Shiloh Christian School Newsletter
Vol. 6 Issue: 11 "NWA'S PREMIER PRIVATE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL"
SIX CRIPPLING REALITIES WE MUST ADDRESS IN TODAY'S KIDS: PART THREE
This week we look at the final part of a three-part series on crippling realities that handicap today’s kids socially, emotionally, physically, intellectually, and spiritually.
So far, we’ve examined these:
- Exposure is up. Experience is down.
- Stimulation is up. Critical thinking is down.
- Connections are up. Community is down.
- Opportunity is up. Risk-taking is down.
Let’s look at two more and what we can do to lead young people intentionally through these realities.
5. Anxiety is up. Activity is down.
There is a new pandemic happening today, a pandemic of anxiety and loneliness. I think it may be more sinister than COVID-19. Long before the coronavirus, in 2014, we began to see the effects of a smartphone on teens’ anxiety, depression, and panic attacks. Dr. Mark McDonald wrote, “The mental health problems are ones I have never seen in my career, not to this degree. Anxiety is up 300 percent. Depression is up 400 percent…every single mental illness, every behavioral problem, including substance abuse in older kids is going through the roof.”
No doubt, the reasons for this quandary are numerous, but at least one of the reasons is our sedentary lifestyles. Millions of us, including today’s generation of kids, are more sedentary than past generations, which can lead to unhealthy lives, both physically and mentally. We all know when kids are active, chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and most of all, endorphins are released. Physical activity helps increase the production of your brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters. Although this function is often referred to as a runner’s high, any aerobic activity, such as a rousing game of tennis or a nature hike, can contribute to this same feeling. Sadly, our kids’ mental activity is up, thanks to all the social media feeds they receive, but their physical activity is down. This is a poor combination that requires balance.
What should we do? The answer is not necessarily to minimize their mental activity but to balance their physical activity. That balance should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Every hour, what if you introduced a mental and physical balance break, encouraging them to go outside and exercise in some way? For example, they could run while listening to music or a podcast; they could shoot hoops while reviewing for their history exam; or they could jump on a trampoline while preparing for the spelling test. I know teachers who walk around the school campus outside (as weather permits) to review their subject. I know parents who take walks with their kids to unpack their day and process all that happened. This requires intentionality, but it may make the difference between a healthy and unhealthy adult.
6. Instant gratification is up. Resilience is down.
Teachers, coaches, and parents all want to see their students develop resilience. What we often fail to see is that this skill is almost always directly correlated to the ability to work and wait for results. When young people can continue their effort toward a goal—even when they don’t see quick results—they develop resilience in the meantime. The same emotional and mental muscles are in use. Today, all of us live in a “microwave world,” not a “crockpot world.” It’s a world that’s instant access and on-demand.In fact, research demonstrates that families whose income is over $70,000 a year must have hard conversations more often with their children (if they want their kids to learn to wait on that new portable device) than those who make less and can merely say, “We can’t afford that.”
When we grew up, a good parent gave their children whatever they needed. Today, parents often feel pressure to give their children whatever they want. Couple this with the fact that kids have immediate access to almost anything they want, and resilience feels unnecessary. They can quit and move on to the next shiny object. I have noticed that the more I get my way, the less resilient I become. Why? Resilience is about bouncing back from hardship. Today, we mitigate too many hardships for kids.
What should we do? Caring adults must introduce scenarios where young people must work and wait for what they want. This will be difficult unless we stay close to them, encouraging them to keep going. I recall a Stanford experiment years ago that tested how long people could stand barefooted in a bucket of ice water. One outcome was eye-opening: people could remain in the ice water twice as long on average when someone stood near them encouraging them to keep trying. It’s “learned industriousness,” a term created by psychologist Robert Eisenberger. This reality can overtake “learned helplessness” (a discovery made by Dr. Marty Seligman) when kids can see even small progress made by their efforts. We must help them spot progress.
Remember—you and I cannot do anything about our ancestors, but we can do something about our descendants. We can break these unhealthy patterns that ambushed us and lead today’s younger generations into health, balance, and leadership.
Lead NWA well this week!
- Dr. Keith McDaniel
START YOUR WEEK IN WORSHIP!
SECONDARY CHAPEL
This week in Secondary Chapel, students were led by Dean of Spiritual Development, Matt Stewart.
Main Idea:
Our hope for salvation rests on God's grace alone.
Take a few minutes this evening and ask your Secondary Student about today's chapel!
#shilohfamily #scs2324
ELEMENTARY CHAPEL
This week in Elementary Chapel Mrs. Foley talked with our students about LEADERSHIP! Use the talking points below to talk with your students about chapel!
-Leaders are given lots of responsibilities, and sometimes they are asked to do BIG things.
-When you were asked to do some thing, big will you rely on God? Will you keep God #1?
#scselementary #scs2324
MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT
Shiloh Moms- Please join us for Making Spirits Bright 2023!
This annual event is the perfect way to kick off the Christmas season, so grab your Shiloh Mom friends and join us at Making Spirits Bright!
November 28th at 6:30 PM
Cross Church Fayetteville
Your $20 ticket includes dinner, dessert, and merry-making! RSVP by purchasing a ticket at the link below.
shilohsaints.org/makingspiritsbright
Plan on bringing a $10 favorite thing wrapped to share!
#shilohfamily
SHILOH CHRISTIAN PERFORMING ARTS - 5TH GRADE MUSICAL CAST
https://www.shilohsaints.org/shilohs-5th-grade-cast-of-seussical-the-musical
NHS BLOOD DRIVE - NOVEMBER 8TH
On Wednesday, November 8, Shiloh's National Honor Society will host the "Be a Champion" Blood Drive for @ozarksblood (Community Blood Center of the Ozarks). The event will be from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm in the Cafeteria Meeting Room (CMR).
A FREE Kansas City Chiefs t-shirt will be given to every participant (while supplies last), and donors may wear their shirts to school on Friday. Scan the QR code for a chance to win 2 tickets to a Chiefs game!
*Important: Anyone 16 years of age and over 115 pounds may donate blood. Sixteen-year-olds will need a parental permission form, which you can get from Miss Miller. Appointments are strongly encouraged! Please email amandam@shilohsaints.org for an appointment to give blood. #OzarksBlood
FALL CARNIVAL
A spectacular experience awaits at the SHILOH FALL CARNIVAL!
This annual tradition is a #ShilohFamily favorite every year!
Monday, October 30th
5:00-7:00
The Shiloh Fall Carnival supports the Junior Class and the Junior-Senior Banquet.
What to eat?
-Carnival Cafe: Dinner will be served at the Carnival Cafe from 5-6. Enjoy Dinner, Dessert, and a Drink for just $5 a person.
-Carnival Concessions: Concessions will be served from 5-7pm out of the concession stand - popcorn, cotton candy, candy, drinks.
What to do?
-Purchase a $10 Arm Band for unlimited fun with games and inflatables.
-Participate in the Silent Auction
What to Wear?
-We can’t wait to see your non-scary costumes!
Who attends?
-The Fall Carnival is geared toward Shiloh students Pre-K through middle school and their families!
Where to Park?
-Please park on the South side of campus and enter through the Carnival entrance at the south end of the SEC Foyer.
#shilohelementary #scsleadership #shilohfamily #shilohtradition
IRON SHARPENS IRON
SECONDARY ART
Students in Mrs. Arsenault's Art II class completed a paint value study, mixing 5 analogous base colors from which they made 45 tints, tones, and shades. They applied mixed colors to make a unified gemstone painting. Art III learned about hyperrealist artists and created their own hyperrealism marble painting.
#SCSFineArts #shilohfamily #scs2324
FARMLAND ADVENTURES
Today our Kindergarten classes took a field trip to Farmland Adventures! It was a beautiful Fall day on the farm to play and LEARN!
#scselementary #shilohfamily #scs2324
3RD GRADE
Mrs. Eyberg's 3rd grade class shared their weather reports after reading the story, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. The students wrote about their own foods that would fall from the sky and then shared their weather reports with the class.
#scselementary #scs2324
SHILOH CHRISTIAN PHYSCIS
Secondary Physics students calculated the spring constant of monster toys today using the law of conservation of energy!
#scs2324 #shilohstem
ELEMENTARY STEM
Mrs. Stam's Second Graders put their building skills to the test this week! They were tasked with building a structure to protect the colonists. Then they tested the structures to see which structures were strong enough to protect the colonists from the elements; rain, snow, and wind.
#scselementary #scs2324
ELEMENTARY STEM
Mrs. McDaniel's first-grade students learned about the composition of the earth in class. Students then made models of the earth's layers and learned about the many ways that the Earth's surface can change! As you can tell by the excited expressions on the student's faces, the volcano experiment was a class favorite.
#shilohelementary #scs2324
ELEMENTARY STEM
The Elementary STEM lab began a unit on Snap Circuits this week! They used the snap circuit boards in one of the STEM stations.
SHILOH CHRISTIAN ATHLETICS - HERE COME THE SAINTS!
SHILOH CHRISTIAN FOOTBALL
SAINTS WIN!!! Shiloh pitches the shutout on Senior Night and improves to 7-2 overall, 5-1 in conference. We will travel to Alma next Friday night to play for a conference title. See you there!
#GoSaints | #T3RE
SHILOH CHRISTIAN JUNIOR HIGH FOOTBALL
7th grade remains undefeated while Greenwood takes game 2 over the JH tonight.
#GoSaints | #T3RE
SHILOH CHRISTIAN VOLLEYBALL
Our Lady Saints Volleyball Team had an incredible season! They are your 4A State Runner-ups! The future is bright for our volleyball program and we praise God for it!
Thankful for all of the hard work the girls, coaches, and parents put in this season!
#saintsathletics #scs2324
SHILOH CHRISTIAN CROSS COUNTRY
The JH boys are conference champs!!! The team is listed below
Brice Allen - Conference CHAMP
Carson Herron - 4th place
Cooper Suddoth - 6th place
Jett Sparks - 13th
Jared Hooe - 14th
Max Fraser
Isaac Steinmuller
David Bowerman
Ethan Williams
Joseph Allison
The JH girls were 4th overall
Angelica Bates was 2nd
Blakely Billings was 4th
Jack Hooe was 10th in the HS boys race
The HS teams run in state next week!!!
Also, if you have Instagram, we have a cross country account if you would like to follow along. shilohsaints_crosscountry
WE ARE ACCREDITED BY STATE, NATIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS!
WE ARE SHILOH CHRISTIAN SCHOOL - YOUR #1 CHOICE FOR PRIVATE CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
We are Northwest Arkansas' Premiere Private Christian School!
Our Mission Is: "To develop Godly leaders who engage their culture and change it."Email: info@shilohsaints.org
Website: www.shilohsaints.org
Location: 1707 Johnson Road, Springdale, AR, USA
Phone: (479)756-1140
Facebook: facebook.com/ShilohChristianSchool
Twitter: @twitter_ShilohChristian