The halls were decked on Saturday, December 3rd at the Wellington home of Ashley and Joe Maguire as they hosted a Christmas Open House in support of TKA’s 2012 Mane Event Auction – Passport to Paris.  More than eighty guests enjoyed a festive evening with the sights and sounds of Christmas with the taste of Paris.

Guests were greeted outside the Maguire’s home with Christmas music performed by TKA’s 27 piece Swingin’ King’s Jazz Band under the direction of Assistant Band Director, Kimberlee Aliapoulios.  The season’s joyful spirit and jazzy holiday instrumentals were enjoyed by all.

As Joe and Ashley welcomed guests into their home, TKA’s Honors Choral ensemble, His People, lined the sweeping staircase singing as heralded angels. The group performed a selection of holiday music under the direction of Choral Director David Snyder. Guests were delighted by the sights and sounds of the festive Christmas ambiance and décor.

In keeping with the Passport to Paris theme, the Maguire’s arranged catering of  a delicious array of Parisian themed food including a crepe station manned by professional chefs and French bistro style dining. In addition to being great fun, the event was a huge success financially, bringing the total to more than $100,000 to support the school and underwrite the auction.

TKA President, Jeff Loveland, led a short program thanking the hosts, auction chairs, and generous supporters.  He introduced the school’s Vice President of the Board, Mr. Steve Rasmussen who spoke about the passionately about the eternal investment that is made by investing in the students at The King’s Academy.  He explained that the return on the investment is a sure thing and something that is evident as TKA students go out and impact the world.

The King’s Academy Mane Event, Passport to Paris, will be held on March 2, 2012 at Wycliffe Golf & Country Club. The fundraiser will include dining, a live and silent auction, and entertainment by TKA’s talented students. Co-chaired by Andrea Titus and Connie Tuller, the event is presented by Ashley & Joe Maguire, Liz & John Raese, Insurance Office of America, Regal Paint Centers.  Platinum Sponsors are Revan Racing Inc, Shirleen & Ed Aiello, Andrea & Ray Titus. Gold Sponsors are Kim & Jim Cobb, Connie & Ed Tuller, and Cathy & Dale Hedrick.  Proceeds from the event benefit the school’s Annual Fund. Joyeux Noel!

The King’s Academy is a nationally recognized private Christian school serving approximately 1,200 students from preschool through twelfth grade and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the Association of Christian Schools International, and the Florida Association of Christian Schools.  The King’s Academy serves students and their families across Palm Beach County at its main campus at Belvedere Road and Sansburys Way in West Palm Beach and its satellite preschool campuses in Greenacres, Lake Worth, Palm Beach Gardens, and Royal Palm Beach.

For more information on this event or about the school contact The King’s Academy Development Office at 561.686.4244.

TKA Clewiston girls basketball has kicked off its inaugural season. Though the first two games have proved to be challenging for the rookie team, the players are using the experience to improve their skills.
The team played their first game Monday, December 5 at Community Christian Academy. Though they lost 9-20, it was a historic game for TKAC’s athletics program. Freshman Jessica Ramos-Figueroa scored the first ever point for TKAC Lady Lions basketball. She went on to score 2 more points and make 7 steals. Isis Porta (8) scored 4 points and made 11 steals and 6 rebounds.  Rachel Hoover (10) scored 2 points while Candyce Sherman (9) and Beth Corley (9) had a combined 7 steals and 5 rebounds for the Lady Lions.

Porta, Ramos-Fugueroa and Hoover each showed improvement the second game vs. Ahfachkee. Porta scored 5 points and totaled 7 steals and 9 rebounds. Ramos-Figueroa scored 4 points, had 4 steals and 6 rebounds. Hoover scored 3 points with 5 steals 4 and rebounds. In the end, their effort was not enough. Ahfachkee won 49-12.

The girls’ next game is on Friday, December 9 against Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach at 6:00 p.m.

The King’s Academy Key Club got their hands dirty to help feed the hungry. On Saturday, December 3, members of the Key Club became farmers for a day in order to glean corn at a local cornfield. Gleaning is the process of harvesting leftover crops from fields that have already been commercially harvested in order to feed those in need.

The Key Club worked in conjunction with Christians Reaching Out to Society, Inc. (C.R.O.S.) to harvest six rows of corn, spanning nearly a half-mile long, from Paul Allen’s cornfield in Belle Glade. The corn that was picked will be given to feed the community’s hungry. C.R.O.S. Ministries works with believers of various faiths to help the needy in our community and is supported by churches, synagogues, community groups and individuals throughout Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast. In 2010, C.R.O.S. volunteers gleaned 218, 272 pounds of produce.

The practice of gleaning is found in The Bible in The Book of Ruth. Ruth used grain she found leftover from the harvest to feed herself and her mother-in-law, Naomi. Boaz, who owned the crops, allowed Ruth to glean the fields so that she could provide for herself and Naomi in a dignified manner.

“We had a lot of fun. The gleaning that C.R.O.S. Ministries does is something that is easy to do and it’s very beneficial to the community,” Mr. Geuder, the Key Club sponsor, explained. The Key Club hopes to participate in more gleanings this school year.

The King’s Academy’s Honor Choir, His People, kicked-off the beginning of their very busy Christmas season which consists of over twenty-five performances culminating with their performance at EPCOT as part of Disney’s Candlelight Processional.  On November 29th, His People performed in the annual tree lighting celebration on Palm Beach.  The afternoon consisted of Christmas carols on the steps of the Colony Hotel for the community and patrons, followed by the featured performance at the fountains on South County Road preceding the tree lighting.  The choir then traveled to the Sailfish Club where they sang carols as the event’s guests arrived for the annual “Adopt a Family” Christmas dinner.

TKA has been invited to participate in this wonderful event every year since 1999.  His People will join the Palm Beach Atlantic University Choir for their annual performance of Handel’s Messiah on December 5th.  “This is a huge honor and we are thrilled to have received the invitation from Dr. Holland, director of PBA choirs,” stated Sonia Santiago, TKA’s Choir Director.  His People will be part of a mass choir performing alongside professional soloists and a full orchestra at the PBA DeSantis Family Chapel.

A number of TKA alumni will be performing with the PBA choirs including Mikah Adams ‘11, Colin Aliapoulios ‘11, AJ Titus ’10 & Shelby Klawonn ’09 who will sing at this event.  Additional His People highlights include a return performance at TKA’s Christmas Open House & Auction Underwriting Party, Christ Fellowship Special Needs Christmas Lunch, First Baptist Church Christmas Luncheon, Leisureville, Bear Lakes Country Club and Lost Tree Village.  His People enjoy the numerous opportunities to share the message of Christ’s birth during this joyous season.

The King’s Academy is a nationally recognized private Christian school serving approximately 1,200 students from preschool through twelfth grade and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the Association of Christian Schools International, and the Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools. The King’s Academy serves students and their families across Palm Beach and Hendry Counties at its main campus at Belvedere Road and Sansbury’s Way in West Palm Beach, its Clewiston campus on Caribbean Avenue, and its satellite preschool campuses in Greenacres, Palm Beach Gardens, and Royal Palm Beach. More information about The King’s Academy is available online at http://www.TKA.net.

On Monday night the TKA Lady Lion basketball team scored its first win of the season by knocking off ranked opponent and former state champion Trinity Christian 35-23.

The team had gotten off to a slow start losing their first 3 games and being hobbled by injuries to 3 front line players.  The three players Kathleen Wiggs, Victoria Crocetti and Morgan Jacobson all returned on Monday to help seal the win for the lions.  The team was led by the defensive effort of sophomore guard Shannon Burt completely shut down Trinity’s leading scorer on the night.  Senior Kathleen Wiggs came alive offensively with a game high 13 points and 6 rebounds.  Junior point guard Cat Urso also had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Lady Lion’s will look to continue their improving play on Thursday against district opponent Benjamin in Palm Beach Gardens at 6:30 p.m.