Education

The Chesapeake Conference Executive Committee recently named Janesta Walker (below) as superintendent of schools, and Michael Jakobsons (right) as associate superintendent. Walker fills the vacancy left by Jacqueline Messenger, who is now associate director for secondary education for the Columbia Union Conference. Mark Walker, the current interim superintendent, is set to retire August 1.

“We welcome both of these educators to the Chesapeake Conference. Their combined training and experience, in a variety of school settings, will prove to be a genuine benefit to our schools,” says Rick Remmers, conference president.

Story by Dinah Jordan

Pine Forge Academy is happy to welcome several new team members for the 2017-18 school year. Each new faculty and staff member is uniquely gifted to help PFA achieve its mission, vision and strategic initiatives.

Story by Donna Bigler

Washington Adventist University (WAU) in Takoma Park, Md., has been approved to implement a new Bachelor of Music Therapy degree program. WAU is the first institution in the State of Maryland and currently the only Seventh-day Adventist institution in North America to offer this degree.

“We are thrilled beyond measure to be gaining this important new program on our campus, as it prepares students to use music as a vehicle for service and outreach,” says Cheryl Kisunzu, WAU provost. “It is a wonderful addition to this university which has, for more than a century, functioned as a gateway to service for those who seek to help others.”

Story by Dave Morgan

Blue Mountain Academy (BMA) has offered its students flight training since the early 1970s. In the aviation program’s nearly 50 years, 80 students have earned private pilot’s licenses, and many more have completed training from discovery flights, soloing and cross-country trips.