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“Winter break” might be a bit of a misnomer at Statesville Christian School.
The private school on Museum Road uses the two weeks following Christmas for Winterim, an annual requirement for SCS students that transcends the scope of traditional school education.
Students use Winterim to introduce themselves to areas of interests not typically covered in the classroom, like mission trips and internships, and courses like film criticism, lifeguarding and more.
Ashtyn Neuwirth,15, used her Winterim for a mission trip to Nicaragua, where she worked with a children’s ministry reading Bible stories, distributing health kits and more.
“It was a lot of fun and it felt good to help all the people out down there,” she said of the impoverished Central American country.
“I want to go back there,” she added.
Additional Winterim courses were driver’s education, horticulture and landscape design, photography and more.
High school teacher Kelly Taylor said 90 students participated in this year’s Winterim.
Classes were held in three-hour sessions in the morning and afternoon.
Diego Castaño, 15, wanted to learn more about survival in the wilderness, so he enrolled in Outdoor Skills and Campcraft. He learned how to make a fire, build a shelter and tie knots at Shepherd’s Watch Ministries.
“I wanted to learn how to do stuff outdoors because I would like to go hiking or camping in the future and it would help me a lot,” he said.
Madison Vaughn used the experience to learn how to become financially savvy, thanks to a personal finance class.
She admitted to not knowing much about the importance of saving money before taking the class.
“I learned it’s important to start saving now because you will need it for college,” the 15-year-old said.
Student Blake Dunlap, 17, was an intern at Lake Norman Airport, performing maintenance tasks. He wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a commercial pilot. He thought the class would help build connections in the field.
“It gives you time away from school and you’re in the real world showing what school has given you,” Dunlap said.
He flew an aircraft to Charleston, S.C., during the Winterim session.
Julie Dang, 17, visited the Creation Museum in Ohio.
“It was a spiritual trip for me,” she said. “It’s a good opportunity for me to strengthen my faith in God.”
This year’s Winterim program was cut a bit short due to inclement weather.
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