Roseburg (Ore.) Junior Academy began its student week of prayer on March 19, 2018, with second-grader Grace Jackson posing the question to her school, “How do you see God?”
Students then gathered and shared how they see God by creating an artistic mural. This mural was then hung in the hallway at the school so students and staff could keep adding to it as the week progressed. Pictures included family, friends, science, art, pets, music, the Bible and many more things important to the kids and their teachers.
Each day brought with it more student messages about God. Seventh-grader Esmé Maritz spoke about her personal experience of seeing God through her cat being lost and then found. Fourth-graders Genevive Polson and Cassidy Valenzuela worked with eighth-grader Cailyn Berkhemer to show God through science by creating "slime." The three girls explained that when you add diverse and different ingredients, God can create something extra cool, just like when a school is filled with diverse students, God can make amazing things happen.
Fifth-grader Aaron Worley shared about the struggles that happened during his birth and how God kept him alive. His experience really showed each breath we take is a miracle. Each day of the week had different students performing special musical numbers and leading out in songs of worship. Special musical performances included guitar solos, piano solos and the kindergarten class singing classic songs like “Deep and Wide.”
Principal Jeff Jackson concluded the week by sharing with the students that he sees God everyday at school through them — through the way the older students help and play with the younger students; through the way the students interact with the teachers, staff and volunteers; and through the music students perform. Jackson sees God through the students being willing to share and through the positive support of the students listening. Roseburg Junior Academy is blessed to have students who don’t just see God around them but want to share the love of God with everyone.
Grace Jackson, second-grader, asks, “How do you see God?”
Roseburg Junior Academy students create a mural of how they see God.
Kindergarteners sing “Deep and Wide" during student week of prayer.
Fourth-graders Cassidy Valenzuela and Genevive Polson and eighth-grader Cailyn Berkhemer show that God can create cool things with diversity.
