Caption: Bolanta’s group connections group meeting every Friday during fifth period by the gym tables. [by Nicholas Liu]
by Nicholas Liu
PACA students in middle school connections group gather for a weekly meeting as part of the traditional spiritual life development program set up by the Pan American Christian Academy chaplain. This group meets every Friday to discuss Christian themes and to build closer relationships among themselves.
The eighth grade class has been getting to know each other better after having shared time together in the small groups known as “Connections,” a devotional time for middle school students to meet with a designated teacher to eat snacks and talk about God during fifth period on Fridays.
These meetings are only possible because the PACA school chaplain, Mr. Lucas Ham Swisher, organized the middle school schedule (fifth or sixth period) for this purpose. The sixth and seventh grade students meet with their leaders during sixth period while the eighth grade class meets during fifth period.
The Connections program is something that secondary students first become familiar with during their middle school years. By the time they reach high school, they are ready to participate in the high school connection program which gives students a chance to meet together during lunch.
For the eighth grade class, this is the last year to participate in the middle school connection program, and often, it is the last time to meet with connection leaders specifically assigned to middle school students.
Many eighth graders have been able to establish a close bond with their leaders, because they have had them as a leader in past years. IT support staff and secondary teacher, Enoch Bolanta, is one of the group leaders for the eighth grade boys this year.
Bolanta has observed that many young students want to be closer to God, but everyone has an obstacle. One significant obstacle that Bolanta had was connecting with new people in their connections groups.
“I think that young people want leaders to care about them and that it takes a long time to be comfortable, but in the end they are always too comfortable,” Bolanta said, “You need to know how to connect with different people.”
Matheus Kim is an eighth grade student who has been participating in Bolanta’s connections group this year. He is really excited about his last middle school year with him. Kim has participated in connections groups since the sixth grade and found out many new things about God and how he can be a better person everyday during these years.
“I felt that Connections was just a time to talk and eat, but now in eighth grade, it is a time I can reflect on God with others,” Kim said.
As students get ready for their upcoming connections, they can expect to spend every Friday with their Connections leader, going over a lesson, learning about God and spending time talking, sharing and other fun activities. Many people love middle school for its connections.
For Kim, this is a time to get to know other students in his class better.
“It is a brilliant time to spend with new people and eat snacks while talking with God,” said Kim.
Mr. Ham explained the way that he sorts the group and the leaders after collecting the Connection Papers given out in their homeroom classrooms.
Ham said, ”With group making, sometimes I try to think which people do well with other people and I try to put students at least with one friend, but also to get to know other students who they don’t talk with.”
This provides a weekly opportunity, every Friday during the fifth period, to see how Connections can be a blessing to both the adults and students involved.
