The Friday Finish - Young But Experienced - Runners Set Pace - Tracing Hackers - Red Stockings - Double Impact - Japanese Nurses
- Tim Crawford
- Sep 5
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 5
September 5, 2025
The weather is beginning to feel more like Fall the last few days, and weeks filled with sports programs at Red Bird Christian School confirm the transition from Summer to Fall.
Red Bird Volleyball Young but Experienced
The Red Bird Volleyball team started up the 2025-26 year for Red Bird Christian School Athletics playing district rival Oneida Baptist Institute on August 21st. Kaitlin Brock and Akela Smallwood returned as coaches to lead what many would consider a young team. There is only one senior returning this year, but technically the entire team of 14 is returning to Red Bird Volleyball since the remaining players were either on the middle school or junior varsity teams last year. There are no juniors on the team that is comprised of girls in 6th through 10th grades.
Coach Akela said,
“We are young, but we’ve got a good bit of experience. Our middle school girls will basically be the Junior Varsity (JV) squad since the freshman and sophomore girls that would normally be playing JV will be our Varsity team.”
They may be young but their play in the few matches played shows they have both skills and game experience. The proof came when they won a set in their first match against Jackson County, a perennial top team in their Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) district.
The home season opens up today with another 49th District foe, Clay County, coming to the John D. Wilson Court.
Experienced Runners Set Pace for Younger Athletes
The starting gun fired Tuesday evening for Red Bird Cross Country (XC) for the first time this season at the Harlan County All Comers Race. Like Red Bird Volleyball, the cross country team is building for the future with 12 elementary runners total this year (2 girls and 10 boys). Of those 12 runners there are two new runners and one who returned to the team after taking last year off from running.
The high school team has six (2 girls and 4 boys) athletes running that includes one middle school runner, Bryan William Smith. Bryan, who will be running some middle school races as well as a few varsity races, finished third in the 3K middle school race on Tuesday. Skyleigh Davidson who medaled at regional track and field championships in May started off the cross country season with middle-of-the-pack finish on the challenging Harlan County course.
Natasha Howard comes on board as an assistant coach to work with Coach Angela Crawford who is in her 34th year of coaching at Red Bird. Next up for the running Cardinals is the Leslie County All Comers Meet today.
Students Trace Hackers
On Wednesday, Greg Schloemer, visited Red Bird Christian School to introduce our Civil Air Patrol and High School Technology students to the exciting world of cybersecurity!
Greg is a Senior Threat Intel Analyst at Microsoft and also the co-founder and Vice-President of KC7. KC7 is a platform that equips students with essential skills in cybersecurity, coding, and digital problem-solving, preparing them for careers in the rapidly-growing tech industry!
Our students loved getting hands-on experience with coding challenges and tracing hackers—real-world skills that could shape their futures! Thank you, Mr. Schloemer and KC7, for inspiring the next generation of tech innovators!
Red Stockings for Red Bird
Why I support Red Bird Christian School
I remember, as a small child, putting coins in a red stocking at Christmas time to send to Red Bird Mission. Before that, when my mother was in her late teens, she began praying for Betty Sue Smith, a teacher at Red Bird Mission School.
As an adult, I had the chance to visit Red Bird Mission for the first time with my mother, and we saw what was being done at Red Bird. But, it was really soon after that visit that I had a family member begin teaching at Red Bird. I then saw the impact being made on students at the school and I began to give [as an adult] to the school.
I have witnessed first-hand Christians teaching the students and modeling Christianity. The Lord is involved at Red Bird and they are helping grow God’s Kingdom. That’s why I give to Red Bird Christian School.
Double Your Impact - Matching Funds Now Available
News came this week that matching funds are now available for the 2025 Homecoming Challenge. That means your gift has double the impact. Our students need your gifts to have opportunities for learning in a Christian environment that prepares them for a career of leading and serving.
Give online using the link to our 2025 Homecoming Challenge donation form or, if you prefer, mail your check marked “Homecoming Challenge” payable to Red Bird Mission, Inc., 70 Queendale Ctr, Beverly, KY 40913-9607. Those giving online have the options of using credit or debit cards, direct debit, Apple Pay, or PayPal.
Success Shared with Japanese Nurses
A group of Japanese nursing students and their professors stopped by Red Bird Mission
today to hear Community Outreach Director Tracy Nolan, a registered nurse, tell how Red Bird works to address the social determinants of health among the people served in our rural communities. The group, from Kagoshima University in southern Japan, is on a fraternal visit through Berea College Nursing. Dr. Lisa Turner has been working several years with Tracy to bring Berea Nursing students to Red Bird each year for practical experiences working with Tracy in the community and school. Dr. Monica Kennison, Chair of Berea Nursing, accompanied Dr. Turner today on the visit to Red Bird Mission and other organizations working on rural health issues here in southeastern Kentucky.
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