Welcome to ACSI

By: Hohna Hartley

When the hard-working students of Ambassador Christian Academy (ACA) wanted to expand their STEM horizons, they didn’t schedule a field trip to a local science and technology museum. No, they scheduled flights and flew across the country from New Jersey to Phoenix, Arizona, in March 2025 to compete in the International Christian Stem Competition (ICSC) at Grand Canyon University. Much more than a field trip, the entire experience enabled hands-on learning and personal growth from beginning to end.

It was October when Kevin Bals, ACA’s STEM supervisor, was presented with the idea of taking students to ICSC. ACA, a high school of less than 50 students, did not have an existing STEM team, so Bals put out the word about the opportunity to compete at ICSC and gathered a group of 13 interested students.

That was step one. The next step required the students to jump in with a willingness to learn and take ownership of the path to competition. Students chose their favorites of the available STEM categories and were divided into three competitive teams focused on innovation in service, ethical artificial intelligence, and aerospace. Once teams were established, it was up to the students to determine the details of their projects.

“We just got together after school and just started looking things up,” explained Luke, an ACA sophomore. “It was a lot of just brand-new research. And literally just looking up, ‘How do we do this?’ and then figuring it out along the way.”

The days and weeks until the April competition continued much in the same fashion.

“It was literally just trial and error like every single day, 24/7. … It was just one step forward, 25 steps back and then saying, ‘OK, let's start over again,’” said Deborah, a junior at ACA.

Working together, the students researched and developed their projects. The three teams chose to create a freefall aircraft capable of precision-landing on a target, a cybersecurity campaign to protect individuals online, and a chatbot for teens using AI as well as a biblical foundation.

With no designated STEM class time, students scheduled their own meeting and work times outside of regular school hours and extra-curricular commitments.

“Most of our meetings were after school or before school. … FaceTime calls after basketball practice or after they get out of band,” explained Luke.

Though they were making progress on their projects, they also needed to think about getting to the competition, which was hosted at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona—across the country from their New Jersey school. Flights and travel costs would be considerable, so they would need to raise funds.

“We have a lot of fundraisers at our school … but this is a lot more money than we normally have to raise,” said Molly, a junior. “We did the thing where … you send out support letters to people and you ask them to help pray for you and to support you financially. It worked out pretty well.”

The months rolled by as the students tackled regular school responsibilities, extra curriculars, fundraising, and STEM projects. Finally, the funds (over $15,000!) were raised, the projects were complete, and it was time for the competition.

Early one morning in April, the students and sponsors gathered for their adventure to Phoenix. For some, it was their first time flying on an airplane. For all of the students, it was their first trip to a STEM competition.

In Phoenix, each team got to present their projects alongside peers from schools around the country and the world who had also worked hard toward the goal of competing at ICSC.

When the ACA students boarded their return flights to New Jersey, they did so as award winners. Each team brought home an award, including first place for the students that created the cybersecurity campaign. Several students were also recognized individually for their leadership and hard work.

Looking back, the ACA STEM students have a true appreciation for the chance to compete at ICSC.

“There were so many opportunities through this,” said Molly. “It looks good on college resumes. But also … we got a lot of opportunities with interviews and … it was just a lot of new experiences. And then also with preparing for it … that was just really cool seeing it all work together at the end.”

When asked if they would return to a competition like ICSC, Deborah stated that she “would definitely do it again just because of all the things that you learn, the variety. Yeah, it's STEM, but you learn leadership and teamwork and you also learn responsibility.”

Ellie, a senior, had an introspective takeaway. “Through the trial and error with my team … we learned a lot about us and a lot about God and specifically with failing many times—how the Lord used every failure to bring us closer to success. Also, it was really fun to work together and with a group of people that I wouldn't ordinarily work with.”

That sounds like an academic adventure worth taking.

Curious? ACSI and Grand Canyon University are teaming up for another year of STEM competition, learning, and growth opportunities at ICSC 2025/26. Learn more!