2010-11 School Year ~ First Semester

August

Welcome Back Fire Eatin' Taco Party!

We had our second annual taco party with the staff to kick off the new year.

Enjoying the fellowship

Lots of yummy taco fixin's!

Christie ~ ESL
Lindsey ~2nd grade student teacher
Julia ~ Jr & Sr High History student teacher

David (Lindsey's husband) & Lois J. ~ 6th Grade
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Fun times

Finn & Lizzy hanging in (or I should say, under) the mango tree.

Finn's bike was on the fritz for awhile, so Nathanael came to the rescue. He ferried him to school and home for about a week.


September

Happy Independence Day, Brasil!!!

Yummy pizza to help celebrate!

Daddy & Daughter twins

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Spiritual Emphasis Retreat Weekend

The junior high & high school went out to Palavra da Vida for our annual SER. It was a great time filled with lots of fun & learning!

Worship & Teaching Times

Singing praises

Dennis with his dorm group ~ Caleb, Jonas, Andrew, & Josiah

Elisabeth's dorm group ~ Sarah, Bethany, Elisabeth, Student teacher Julia, & Rachel

Games Galore

Synchronized swim contests were a hit during the pool time fun.

Pool time fun

Too much of this, leads to...

...Silly Time!

It was a great retreat for all who attended.
We had one high schooler who dedicated her life to the Lord while she was there.
Thank you Lord & may she continue to grow in her new-found faith!

October

Annual All School Field Day

The Military Police came to help us celebrate our field day.
They had music & ceremony for us to enjoy during our opening ceremony.

Bethany & Elisabeth

Hannah grabs the baton from Mai in the relay.

Nathanael with classmates, Caleb & Jonathan

Caleb takes a break for a few minutes
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Fun in the Sun

During our Quarter break, Karen drove a bunch of women out to Salinas for a couple of days in the sun. We had a nice time relaxing, reading, & recovering from the first quarter of school.
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Bar Mitzvah

Two of Caleb's classmates, Jamie & Lauro, had their bar mitzvah. It was a very interesting experience. The ceremony was in the morning, followed by a wonderful breakfast. Later that night was a HUGE party with lots of food, music, & sweets.

A few of the many sweets we enjoyed at the evening party.

The guys check to make sure they are ready to enter the Synagogue.
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A New Cooley Teen

Caleb turned 13 on the 16th!!!

The Stewarts came over to help celebrate!


November

Fun Night

Each semester the High School has a Fun Night to help raise money for their spring trip. This semester's theme was Sports, with all the booths focusing on some type of sport.

Nate the amazing golfer...

F--O--R--E...

Lizzy was a tennis star...

Dennis in the Teacher Torture booth.
A ball hitting the target makes the toilet tank open, soaking the teacher.

Jill Stewart & Judy Epley enjoy some time at the Sportsbuck Cafe, where you could order pop, cocoa & snacks.

It was a "fun night" for the planners & participants alike!
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CIA ~ Christians In Action

CIA is a new HS ministry outreach here at AVA. The High School students visit a local orphanage twice a month. They tell a Bible Story, play games, have crafts, and basically just love on the little ones there. It has been an awesome experience for everyone involved.

The kids prepared a special Christmas program for the orphans. Thanks to a generous gift, we were able to purchase a gift for each child. We had a prep day when we got all the gifts ready.

Package up those presents

A stuffed toy for each child, plus pencils & popcorn

All the presents are ready

Story Time ~ The Nativity Story

Music time

Giving out gifts

Game Time

December

Christmas is one of our favorite times of year. Even though the weather outside is hot and muggy, making it feel like mid-July instead of December, we love the family time & the activities that make this time special.

Some of the few Christmas lights on buildings in Belem.
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We went as a family to the ballet at the Teatro da Paz (Theater of Peace), a beautiful, colonial era theater downtown Belem. The ballet was Sleeping Beauty, given by a local dance company here in Belem. We had excellent box seats, thanks to the mother of one of our students who was dancing in the Ballet. We also got to see another AVA student dance, as the ballet had recital numbers mixed throughout the main ballet.

Outside the Teatro da Paz

With Ana Beatriz, one of Caleb's classmates, after the performance
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Breakfast Out

This year we went out for breakfast at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Belem with the Stewart family, Christie Bagley, Anna Hatchett, & Lois Jeffers - teachers here at AVA.

The Hilton offers a very yummy, all you can eat, breakfast buffet. Following the breakfast, we browsed through the Hippie Fair - a huge craft fair, where local artisans sell their wares.

Hannah, Anna, & Christie

Lois & Karen

Lizzy & her "boyfriend," Finn

The Stewart family... Five now that little Juniper joined the family on December 7th. It's great fun to have a little baby close by.
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Party Time

We hosted a High School party after school let out. We spent the day with a bunch of students (current & former), making cinnamon rolls, playing games, eating spaghetti, & just having a great time!

Alek helping grease the pans for the 120 cinnamon rolls made that day.

Nathalie shows us some wonderfully risen dough.

Rahel tastes some of the finished product. Cinnamon rolls in a couple different stages are in front of her.

Lots of games were played. Bananagrams was one of the favorites.
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Merry Christmas 2010

It was a great first semester of school!!