TKAP, a palm beach preschool,  had pumpkins on their minds this week as they studied the Fall fruit and celebrated the season with a pumpkin party. Parents brought in gourds, treats, party supplies and dressed their little ones in autumnal colors.  Teachers carved open pumpkins for the children and let them get their hands messy. The tradition was used to illustrate an age-appropriate Biblical principle. “The light in the jack-o-lantern is like Jesus’ light in us to show God’s love to others,” explained Beth Brintnall, Director of the Greenacres campus.

What would a party be without games and goodies? TKAP students played bean bag pumpkin toss, pin the stem on the pumpkin, roll the pumpkin and many more. The rainy weather didn’t put a damper on the festivities at the Palm Beach Gardens campus. “We still had our pumpkin hunt and talked all about pumpkins,” said Barbara Kulp, who teaches the three-year-olds’ class. The pumpkin hunt had the children scrambling to find as many pumpkins as they could. The stick horse race and pumpkin relay provided some healthy competition for the youngsters. Even snack-time followed the pumpkin theme. Students decorated sugar cookies to look like pumpkins and gave their taste buds a try of pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread.

The pumpkin party kicks off a special time of year for The King’s Academy Preschool students and teachers. With Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, TKAP students are sure to do a lot of learning, exploring and creating over the next few months.

The students are tiny, but the fun and learning are big at TKAP’s Royal Palm Beach toddler class. Teachers Amy Parmar and Jill Feick, along with their assistants, have created an enriching atmosphere for the little ones.

Because Mrs. Feick and Mrs. Parmar believe that toddlers find security in structure, each day follows a routine that is familiar to the children. The toddlers begin their day with open learning centers, where they are encouraged by their teachers to explore and interact.  “Toddlers understand more than you think and even if they can’t fully comprehend what you are teaching them they will still remember some part of the concept that another teacher can build on later,” explains Mrs. Parmar.

After their morning snack and clean up time, the young friends gather together for captivating stories and silly songs. The age-appropriate playground allows the toddlers the chance to get the wiggles out and socialize before a daily sign language lesson, which provides the children with techniques to help them express themselves and strengthen their communication skills. After lunch, the toddlers unwind for a refreshing nap and then it’s on to more activities.

“I want to instill a joy of learning in my students and I believe that good habits start young,” says Mrs. Parmar. Encouraging their students to delight in learning and teaching them the skills they need during their preschool years are a part of everything Mrs. Feick and Mrs. Parmar do with their little learners.

For more information about the toddler class at the Royal Palm Beach location, please contact Mary Dulkowski at 561-686-4244.

The TKA football team avenged several years of lop-sided losses at the hands of football power Pahokee High Friday night.  The Lions entered Friday night’s game on a two game winning streak and continued the streak by soundly defeating the Blue Devils by a score of 31-0.  The win brings the Lions to 4-3 overall and 3-2 in the district.

The offense was led once again by senior tailback Brian Grove who had 137 yards on 23 carries behind a dominating offensive line.  The Lions led 14-0 after the first quarter on two Grove runs.  In the third quarter Grove’s 16 yard run put the Lions up 21-0 and a 35 yard field goal by sophomore Paul Schumacher.  In the 4^th quarter the Lions tacked on 7 more points on sophomore Garrett Larson’s 49 yard run to make the final score 31-0.

The defense stepped up in a big way limiting the speed of Pahokee by holding them to 205 total yards.  The defensive backs came up big with 4 total interceptions, 2 by senior Chris Machiela, 1 by junior Marcus Houston and 1 by senior Zack Lowe.  The Lion defense tallied its second shut-out of the year with the victory.

This Friday is homecoming as the Lions face off against non-district opponent Pine Crest of Boca.  Game time is 7:00 pm at Kahlert Stadium, come out and support the Lions as they continue their surge toward the playoffs.

The King’s Academy will host a Christian College Fair on Monday, September 12th from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the M. Nelson Loveland Sports and Fine Arts Center at its West Palm Beach private school campus (8401 Belvedere Road).  The event is open to the public and will host approximately 40 Christian universities and colleges from around the country including Cedarville University, Gardner Webb University, Liberty University, Palm Beach Atlantic University, Regent University, Southeastern University, Taylor University and Warner University.  College representatives will be available to provide information about their respective institutions and to answer questions about applying for financial assistance.

For more than 40 years, The King’s Academy has prepared student leaders to succeed in higher education.  The College Counseling Department at King’s, consisting of Director Heather Najmabadi and College Counselor Clifford Mack, assists TKA students and their families with college preparatory scheduling, college identification and application process as well as advising them on securing financial aid.  The King’s Academy’s Class of 2011 boasted a 100-percent acceptance rate into some of America’s finest institutions of higher learning including: Auburn University, Boston College, Clemson University, Emory University, Florida State University, George Mason University, Hofstra University, the University of Denver, the University of Florida, the University of Massachusetts, and the University of Tennessee. The class also received more than $5.1 million in scholarships and had an impressive average scholarship award of over $54,000 per graduate.

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.

The King’s Academy alumnus Laura Bassett (2007), of West Palm Beach, recently graduated cum laude from Harvard University.  She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Science (Medicine and Society track) with her honors thesis entitled “Caring for the Uninsured: Faith-Based Free Health Clinics in South Florida, 1980-present.”  Currently, Laura is serving as a leader/advisor to high school students enrolled in a summer study-abroad program at Oxford University, Oxford, England.  During the 2011-2012 school year, she will complete a Master’s of Science in Public Health at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on the health promotion track.

Following her Master’s Degree, Laura intends to attend medical school and pursue a career in primary care, focusing on pediatric patients with limited access to health care.  Her father, Ben Bassett stated, “Laura’s success academically and how prepared she felt for Harvard’s classes really is a great testament to TKA.  As parents, we appreciate the level of dedication shown by those at The King’s Academy.”  Laura added, “TKA provided me with opportunities to challenge myself academically, which prepared me for the intensive coursework at Harvard.  I most value the well-rounded education that I received at TKA, which included participating in a wide range of extracurricular activities, growing socially and being nurtured spiritually by teachers and staff.”  Mr. Kevin Colling, Headmaster of The King’s Academy, acknowledged, “We are extremely proud of Laura and her accomplishments and expect many more successes in her future.  TKA has always endeavored to present the most challenging college preparatory curriculum in a faith-based environment coupled with outstanding extracurricular activities, all of which Laura was a beneficiary.  To that end, this year we are excited to add Mandarin Chinese to our foreign language offerings as well as Lacrosse to our athletics department.”

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.