Latest news with #characterdevelopment
Associated Press
a day ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Christ Church Academy Announces Final Enrolment Amid High STEAM Education Demand
Christ Church Academy announces limited enrollment for 2025/26 in its Preschool (ages 2+) and K-4 Lower School programs, featuring a new campus with STEAM Lab and BlackBox Theatre under new Head of School Amber Mullins. Vero Beach, United States, June 28, 2025 -- In response to growing national demand for early education models that combine academic rigor with character development, Christ Church Academy has announced limited remaining spaces for the 2025-26 school year in its Preschool and select Lower School grades. To explore enrollment or schedule a campus tour, visit Recent years have seen growing demand for early education programs that prepare students with both technical skills and character development. Christ Church Academy's approach reflects this national shift, combining Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) with faith-based instruction to offer students hands-on learning paired with a biblical worldview and weekly chapel. As part of its program expansion, the school is preparing to move into a new campus featuring a fully equipped STEAM Lab and BlackBox Theatre, both designed to support interdisciplinary, project-based learning. These facilities align with broader educational trends that emphasize innovation, creativity, and whole-child development in early education. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, STEM-related careers are projected to grow 10% through to 2033, much higher than the 4% predicted for the average career. This has prompted more schools to introduce related concepts earlier in a child's education. Christ Church Academy is one such school preparing students for that future, with small class sizes, credentialed teachers, and a curriculum that balances academic rigor with creative and ethical inquiry. The school also makes use of Brightwheel, a widely adopted digital platform that helps teachers manage classroom activities while keeping families connected to their child's daily progress. Its integration is part of a broader movement toward transparency and parent engagement in private education. 'We understand families are looking for an education model that doesn't just prepare children academically but also supports their social, emotional, and spiritual growth,' the school's new head, Amber Mullins, says. Our curriculum and new campus have been designed with that balance in mind.' In addition to religion-based and STEAM subjects, the school incorporates literature, music, and cursive writing as part of its whole-child development model—an approach increasingly embraced by Christian education providers across the country. To view current availability or submit an inquiry, visit Contact Info: Name: Amber Mullins Email: Send Email Organization: Christ Church Academy Address: 665 20th Street, Vero Beach, Florida 32960, United States Website: Release ID: 89163459 Should you detect any errors, issues, or discrepancies with the content contained within this press release, or if you need assistance with a press release takedown, we kindly request that you inform us immediately by contacting [email protected] (it is important to note that this email is the authorized channel for such matters, sending multiple emails to multiple addresses does not necessarily help expedite your request). Our expert team will be available to promptly respond and take necessary steps within the next 8 hours to resolve any identified issues or guide you through the removal process. We value the trust placed in us by our readers and remain dedicated to providing accurate and reliable information.
Times
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
This fizzy, satisfying read has echoes of Jonathan Franzen
The great Kurt Vonnegut once set out eight rules for writing stories, one of which was: 'Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.' In Fulfillment, the second novel by the American writer Lee Cole (the title retains the US spelling), the central question is: what exactly do we want? In most stories, it's straightforward. A character wants something — love, riches, one ring to rule them all — then gets it or doesn't, with interruptions along the way. This is a fruitful if predictable path, but what might be more interesting is if the characters don't know what they want. It might be more realistic too: the psychologist Abraham Maslow said, 'It isn't normal to know what we want. It's a rare and difficult psychological achievement.' While that might not get you far when there's a queue behind you in Starbucks, it makes for a pretty satisfying novel. Cole introduces us to Emmett Shaw and his half-brother Joel, who share a mother but are otherwise very different. Joel, 33, has a wife and a successful, fulfilled academic career, and has written a book with his 'smug-looking photo on the jacket'. Emmett is drifting at 28, and has 'never taken a job or made a commitment in his life that he couldn't walk away from at a moment's notice'. He thinks about becoming a screenwriter, although that seems more because he wants to find something to do rather than because he really wants to do it. Emmett and Joel don't really stay in touch: their text messages are 'just a series of alternating Happy Birthday! messages, stretching back four years'. The plot gets moving when both brothers are back home in Kentucky with their mother. She's addicted to Fox News, which offers another form of fulfilment, by reliably telling her what she wants to hear. When she criticises Joel's electric car, he asks righteously, 'What's your vision of the future? Are we all driving Hummers to our jobs at the local coal mine?' As for Emmett, he's deeper in the world of wanting than anyone. He's just got a job at a fulfilment centre for Tempo, a thinly disguised Amazon corporate behemoth. He's a tiny pixel in the superstructure of a modern tech industry that is built round not just delivering what we want — next day, same day, so we can move on to wanting the next thing — but also predicting what we want ('customers like you also bought this'). 'Our phones listen to us,' Joel's wife Alice says. 'They know what we want before we do.' Emmett, with little to lose, gets involved with a colleague's plot to steal medication from shipments they are unpacking and sell them. But more significantly, he gets involved with Alice, who was never sure she wanted Joel in the first place, and is now sure she doesn't. What better way to fulfilment than to have an affair with your husband's half-brother, someone who is like him and not? • What we're reading this week — by the Times books team Fulfillment seems to be aiming for somewhere between Nathan Hill's satire of modern mores (even the title has echoes of Wellness) and Jonathan Franzen's family turbulence. There's a desperate comedy to the characters' efforts to stave off boredom by any means — crime, sex, conspiracy theories — and a nice fizzy energy to the way even secondary characters are on the make, including the man who thinks being an Uber driver makes him an entrepreneur. Cole has an astute ear also for the verbal racket of modern life, from colleagues with sappy fridge-magnet-level mottos of advice ('Stay in the present') to the found poetry of medication side-effect warnings. 'Agitation, insomnia, sexual disappointment, sudden flatulence…' From time to time, though, you can hear the clunk of the author pulling levers to advance the plot, as when Joel is mistaken for a much more popular author, or when Emmett decides to take a break from the family for a few days and suddenly Alice needs to go with him for spurious reasons. (The real reason being, Cole needs to get their affair to the next level.) • Read more book reviews and interviews — and see what's top of the Sunday Times Bestsellers List The last 50 pages accelerate everything and wrap up all the plot points a bit too quickly. But that's not fatal: endings are hard, and in a way all these manipulations are an extension of the book's purpose. Why do we read if not to be taken for a ride by the author? Anyway, the scenes that result from these unlikely developments are funny and interesting, and the ending has a neatness that works, so we forgive them. Fulfillment is engaging, thoughtful and bang up-to-date. Fulfillment by Lee Cole (Faber & Faber £18.99 336pp). To order a copy go to Free UK standard P&P on orders over £25. Special discount available for Times+ members
Geek Tyrant
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Review: PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS is an Ultra-Violent, Visually Striking Evolution of the Franchise — GeekTyrant
Predator: Killer of Killers is an absolute blast! It's brutal, beautifully animated, and emotionally rich in ways I honestly didn't expect going in. This thing does not hold back. From the opening scene to the final surprising frame, the movie barrels forward with a savage intensity that makes it feel like you're being hunted right alongside its characters. The violence is unapologetic, the action is jaw-dropping, and the whole experience feels like someone finally decided to let the Predator franchise be as bold, artistic, and brutal as it was always meant to be. What really hooked me, though, were the three distinct stories that make up this anthology. Each one focuses on a different warrior throughout history. 'The Shield', 'The Sword', and 'The Bullet', and they're all three are not only packed with killer action, but also grounded in emotional stakes that give the chaos weight. Whether it's the Viking raider guiding her young son on a bloody quest for revenge, the ninja in feudal Japan who turns against his Samurai brother in a brutal battle for succession, or the WWII pilot staring down cosmic death in skies, the writing never skimps. I found myself fully invested in each of them, not just for how they fight, but why. The character development across the anthology is strong, especially given the limited runtime for each segment. There's a sense of intimacy in the awesome storytelling, even when the action ramps up to an eleven, that makes each chapter feel personal and mythic at the same time. Each of the settings feel immersive and meaningful to the story being told. These aren't just action vignettes, they're reflections of the characters and the cultures they come from. Then there's the incredible animation. Director Dan Trachtenberg explained that the style was inspired by the concept art from the live-action Predator films, and you can really see it. It has this rich, painterly quality that gives it a kind of storybook-for-grownups look. The action in the film is stylized and theatrical, like you're watching a violent ballet unfold in slow motion… before it all explodes in blood and flame. Each segment feels like a visual poem about death and survival. There's an badass elegance to how they're built with tight structure, great pacing, haunting atmosphere, and then the Predators show up and wreck everything in the most spectacular fashion. The final act, where all the stories tie together, is where the film kicks into a whole new gear of awesomeness. The ending is one insane, fist-pumping beat after another, and it was incredibley greakin' amazing! I also love how the movie expands the Predator universe. This isn't just another cat-and-mouse hunt. Predator: Killer of Killers takes the core idea of a Predator hunting the fiercest warriors and uses it as a lens to explore humanity… our pain, our pride, our violence. It respects the lore while pushing it into new, exciting territory. If this is where the franchise is headed, I'm all in. Let Trachtenberg run wild with it for as long as he wants. Honestly, I wish I could've seen this on the big screen. It's just too damn cool to be confined to a streaming service. Between the jaw-dropping animation, the emotional storytelling, and the sheer scale of its ambition, Predator: Killer of Killers isn't just one of the best Predator films, it's one of the most artistically awesome entries in the sci-fi action genre.
Geek Tyrant
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
ARCANE Writer Teases Spinoff Exploring Motherhood and Aging Heroes: 'What Happens When Vi and Caitlyn Are Older?' — GeekTyrant
Ever since Arcane Season 2 wrapped up with a bang, fans have been wondering about what's next for the franchise. While Riot Games and Fortiche are playing things close to the chest, writer Amanda Overton just dropped an intriguing hint at where a potential spin-off could go… emotionally and thematically. Overton, who helped shape the scripts for both seasons of the hit Netflix series, recently opened up about how her personal life is shifting the kind of stories she wants to tell next. She told ScreenRant: 'I wasn't a mother when we were writing season 1 and 2, and now I am. And I was like, 'There is so much more to explore in terms of motherhood, or how phases of life shift.'' That life perspective could open the door to a very different kind of Arcane story, one less focused on rising conflict and more about the evolution of the people who've already fought their battles. Overton added: '[I'd be interested in] older characters – what happens when Vi and Caitlyn are older, and now they're adults, and what choices do they make?' It's an interesting pivot, especially considering how Arcane Season 2 ended with Piltover reeling from Ambessa's invasion, Viktor's time-bending technology shifting the tides, and Vi suffering heartbreaking losses with Vander and Jinx. But a quieter, character-driven follow-up could be exactly what the series needs to deepen its emotional resonance. Meanwhile, showrunner Christian Linke is keeping things a bit more grounded. In the same interview, he said: 'I think, for now, it's a moment for us to take a step back [and] look at the whole map, if you will.' That cautious tone is a shift from the immediate post-finale energy, when fans expected multiple new projects to go into development. In fact, things got so speculative that Riot co-founder Marc Merrill had to clarify things on X: 'To clarify, he didn't say 3 separate shows – said exploring 3 regions. We are exploring a bunch of different shows (and games).' Still, fans hoping to return to Runeterra are going to have a wait a while. When previously talking about the future of the franchise, Linke made it clear: 'Yeah, it takes time – depending on if it's a series or a movie. We're exploring both in many, many directions. A lot of it comes down to finding the right people, the right vision, the right idea, the right story. 'That'll take years, and once we have confidence that something's happening, we'll talk more about it." For now, both seasons of Arcane are streaming on Netflix. As for what's next, older heroes, motherhood, new regions, or maybe all of the above, I'mlooking forward to seeing what's next.
Wall Street Journal
30-05-2025
- Health
- Wall Street Journal
‘The Family Dynamic' Review: Sibling Opportunities
President Obama didn't want to go. He was returning home to Chicago in 2012 to deliver a speech at Hyde Park High School, and his schedule was already jammed. I was Chicago's mayor at the time, and leaned into my reputation for being lousy at taking 'no' for an answer. 'Mr. President,' I said, 'I served for a long time as your chief of staff, and I'm allowed one ask—this is it.' Begrudgingly he agreed to participate in 'Becoming a Man,' a program to connect at-risk youth with male mentors, five days a week, for three hours each day during the school year. He was taken in. The program partly inspired his second-term initiative 'My Brother's Keeper.' 'Becoming a Man' came frequently to mind as I was reading Susan Dominus's 'The Family Dynamic.' Ms. Dominus, a writer for the New York Times Magazine, begins with a provocative premise. For all the attention society invests in understanding the role parents play in shaping their child's life, we pay comparatively little attention to the effect of the household as a whole—specifically whether a child with siblings is the firstborn, the youngest or falls somewhere in the middle. Ms. Dominus presents us with a series of family stories (with a passing reference to mine) and explains what the latest research tells us about how human character is shaped by a person's unique family structure. Much of Ms. Dominus's account confirms truths that ordinary people know instinctively: that children are shaped by the place they occupy in their extended family, that it matters if children are encouraged to try new things and admonished when they fail, that children flourish when they feel secure at home and wither when they don't. And yes, much is determined by birth order. I once complained to my mother that she loved my older brother, Ezekiel, more than me, to which she replied, in what I wasn't sure was a joke, 'No, I hate you all equally.' What's remarkable is that, in the political circles in which I run—that is, among Democrats—you can't discuss these topics openly and honestly. When, as mayor, I delivered a public-safety speech that touched on fatherhood and male role models, the activist community denounced me. Many on the left also criticized President Obama when he focused on the scourge of paternal absence. Ever since the furious reaction to the Moynihan Report 60 years ago—in which Daniel Patrick Moynihan, then serving in the Johnson administration, concluded that black poverty was largely a result of family breakdown—many on the progressive left have tried to steer all conversation about disparate outcomes to questions of economic inequality and institutional racism. These realities play a critical role, for sure. But the family, as Ms. Dominus demonstrates, is the fundamental factor.
