RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. — In the world of a Mormon high school student in California, seminary means an early morning Bible class, usually at 5:45 a.m., right before school.
“Seminary is a daily dose of divine truth that helps encourage students to follow the teachings of Christ," said Jeff Frazier, seminary teacher for Trabuco Hills High School students.
In the 2012-13 school year, students focused on the teachings of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. In south Orange County, more than 250 students attend seminary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Monday through Friday from Trabuco Hills, Tesoro, El Toro or Mission Viejo high schools. On Friday, May 17, students and parents gathered for an annual scripture chase in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. Students were asked to memorize 25 New Testament scriptures this year, and the Bible chase created an environment for them to test their knowledge.
Seminary teacher Tony Smith was the master of ceremonies at this year’s event. Smith called out keywords for a scripture and students had 10 seconds to find the scripture in their Bibles. Each of the five rounds included five scriptures, so the event included all 25 scriptures the students had been studying.
The students were divided into their 11 seminary classes, by grade or by ward, depending on the seminary. Each class was awarded points based on the percentage of students in each class that found the scripture in time. And a 12th group, including the stake presidency and the high councilors, also competed.
The winner was Mark Hobbin's early morning seminary class, which meets at 5:30 a.m. in the Santa Margarita Stake Center and includes students from all four grades.
Penelope Lake, a first-year seminary student, said, “I enjoy getting to know the scriptures while making lasting friendships. Yes, it’s early, but I am always happy once I arrive at class.”
Karen Lake lives in Southern California with her family and has served as the media director for the Santa Margarita California Stake for more than six years. She has published more than 500 articles and enjoys performing and teaching voice lessons.