School Year Starts With Worship and Welcome

Story by Janel Haas Ware

This year, the new school year at Shenandoah Valley Academy (SVA) began as expected: registration, orientation, dorm move-in, first classes, greeting new and old friends and teachers—and, most importantly, sacred time was set aside for worship and prayer to dedicate everything that happens on campus to God. Students, faculty and staff committed to a year with Jesus as the center of campus life.

The first Friday vespers, planned by chaplains Callie Buruchara and Diego Rodriguez, provided a special opportunity for students and faculty to dedicate the new school year to God. Following praise time and a word from the chaplains, students divided into groups led by Student Association officers and dorm resident assistants. At each area across campus—dorms, classrooms, the business office, the music department, the sports fields and more—student leaders led prayer sessions, followed by singing “Sweet Hour of Prayer.” Then everyone, including seniors Rosmaily Peguero and Madison Wilson (pictured), gathered at the flagpole for a candlelight ceremony, dedicating the school year to God.

On Sabbath morning, New Market church members lined the sidewalk to greet the students to the first church service of the year. Some of these church members are part of Reach Our Kids (ROK) Ministries, in which they seek to support high school students with church member “ROK Families.”

ROK Families offer friendship, support, cookies and special care packages throughout the year, as well as plan two vespers programs, with the goal of ensuring that students feel loved and know they are a special part of the New Market church family. ROK leaders, New Market church pastors Reed Richardi and Buz Menhardt, and SVA singers Daniel Torres (’28), Marcos Torres (’26), Maria Sanjuan (’26) and Belmaris Mercado (’26) led the church service, keeping in mind the objective of showing hospitality toward the students. At the end of the service, church members gave each student a treat bag that included a pair of “ROK socks”—part of the tradition of giving students ROK-themed gifts. SVA staff thank the New Market members for their kindness, care and hospitality toward their students.