HCA Mission Movement

At Hampton Christian Academy, our school is based on an underlying principle of serving others. As we go into the time before winter break, we can look back and see how the school has already been putting that principle into practice. From collecting items for the Woman's Shelter, writing letters to hospitalized children and soldiers, tutoring children at the W.H. Thomas Community center, collecting Thanksgiving food items for the Breakthrough Center, and collecting shoe-boxes for Operation Christmas Child, the entire school has worked together in their cause to help and serve those in need. These outreach programs have received incredible amounts of participation. It's heartwarming to watch all students come together and serve our community.

Even if you weren’t directly involved in some of the outreaches just mentioned, there is always to opportunity to work on another project or fundraiser. Until Christmas break, students can help NYSUM team collect toys and candy, and wrap Christmas gifts. Not that great a present wrapper? You could also continue to help tutor the kids at W.H Thomas. Also, if you have any other ideas about service projects that we could do, feel free to comment! We’d love to help in any way we can!

Written by Keira Zirkle

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HCA Fall Fest 2015

From ramming into people with bubble bodies to throwing a pie into Mr. Ashworth's face, Fall Fest was a rousing success. First was the bubble soccer game, where the red and blue team, mostly comprised of middle schoolers and the occasional ninth grader, battled against each other. All you could see were vague faces within the bubbles and the legs hanging out the bottom. I’m not sure when it happened, but eventually the game devolved into an intense game of “what semi-dangerous things can we do while in these bubbles?” Next time I say we let the little ones try to light the bonfire! After everyone was safely rescued from their bubbles, the actual fest began. The small embers of the bonfire were lit and the high schoolers started advertising their game. Each of the grades were given their chance to make the best carnival games. From rifling through a huge bucket of popcorn for candy, to putt putt, to balloon crowns and sticky slushies,  it was clear the kids were having a blast. Even the students, both working and not had a great time. Of course the night was a great time for parents to socialize, and not think about the fact that their small children were currently stuffing their faces full of sugar. People not only enjoyed the warmth provided by the fire but by the BBQ sandwiches and funnel cakes. One of the best moments was definitely watching Principal Ashworth getting pied in the face, courtesy of the senior’s “Get Pied’ booth. Overall, it was great night for everyone, and we can’t wait till next year.

Written by Keira Zirkle

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Diversity Dialogue Day Success At HU

   A select group of students at HCA were able to attend a Diversity Dialogue at the prestigious Hampton University. If you thought you had problems, think again. The Diversity Dialogue day expressed and taught so many different sides of people and struggles; especially those that could not be noticed at first glance. The main topic of talk was stereotypes. Why are people stereotyped? How and what are the effects that being stereotyped can do to you. There were many group activities to do discussing why people are stereotyped. I was introduced to many problems of kids from all schools. Since we were the only private school in attendance, it gave the students of Hampton Christian a new look. At the end, it was clear to see that others were struggling just as much as we were. I felt very changed by the Diversity Dialogue Day. In order to gauge what the others there experienced, I asked two other students about their thoughts on that day.

Jiana Smith, a Sophomore at HCA, had great things to say about her experience.  "I thought it was refreshing, because you don't see these things at school and I actually got to talk about it instead of skipping over it".

I also spoke with Cody Peyton, another Sophomore here. His comments:  "It was great, It taught me not to judge a book by it's cover. The students of Hampton Christian came back to school with a great initiative to express, inform, and persuade everyone that we are all more than a STEREOTYPE!”

Overall, the Diversity Day was a great experience that allowed us to truly bond and connect over issues that really mattered. I’m extremely glad that I was able to go, and hope that many more can experience it next year too.

Written by Carlos Marrow

HCA Warriors vs. Richmond Christian

This Thursday, October 15th, our Boys Varsity Soccer team played against Richmond Christian. The Warriors started out strong, scoring within ten minutes of the first half. They continued to push hard but were overtaken with Richmond Christian finishing the half with three goals.

Beginning the second half, the Warriors pushed harder, scoring again in the first ten minutes.

The rest of the half was a battle, with both teams playing extremely rough. While the Warriors fought hard, Richmond scored within the last ten minutes, securing the game.  Even though they lost, our team fought extremely hard.

Written by Zoe Jones

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Fall Festivals

This October, several Fall Festivals are occurring throughout Hampton Roads. The entire area will be full of pumpkin gatherings, hay rides, pumpkin spice drinks, and the overall abundance of ORANGE. But before we discuss the many fun options, have you ever thought about what a fall festival really is? Who decided pumpkins would be the fruit of October? Fall Festivals are actually reminiscent of actual harvest times. The funny thing about harvest time is that a lot of countries have crops, but because of climate and placement on Earth, no one has the exact same harvest time. So why do so many countries have something during the fall? It’s partly due to the fact that fall festivals align themselves with the autumn equinox, “the the time when the sun crosses the plane of the earth's equator, making night and day of approximately equal length all over the earth.” Harvest festivals and autumn equinox often go hand in hand, and the traditions of one are often intermixed with the other. One of those traditions is pumpkin carving. Pumpkins are indigenous to North America; however, and it was not until Irish immigrants came over to America that pumpkin carving began. Pumpkin carving actually began as turnip and potato carving, so when the immigrants came over, they kept the tradition alive with pumpkins instead.While we certainly have changed some traditions, others have been reinvented and kept alive even to this day.  Now you know! On to the fun events this month.

October 16 and 17 - Military Family Fun Festival

This event will be dedicated to military families at Virginia Beach. Fun times will be had by brave people who try the mechanical bull, and kids get to enjoy petting zoos and tummy-ache-inducing cotton candy. Also on the

October 17 - Great Dismal Swamp Fall Festival

Here, guided tours on the nature trails during the day will lead into archery and crafts at nights

October 24- Fall Bazaar

Located in Portsmouth, this fun festival will be filled to the brim with handmade clothing, accessories, and trinkets; all sold right next to fried funnel cakes and pumpkins

Which one are you going to? Comment below or tag us on social media!

Written by Keira Zirkle

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See You at the Poll

It is often said that this generation needs to rise up and become warriors. On September 23, that actually happened. Hampton Christian Academy participated in the national event See You At The Pole. Early Wednesday morning, students and teachers alike gathered around to pray for our country and community. Even at the early hour, with the sun shining right in everyone's eyes, and the wind cold enough that students were huddled together with small jackets; everyone remained reverent and prayerful. Parents, grandparents, teachers and students were connected together through prayer for our school, community, and country. 


        See You At The Pole has been a tradition since 1990, when some public school students with a love for God gathered together to pray. The students first gathered together because prayer time was no longer sponsored within the classroom. They gathered together in the morning because school hadn't 
started yet and they weren't technically breaking the rules. Since then, every year on September 23, students from all over the world gather together before the school day to pray for themselves, their families and communities, and their nation. See You At The Pole has become a Hampton Christian tradition that will continue to live on. 

Written by School Editor Keira Zirkle:
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Running out of Time

It’s always been a struggle to get to class on time. Students are given exactly 4 minutes to leave one classroom, collect their books, and make it to the next class in time for the bell. With whatever time left, you can forget even trying to go the restroom, or having any real conversations with your friends. Even after all of that, you still have to maneuver through the chattering seventh graders, the mobs of slow walking students, and the chaotic traffic jam that we call the stairwell. While some periods are definitely easier than others, there is a constant trend of rushing from long distances, inevitably leading to students forgetting books, papers, or other important materials. This adds an important lesson to our homework: devising a path to get to class. I can still remember times where the only way I could make it to class on time was if I carried all my books with me. Other students actually got multiple book bags to place strategically around the school.

Things get even more complicated at lunch. Getting from the lunchroom to the fifth period classrooms is almost impossible, especially with classes held upstairs. As a senior, my schedule’s  travel difficulty between classes has decreased somewhat. However, this year has brought up a new problem. As seniors,  we have the privilege to go off campus for lunch on Wednesday. It sounds great until lunch time became shorter. Not only that, this year we have not been able to leave our classrooms early before lunch. It’s not easy to leave class, sign out, drive to get the food, come back, eat and get to our fifth period class without being late.

I understand that schedules are pre-made in order to fit the requirements for class time. However, it is common knowledge that the schedules are not set in stone. Chapel and other functions like assemblies or meetings constantly change the schedule of our day. While it would require some work, adding at least 2 minutes to our time between classes would help tremendously.


What do you think? Leave a comment below.

Facing a Giant

Hampton Christian’s Volleyball team took a trip to Peninsula Catholic for a non-conference scrimmage on Friday night.  The Peninsula Catholic Knight’s are ranked as the 21st best volleyball team in Virginia and have only lost 3 games, so going into this matchup looked like a giant challenge for our Lady Warriors. During the first two sets the games were not so pretty as Peninsula Catholic won 25-4, and 25-7; however, game three saw our Warriors put up a strong fight in a 25-14 loss. Even with the odds stacked against them the lady warriors never gave up and fought till the very end.

Warriors MVP Renee Denny finished with 2 digs, 1 block and 0 serve errors. 
When asked what the team could have done better, she replied “We could have gotten off to a better start.” Head coach Sanci Hall said afterwards that she was “very proud of the team and that they have improved so much since week 1.” I can’t wait to see what our ladies will do Monday night at 6:30 against Summit Christian, be there and support your Warriors. I’m really starting to “dig” how the warriors are playing.

- Kenny Quinn

Warriors Verses Portsmouth Volleyball Game

This Tuesday, the Hampton Christian Warriors Volleyball team faced off against the Portsmouth Patriots on the Warriors home court. While their current record may not be the greatest, the Warriors have shown true resolve as they battle through their season. This game truly showed their commitment to never giving up. From the very first play, it was very apparent that this was going to be an extremely fast paced game. The Warriors put up an amazing first match, with both great plays and an even better attitude. Sophomore Emma Keller was on fire with six impressive blocks. While the varsity team fought hard, the match ended 25-20 in Portsmouth’s favor. The second and third match were equally impressive, with the Warriors showing an amazing amount of toughness, commitment, and resilience. While the last two matches ended 25-12, the extreme amount of hard work the players put into the matches was easy to see. The Lady Warriors played an amazing game and should continue to be proud as they proceed with the rest of their season. Keep coming out and supporting the Team!!!!

New Additions to the Hampton Christian Teaching Staff

    Hampton Christian Academy has gained several new teachers this school year. These new teachers include; Mrs. Norton (Drama), Mrs Breyer (Mathematics), Mr. Brickhouse (History, Government, World Religions, Journalism, English), Mrs Brickhouse (Economics, P.E.), Mrs. Santiago (Spanish), Mrs. Gorcia (Physics, Mathematics), and Mrs. Black (music). Each of these teachers bring a new light and a new perspective to Hampton Christian. 
    Mrs. Norton, who used to be the Greek Life Coordinator at Radford University said that her favorite thing about teaching is, “when the light comes on, when students learn something new that they didn't know yesterday.” Mrs. Norton is also excited to see what God will do through the performing arts class this year.     When asked what her favorite thing about teaching is Mrs. Breyer said, “ I love the interaction with the students , especially seeing when they get it.” 
    Mr. Brickhouse came to be a teacher at Hampton Christian after being coach of the varsity basketball team in the 2024-2015 school year. He said, “I wanted to be a more important piece of the Hampton Christian community.” Mr. Brickhouse is most excited for this years basketball season and a chance to reinvigorate the schools’ sense of spirit. 
    Out of all the changes made at Hampton Christian this year, students seem to be especially loving the new teacher additions! 

- Hannah Kjelvik

Why New Students Chose HCA

What makes Hampton Christian Academy great? Is it the athletes? Is it the teachers? Is it the young principal we have?  No, it is the growing student body. Each year, we have more new students coming in for many different reasons. For example, sixth grader Gabriel Banzinger said he came to this school because he wanted to learn more about Christ. Connor Kennedy, an eighth grader, said his other school would not work with him on holding him back so that he could get better grades, but we did.

Some of the new students, like Will in eighth grade have said our school is a lot smaller then his old school. Even though we may be a small school, we are big in our love and care for new students. We will continue to grow in size and our love for Jesus Christ. 

- Hannah Kjelvik