FROM OUR PRINCIPAL
Dear GCHS Parents,
This week I came across an article by Dr. Barrett Mosbacker that I found so helpful, I wanted to share it with you. His words beautifully capture what many of us as Christian educators and parents seek to instill in our children.
“Fragility will hurt your child more than failure will.
Failure, while painful in the moment, is a powerful teacher. It builds resilience, humility, and perseverance. Fragility, on the other hand, is the inability or unwillingness to endure hardship. When children are shielded from every difficulty, they are robbed of the opportunity to grow strong in character.” – Dr. Barrett Mosbacker
Dr. Mosbacker points out that what matters most in preparing our children for life is not just their I.Q., but their C.Q., Character Quotient. The ability to delay gratification, persevere through challenge, and faithfully endure hardship shapes them into young men and women ready to love God, serve others, and face life with grit and hope.
As he notes, it is often in the struggle, not in comfort, that our children grow the most. This truth echoes Romans 5:3–4: “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”
I encourage you to read his full article here: The Gift of Gospel Grit – by Dr. Barrett Mosbacker.
Practical Ways to Cultivate Grit in Our Children (from Dr. Mosbacker’s article):
- Set high standards for character and model them yourself.
- Allow them to struggle and fail—don’t remove every obstacle.
- Teach rigor—let them wrestle with challenging work without stepping in too quickly.
- Require responsibility in little things (Luke 16:10 reminds us that faithfulness in small things leads to greater responsibility).
- Give them real work—chores and daily tasks shape discipline and humility.
May we continue to partner together in raising students who are not only academically strong, but spiritually and emotionally resilient—ready to stand firm in Christ in every season of life.
For such a time as this,
September Staff Birthdays
Christina Lang – September 6th
Jason Pasquariello – September 7th
Rachel Boylan – September 14th
Ike Birdsall – September 18th
Dorothy Whitney – September 19th
Shelly Phillips – September 19th
Michelle Petrey – September 24th
Marc Jette – September 26th
Holly Garza – September 28th
Mike Paasch – September 29th
Misael Lopez – September 30th
*If you would like to bless our staff, here is the favorites list
Conferences
Fall conferences are right around the corner! At the HS, we require any student with a C or lower to attend conferences, but anyone is welcome! Please click the link for more info and to sign up.
High School Moms Fellowship – After Fall Break
We are excited to invite all HS moms to a special time of encouragement, faith, and community this fall! Beginning Monday, October 20th through November 24th, we will gather each Monday morning from 8:30–9:30 AM.
This will be a space for moms to walk through this season of life together, without shame, with grace, and with joy in Christ. Our time will be centered around the book Well Watered Women by Gretchen Saffles, which helps women root themselves in God’s Word and flourish in every season of life.
You can purchase the book here: Well Watered Women – Amazon
We hope you’ll join us as we encourage one another, grow in our faith, and strengthen our relationships with Christ. Please sign up here.
PSAT/NMSQT – October 28, 2025 – All 11th Graders
Annually, GCHS administers the PSAT/NMSQT to 11th-grade students. More details will follow as the administration date approaches, but there is nothing for students or parents to do to register. Just know that all 11th graders will sit for the Digital PSAT/NMSQT on October 28th, during periods 1-4. If a student is interested, the College Board offers guidance on how to prepare and practice resources on their SAT Suite of Assessments: Practice webpage. The student will need to set up a College Board student account to access the practice test. It is suggested that students use an email other than their GCS email so that they will have access to their College Board scores after they graduate from GCS. (The sign-in ticket referenced was or will be distributed in English class this week or next.)
College and Career Highlights
We are hosting a Christian College Fair October 28th from 6-8pm for all grades 9-12. Please register your student for the fair here.
Finding a college is so much more than location and price. Here is another free resource for Christian families to read through while researching their student’s next steps.
The Christian Connector
The Christian Connector provides a wonderful opportunity for students interested in Christian colleges to apply to up to three universities at no cost, through a single application. At https://applicationu.com/, students can explore over 60 Christian colleges and submit applications to their top three choices. This free service is designed to support students in their Christian college journey!
Students can sign up for the scholarship drawing and request free Christian college information by going to https://christianconnector.com/chs.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will be holding an Admissions Information Meeting for prospective students and their families on Saturday, Sept. 27th, at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort from 1-2:30pm.
The Phoenix Admissions Officer for the Prescott campus will be giving a multimedia presentation discussing Embry-Riddle’s world-class STEM-focused degree programs, career outcomes, scholarships/financial aid, etc. There will also be an extensive Q&A session after the presentation with Admissions staff, current students, parents, and alumni.
As a special guest, Prescott 2016 graduate Arthur Barriault (SpaceX Senior Space Operations Engineer) will be sharing about how Embry-Riddle helped him reach this history-making aerospace organization.
Embry-Riddle has extremely high employment rates and return on investment in fields like engineering, Space Physics, intelligence studies, cyber security, biology, flight and much more!
Any interested students and their families are invited! Light refreshments will be served. (The event is FREE!)
Hilton Scottsdale Resort
6333 N Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85250
Saturday, Sept. 27th
1-2:30pm
(Kiva Ballroom)
Please RSVP at: https://erau.edu/admissions-events
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
If any students are interested in volunteering for the 12th Annual Gilbert Half Marathon event, they are currently recruiting volunteers.
DATE: Saturday, November 22
TIME: 6-11am, but times vary depending on volunteer assignment
LOCATION: Start-Finish-Expo all at Verde@ Cooley Station (Recker &
Williams Fields Roads), but other assignments will be on the actual
Course. Please email Yvette at staracedirector@gmail.com.
A NOTE FROM OUR ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT
Football (5-0) hits the road tonight, traveling to ALA-Ironwood (2-3) for a showdown against the Warriors. Don’t let ALA-Ironwood’s record fool you, they have played a challenging schedule against some of the best teams in the 3A conference. It should be an exciting match-up for the undefeated Knights. Let’s bring KNIGHT NATION to Queen Creek- kickoff is scheduled for 7:00pm! Buy tickets HERE.
Cross country is also in action this weekend, all the way in California- competing in the 4th Annual Grit N Grind XC Challenge (Cal State San Marcos). The meet will take place on Saturday morning! Go Knights!
Volleyball (8-2) has had a busy week, playing three matches against Bourgade Catholic, Benjamin Franklin, and Northwest Christian. The team isn’t done yet- traveling to Arizona Athletic Grounds for the Nike Tournament of Champions (Invitational) this weekend. The Knights are scheduled to play today at 11:00am, 2:45pm, and 4:00pm, which will determine seeding for Saturday’s match-ups. Fans will need to purchase a tournament pass to attend.
Congratulations to our flag football squad, who won its road game against Tuba City last night- setting a new program record for points scored, with 49! The Knights are 3-1 on the season. Wow!
Athletics is thrilled to announce Taylor Van Winkle as the new head coach of the Knights’ boys volleyball program. Van Winkle steps into the role after three seasons on the GCHS coaching staff, where she led the JV squad and assisted with varsity. Read more about Coach Van Winkle on gcsknights.com.
Thanks for being the best fans!
GCU Society of Women Engineers Coding with My Girls
Grand Canyon University is inviting girls in grades 7-12 to a free Coding with My Girls event.
On behalf of the College of Engineering and Technology, please support the girls of the Society of Women Engineers in their quest for middle and high school girls to attend the biannual “Coding with My Girls” event.
The registration is below if you have girls who would like to participate in this event. Breakfast, lunch, and prizes are included.
Register here: https://canyonpd.org/cetcwmg
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Cori Araza – corinne.araza@gcu.edu.
ROOTED IN PRAYER
Parents, Grandparents, and all friends of GCHS are invited to join the team of volunteers that make up Rooted in Prayer every Wednesday morning when school is in session, starting at 8 AM in the cafeteria. Praying aloud is not required. Contact Mary for more information: HSPrayer@gcsaz.org. Have a prayer request? Click Here.
A Note from Knights’ Theatre Company
