News | Monterey Bay Academy

Community, Seniors, Football, Prayer, Oceanaires

Sunday, December 21, 2006

MBA Serves The Community

Monterey Bay Academy students and faculty took a day off from their usual class work on Wednesday, September 13, venturing out into local communities for the school’s annual Community Service Day. Groups from the school performed a variety of tasks including everything from painting the Santa Cruz pier, to visiting patients of a nursing home, to pulling weeds at local churches and schools.

“It was fun because of the looks people gave us when they walked by,” Vicky Magana ’08 from Castroville, CA said. “They were so surprised to see teenagers working and helping out the community. Community Service Day is a like a big outreach for everybody, for the whole community. It gives us a chance to witness about what we believe and where we’re from.”

MBA Seniors Survive & Thrive

For the fifth year in a row, MBA’s seniors were taken out of their comfort zones and into the mountains for Senior Survival, an educational and spiritual retreat, led by David Lara. Sixty seniors, along with MBA staff sponsors and parent volunteers ventured to Leoni Meadows Camp in Grizzly Flats, CA from August 30 to September 3. The class had a number of team-building challenges, learning opportunities and worships.

“It was great to get a chance to bond with my classmates,” Uzzie Barba ’07 said. “It was even better to get that chance in God’s creation.” “I was really impressed with the senior’s interest in the Great Controversy,” Pastor Bryan del Valle said. “They came up with great discussions and everyone was engaged.”

MBA Flag Football

The Mighty Cypress varsity flag football teams have wrapped up their seasons with the boys playing their last tournament in Loma Linda from October 27-29. The boys’ team had a rough start to their season before doing well at both the Modesto and Fresno tournaments. They were led with consistent defense from Eli Hernandez ’07 and Isaac Robles ’07 and amazing touchdown catches and strong leadership from Meshach Faaeteete ’07. The ladies’ team showed their talent and grit too, leaning on the talents of newcomers Jordyn Castillo ’08 and Jillian Chun ’09 for big plays, and team veterans Marisol Gonzalez ’07 and Makenzi Thompson ’07 for consistency and leadership. MBA athletes don’t take any time to rest though, with volleyball and basketball seasons already well underway.

Fall Week of Prayer
MBA’s Fall Week of Prayer was held September 11 to 16 and the main speaker was Pastor Orlando Lopez from Orlando, FL.

“I really liked Pastor Lopez’s stories,” ASB president Ragini Kaligithi ’07 said. “He taught me a lot about how to I want to live the rest of my life.”

Throughout the week, Lopez used different stories, including his personal testimony, to share the love of God. At the end of the week, MBA students and family met in the cafeteria for an agape feast, vespers program and an optional communion service.

“My favorite part of the week was vespers,” Marta Percolla ’07 said. “It was really special to worship in a different way and in a different place. The communion service was very moving and the perfect way to start the Sabbath.”

On Friday evening, Lopez offered the students a challenge to stand for God and commit their lives to Him and His ways. The call was answered with an overwhelming response of more than half of MBA’s students taking a stand for Christ.

Oceanaires Sing

On Sabbath, November 4, MBA’s select choir, Oceanaires, and a men’s quartet of seniors called In His Name, performed at Sing for Life, a local high school choir festival sponsored by Gold Standard Chorus, a local barbershop choral group. The festival featured eight different high schools and this was the first time MBA was represented in the event’s five year history. The Oceanaires sang If Ye Love Me, a renaissance motet by Thomas Pallis and an arrangement of The Lion Sleeps Tonight. The quartet, which includes Meshach Faaeteete ’07, Nick Pena ’07, Uziel Barba ’07 and Sammy Robles ’07, only sang You Got to Do Right, but it was easily the crowd favorite of the night.

“It was great for MBA to be a part of the program and have the opportunity to sing for the community,” music director Joshua Rivera ’92 said. “The Oceanaires did very well and the quartet stole the show.”

Community, Seniors, Football, Prayer, Oceanaires

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