☀️Summer Sun
Friday, June 17, 2022 - Vol. 01 No. 06
The first official day of summer is next Tuesday, June 21. Make sure your summer includes the Marysville Sun.
☀️The Race Is On
[EDITOR’S NOTE: The following report and pictures are thanks to longtime Marysville resident, Ginger Herr.]
Though the track sat empty for years, the beloved Trike Race returned to Marysville on Thursday evening as 12 four-member teams raced up and down 3rd Street in a timed relay as part of the Marysville Strawberry Festival.
The track consisted of a variety of obstacles including biting-a-donut-on-a-string, riding through hay, being blasted with water balloons and whipped cream, pedaling up a “Getchell Hill” ramp, and pulling sledges in front of Remedy Athletics. Competitors were to complete all the obstacles on their side of the course and if they missed one, a penalty was added to their overall time which could cost them their place.
The event was hosted by 5 Rights Brewing Company, and additional sponsors included VanderBeken Design • Build • Remodel, The Hair Bar, Songer Combat Sports, Spoon & Straw, and 3rd Street Book Exchange, who received an honorable mention for some fantastic Lord of the Rings costumes.
The sun shined and the crowd cheered on 3rd Street as this tradition was resurrected and old times were remembered by many fans.
☀️The Engagement Academy
[EDITOR’S NOTE: What follows is a brief interview between the Sun and Mr. Shawn Schrader who is Co-Founder of The Engagement Academy, a brand new education option for middle school students in Marsyville.]
Sun: When and why did you move to Marysville?
Mr. Schrader: We moved here to the Marysville area back in 2004. I’m originally from the S. King County area and moved away when I joined the Navy. After I got out and my wife, Becky, retired from the Navy we moved back to help plant a church in Lake Stevens and do ministry to military families. Much of that work consisted of supporting families in the midst of deployments and disconnections from extended family. We built partnerships with many churches who leveraged their programs in order to minister to these families. For a number of years I also worked extensively with combat veterans. We took a Christ-centered approach to helping many of these folks through PTSD, depression, addictions and suicidal ideation. This work continues with the help of many volunteers who continue to serve this important segment of our community and our nation.
Sun: What is your background in education?
Mr. Schrader: Though I spent two years in the Navy as an instructor, my limited background in education started just 4 years ago as a substitute teacher. My interest was primarily in being involved in the community and engaging people who were outside the confines of the church. Not knowing what this might look like, I soon discovered that my burden was primarily for the kids in middle school.
I was blessed to see the full spectrum of the K-12 system and saw that there was an incredible amount of need within the middle schools. This wasn’t due to staffing shortage (though most subs don’t prefer this area), it was that I saw a lot of brokenness and many kids falling victim to a system that lends itself to what I call drama and trauma. In my opinion, the public school is perfectly designed to give us disfunction, disrespect, dishonesty and disobedience. At the MS level, kids could practice this disfunction and in most cases their parents know little to nothing of what’s taking place.
Though many good teachers exist, the aggressive activism that promotes unbiblical values is both pervasive and unhindered. Because parents have assumed the system has their children’s best interest at heart, far too many are totally unengaged and this is costing them and their children dearly.
Sun: What is the purpose of The Engagement Academy? Who is it for? How would you differentiate it not just from the government schools but from other private schools?
Mr. Schrader: The Engagement Academy is designed for grades 6-8 and our purpose of is two-fold. First of all we want to empower and equip parents to take back their responsibility and privilege of educating their kids. The second part of our mission is to help these parents raise up their children to use their God-given purpose to sacrificially serve their family, community and nation.
It is our belief that the current system makes it far too easy for parents to abdicate their role as primary educators and then increasingly difficult for them to retake that role. Currently we see a fateful trend in which the majority of children who come from a Christian or traditional home are rejecting not only their families values and morals, but personally rejecting their parents as well. We want to help remedy the divisions being created in families by helping parents and their children form the connections that God’s word intends for families.
We firmly believe that both God and our founders intended that parents would educate their children and our hope is that we offer the Marysville community an education option for one of the most challenging ages. In the end we believe we can not only reverse the disconnect of parents, but that we can address the disconnect within our community. With the use of mentors and proactive tutoring we believe that we can rebuild the community connections that once ran deep within our nation.
Sun: What is the best way to get more information or contact you?
Mr. Schrader: The best way to hear more about The Engagement Academy is to visit our website at www.EngagementAcademy.net or to email us at TheEngagementAcademy@gmail.com. On our website you’ll see how you can be involved in this work whether you have a middle schooler or you want to aid these families. By taking a community-based approach you can tutor, mentor or support this work regardless of your gifts and talents.
Sun: Check out the Facebook Group Mr. Schrader started as well - Education Options Marysville
☀️Don’t Miss
The 90th Annual Marysville Strawberry Festival continues through Sunday, June 19. See the event website for a schedule of the remaining activities. The annual Twilight Grand Parade begins Saturday at 7:45pm.
June 17 (TONIGHT! 6:00pm) and 18 (Saturday, 2:00pm): Support Your Local Sheriff - a play performed by students at Evangel Classical School.
