Dear Valor Family:

In this Wednesday Update, find some encouragement and important information about the days ahead, including:
  • Student Body President Campaign Videos
  • Life Group Update
  • Sources of Strength Resources + Parent Blog
  • Weekly Devotional from Pastor Jim

Watch Chapel

In this week's chapel, you'll hear the worship leadership of junior student Emma Haylett and an incredible message on Faithfulness brought to you by one of our Student Deans, Tim Welch. Be blessed by the worship and message and then carry that blessing onto others. We love you, Valor families! 

Student Body President Campaigns

Campaigns are underway for your next Student Body President! Watch the campaign videos for your three candidates - Jesca Gilbert, Noah Hughes, and Catelyn Tankersly - then get ready to vote starting Thursday morning. Election results will be announced in the Sunday Weekly newsletter.
Jesca Gilbert
Noah Hughes
Catelyn Tankersly

Parent Survey

Yesterday, you should've received an email link to the parent survey. All responses are due by Sunday, May 3. Please take a moment to fill out the survey, your feedback is invaluable to us!

Academic Awards Night

The annual Valor Academic Awards Night is a special time for acknowledging our top academic students. This year you can enjoy watching the celebration from the comfort of your home. At 7:00 pm this evening, grab some popcorn and celebrate the accomplishments of these impressive students. Watch the video to join the celebration at 7:00 pm (the link will not be active until then). Congratulations to each of our award recipients!

Sign Up for Tutoring

We understand that the transition to remote learning comes with its challenges. The Academic Support department offers online faculty tutoring for any student before, during, or after school. Please email academicsupport@valorchristian.com for further information.

Life Groups

Students, we know this new schedule has been challenging at times, but we wanted to add back in time to meet with your life groups. We know this time together can be so refreshing and fun. Life groups will meet every Friday from 8:15-8:45 am. Life group leaders will contact their groups in advance about a platform to connect. Although we hope that this time will be refreshing and fun, please note that attendance is required.
If you are a Freshman and have not been contacted by your junior/senior leader, please reach out to your leader first or contact Mr. Coplen.

#stayservetransform

Quarantine isn't keeping Valor students from serving! Check out how one junior encouraged the staff and residents of a senior living center.
"I wrote letters to the staff and residents of Someren Glen. I feel that God is teaching me to embrace the free time of the pandemic and use it to grow closer to Him and to bless others. I also think that moving forward, I will create space to read scripture and serve others rather than wait for the free time to fall into my lap. One thing that God put on my heart as I was writing these letters was gratitude. In my notes, I included that I was thankful for this time of isolation to hopefully inspire others to also shift their perspective about the inconveniences of COVID-19 and become grateful for the hidden blessings as well as the little things this virus has allowed us to enjoy, such as writing and receiving letters." - Camille P.
It’s good for our mental health to acknowledge the reality that we are living and learning remotely in the context of a pandemic.
Social-Emotional Services Coordinator, Lindsey Ervin, shares about the importance of having grace for ourselves, acknowledging the new territory we must navigate, and how to care for our wellbeing in light of our current situation.
Read More
BY ANDREW BRONSON
Recently, I found a pamphlet in my house called the Thankfulness Journal, handed out by Lindsey Ervin earlier in the academic year when we started the Sources of Strength program. The journal encourages us to take a few minutes each day to reflect on three things for which we are thankful.
As a sheltered in place parent of three "quaran-teens", it prompted me to think about what I’m most thankful for. Here are just a few of the things that come to mind during this difficult time:
  • I am thankful for the physical and mental health of my friends and family along with those in the greater community, as we continue to shelter in place each day. 
  • I am thankful for the faculty at Valor. They have adjusted quickly to a new delivery model of education while also taking care of themselves and their families during this difficult period. 
  • I am thankful for my family – my wife and kids, as well as for my family spread across the rest of the country, who we don’t get to be with as we would like. Weekly Zoom meetings have brought family connections that have sometimes been lost in our busy lives.
Experts say gratitude can be especially powerful right now. It keeps us focused on the present, builds our sense of connection with others and promotes a sense of peace and well-being.
I encourage you to take a few minutes of your day and to think about the things you are thankful for. God Bless you and yours.
Andrew Bronson is the parent of two current Valor juniors and one incoming freshman. He is currently the CIO for Mental Health Partners in Boulder and a volunteer parent mentor with Sources of Strength at Valor.

Follow Sources of Strength

Follow @valorsourcesofstrength on Instagram for encouragement and more from your student mentor team. Together, we are stronger.
MID-WEEK DEVOTIONAL FROM PASTOR JIM

The Singing Revolution
This week's devotional is taken from "Our Daily Bread". It pairs a lesson from history with Scripture from the Psalms to remind us that music is the language of the heart. 
What does it take to ignite a revolution? Guns? Bombs? Guerrilla warfare? In late-1980s Estonia, it took songs. After the people had lived under the burden of Soviet occupation for decades, a movement began with the singing of a series of patriotic songs. These songs birthed the “Singing Revolution,” which played a key role in restoring Estonian independence in 1991. 
Music can also play a significant part in helping us through our own hard times. I wonder if that’s why we so readily identify with the psalms.
Read the Devotional

Discussion Questions

  • How do you respond when life is overwhelming?
  • What songs bring you the most comfort and why?
The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace. 
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