🏐 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
💪🪑 Out with the old, in with the new-to-us!
We took advantage of a liquidation auction in Mandan, North Dakota, and picked up 150 new classroom desks to replace older ones at UCA. Three dedicated staff members made the trek with a 26-foot U-Haul to load everything up, and a helpful crew was waiting back at school to unload it all. 🚚 🏫
It was a big team effort and a big win for our learning spaces!
#ucathunder #unitedallsummerlong
🎓🍩 Our Pre-K students had a special and eventful morning on the last day of school!
They said heartfelt goodbyes to their senior buddies and then enjoyed a sweet breakfast with classmates and families.
This was a momentous first year as UCA students, and we’re so thankful to have shared it with them. We can’t wait to see all the joy, growth, and learning the years ahead will bring! 🌱 💜
#ucathunder #ucaprek
🏆 Final “House”keeping of the Year! 🏆
On the last day of school, we wrapped up the House System with one final celebration — announcing this year’s House Cup winners… Congratulations to Gratia House for taking the title! 🎉💙
We also watched as our current middle and high school house leaders officially passed the baton to next year’s newly elected leaders. It was a special moment recognizing leadership, teamwork, and school spirit.
We’re so proud of all our houses and can't wait to see what next year brings! 💪
#ucathunder #ucahousesystem
🎉 Big congratulations to senior volleyball player, Kennedy, on signing her letter of intent to play women's volleyball at Carthage College! 🏐
She started at UCA in her junior year and, despite being ineligible to play varsity due to transfer rules, she never let that hold her back. With a positive attitude, strong leadership, and dedication both on and off the court, she made a lasting impact on our program.
We’re so proud of you and can’t wait to cheer you on at the next level! Best of luck at Carthage! 💜
#ucathunder #ucaathletics #ucahighschool
🎓 What a special day!
Graduation was filled with joy, memories, and celebration as we honored the Class of 2025. From heartfelt speeches to proud moments on stage, it was a beautiful sendoff for our amazing seniors. 💜
#ucathunder #ucaclassof2025 #ucahighschool
🏆 During the last chapel service of the year, we had the honor of recognizing our Student of the Quarter winners for the fourth quarter! These outstanding students were chosen by their teachers for consistently displaying the House Essentials—integrity, helpfulness, respect, compassion, and many more. 🌟
💛 Elementary: Camden L (Fide House)
💚 Middle School: Avery B (Scriptura House)
💛 High School: Andre Y (Fide House)
We are so proud of each of them for their dedication to excellence both in and out of the classroom. Congratulations to all the winners!
#ucathunder #ucahousesystem
🧬🐖 Biology in Action! 🐖🧬
Our high school biology students recently completed a fascinating hands-on lab — the dissection of fetal pigs. This in-depth experience gave students a close-up look at the internal anatomy of mammals, helping them understand body systems and how they work together.
It was an incredible opportunity to apply what they’ve learned in class to real-world biology — sparking curiosity, critical thinking, and a deeper appreciation for the complexity of life.
#ucathunder #ucahighschool #ucastem
Amazing Shrinking Art! 🔥🎨
Our 6th graders had a blast experimenting with shrinking art! Each student drew and painted their favorite artwork on large sheets of special plastic — then watched in awe as their creations went into the oven and shrunk down to miniature masterpieces! 🖌️ ➡️ 🔥 ➡️ 🖼️
It was a fun and creative way to explore how materials react to heat — and the results were seriously impressive!
#ucathunder #ucamiddleschool
💚 💛Final House Games of the Year! 💙❤️
Last Friday, our 6th–12th grade students wrapped up the final House Games of the school year with fiery energy — even in the cold rain! 🔥🌧
Whether it was kickball, volleyball, basketball, or the always intense "Thunderball," the competition was fierce, the teamwork was strong, and the school spirit was high. There were even some fun water games in the mix. This day was the perfect way to finish the year with fun, friendly rivalry, and lots of laughs! 💜🤣
#ucathunder #ucahousesystem
“Do your best, forget the rest, sportsmanship is the real test!” ~Chad Peters
💨🏃♀️🏃🏻♂️After the opening pep talk by our head of school, our elementary students bundled up and bravely faced the chilly wind to give it their all at Field Day! From running, throwing, and jumping to the always-tough bent arm hang, these young athletes rose to the challenge.
Even more impressive than their efforts was their incredible sportsmanship — cheering on classmates, celebrating victories, and offering encouragement when things didn’t go as planned. 💜👏
Huge thank you to all of our volunteers who helped make this day happen!
#ucathunder #ucaelementary
