United Christian Academy

🇺🇸 Today, we thank God for the incredible gift of living in the "land of the free." 🗽 We’re grateful for the courage and conviction of those who laid the foundation of liberty —and for the continued opportunity to stand for truth, live out our faith, and seek God freely ✝️. "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." — Galatians 5:1 📖 As we celebrate our country today, may we never take our freedoms for granted—and may we use them to shine the light of Christ boldly ✨🕊️. #ucathunder

📣 Holiday Office Closure 🌞 Our offices will be closed this week as our administration team takes a well-deserved summer break. We hope you're soaking up the summer sunshine and enjoying some rest and relaxation too! ⛺️🍉🏝️ We'll be back Monday, July 7th—refreshed and ready for all that's ahead! #ucathunder

#UnitedAllSummerLong 🌞 The Shogren family spent some time down in Florida visiting family. The boys are seen here on Siesta Key Beach. 🌴 💜 ⚡️ Keep those summer stories coming — we love seeing how our community stays united all summer long! #unitedallsummerlong #ucathunder

👋 Help us give a warm welcome to the newest members of the UCA community! 💜📚 Let us introduce the Bishop family, bringing students into Kindergarten and 2nd grade: “Our family just moved from Ohio to be closer to extended family. We have wanted to send our kids to a Christian school, but there weren’t great options close to where we lived in Ohio. We chose UCA because it is grounded in the Bible and teaches kids how to integrate biblical teachings into their lives. We love that it’s gospel centered and encourages kids to love like Jesus. We appreciate that the school has multiple churches coming together as one, offering k-12 and well-rounded activities. We look forward to building strong, Christ-centered relationships that will help us grow as a family and individually. We are excited for our kids to have strong peer and mentor relationships. We are a multiracial family through adoption. We love outdoor activities, traveling, trying new things, and being with friends and family.” 🏫 Welcome to UCA! We’re thrilled to have you join us and look forward to seeing the friendships, memories, and growth ahead. ⚡️ #ucathunder

🥰 Nothing warms our hearts more than seeing the lasting bond between students and teachers! One of our students recently invited her former teacher to attend her summer soccer game — and, of course, Mrs. Ray showed up to cheer her on! ⚽️ 📣 It's moments like these that remind us how special our school community is. Our teachers truly care for their students — long after the final bell rings. 💜 #ucathunder #unitedallsummerlong #teachmentortrain

#UnitedAllSummerLong 🌞 🧱🏗️While visiting family in Texas, the MacKenzie twins had the opportunity to see the Legoland Discovery Center! We hope you had an amazing time, and can’t wait to hear all your stories. 💜 ⚡️ Keep those summer stories coming — we love seeing how our community stays united all summer long! #unitedallsummerlong #ucathunder

👋 Help us give a warm welcome to the newest members of the UCA community! 💜📚 Let us introduce the Hilpert family, bringing one student into Kindergarten: “We were led to UCA after prayer and discussion about Amelia’s future. We want her to be raised in a school environment that puts her faith first, teaches with Biblical principles, and emphasizes the importance of a well-rounded education. After we toured UCA for the first time, we knew we had found our safe space. We are looking forward to meeting the other kids and their families - we have been told that UCA is a very close-knit, loving community, and we are very much looking forward to being a part of it! A few fun facts about us: we go tent camping multiple times per year, and have since Amelia was 6 months old! It’s our favorite thing to do as a family. We also love to kayak together, travel to new places, and watch movies while snuggled up on the couch eating Kayla’s homemade caramel corn. Thank you, UCA, for welcoming us so warmly! We are so excited to watch Amelia thrive in your care.” 🏫 Welcome to UCA! We’re thrilled to have you join us and look forward to seeing the friendships, memories, and growth ahead. ⚡️ #ucathunder

🎼 A Week of Music and Memories 🎼 🎶6th and 7th grade students spent the week with Mr. Curtis developing their instrument-playing skills and learning four pieces of music that were performed at the end of the week! Each day included music time and a fun non-music activity to keep the energy high and the smiles big. 😁 We loved hearing what they had been working on! 🎺🥁🎵 #ucathunder #ucafinearts

👋 Help us give a warm welcome to the newest members of the UCA community! 💜📚 We’re thrilled to have these wonderful families join us and look forward to seeing the friendships, memories, and growth ahead. Let us introduce the Studer family, bringing one student into Kindergarten: “When looking for a school for our daughter, we loved the idea of combining her education with a community of Christian believers who would continue to not only educate our daughter but also teach Christian values and morals. Once we toured UCA, we knew it was perfect for our little girl. We are looking forward to the Christian education and the aspect of a community with similar values, while also watching our little girl grow into her own faith, as well as make her own friends and community at UCA. Something unique about our family is that mom comes from a family of all sisters, and dad comes from a family of all brothers.” 🏫 Welcome to UCA! ⚡️ #ucathunder

#TBT 🇺🇸 Looking back on the memories of last summer -- UCA will once again be walking in the Richfield 4th of July parade! 🎆 We would love to have you join us to help promote our school, pass out candy, and have a great time together! 🤝 🍬 To volunteer, reach out to andi.webster@ucathunder.org

🏐 Volleyball Camp Week! 🔥 This week, our gym has been full of energy as elementary, middle, and high school students participate in volleyball camps! Each group is working hard to build skills and improve gameplay through drills, scrimmages, and lots of fun. Our high school athletes had a special opportunity to train with a guest coach who led them through advanced drills and focused training sessions with a fresh perspective—an awesome experience for our players to grow and sharpen their technique. Way to go, athletes! We’re proud of the hustle, teamwork, and progress from every age group. 💪👏 #ucathunder #ucaathletics

👋 Help us give a warm welcome to the newest members of the UCA community! 💜📚 We’re thrilled to have these wonderful families join us and look forward to seeing the friendships, memories, and growth ahead. Let us introduce the Petkoff family, bringing students into 2nd, 4th, and 6th grades: “With four kids, we love that UCA is a Christ-centered school that will allow all 4 of our kiddos to be together in one place! We look forward to getting to know new friends and families who share our values! Something to know about us is that we love to spend time at our family cabin way up in northern MN on the Gunflint Trail.” 🏫 Welcome to UCA! ⚡️ #ucathunder

📦 ✨ Some people were just born to organize! A big shoutout to Ally and Ciri, our amazing staff members, who took time to tackle one of our storage closets. Now that we’ve been in this space for a year and have a better understanding of our needs, they used their knack for neatness to turn this closet into a beautifully organized space. 🙌 🧹 #ucathunder #unitedallsummerlong

💅✨ Our “Sparkles & Spa” summer camp with Miss Anderson was a dream come true for these young ladies! Throughout the week, they painted nails, added tinsel to their hair, made their own jewelry and lip gloss, and got creative with fun craft projects. The grand finale? A cozy pajama day complete with facial masks and all the relaxing spa vibes! 🌸 🧘‍♀️ It was a week full of sparkle, creativity, and sweet memories! 💖 #ucathunder

#UnitedAllSummerLong 🌞⛺ The Taslers and Brewers, two UCA families, just returned from an awesome camping adventure in Osseo, Wisconsin! From campfires to exploring the great outdoors, the trip was filled with fun and memories. They loved rocking their matching UCA tie-dye shirts! It made it super easy to spot each other around the campground — and show off some Thunder pride while we were at it! 💜 ⚡️ Keep those summer stories coming — we love seeing how our community stays united all summer long! #unitedallsummerlong #ucathunder

Going through a summer at school is like working through a giant puzzle—lots of moving pieces and tasks that have to be completed in stages and at certain times! 🧩💪 Your students’ Chromebooks have been relocated to several different classrooms, depending on the available space to store them, due to ongoing floor refinishing projects. 💻 A big thank you to the staff members who are available for staying flexible and keeping things moving behind the scenes! #ucathunder

📚☀️ While students are off enjoying their summer break, our staff is hard at work preparing for next school year! The current task is opening, organizing, and assembling new curricula and workbooks. We’re laying the groundwork for another great year of learning and growth at UCA. #ucathunder

⚽ Our first week of UCA Soccer Camp is in the books — and what a great kickoff to the summer it was! Led by Dylan Engel, our new head boys soccer coach, students gathered in age-based groups throughout the week to sharpen their skills, learn new techniques, and, most importantly, grow in sportsmanship. A big thank you to our coach for setting the tone for a strong and encouraging season ahead! 💪💜 #unitedallsummerlong #ucathunder #ucaathletics

Two lucky students recently had an unforgettable adventure with two of our beloved elementary teachers—an experience they won during our annual spring fundraising event! 🐐🐹🦘 The group headed to Sustainable Safari, where they had the chance to feed goats, guinea pigs, kangaroos, capybaras, and many more amazing animals. One of the highlights? Doing the walk-around with the kangaroos and feeding them Wheat Thins! What a fun and memorable way to support UCA and make lasting memories. 💜 Thank you to our teachers for going above and beyond to create these special moments! #ucathunder #unitedallsummerlong #ucaelementary

📣 We may be on summer break, but we’d love to stay connected with our amazing UCA community! Seen here is our beloved Library and Aftercare Supervisor, Mrs. Joroensen. She’s busy packing up her Duluth apartment as she returns to the Twin Cities full time—just one of many summer adventures already underway! We want to hear from YOU too! 💜 Share your adventures and let us know what you're up to—whether you're traveling, serving, relaxing, or adventuring. Snap a photo in your UCA gear and send it to socialmedia@ucathunder.org! Let’s stay UNITED all summer long! #unitedallsummerlong #ucathunder