Why Choose Grace

"In the year 1212, sincere Christian parents of the medieval church decided to send their children to conquer Jerusalem and drive out the Moors, This Children's Crusade, as it was called, was a disaster. The children died in severe storm or were slaughtered by bandits and wild beasts. Those who survived were sold into slavery to the Moors and raised as Moslems. You cannot serve God by disobeying God. A similar slaughter is taking place today. Some Christian parents send their children to public schools to take them for Christ. Others are just sent to get an education. Some are sent just to get them out of the house. The result is the same. Casualties lie all around us. The few children who survive with their faith intact are more influenced than they are influential."
Author: Gregg Harris

One of the most important decisions parents make for their children is where to send them to school. Public school, magnate school, charter school, Christian school, or home school, are just some of the choices facing parents. In addition to the economic considerations a family must make when choosing a school, parents must also wade through concepts such as progressive education, classical education, common core, differentiation, learning styles, collaborative learning, problem-based learning, and STEM - just to name a few.

The overall guiding consideration, however, should be the understanding that the school a child attends will significantly help to form that child’s worldview. In other words, because students spend a majority of their day in the presence of their teachers, the way they view the world and learn how to make decisions will be greatly influenced by those teachers. “The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” Luke 6:40

This is why we, at Grace Christian Academy, believe that GCA is the best choice that Christian parents can make when choosing a school for their children. Our mission is to assist families by helping to equip students in embracing Biblical truth; striving for academic excellence; and modeling Christ-like leadership to influence homes, churches, and the community for Christ. We assist families in providing a sound education for their children through the integration of faith and learning while being committed to teaching a Biblical worldview in the development of basic spiritual, intellectual, physical, and social skills.

There are five areas that make Grace Christian Academy the right choice for Christian families: spiritual, academic, community, athletic, fine arts.

Academic Value

Grace Christian Academy takes a traditional, or classical, view of education. This traditional view has been developed and honed for over 2,000 years and has produced the greatest thinkers, artists, and inventors in the West. Ironically, it has taken modern educators just 50 years to dismantle this system in public education. However, just because we have a traditional philosophy at GCA does not mean that we don’t pay attention to the latest brain research and best practices, incorporating that which works.

Traditional education was divided up into three categories: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. These areas are the basis in how we approach education at Grace.

Elementary Years: Students in this age group have been gifted by God to be little sponges. These “grammar” years are characterized by memorization and the acquisition of facts. Rote memorization has been frowned upon in the modern era, but the latest brain research has actually begun to change that opinion. William R. Klemm, PhD, senior professor of neuroscience at Texas A&M University, points out: “We think and solve problems with what is in working memory, which in turn is memory of currently available information or recall of previously memorized information . . . Numerous studies show that the amount of information you can hold in working memory is tightly correlated with IQ and problem-solving ability.”

In addition to the acquisition of facts, students in the elementary grades slowly begin to learn how to apply those facts to solve real world problems and situations.

Junior High: Students in this age group have been gifted with inquisitiveness and the desire to argue so we develop their ability to reason and discern truth. The facts they have learned in math and science are now applied in more complex ways. Students at this age move from learning how to read to reading to learn. Problem solving is more prevalent in all of their activities. One of the differences, however, is that students are not just learning how to apply their knowledge to solve problems, but they are also learning how to identify the problem in the first place.

High School: During these “rhetoric” years, students continue to acquire facts, learning how to reason and discern truth. Students also continue to problem solve but they are stretched by requiring them to consistently use all of the academic disciplines to do so. In high school, students learn in greater detail the skill of taking their knowledge, whether math, science, history, Bible, etc., and organizing it to be communicated in both written and oral formats. At Grace, we have added numerous electives from which students may choose so that the academically talented student will always have the opportunity to be challenged and pushed while the student who needs to be presented with concepts over a greater length of time will also have the chance to develop the academic gifts given by God.

While not following the Trivium of Classical Education to the letter at Grace, we have had great success in preparing students for life and college with this traditional philosophy. We are cognizant that in the 21st century there are a set of skills required for a person to be successful no matter what profession. These skills include the following:

Critical Thinking
Information Literacy
Initiative
Creative Thinking

Media Literacy
Social Skills
Collaborating
Technology Literacy

Productivity
Communicating
Flexibility
Leadership

Our goal is to help students obtain these skills to the extent of their ability. Additionally, Grace Christian Academy has begun the process of becoming a true STEM school. STEM is the acronym that stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. Even students who are not pursuing a career in one of these categories will benefit from a STEM education as they will be acquiring many of the skills listed above.

We would like caution parents as they are considering the right school for their child. Just because a school labels themselves a STEM school that does not mean they really are one. Being a STEM school is more than just adding an elective class or two, or purchasing certain software. Being a STEM school means that the school educates students to use science, technology, engineering and math skills at all grade levels to solve real world problems.

Probably the most important reason why Christian parents should consider choosing GCA for their children is that every class is taught from a biblical perspective. That means that students learn that our God is a God who communicates and since we are created in His image we must learn to communicate effectively as well. The world around us was created by God and science will help us to understand the wonders of that creation. God is working His plan through human history, so that in learning history we are learning more about our God. All of creation is mathematical, and in learning math we not only learn more about God’s creation, but we actually learn the language of math, which some say is God’s primary language. In technology and in the arts we learn to live out our image in greater depth by being creators ourselves. Learning a foreign language allows us to grow closer to another people who God loves just as much as ourselves. Finally, in learning the Bible, we see God’s plan unfold before our very eyes, and we learn the Gospel message.

Finally, a description of Grace Christian Academy academics would be incomplete without a description of the godly, professional, dedicated teachers God has brought to Grace. In our elementary and secondary programs we have a total of 22 teachers. All of them have bachelor’s degrees in their field. Of those 22 teachers, nine also have master’s degrees with a tenth teacher completing his within a year. Two have two master’s degrees and one will be completing his doctorate this year.

Spiritual Value

In his book The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis writes “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.” (Lewis, 2001, p. 45-46). C.S. Lewis touches on a spiritual perspective that is largely ignored by the church and forbidden in today’s culture. When it comes to education, the purpose of life seems to be translated as work hard now, which will let you land a nice job so that you can enjoy your freedom on the weekends. The Apostle Paul, however, rejects this idea in 2 Corinthians 4:18 saying, “We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

The value of Grace Christian Academy is that we address the mortal realm from an immortal perspective; choosing to take on the mantra of Carpe Aeternitatem (seize eternity) rather than just Carpe Diem (seize the day). We want to see students live with an eternal perspective; working for the glory of God rather than the glory of man. Although it may seem small, prayer is our most powerful tool when addressing a student’s immortality. As a teacher here at Grace, my greatest joy has been to meet regularly with my colleagues to pray for life change amongst our students. The conviction amongst the staff at Grace as they lift up students in prayer has a weighty value in and of itself. When God answers those prayers, the pleasing aroma of life change (not to be confused with the unpleasing aroma of a junior higher after P.E.) fills our halls; which is contagious amongst the student body.

While at Grace, students are taught through the various academic and athletic disciplines from a biblical perspective. Students are taught the relevance of scripture in today’s culture and how to articulate a biblical worldview in a largely hostile world. GCA takes seriously Psalm 119:11 which says “I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” More than just memorization, students are taught to be thinkers; applying Biblical reality to a culture that is lost. This fundamentally changes why students learn science, math, English, history, etc. and results in spiritual maturity. Focusing on eternity, students use the skills from the rigorous academics at Grace to fulfill God’s mandate to take dominion of creation and to redeem a fallen world. Our students have a purpose, and like the multitude in Revelation 19 are able to proclaim in all they do, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.”

The value of sending your child to Grace is that we see them as an immortal, and we will do everything we can to see that they are an everlasting splendor.

Community Value

     It’s been said that “you won’t understand the unabashed power of a community until you are part of one.” With any body of people, the opportunity to be great is present. With any body of people rooted in Christ, the opportunity to make a difference is far greater than any other people group in the world. Of the many characteristics of the church, the fellowship between believers can arguably be one of the most important. Hebrews 10:24-25 reinforces the call to community by saying, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

            The community aspect of Grace Christian Academy is one that has changed lives. As a school, the importance of coming alongside one another is stressed. The students are challenged to be team players, more so than athletically speaking. At Grace, the students are taught the value of family, inside and outside the walls of the school. Without the help of others, we are left to do this life alone. At Grace, the family aspect is demonstrated in a way to ensure that no one feels left behind. As teachers, we are striving to instill in these young lives that relationships are vital in this life, specifically because Christ demonstrates that to us through His relationship with us. Through discussing… together, working through problems… together, encouraging… together, supporting… together, and doing life… together, a community is made.

            The academic years are the years that shape not only the life of a young adult, but also their heart. They are surrounded by peers without choice. They are plugged into specific classrooms to meet specific standards to succeed in this life. At Grace, they receive so much more than just a checklist for this season of their life. They are given another family. They are given another family, to come alongside of their God-given family. They are given teachers, teammates, classmates, and friends that do more than simply brush shoulders with them in the hallway. They are given mentors, they are given new brothers and sisters in Christ, they are given hearts that pray for them in classrooms, pews, and hallways. Most importantly, they are given a community.

            Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “Where we love is home – home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.” Grace is that home. Grace is my home.

Athletic Value

Grace Christian athletes will be taught the importance of Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." To ensure that this is taught Grace Athletics mission states that athletics at Grace exists to provide an opportunity for students to utilize athletics and athletic contests as a means to bring glory to God by displaying their talents as an act of worship to God in an effort to influence others in the name of Christ. In order to accomplish this mission, Grace’s vision is to develop athletes to believe that God can be glorified in many ways, including athletics, by establishing that any endeavor that is to be undertaken shall be done with the intention of bringing honor and glory to God.

In order to accomplish this mission and vision, Grace Athletics operates using five core values. These values are:

Stewardship
Servanthood
Integrity
Accountability to Authority
Accountability to Team

These core values are based on the first two core values of Grace Christian Academy: The Bible and Christ-Likeness. It is the belief that all core values should be viewed as having their basis grounded in a belief that the Bible is the truth to all endeavors and that Christ-Likeness is what all should strive to achieve in their lives. Each of these core values should be carried out with a demeanor of joy that is reflective of the joy we have in serving our Lord.

Athletics at grace are not only about winning and/or getting our athletes in better shape, rather they are focused on developing the athlete so that he or she can grow as an individual, learn to be part of a team, and develop bonds with other athletes that they will one day call family. Grace athletics focuses on the importance of being a committed teammate and the importance of exhibiting joy while using the physical gifts that God has blessed our athletes with.

Fine Art Value

Grace Christian Academy offers instrumental and vocal music instruction that includes several performing groups as well as individual and small group lessons given during the school day. It is our hope that all students make participation in either instrumental or vocal music part of their curriculum choice.

            The U.S. Department of Education lists the arts as subjects that college-bound middle and junior high school students should take, stating “Many colleges view participation in the arts and music as a valuable experience that broadens students’ understanding and appreciation of the world around them. It is also well known and widely recognized that the arts contribute significantly to children’s intellectual development.” The College Board identifies the arts as one of the six basic academic subject areas students should study in order to succeed in college.

            The skills learned through the discipline of music transfer to study skills, communication skills, and cognitive skills useful in every part of the curriculum. In an analysis of U.S. Department of Education data, researchers found that students who report consistent high levels of involvement in instrumental music over the middle and high school years show “significantly higher levels of mathematics proficiency by grade 12”.

            Musical training can enhance brain function. The musician is constantly adjusting decisions on tempo, tone, style, rhythm, phrasing, and feeling which train the brain to become incredibly good at organizing and conducting numerous activities at once. This can have a great payoff for lifelong attention skills, intelligence, and an ability for self-knowledge and expression.

            Studying music encourages self-discipline and diligence; traits that carry over into intellectual pursuits and that lead to effective study and work habits. Creating and performing music promotes self-expression and provides self-gratification while giving pleasure to others. Music has a great power for bringing people together. Music is a way for young people to connect with themselves, but it is also a bridge for connecting with others. Music education opens doors that help children pass from school into the world around them – a world of work, culture, intellectual activity, and human involvement.

“The future of our nation depends on providing our children with a complete education that includes music.” - Gerald Ford, former President, United States of America