Tag Archive for: Student Life

Author: David Markopoulos | Living Education

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This previous Sunday, the Living Education-Charlotte students hosted the annual Ladies’ Bingo Brunch activity at the LivingEd women’s dorm. The purpose of the activity was to provide an exciting and inclusive activity for the local ladies, and to allow the students to get to know them better.

This year introduced a new theme: 1970s Neon Disco. True to the theme, the students spent weeks preparing a menu plan, decorations, invitations, and, of course, their costumes. The night before the activity was spent in busy preparation transforming the downstairs area of the house into a real 1970s disco club. From preparing food and drinks to bedazzled neon outfits to the bright lights and the disco ball in the living room, the students worked hard to give the ladies a positive and enjoyable experience.

The morning of the activity saw final preparations completed, and as the guests arrived in costumes of their own, the atmosphere was full of energy and enthusiasm. The brunch table was filled with delicious food, and a disco-themed “bar” offered homemade drinks. After the meal, the ladies and students participated together in several lively rounds of bingo played with coffee beans. Several prizes neatly placed in unique coffee mugs were won by each team, and prizes were even given out by Mr. McNair for “most creative costume.”

As the morning passed and the activity concluded, the students and ladies fellowshipped for a time before departing. After a successful activity, the students turned around and set to work taking down the decorations and wrapping up a substantial cleaning effort. This year’s Bingo Brunch activity was a success straight out of the 70s!

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David Markopoulos is a Living Education alumnus from the 2023-2025 school years. Originally hailing from Chicago, he currently works for the Living Education program.

Author: Katelyn Wissinger| Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2025-26

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On December 7, the Living Education students toured the NASCAR Hall of Fame museum in Charlotte, NC, where they learned more about racing cars and enjoyed time together. The exhibits they walked through explained the history of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing from its inception to its current state. Life-sized models of the cars and samples of the track surfaces were on display.  A racing simulator and pit stop simulator provided an opportunity for friendly competition, as the students got a feel for what stock car racing involves. All the attendees came back from the trip having learned something and made new memories.

Author: Katelyn Wissinger| Student, Living Education – Charlotte, 2025-26

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This past Sunday, we traveled to Sunset Beach, NC, for a relaxing afternoon and a welcome reprieve from the past week. While a trip to the beach is quite dependent on the weather, and ours was cut short because of the unwelcome rain, we enjoyed it nonetheless and got our fair share of the sun.

Around 8 am, we packed up the vans and headed off on the road, full of anticipation for what lay ahead. At about 12.30 am, we arrived at the beach, and thankfully, there was little trouble in finding a close parking space that made our walk to the sand a whole lot shorter. Once on the beach, students and faculty set about putting up the gazebos and setting up the camping chairs. Scarcely were we there for more than a few minutes before students eagerly dashed towards the beckoning blue expanse in front of them. Others, a little famished, stayed back and dived into the prepared pasta salad bowls for lunch. The sun was at its full height as it shone strongly on all the beachgoers. Some of the students took the opportunity to rest under the gazebos on the warm sands, but most eventually made it into the waves and enjoyed rolling and jumping into them. As expected, some got to experience the taste of the delightfully briny water a little too much. As the afternoon rolled on, the ominous grey clouds in the distance and the echoes of thunder drew closer and closer. Students and faculty prepared themselves, repacking our belongings as we closely watched the droplets of precipitation getting ever closer. The downpour eventually hit our location, and we all made a mad dash for the vans. 

While the beach trip may have been cut short due to the gloomy weather, the time we did enjoy on the coast made memories and allowed us to appreciate God’s creation. For some, it was their first time they were able to go so far out into the water to jump waves, and for others, it reminded them why the beach is such a beautiful place.