News

Forecast Is In: Sovine Has Taken PCA 2nd Graders By Storm!

This past week the second grade class welcomed Channel 5 Meteorologist, Joey Sovine, to campus! Sovine came in to talk to these very eager second graders about, what else? The weather!

"He explained how weather is measured (even handed out some cool weather tools!), taught about extreme weather and most importantly hurricanes and how to stay safe from them in Charleston", said 2nd grade teacher Jessica Hanzsche. "He taught a lot about satellites and how they gather weather information from space! He passed around a tool that helps determine water temperature, humidity and gives cloud information. He showed a video around the station which showed the green screen and how the weather show is put on each morning, afternoon and night.”

The students agreed that learning about the weather was a “cool” experience. “My favorite part was that he asked hard questions,” said second grader Pace Johnson. “Like ‘What does a rain gauge do and where do you put it?’ Then he showed us an example!”

Sage Graybill agreed. “I liked when he talked about how cold it was and about tornados and hurricanes!” 

Who knows, maybe Meteorology is in the forecast for one of these student's future.

Senior Seminar: The Capstone Of A PCA Education

It's a particularly busy month for our senior class as they are gearing up for their very important Senior Seminar Presentations.

As part of their graduation requirement, seniors take a class called Senior Seminar. “The name fully reflects the fullness of the program,” said faculty member Kelly Cooper. “As we spend one quarter in discovery, looking at various arguments, analyzing and discussing them, to determine students' interests.” 

These presentations and papers are designed to mimic a bachelor's or master's thesis writing process and teach students how to research in a scholarly manner, work with a mentor, or chair, and how to defend their position against a panel of experts.

There are two Senior Seminar classes, the College Preparatory Class where students present

10-20 minute presentations in groups, on one of the six different topics that were studied throughout the year. Students are graded individually on their part of the presentation, their research, as well as teamwork. They also write a 5-7 page paper.

The Honors Class chose an argumentative topic of their choice, wrote a 15-20 page paper, and will give a 15-30 minute individual presentation.

When asked what they took away from this process, Senior Sophie Michel said, “Senior Seminar definitely helped me learn how to manage my time and resources. It also allowed me to expand my knowledge on a topic I'm passionate about. The course as a whole has prepared me for the future research projects I will be assigned next year in college.”

All are welcome to come and view the seniors' presentations which will take place in the Worship Center.