Agape Boarding School

The rodeo is finished, wrestling camp over, and basketball season has now officially started.  There is never a dull moment here.  So far, the Rhino basketball team is 2-0, with victories over Central Baptist Academy  in Jefferson City and Tabernacle Christian Academy in Lebanon.  During the month of November we have one home game on 11/14, and then leave the next week for a tournament in Oklahoma City at Oklahoma Baptist College.  Not only do the young men play basketball on that trip, but each year we take a trip to the Oklahoma City Bombing memorial-an incredibly emotional experience.

I have posted a downloadable copy of the schedule on our media page in Excel format.  Parents are always welcome to come to home games during their visit and participate in cheering the Rhinos on to victory.  If you have any questions regarding the basketball season, please feel free to give us a call!

A few of the pics from the rodeo…

You can also see the local paper’s pictures from the rodeo  at http://cedarrepublican.com/articles/2008/10/10/news/doc48ecb9387c798653183904.txt.

Today is day 2 of the rodeo, and what a time we have had!  Yesterday the young men participated in several events, but the goat-milking contest easily provided the most enjoyment.  Watching groups of two students try to catch a goat and then milk her made for some hilarious moments.  One student dove horizontally to catch a goat but came up empty-handed; however, he did a “belly-buster” on the area grounds.  Most of the boys that participated in the goat-milking contest were from the city and had never even seen a goat up close.  Whatever mental picture you have of the event probably does not even begin to describe it.  It was that funny.

Today’s events include barrel racing, goat tying, a greased pig chase, and a mud tug-of-war.  As pictures and videos come available I will post them either on the blog (pictures) or on the Media page of the website (video).

And say a prayer for the students…tomorrow is bull and bronco riding.  Eight seconds of sheer terror for the rider and even more enjoyment for the spectators.  Yee-haw!

Rich

First, I apologize for not uploading more golf tournament pictures…I had them published on a new page, which for some reason, did not post on the first page.  Since I am new to the whole blogging thing, I deleted the page and will try again.  Soon.

Second, since many parents ask about the weather in our part of the country, we are adding a Weather Channel link to our front page.  Now you California folks can see just how beautiful our slice of Heaven (SW Missouri) can be.  (We only received a few inches of rain and some gusty wind, no damage from Ike.) It should be up soon.

Finally, our rodeo is coming up in a few weeks, so please don’t let your son beg out of riding the bull or other rodeo events.  Seeing some of these guys in cowboy boots and hats while riding a bull will make for some good entertainment!  And even better pictures.  Pics which I should have the requisite skill by then to post.  Maybe.

Thanks again!

Rich

Silo Ridge Country Club in Bolivar hosted Agape’s annual Father Son Golf Tournament on Monday, September 8.  Thirty one golfers braved the 80 degree weather to spend some time fellowshipping on the golf course and enjoying a prime rib dinner afterwards.  We also had Evangelist Tom Winningham, a veteran missionary to Germany for 30 years, give a short sermon about different father and son stories from the Bible.  Thank you, men, for coming and golfing with your sons.  I look forward to seeing you again next year!

Preparing for the trip

Three good golfers and Bro. Rich

Fathers, sons, one uncle, a brother, and some staff members...what a crew!

More pictures to come later!

When a prospective parent calls and requests information about our school, I usually begin by summarizing these ideals:

First, Agape’ emphasizes the spiritual aspect. We hold daily chapel services which usually last for about an hour, and include either a time of preaching or teaching.  We usually bring in at least two different speakers a month.  These speakers are pastors of churches, missionaries, evangelists, or other full time Christian workers.  We also have several men on staff who handle chapel services when we do not have guest speakers.  Students also participate in daily Bible reading and 10 minute prayer groups with our staff men.  We firmly believe that truly life-impacting changes are directly related to the student’s relationship with God.

Next, we emphasize the academic aspect.  Many young men come from troubled academic backgrounds, so we schedule school work five and a half days a week (which includes Saturday), year round.  This enables the student to catch up on any work he may have missed.  Our school uses the School of Tomorrow curriculum, a self-paced curriculum.  More information for the School of Tomorrow can be found at http://schooloftomorrow.com/Default.aspx.

Thirdly, we try to instill a strong work ethic. In addition to daily chores, the students take one week per quarter and work on a work crew with one of our staff men.  These trained men teach the young men skills such as carpentry, electrical work, plumbing, and ranch management, among other jobs.  They are then graded on their listening skills and ability to learn what is being taught.  For those students not college bound, this program provides basic skills should the student decide to pursue an apprenticeship.

Obviously this list is not all-inclusive, but it should give you a brief overview of the areas that Agape’ Boarding School strives to improve.   For those seeking a Christ-centered view for helping with their teenage sons, we ask that you consider our school.

Rich

Dear Parents:

Your son has shown interest in taking the SAT 1 College Board Exam on November 1, 2008. To register your son for the test you must visit www.collegeboard.com. At the website you will want to locate the icon for SAT I Reasoning Test (NOT the SAT II Subject Test). YOU must register your son. I cannot do it for you. The fee is $45.00. When you register you will need to know the school code, which is 263338 and the test center code, which is 26220. Please don’t use a second option for the test center code; we will only be transporting to Springfield, MO. The deadline for the registration is October 10, 2008. This is the late registration deadline, so a late fee may apply. When you have finished registering your son, please send the registration ticket ASAP to Mr. Sorensen, c\o Agapé Boarding School. Your son will not be allowed to board the bus without that ticket.

There is an additional $50.00 Transportation fee, made out to Agapé Boarding School, for transportation and lunch. We require that you send this fee to us by October 15, 2008. Please note on the check that it is for your son’s SAT transportation.

Please understand that your son will only be allowed to attend if his behavior permits an off campus trip. If his behavior is such that he is cancelled from taking the test, your registration fee will be forfeited and the transportation fee will be place in your child’s personal account. If you have any further questions you may contact me at the number given above.

Sincerely,
Vern Sorensen
Testing Coordinator

The 2008 Agapé Boarding School Father Son Golf Tournament will be held September 8, 2008 at Silo Ridge Country Club in Bolivar, Missouri. Golfing costs $65 per person, which includes the range fee, cart, and a prime rib dinner.

This event is for fathers only! This is an important time for fathers and sons to bond. We also expect you to follow the rules just like you expect your son to follow rules, both yours at home and ours here. Failure to follow this rule could jeopardize future visits, so please, Moms, let the men fellowship for this one weekend.

Fathers may arrive anytime on Saturday, September 6 through Monday for a free visit with their sons. If your son is eligible for an off-campus visit then he may go off campus for those two days. Please contact the office to ask Ma’am if your son is eligible for an off-campus or overnight visit, which must be pre-approved. (These visits do not count against your regular visits.) Fathers may arrive on Saturday, September 6 at 8:00 AM to enjoy our regular Saturday morning breakfast. Then on Sunday, we encourage the fathers to attend Sunday school at 9:40AM and church at 11:00AM. Attendance for all students is mandatory regardless of the type of visit.

On Monday, we will meet at the school at 7:30AM, have early registration, and head out to the course for a 10:00 “shotgun” start. We have a limited time to play, so please play “ready golf.” Plan on being there all day, so do not schedule flights until at least Monday night after 8:00PM. For those of you without clubs, the course does not rent clubs, but we do have a limited supply at the school.

Please call the office and let us know if you plan on coming. Money will be due in the office by September 2^nd. I know this is short notice and we will try to work with you, but try to have the money here by that day.

Feel free to call me if you have any questions, and I look forward to seeing many of you there!

Many have asked and, yes, we are having a Father-Son Golf tournament this year.  It will be Monday, September 8, 2008 at Silo Ridge Country Club in Bolivar, Missouri.  Golfing costs $65 per person, which includes the range fee, cart, and a prime rib dinner.

Fathers are able to come on Saturday, September 6 through Monday for a free visit with their sons.  This event is for fathers only! The visit does not count against your regular visits, so you get whichever visit your son had on his last visit.   For example, if your last visit was on campus, this free visit is also on campus.  Visits are still counted according to the regular schedule; this golf tournament does not affect timing or type of visits.

On Monday, we will meet at the school, have early registration, and head out to the course for a 10:00 “shotgun” start.  Plan on being there all day.

More details will be sent in a letter next week.  Please call the office and let us know if you plan on coming.  Money will be due the day of the tournament.

Feel free to call me if you have any questions, and I look forward to seeing many of you there!

Rich

“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.”
–General Eric Shinseki, former U.S. Army Chief of Staff

Welcome to the newly-redesigned website for Agape’ Boarding School. I would like to thank Eaxit Studios in Dallas, Texas, for their hard work in giving our site more than just a fresh coat of paint, but a complete overhaul. From adding more pictures, organizing the information, and making it aesthetically pleasing with the new, vibrant color scheme, they have done a fantastic job for us.

In addition to redesigning our site we are working to improve our position on common search engines. When searching on the Internet, most people only check the first two or three pages of returns before they lose interest. Our desire is to be among the first set of results and then grab visitors’ attention once they find our site. In this technologically savvy age in which we live even Agape’ Boarding School has to continue to learn how to remain relevant.

So, enjoy the new site. We have retained most of the information from the old site but we have added some new sections. Take your time to review the site. Even if you don’t learn anything new, you can see the changes that we have made. Feel free to contact us with your feedback regarding these changes. I look forward to hearing back from parents, students, and anyone else who finds their way to our new home on the Internet.

Rich