Missions Trips and Retreats
Spring Fling Retreat
The Spring Fling is a trip over Spring Break for any student in grades 7-12. The purpose of the trip is to provide students a place to get away and have an AMAZING time with their friends over break. Students spend four days having fun with their friends and taking advantage of all the camp has to offer including a ropes course, zip line, giant swing, climbing wall, indoor and outdoor basketball courses, sand volleyball, Frisbee golf, a game room and more. Perhaps the greatest success of the trip rests in its ability to interweave powerful times of worship with tremendous fun.
Colombia Missions Trip
In 2014 the Upper School began organizing an annual missions trip to Colombia. Students and faculty travel to Bogotá, where they share the love of Jesus with children in orphanages, children’s ministries, street ministries and at El Camino Academy. The missions team serves in a wide variety of ways including leading children in prayer, telling stories, helping with arts and crafts, and taking children on field trips. It’s always a tiring but very fulfilling trip with lessons that will last a lifetime.
Nicaragua Missions Trip
In 2017 an AACS missions team traveled to Ticuantepe, Nicaragua, to work with missionaries who serve with Mission tothe World. This worldwide non-profit Christian organization has missionary teams throughout the world to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Nicaragua their team works to share God’s grace through teaching, training, community development, and mercy ministries. They operate a pineapple farm and ministry center, host short-term ministry teams, teach English, and manage a hospital ministry. The AACS missions team helped withvacation bible school, construction projects, and hospital visits.
Dominican Republic Missions Trip
Students from Annapolis Area Christian School, Philadelphia’s City School, and the Dominican Republic’s Santiago Christian School come together as young missionaries to learn important student leadership skills and how to use these skills in service on the mission field. Students receive training from the Student Leadership University organization (SLU), followed by three days of service working together to improve a rustic church camp in the mountains. It’s a great cross-cultural adventure for everyone involved.
Upper School Worship Nights
The Upper School campus has an outdoor stage area that is a favorite spot for evening entertainment and is where we typically hold occasional Worship Nights. Local musical talent, including our own faculty and students, play and sing worship songs and the students join in. It’s a time of friendship, fun, and worship all in one.
6thGrade Retreat
Sixth grade students participate in an annual fall retreat. Focusing on the 6th Grade Theme of "Called To Transform," students will work on various team building activities. They will also dig into God's word regarding their role as culture creators, image identifiers, and relationship restorers. As new creations in Christ we are all called to recognize the marvelous transformation that God wants to do in our lives. Our transformation in Christ will create a desire to love Him and to love others as we impact the world for His glory.
8thGrade Retreat
Eighth grade students assume a position of leadership among their peers during their final year in Middle School. The 8th
Grade Yearly Theme is "Called to Lead" and throughout the year students seek to define the concept of leadership as they begin a life-long journey to discover how to see God clearly, how to see themselves honestly, and how to see others are made in the image of God.
At the 8thGrade Fall Servant Leader Retreat, students participate in group discussions and team-building exercises, and actively listen to and inwardly reflect on targeted messages delivered by our Guest Speakers, as a vehicle to understand how to become a servant leader and how to become a servant leader in community. There is also time for fun, including some team building activities.
Middle School Girls’ Lock In
8th Graders are given opportunities to live into their calling to be servant leaders at the middle school, and with a joyful spirit a group of 8th graders organize and host the annual Girls' Lock-in for 6th graders. Their goal is to encourage the kind of healthy, godly relationships that can impact the middle school culture (and beyond) and bear witness to the reality of God's love in the world.
9thGrade Retreat
Our 9th graders start their AACS Upper School experience by traveling down to the West River UM Retreat Center for an all-day orientation retreat. Several faculty and senior prefects speak to our new students about what it means to be an AACS student, and the afternoon is spent getting to know the other members of the Class through a variety of group and team-building activities.
Senior Retreat
An annual mid-October AACS tradition, our Senior Class enjoys a day away from school for the Senior Retreat. The seniors are invited to strengthen their own relationships and are challenged to lead the student body effectively. The morning is spent in a variety of meetings and the afternoon is spent on a variety of team-building activities and challenges.
ACSI Student Leadership Conference
Annually, we take 20-25 juniors and seniors to Washington, DC to participate in a 3-day conference aimed at helping students develop a sense of social justice and a passion for being agents of restoration in their world.
Re:Act Conference
The Re:Act conference, hosted by the Association of Christian Schools International, is a large regional youth leadership conference hosted in Crystal City, Va. The conference is designed to challenge high school leaders how to live redemptively in a broken culture. Students hear from nationally-recognized speakers about how to pursue justice and redemption in the face of issues such as poverty and homelessness.