Sophomore Johnathon LeTourneau performed a piano solo.

The day before spring break always signifies one thing at CTA: The Student Showcase. The 2016 Student Showcase was the 9th annual talent show, and like all the other years, CTA students shined in the spotlight with their top-notch talents!

This year’s event had sixteen acts that made the final cut, which was pared down from the 35 acts that auditioned. There was a broad variety of ages and talents on display with first grader

First Grader Reese Holtrop sang “Try Everything” from the Zootopia soundtrack.

Reese Holtrop singing “Try Everything” from the Zootopia soundtrack, to senior Whitney Medwayosh bringing down the house with her version of “Reflections” by Christina Aguilera. There was also a variety of instrumental performances and dance/cheer routines. The participants had a great time performing and their peers had a fun time viewing the talents. “It really is a great way to kick off spring break, and the kids put in a tremendous amount of effort in hopes of making it past the audition and to the show,” said Dean of Students, David Oldebekking. “It is great to see their hard work come through in their performances.”

CTA Cheerleading team performed many difficult stunts during their routine.

The school-wide Hula Hoop Challenge paired each leadership group together to stand hand-in-hand and pass the hula hoop down the line without releasing their partner’s hand. Photo credit: Aspire Photo and Design

Students stroll the red carpet heading to their first day of class.

Hoots, hollers, high-fives, and “paparazzi” were awaiting the CTA elementary students as they strolled the red carpet to their classrooms on the first day back after summer break.  Superintendent, Dan George, and Dean of Students, David Oldebekking, treated the students to granola bars to make sure they were well-fueled for for the full day of education and activities.

Leadership is a school-wide area of focus for the 2015-2016 school year. In order to emphasize this character trait, the elementary created small groups by mixing grades together with the plan to empower the older elementary students to serve as mentors to the younger students. Within the groups, the students will participate in teambuilding activities, have discussions on leaderships and the “WE ARE CHARGERS” initiative.

Creative Technologies Academy, a tuition free public school academy in Cedar Springs, still has some openings in a few classes for the 2013-2014 school year according to Dean of Students, David Oldebekking.
“Space is filling fast but we still have room in our middle school, high school, and FlexTrac programs,” he said.
Creative Technologies Academy is a free public school that emphasizes small class sizes and a personal educational experience.  “We have been around for 15 years and almost every day I still hear people say, ‘We didn’t know that there was this option for our students education,’” explained Mr. Oldebekking. “We are located on the north side of Cedar Springs on Pine Street, across the street from the water tower, and we have so much to offer families. We have a highly qualified and experienced staff, an innovative learning environment, and many opportunities for blended and online learning.”
One of those opportunities is in the FlexTrac program.  “Our FlexTrac program is in its third year and it has been a great success so far. It is a completely online program. The students are on campus from 3:00 pm-6:50 pm every day, and then do two hours of at home work daily,” said Mr. Oldebekking. “The program is built for students who maybe have a job that they need to attend to, have the ability to accelerate their high school learning, have a need for credit recovery, or just feel more comfortable working outside of the traditional classroom.”
Space is filling fast for both the traditional day school and the Flex Trac Program, so please contact David Oldebekking at 616-696-4905 to set up your personal meeting and school tour.