Summer 2017

HOMESCHOOLIOWA.ORG

very year at our annual conference, our children’s program team puts to-

gether a Bible-based program for the kids to enjoy while their parents

are in sessions during the conference. Each year holds a new theme,

communicating principles found in theWord of God in an effective and excit-

ing way through songs, memory verses, activities, lesson times,and drama!

The 2017 8-part drama was fully scripted and costumed, the stage beauti-

fully set, and the storyline captured the attention of every attendee. LIBER-

TY, the 2017 theme, presented how true liberty is found in Christ, with the

drama being set in early American history. Three of this year’s young volun-

teers, siblings, wrote about their experiences volunteering with the children’s

program at the 2017 Homeschool Iowa Conference.

Drama! Music! Fun! & MORE!

NICHE’s Young Volunteers Enjoy Conference

My name is Abigail Valiente, and my siblings and I vol-

unteered at the Homeschool Iowa Conference this year,

with the children’s program. One word I would use to ex-

plain the conference is “fun.”At the conference, I was one

volunteer out of many different kinds of people. I was ex-

cited to participate in the drama, especially since one of

the things I love to do is acting! I enjoyed this drama im-

mensely, and I have been acting in theatre since I was in

third grade. All of the other volunteers were interesting, and I enjoyed

getting to know them. All the people I met were uplifting, as well as

energized for God. In every large group, there was a play performance,

and I helped with each of them. The theme this year was “Liberty,” cen-

tered around The Revolutionary War. The costumes were all uniquely

handmade by the leaders. My favorite thing I was a part of was helping

in the sound booth during the drama when I wasn’t performing. Every-

one I worked with was kind and friendly. I really enjoyed my time at the

conference. Next year I hope it will be as fun as this year, and I’m looking

forward to seeing everyone again!

My name is Devin Valiente, and I volunteered at the

Homeschool Iowa Conference this year in early June. I

chose to participate as a team member, and my sisters

chose to be a part of the drama team. I was on TeamWil-

liamsburg. Our duties were explained so thoroughly by

the leaders that I was able to entertain the children and

provide them with the care required with great ease.

The work was divided up evenly among the volunteers; no one was

overworked, and everyone had a meaningful place on the team. All of

the staff was extremely friendly, and there was no negative feedback

to anyone of any kind. Everything had a very well-defined plan, and

things went smoothly. The children were never bored and enjoyed

every aspect of the conference, especially the drama. The process was

enriching to everyone, including the volunteers. I feel everyone learned

something useful. The beautiful pianomusicmay have inspired some to

learn to play themselves. I am starting piano lessons this week because

of my experience at the conference. The acting may have sparked an

interest in a hobby, and maybe some developed a desire to watch and

play with little children. The conference was great, despite my skeptical

mindset in the beginning.

Hello, world! My name is Emma

Valiente, and I am going to tell you

all about the homeschool confer-

ence that I was a part of this year. It

was a great experience! The name

“homeschool conference” doesn’t

sound likemuch fun, BUT it was ac-

tually a lot of fun, cool, humorous, andmany more

things. The theme of the children’s program at the

conference was based on The American Revolu-

tionary War. Cool, right? I was in the drama, and it

was awesome! It was themost amount of lines I’ve

ever had to memorize, but I didn’t mind. My char-

acter’s name was Mrs. Betty Parker. I was a little old

lady, andmy character’s demeanor was sweet and

gentle. I got to sign autographs with my charac-

ter’s name for the children. There were classrooms

for the kids to go to and do activities, and there

were 4 classrooms for the staff like me. The volun-

teer teams needed to get there early and wait for

the kids to arrive. Each class was one of the US ter-

ritory names. There were 1, 2, 3, and 4 classrooms

and their names were, NewYork, Boston,Williams-

burg, and Philadelphia. The drama team would

go from room to room and play games with the

kids, staff, and all who were there. It was so much

fun! I was very happy to be in the drama and to

be a staff member too. I feel that the conference

brought all three of us (my siblings and me) closer

to Christ. I want to say thank you to the children’s

director and the second director, the drama crew,

the staff, and all my new friends. Thank you for the

great time!