Colton grew up in a Christian home and heard the Gospel “a million times.” He even accepted Jesus into his heart a couple of times as a child. At King’s, each Bible class has brought him closer to the Lord. But his best fellowship is combined with what he loves most—football. And it was at the football retreat between his freshman and sophomore years that he was baptized by Coach Jim Shapiro in the chilly waters of the San Juan Islands.

“Every year it seems like someone wants to be baptized,” Colton said. “But now we are a lot further along as a team. My junior year a couple guys asked for prayer here and there, but this year has really taken off with accountability and men’s groups. We pray before practice and we dive into scripture. It’s a great way for all of us to find peace.”

Lincoln said the team has changed in the past few years. “It’s a testimony to God’s faithfulness because my freshman year it felt like the football team was a secular place, but now God is really working in it. Our weekly accountability group has a motto: ‘You’re safe here, but your sin is not safe here because we’re going to come after it.’ As my friend Will Culberson says, ‘Vulnerability breaks the power of the devil.’”

Along with discipling his athletes, Coach Shapiro is teaching them to disciple others. Groups of junior and senior football players now meet with seventh and eighth grade boys regularly to disciple them with a curriculum he has helped them prepare.

“I’ve always been focused on evangelism, and over 27 years of coaching more than 100 kids have come to Christ. But this year it’s more about discipleship and training,” Coach Shapiro said. “Evangelism is addition, and discipleship is multiplication, and that’s what is happening this year. The guys are reproducing faith in each other, both in the high schoolers and the junior high.

“CRISTA has always been about Christianity in Action,” Coach Shapiro continued. “It’s so fundamental but difficult for us—it’s a matter of putting Jesus at the center of everything you’re doing. Even in the crazy game of football, we put Jesus in the center and make Him the reason for everything we do—how you love your teammates, how you witness to the ref. That changes the whole experience for everyone around us.”

Through all the global turbulence of this year, we are constantly reminded at CRISTA, and at King’s, that we are on Holy Ground. The Lord is answering our prayers for this generation of students and we see His faithfulness every day. Truly He has great plans for them.

Watch Colton’s full story and see how a team truly becomes like a family at King’s Schools.

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Henry is a senior at King’s. He has been a part of our Robotics program since he was in the first grade. Henry explains how there is more to Robotics than just building a robot. The other side of Robotics is business. “Our business department does everything that isn’t building a robot. That includes fundraising, communicating with sponsors, submitting awards, and outreach. Outreach is a huge part of our team,” Henry says. The team shows their robot at events to teach others about Robotics, volunteers at local Robotics events, and helps teams around the world as part of the Compass Alliance.

The Robotics program at King’s has impacted Henry. He shares, “The community is amazing and has impacted my life in a way that is hard to put to words. I have learned so much from my many years doing robotics and plan to stay involved even after high school.” Robotics provides opportunities for everyone to learn and be a part of a team. Henry has learned valuable skills in leadership, engineering, communication, and collaboration.

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Kathryn graduated from King’s in 2021. She was a part of DECA for all four years of high school and says it was the best decision. “Of course, it was great to learn all about marketing and business, but it’s so much more than that,” Kathryn says. In addition to incredible marketing and business skills, Kathryn learned how to be independent before she left for college. The skills she learned that helped her become more independent were skills such as problem-solving and talking to an adult using eye contact. Kathryn shares, “I also learned simpler skills like how to navigate an airport by myself while on DECA trips.”

DECA makes a point to balance learning with fun. The international competition DECA holds every year varies in the location, anywhere from Orlando, Atlanta, Anaheim, or Nashville. For the international competition, DECA will buy out Disney Land and Universal Studios for the 25,000 competing students from all around the world. Kathryn feels as though this is what sets DECA apart as an organization.

After being a part of King’s DECA for four years, Kathryn says, “With the help from Mrs. Morris, you will leave with life skills that some adults do not have. These skills will set you apart.”

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Ella worked on The Quill for three years while attending King’s High School. Ella credits the confident person she is today to the work she did on The Quill. Ella’s experience was not only crucial in her professional development but her personal development as well. “The Quill is a fantastic atmosphere for personal growth because it’s not competitive, however the intentional workplace environment that we created allows students to challenge themselves at their own pace,” Ella says.

The staff works hard every year to create fresh themes and content that they believe the student body needs to hear. Ella shares her favorite part of working on the newspaper was discovering what it meant to be the voice of KHS.

Working on The Quill led Ella to discover her creative passions and gave her a safe environment to pursue them. She explains, “It was extremely fun to create the newspaper for 3 years with the incredible staff and Splatter, who supported me through everything.”

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Mason, King’s High School class of 2014, attributes where he is today to his years on the Mock Trial team. Mock Trial taught Mason how to be professional in stressful environments. In the Mock Trial program, students work with local legal experts and practitioners as they prepare their cases for competition.

As a third-year law school student, Mason shares what he learned while on the King’s Mock Trial team formed the basis for his real-life courtroom presence abilities and critical thinking skills. Mason uses his Mock Trial skills daily. Mason explains, “the structure of the Mock Trial program exposed me to a plethora of people and their views on politics, the legislature, the state of the law, and professional public speaking that have had a continued impact on me to this day.”

Whether Mason was playing a witness or serving as an attorney, his time on the King’s Mock Trial team was not only rewarding but a fun experience. He hopes the program continues to impact King’s Students, just like him.

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Liv joined the King’s community in fourth grade. She remembers fliers going around for the Elementary Athletic Summer Camps. Liv always dreamed about being a King’s High School Cheerleader. The opportunity to spend the week with high school cheerleaders was something she could not pass up.

At camp with the King’s High School Cheerleaders, Liv and other elementary students learned a dance routine. Then, during football season, they had the opportunity to perform the dance at a High School Football game. Liv shares that at her young age, this was a dream come true.

Liv continued to come back to the King’s Elementary Cheer Summer Camp almost every year until she was old enough to try out for the squad. Liv says, “I made friends through these summer camps, who I would go on to cheer with in high school.” Not only did she create lasting friendships at camp, but she also learned the basics of the sport she wanted to pursue in High School. Liv explains, “The fundamentals I learned at these camps have stuck with me all these years and have helped me become the cheerleader I am today.”

As a King’s High School Cheerleader, Liv now gets to be on the other side of these Elementary Summer Camps, organizing and leading the elementary students. Liv hopes to inspire and have an impact on these young students, just as the King’s High School Cheerleaders once had on her.

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