Southern Adventist University goes under lockdown, police have a suspect in custody

[Image via: @MCHadley/Twitter]

Southern Adventist University went under a campus wide lockdown Thursday afternoon in response to a "percieved threat" by a former student.

The lockdown lasted approximately 2 hours as police flooded the administration building and men's dormitory. The Greater Collegedale School System also went under lockdown, according to the Georgia-Cumberland Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

After the lockdown was lifted, the university released a statement saying that a former Southern student made a threat over delayed paperwork. The university was alerted to this threat by Chattanooga State Community College officials, the statement said.

This article continues. Keep reading »

High school student drowns during class field trip

A high school student from Walker Memorial Academy drowned today during a school field trip.

J.J. Branchedor, a 17-year-old student from Avon Park, Fla., was swimming at the beach with three other friends when they got caught in a rip current.

This article continues. Keep reading »

Adventist academy student drowns in Tennessee

Photo credit: Chakomboka
Chama/Facebook

An Adventist student drowned today in southeast Tennessee. Chakomboka Chama was just 16 years old.

Chakomboka Chama, known as "Chama" by his friends, was swimming with a group of friends at Harrison Bay State Park near Chattanooga, Tenn.

Chama drowned during an attempt to help a distressed swimmer. The other distressed swimmer survived.

Chama was a sophomore at Collegedale Academy in Collegedale, Tenn.

Please keep his family and friends in your prayers.

Memphis Junior Academy principal killed in classroom

Suzette York, principal (left). Eduardo Marmolejo, student (right).

A school principal was stabbed to death Aug. 10 at a Seventh-day Adventist school in Memphis, Tenn.

Memphis police say Suzette York, 49, was found dead inside a classroom that morning at Memphis Junior Academy just three days into the new school year.

Eduardo Marmolejo, 16, has been arrested and is being charged with first-degree murder. He was the school’s first and only 11th grade student.

This article continues. Keep reading »

Senior class president won't be able to attend graduation due to Sabbath

The senior class president of a Connecticut high school will not be able to attend his own graduation ceremony because it is on a Saturday.

According to NBC Connecticut, the school board voted 7-1 to not change the Enfield High School graduation date, which is scheduled for Saturday, June 25.

On April 12, Patrick Knighton, senior class president, had asked the school board to change the graduation date because it conflicted with his religious beliefs.

Knighton told the school board that as a Seventh-day Adventist, he does not participate in "business or business-related activities" from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.

According to NBC Connecticut, "parents of other students complained to the board that family members had already made flight arrangements" and couldn't change them.

This article continues. Keep reading »

Shenandoah Valley Academy senior killed in motorcycle accident

Photo: SVA website

A Shenandoah Valley Academy senior was killed in a motorcycle accident Thursday afternoon in Timberville, Va.

19-year-old Kent Grimm, from Broadway, Va., was driving west on New Market Rd. when he crashed into an eastbound car that had turned in front of him, police said.

SVA has brought in grief counselors to help students cope through the tragedy, stated the academy website.

Below is a video report from a local station.

This article continues. Keep reading »

All student missionaries in Egypt leave the country

Photo by monasosh (Creative Commons)

UPDATE: Nile Union Academy plans to reopen Feb. 21

Feb. 8 — Adventists living in Egypt's big cities found themselves in an uncertain situation due to massive and often violent protests in Egypt.

All Adventist student missionaries working in Egypt have left the country. They were told to leave by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. All foreign staff members at Nile Union Academy have also left Egypt, said one student missionary, whose name is omitted for her safety.

Llewellyn Edwards, president of the Egypt Field of Seventh-day Adventists told A Sabbath Blog of the courage of a number of Sudanese students and Egyptian staff, who are guarding Nile Union Academy, with teams patrolling the compound 24/7.

This article continues. Keep reading »

In Egypt, Adventist schools suspended this week

Photo by Ramy Raoof (Creative Commons)

Source: Adventist News Network

Two Seventh-day Adventist-run schools in Egypt have suspended classes this week due to ongoing national protests. Otherwise, Adventist operations are not affected, according to latest reports from the region.

A day before the Internet was shut down in Egypt on Friday, the president of the small Adventist community there said church operations were not affected by national protests.

"There is no news at all that any of our 12 churches, 700 members and two schools are affected in any way," Llewellyn R. Edwards, president of the denomination's Egypt Field, wrote to ANN in a January 27 e-mail.

This article continues. Keep reading »

Standout 2010 at Andrews University

Standout Promo Video from Deomitrus on Vimeo.

Standout is a spiritual retreat for public high school students. It will be held at Andrews University, in Berrien Springs, Michigan on April 16-18, 2010.

Learn more and register for the event at the Standout official website. http://connect.andrews.edu/standout