Mickayla has been a student at LCA since starting school in K3. Over the past 15 years, she has had many memories and friendships.
Mickayla’s father’s family has been in this area since his ancestors came from Scotland, even having a street named for his family in Pottsdam. Her father grew up in Watervliet and graduated from Watervliet High School. He attended Albany Business College and after graduating has worked in a variety of fields including in construction and as a truck driver before accepting a job as a school bus driver for the North Colonie School District where he now works. He has served on the LCA School Board and as a deacon at our church and has even helped build at least one section of the building here as well as the house where the family now lives in Latham.
Mickayla’s mother grew up in the Adirondacks also on a road named for her family, Joy Rd. Mickayla is quick to point out that her mother worked in a cemetery while attending school! After graduating from high school, she worked for several years at a Christian school in the Adirondacks. She then went off to Pensacola Christian College, earning her elementary education degree in 1983, as well as being a roommate with present-day co-worker Mrs. Coonrod. She accepted a job at Latham Christian Academy and has been here ever since. Mickayla jokes, “She just can’t seem to escape!”
Mickayla’s parents met through their pastor (and her adopted grandfather), the late Rev. George Whitman. Mickayla’s father’s first wife had passed away from cancer and one of their children began calling the future Mrs. Mein “Mom.” She began helping to care for the children and eventually they all fell in love. After marriage, Mickayla’s parents added three children to the three they already had.
Today, Mickayla’s oldest sister Tammy lives in Glens Falls where she works at the hospital. Todd lives in Michigan and serves in information technology for the state, working in local school districts. Her brother Teddy lives in Florida where he works in sales for Nabisco. Her brother Josh lives in North Carolina and works as an executive at a technology company. Her sister Diana lives in Latham where she is raising her two children, one of whom attends LCA, continuing the family tradition. Mickayla has thirteen nieces and nephews and three additional great-nieces and great-nephews!
In addition to her blood family, Mickayla has two “Asian sisters” who often stay with them. Jessie has lived with them since she was 7. She once locked Mickayla out of her own house early in the morning after a midnight swim in their pool on a 40 degree night! Mickayla had to bang on the door to her own house to get in. Chelsea once hit Mickayla in the face with a seat belt buckle after Mickayla took something from her. Chelsea wanted it back and decided swinging the seat belt would be the best way to get it back! Both Jessie and Chelsea are current LCA students.
Mickayla has many memories from her years here at LCA. She remembers several years ago a time when she and Kallie Parker were by themselves in Mrs. Mein’s classroom. Mr. Fry asked who was supervising them to which they replied simply, “Jesus!” Mickayla remembers Mr. Fry simply walking away with nothing to say. She also remembers a time when she was hit in the face by a hockey stick Kallie was swinging while “being competitive.” They ended up rolling on the ground laughing together—until Mickayla learned that she had a fractured nose. In fact, Mickayla will remember that her “face has taken permanent damage from this place”!
During her years at LCA, Mickayla has been good friends with Kallie, saying that since they have been “stuck together” at LCA, they “might as well be friends!” Mickayla makes the point, “She abuses me, but I still accept her as a friend!” Mickayla has also been good friends with LCA Class of 2015 member Andrew Coonrod. She remembers, “Andrew and I always are having fun” and that they do the most stuff together outside of school. On a recent family camping trip, Andrew hit Mickayla with a kayak paddle while he was kayaking and she was swimming. Mickayla promptly took the paddle and swam away with it only having to swim back with the paddle as a storm came up and Andrew had to get to shore quickly!
Mickayla also has many good memories of the teachers at LCA. She remembers all of the times Mrs. O’Rourke would put her in the corner for fighting with classmate Jasmine Earnest. She also remembers Mr. Fry standing on his desk yelling about commas and Mrs. Parker acting out the stories behind the constellations, especially that of Andromeda.
Mickayla has attended Latham Bible Baptist Church for her whole life. She accepted Christ as her Savior at age 4 after hearing Mrs. Urban teach the resurrection story and speaking with her mother about salvation. Mickayla was baptized around age 9 by Pastor Davoll before he and his family left the church as missionaries to Ecuador. Mickayla has been very involved at her church including ministering in youth group, Olympians, Awana, the nursery, Sunday school, junior church, kids’ club, on church dramas, and on the church sound system.
Mickayla plans to attend Pensacola Christian College in Florida this fall, following the lead of her mother and of four of her siblings. She plans to major in physical therapy and then hopes to transfer to either Duke University or to Russell Sage to complete her physical therapy training. Mickayla has many special Bible verses. Among them is 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
