's continual provision of teachers that love Him and desire to serve Him.
• Pray that Nicaragua Christian Academy and NCA Nejapa will be effective in raising up leaders ready and willing to transform their communities and make decisions of integrity based upon God's Word.
• Pray for the country of Nicaragua in the midst of difficult economic and political circumstances.