This month, the Warrior Alumni Association is pleased to feature graduates who are serving their communities in the areas of athletics, law, law enforcement, medicine, military service, missions, homeless services and consumer services. CCS is very proud of these Warriors, and thankful for how they are serving God’s people and impacting our world.
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To read alumni news throughout the month, follow the Cypress Christian School Alumni Facebook page Facebook.com/CypressChristianSchoolAlumni and the CyChristianAlumni Instagram account. To read previous alumni newsletters: CypressChristian.org/Alumni/Alumni-News.
Steven Dansby (’05) coached the CCS middle school boys B basketball team this season. “He did a great job of teaching the game to his players,” says Head Middle School Basketball Coach Craig Cleveland. “It was an honor to have Steven, one of my former players, coach alongside me this season. Steven was an outstanding student and player while attending CCS, helping us win the state championship his senior year. The same work ethic that he had as a student-athlete was displayed this season as he coached his team. Coach Dansby did a great job of teaching on-court fundamentals and game strategy to all the middle school players. As a former, high-level player, Coach Dansby was also able to give the players great insight into the mind of an athlete and the mental approach of how to play the game. I was very proud of Coach Dansby and the work he did this season. The middle school boys basketball program benefited greatly by having him on staff, and I look forward to working with him in the future.”
Steven stays quite busy with his company, Momentum Marketing and Development, but wanted to take time to invest in CCS student-athletes like others had invested in him during his time at CCS. Coach Dansby says, “My role as a middle school basketball coach has been a very fulfilling one. I really enjoy teaching the fundamentals of basketball and teaching young athletes what it takes to improve. As a former CCS basketball player, I tried to instill in my players the lessons I learned that helped me to be successful years ago: faith, dedication, consistency and a no-quit attitude. I think that’s the Warrior way and the godly way to approach sports.”
The team experienced a rough start, but eventually the players began to implement the techniques Coach Dansby taught them, and they worked hard to get better every day, ”which is a great life lesson,” says Dansby. “They brought excitement to every practice and to every game and finished third place in their division. It was refreshing to see kids playing for the love of the game. I am very proud of our team and thankful for a great season of learning, growing and honoring the Lord.”
Daniel Rodriguez (’11), a graduate of Baylor University School of Law, recently passed the bar exam and began a prestigious one-year clerkship under Federal Judge Andrew Edison in Galveston, TX. And also in recent news, Daniel and former CCS student Amelia Tidwell are engaged.
Congratulations to Daniel and Amelia as they journey together to impact our world for Christ.
Jack Mitchell (’11) will soon celebrate his fourth year in law enforcement since graduating from the Police Academy. Currently, Jack is a Harris County Constable Precinct 8 Patrol Officer in southeast Houston and the Pasadena area. In August 2019, Jack married Mikaela Grass, and they now live in the Heights area.
Congratulations to the happy couple, and thanks to Jack for his dedicated service to Houston-area residents. CCS will be praying for Jack’s safety as he serves his community.
John Crozier (’16) attended Texas A&M University from 2016-2019 and was a member of the Corps of Cadets (Company D-2). He recentlygraduated from Marine Corps recruit training and MCT (Marine Combat Training) school at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, CA. As a new Private First Class, John has begun initial military occupational training at Naval Aircrew Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida.
CCS is thankful for his service to our country, and will be praying for John’s training and safety.
Avery Barbisch (’15) recently announced that she is pursuing a career as a NICU nurse! She said, “Goodbye, UT Health! Hello, Ben Taub NICU and tiny humans!” Avery is shown in photo with her parents, Brett and Tammy Barbisch.
Congratulations to Avery, and God’s blessings as she cares for the smallest among us.
Braden Barbisch (’18) graduated from Texas State Technical College in Waco, TX, in December 2019, with a degree in Industrial Maintenance and has accepted a position at Print Pack in Grand Prairie, TX. He will troubleshoot, repair and clean large equipment that helps in the process of printing food and liquid labels for consumers everywhere. Braden says, “I couldn’t be happier with the decision to go to a technical school, and God is good!”
Congratulations and thanks to Braden for providing this special service. Braden is shown with his sister Casey who is a junior at CCS.
Keeley Lambert Jones (’07) and her husband Clayton are thankful to work with Transform-CRU in Los Angeles. Whether it’s engaging fellow artists over a cup of coffee or leading a Bible Study, they say they are incredibly encouraged and cared for by their families, friends and supporters. Their prayer requests are: 1) that God would continue to guide them in parenting their beautiful daughter Liv, 2) that their ministry in LA would continue to grow and flourish with additional support and additional ministry opportunities, 3) that God will continue to light their path and guide them step-by-step as they trust Him and 4) open doors of opportunities in the film and acting industries.
Thank you for joining CCS as we pray for Keeley and her family as they share the gospel in their city. To let Keeley know you are praying for her family: [email protected].
Christina Mandujano Threlkeld (’14) graduated from the University of Houston in 2018, earning a degree in advertising, and in October 2019, she married her high school sweetheart, Cameron Threlkeld. The couple spent the fall traveling to Europe and exploring London, England and Copenhagen, Denmark. They now live in Austin, TX, where Cameron works for a major tech company, and Christina serves as the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the National Infusion Center Association, a patient advocacy non-profit benefiting those with rare and chronic illnesses.
They have a 10-month-old springer spaniel puppy who loves to swim and run around at all of the Austin dog parks. In 2020, they hope to move to a new house with a backyard for their pup and travel back to Europe to see more Scandinavian countries.
Congratulations to Christina and Cameron! We are thankful for Christina’s dedication to addressing patient challenges and ensuring they have access to needed resources.
Kerrie Nelson Baiz (’06) holds a B.S. in Business Administration from LeTourneau University where she played soccer, basketball, tennis and softball. After graduation, she moved to Corpus Christi, TX, and began her career as a teacher, coach and Athletic Director for Ingleside Independent School District. While in Corpus Christi, she completed her master’s degree in education from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, and earned 21 hours towards a doctorate in leadership.
Kerrie says that after a few years in Corpus Christi, God led her to move to Lakeland, FL, to use her degree in multiple areas including graphic design, marketing and development in her current position as Development Associate and Volunteer Coordinator at Talbot House Ministries. Kerrie is thankful to serve at Talbot, “where through the love of God, they provide immediate basic services and opportunities for life renewal for those in need.”
Kerrie is also thankful that she met her husband, Antonio, after moving to Florida. They were married in May of 2016. Kerrie and Antonio love to run and cycle on trails throughout central Florida, and on occasion, they take their seven-year old husky named Comet walking around the various lakes that make Lakeland famous.
CCS is thankful for Kerrie’s service as she uses her education, experience and gifts to help the needy in her city.
Chanel Longnecker Wilson (’06) owns Cypress Calligraphy. She specializes in calligraphy and custom hand-painted signs. Her products are freehand-painted, without stencils, templates or vinyl stickers. Chanel says, “I can pretty much paint on anything – wood, mirrors, chalkboards, glass, paper, etc. for any event – weddings, baby showers, bridal showers, holidays, parties, home decor, business decor, etc.” Her company and her work have been featured in the Voyage Houston Magazine and on TheKnot.com. See Chanel’s work and place orders via her Facebook page: Facebook.com/CypressCalligraphy.
We are thankful for Chanel’s creativity and how she is blessing others with her gifts.
Josh Clark (’01) and his wife Amanda own Neverland Balloons. They enjoy using their talents to bring smiles to the faces of everyone, young and old. Josh is a balloon artist and Amanda is a face painter. Recently, Josh created a beautiful Warrior blue and white balloon arch in the West Gym or Multi-Use Facility as it was called before the new East Gym was built. He said, “I had a blast making this balloon arch at CCS. It’s amazing to see how much the school has grown. I remember when this gym was first built.”
We are thankful for Josh’s hard work and creativity to bless the families, students and staff of CCS.
