Throughout the school year, The Feather staff has covered the struggles and joys of students and teachers at Fresno Christian. With summer swiftly approaching, it’s time to look back at what has happened in this unique year.

High School Events

Movie nights – To bring together students separated by online learning, the leadership class planned outdoor movie nights for each grade level. These get-togethers took place every Tuesday in October.

Back to campus – Starting on Oct. 13, Fresno Christian reopened and transitioned from online to in-person learning. Wearing masks, social distancing, and temperature checks became a norm that lasted the entire year. The campus closed due to COVID-19 along with almost every school in the nation, March 13, 2019.

Spirit week – Students and teachers dressed according to daily themes during spirit week, Oct. 26-30. These themes included sports, twins, one color, pajamas, and spirit wear.

Fall formal – Fittingly named the ‘Mask’-erade, formal was reimagined to comply with Covid-19 guidelines. On Nov. 13, students celebrated at an outdoor venue on a night that included games, music, and drinks.

Color battle – High school students raised over $5,000 in a fundraiser for Fresno Christian. Students who donated $30 or more were rewarded with a color battle on Feb. 26. The color battle included games like dodgeball, a relay race, volleyball, and a ‘color dunk tank’. The event culminated in students throwing bags of colorful chalk at each other and teachers.

Econ Fair – The Economic class hosted the 14th annual Econ Fair at lunch, April 5. Students in the class grouped up to prototype, produce, and sell original products to high schoolers and middle schoolers.

Sadies – A total of 120 high school students traveled to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo for the 28th annual FC Sadies, April 24. Titled ‘The Happiest Sadies On Earth‘, pairs dressed up in matching Disney attire.

Sports

Cheer – Apart from cheering at the football scrimmages, the Cheer team has been barred from cheering at sporting events. However, they were able to show off their skills to their families through a dance routine, May 5. They also performed in a virtual competition run by the Fellowship of Christian Cheerleaders, Feb. 17.

Cross country – Led by FC middle school teacher, James Garcia, the five-member strong cross country team raced in eight races and a West Sequoia League championship. Emma Connolly won first place for girls in every competition.

Football – Because of Covid-19 restrictions, the football team was not able to compete. However, the team practiced and split into two groups for scrimmages under the direction of physical education teacher Michael Fuller.

Golf – For the first time in FC history, golf was split into two separate girls and boys teams. The teams were led by Johnny Martin, with competitions held at The Madera Country Club.

Soccer – Coached by Adam Smith, the boys team has a 12-2 East Sierra League record with one tie. Girls soccer, led by Matt Markarian, also has dominated with a 14 -1 West Sierra League record. Playoffs will begin on Thursday for the boys and Friday for the girls.

Tennis – Girls and boys tennis has dominated their West Sierra leagues this year, with 10-1 and 9-1 records. Both teams will be competing in the playoffs starting in late May.

Baseball – So far, the baseball team has won 10 out of their 18 East Sierra League games. The athletes are coached by middle school teacher Noah Heinz.

Softball – Under the direction of David Davila, the team has nine wins and four losses in the East Sierra League. Like baseball, their season is not over yet.

Track – Coached by Shawn Young and Dorina Gilmore-Young, the track team consists of five members, including senior Jacob Hyatt. He was recruited by USMA West Point for his talent in high jumping. The team’s season will continue into June.

Basketball – This year, only the boys basketball team competed. Their East Sierra League season started on May 10 and they have a 1-3 record.

New Teachers

David Casuga – FCS alumnus and assistant band director, Casuga, took over the leadership of the drama department in lieu of this year’s band instructor, Lesley Bannister. He also founded the school’s first Esports club.

Jacob Cantu – Cantu began his teaching career this year after studying biology at Fresno Pacific University. He taught biology, AP Biology, and anatomy and physiology. His classes took part in various labs throughout the year, including dissecting pig brains and fetal pigs.

Nicole Larson – In light of Hallie Rojeski’s recent retirement, Larson was hired to teach eighth-grade history.

Visual and Performing Arts

Valentine’s Day Concert – Choir students individually showcased their voices in the sixth annual choir concert, Feb. 11. Under the guidance of choral director Susan Ainley, the performers chose and practiced their songs over the course of a couple of months.

‘Worthy To Be Praised’ Concert – Once again under the leadership of Susan Ainley, the middle school and high school choirs presented a collection of songs celebrating their hard work throughout the year, April 30.

A Night with the Maestro – The FCS instrumental music program, led by Lesley Bannister, held a spring concert, May 10. This included the third-grade recorders, fourth-grade percussion, fifth-grade band, Eagle and FC bands, and percussion ensemble.

To view featured artworks created by students in the art program, go to The Feather Online’s Art page.

Comment down below your 2020-2021 highlight!

For more year recaps, read Looking back on the 2018-2019 school year and Reflecting on the 2017-’18 school year.

For more recent articles, read Coronavirus pandemic, rise of misinformation highlight importance of media literacy and LRC instructor Kimberly DeWolf continues to assist students after 25 years.