The June 2018 student of the month is Erica Lewis, a dancer from Western Kansas who just completed her freshman year at Ignite Christian Academy. Erica recently accomplished a lifelong dream of dancing en pointe, and based on her strong work ethic, ICA Spanish teacher Sam Gesch anticipates that she’ll successfully accomplish many more goals and dreams in the future.
“She has regularly called me and come to my open office hours to make sure that she understands and is able to use the Spanish from the lessons,” said Señor Gesch, who nominated Erica for this month’s award. “I have spent many hours with her over the past month and she has consistently had a good attitude, a positive disposition, and had excellent questions.”
My ICA Story
I started with LIFEPAC in kindergarten and 1st grade. Then, we decided to move over to online work in 3rd grade. I am now a sophomore doing classes mostly online, but still choosing LIFEPAC for some classes. My parents were looking for an online school that was both accredited and had strong Christian values. They found both of these with ICA. I was too young to really decide anything about where I went to school, but I am really glad that they chose ICA. I love all my teachers and enjoy meeting new and old students at classes.
Why I Love ICA
I like the fact that I have a looser schedule. I can fit work around classes and have time to spend with my family. I love the fact that I get to see my parents almost all day, instead of having to wait for the weekend like kids in public school. I think the thing that might have been a little surprising at first was that no one cares what age I am or grade I am in. They just welcome me into the ICA family! This may be a little surprising because you see in the public schools the grade you are in seems to be a big deal. Now I am also welcoming people into the ICA family, and it’s great how I have friends that are several grades below me, several above, and some are almost the same grade. I love the fact that we all just want to be friends with everyone!
My Favorite Subject
I read my Bible every night and journal on what stands out to me. New Testament Survey helped me to notice things that I have never noticed and understand what I was reading on my own. For example, I have been able to read the long speeches and think over what they are saying, instead of wondering why they are making speeches.
My Family
I have two older brothers who are married and one older sister who is a senior at ICA this year. Since my two brothers are out of the house (and one is in the military), I spend my time with my sister, Sabrina. We do ballet and pointe together and enjoy celebrating with each other when we improve in an area of dance. We love to play games together, and we both enjoy watching movies together. We love making each other laugh. When we do school work and she sees I’m stressed or if I see she’s stressed, we make each other laugh to relieve the stress and help each other do well.
My Hobbies
My favorite hobby is dancing. I enjoy ballet, musical theater, and pointe. My favorite type of dance is by far musical theater. I love to act and dance. This style of dancing combines the two. I get to go wild with my facial expressions and gestures to become the character! I also enjoy writing, doing crafts, and playing games.
My Biggest Accomplishment
I think I am most proud of the fact that I finally earned my pointe shoes. Pointe is something that a ballet dancer dreams of and works to get her technique to the point where the teacher feels that she can safely begin pointe work. My dream to be on pointe started when I saw a pointe dancer for the first time when I was 5. Last December I was able to receive my first pair of pointe shoes. Now I finally get to dance on pointe with my sister!
My Love for Old Musicals
My two favorite musicals are I Love Melvin, starring Donald O’Connor (my favorite actor/dancer) and Debbie Reynolds (my favorite actress), and Three Little Words, starring Fred Astaire and Red Skelton. I think the reason I love musicals so much is because they have dancing, singing, and acting. They provide clean comedy and have so many talented dancers and singers. Also, musicals really do show real life because in my house we randomly break out in dance and song! I’ve not yet met an old musical that I haven’t liked!
My Life Plans
I’m not sure what my dream job is yet. I’ve always wanted to become a pastor and now I am really wanting to teach theater. I’ve always wanted to preach because I believe that’s what I was called to do, and now I also want to help others learn how to use their facial expressions and gestures to act. If those two could combine, that might be my dream job. I’m only a sophomore now, so I have some time to let God help me find my dream job. So long as I am sharing the gospel in some way, then it is my dream job.
My Words of Wisdom
Trust God in all things. Whether it is simply a lesson that is confusing, a final exam, or a big life decision, give it all to God. He knows what He’s doing, and He has a great plan for all of our lives!