specific distinctives - North Carolina Christian School Association

N ORTH C AROLINA C HRISTIAN S CHOOL A SSOCIATION
NCCSA UPDATE
“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom….” Proverbs 4:7
May/June 2010
The Needed Distinction of Christian Education
By Jason Haas
Christian education, in reference to the
present-day Christian school movement, is approaching its 50th anniversary! What a blessing that Christian
education is still alive and well, vibrant,
relevant to today’s education, and producing students in the image of Christ!
Does the previous sentence correctly
describe the average Christian school,
though?
When prayer in public
schools ceased, concerned pastors and
like-minded Christian leaders began
what is known as the modern-day
Christian school movement. Many of
the foundational core values that were
formed in the early Christian schools
are still in place today. Will Christian
education last another fifty years?
It is no secret that Christian school enrollment numbers are down across the
country. Much of this decrease can be
attributed to the current economy, but
how much of this decline can truthfully
be blamed on the recession? Many
Christian educators fear that the parents who have removed their children
from Christian education because of
finances will become numb to the
many inadequacies of public education. These families will become involved with the public school system,
their children will find new friends, and
these students might never return to
Christian education again.
In April, NCCSA Executive Director Dr.
Joe Haas preached a message at Faith
FWB Church entitled “Why I Still Believe in Christian Education.” I wholeheartedly agree with the title and the
content of the message. (To view this
sermon and PowerPoint online, please
click here.) Without doing extensive
research on the possible decline of
students in Christian education, I would
like to highlight a few common areas
that need constant attention to keep
the Christian day school vibrant, current, and steadfast in its core values
and principles. It is believed that many
of today’s Christian schools are losing
the true distinction that for many years
has set Christian schools apart from the
public education norm.
Spiritual Atmosphere/Bible-Based –
Many times we fail to remember why
the present Christian day school movement began in the mid to late 1960’s.
It was before and during this time period that prayer was discontinued in
school and the spiritual atmosphere in
education was declining. There was a
public outcry over the Supreme Court
decision in 1962 (Engel vs. Vitale), and
over the next few years, the Christian
day school was founded.
What has been the visible results of
removing prayer from the public education system? Since prayer was removed from public education, the murder rate has tripled; violent crime has
gone up 544%; sexually transmitted
diseases (15-19 years of age) shot up
226% as soon as 1975; unwed birth
rates (10-14 years of age) shot up
553% by 1983; prior to 1962, divorce
had been declining for 15 consecutive
years, and after 1962 the divorce rate
more than doubled.
Within the Christian school movement,
we are quick to say that prayer and
Bible reading permeates every class
within the walls of our campuses. While
we do not face the issue of abandoned
prayer in our schools, do we really pro-
mote prayer as we should? Do most
Christian school classes begin with
prayer?
Prayer is vital, and teaching children to
pray while their hearts are tender is
paramount to a daily walk with Christ
for the rest of their lives. Are classes
taught by true servant-leaders that
bathe each day in God’s Word and
prayer for their students? Is the main
goal still to train students in the image
of Christ? Are we providing students a
spiritual atmosphere for learning? Are
weekly chapels preached by men with
God’s power on their lives? Are they
preaching sermons relevant to the students’ needs?
Any school can label itself a “Christian”
school. The differences between public
and Christian schools are becoming
increasingly difficult to distinguish.
There is no greater distinction to be
upheld than having a Bible-based,
quality, spiritual environment for
students to be trained by qualified,
Christian educators who care about
training the “whole” child. This distinction is the glue that holds all other
Christian education distinctions together. In order for a school to separate itself from the public or other private “competition,” this distinction
must be proudly displayed for all to
see.
Faculty – The second most important
distinction in the Christian school
movement is the dedicated faculty
members who labor day after day
teaching students. While public education is concerned with degrees, certification, and experience, the Christian
day school is concerned that the teach(continued on page 3)
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2010 Southeast Christian School Convention
On September 29-October 1, the 2010 Southeast Christian School
Convention will be held in Myrtle Beach, SC, at the Myrtle Beach
Convention Center. The convention theme this year is “With Compassion...Making a Difference” based on Jude 22.
General Session Speakers this year include: Rand Hummel — Director of
THE WILDS of New England; Dr. Jim Binney — Founder, L.E.A.D. Ministries; and John Bishop — Founder, God is So Good Ministries. Workshops
are already being confirmed and scheduled.
Again this year, we will be dismissing at approximately 1:15 p.m. on Thursday to give everyone time to enjoy various activities. We are praying that
the Lord will bless this convention and give sound academic instruction and
encouragement to those who are some of the greatest Christian servants on
earth—our Christian school teachers.
Each NCCSA school has been mailed hotel information as well as convention
flyers. If you need any more flyers to display around your school, please let
us know.
On a similar note, you should have already received information concerning the Online Workshop Intent Form. If you are planning to attend this fall’s convention, each attendee needs to complete this form. The instructions on the form are self-explanatory, and the data received from this
report will help us better schedule speakers and locations. If you have misplaced the link where this
information is located, please email the state office at [email protected].
2010 NCCSA Science Faculty Workshop
The first annual NCCSA Science Faculty Workshop will be Tuesday
and Wednesday, June 22-23, 2010, at Wake Christian Academy.
This two-day event will include general sessions, breakout groups, lab
activities, and other workshops covering chemistry, biology, and physics. The cost to attend is $50. This price includes two lunches, 1 CEU,
CD containing materials and resources used in workshops, notebook/
binder, lab materials, and other materials that will be used. The speakers will be Wanda Lucas (Physical Sciences), Ken Kovarik (Chemical
Sciences), and Dr. Lucy Brock (Biological Sciences). Registration information and other details are available at www.nccsa.org.
" ake Christian Academy’s location in the Capital City is convenient to the
W
Research Triangle Park, major universities, and numerous pharmaceutical
companies. Wake Christian parents who are affiliated with the scientific institutions in the area have been so faithful in giving generously of time, expertise, supplies, equipment, and lab furnishings that WCA has the responsibility
to share the blessings. In hosting this workshop, it is the hope of Wake Christian Academy to foster several types of collaboration among Christian
schools: fellowship, plans, technical advances, and equipment. Our goal in
the science education of Christian youth is to prepare them to be leaders, not
just graduates."
PAGE 3
er be a mature Christian. Does the
teacher walk with God daily and does
his/her life give evidence of that fact?
Does the teacher feel called of God into
education?
In the past few years, two trends have
emerged for hiring faculty in Christian
schools: 1) schools that focus primarily
on the spiritual and less on formal education credentials, and 2) schools that
focus primarily on the formal education,
and less on the spiritual. Neither of these
trends is best for true Christian education. There must be a better balance! A
Christian school is just that—a school: an
academic place of learning in a total
Christian environment with dedicated,
qualified, Christian teachers.
While it is true that some of the best
teachers were not formally trained in
their teaching areas, it should be the
goal of every Christian school to have
degreed teachers teaching content matter in the area they were trained. Today’s world of “academia” and the average parent’s expectations demand this,
and it is not an unreasonable requirement. In addition, these faculty members should hold Teacher Certification
certificates.
Teacher certification programs aid
schools in two ways: 1) they provide parents with the assurance that the credentials of those to whom they entrust their
children for academic training have been
thoroughly examined, and 2) they provide the administration objective standards for evaluating and recognizing the
preparation and experience of current
and prospective employees. If the Christian school movement is to remain relevant in today’s world, there must be a
balance between being spiritual and being “teacher-ready.”
The Christian school typically allows for a
smaller student/teacher ratio than public
schools, and emphasis is placed on the
teacher having a personal relationship
with the student and his family. Good
teachers must be given a chance to use
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their God-given abilities in an environment that is conducive to teaching: an
environment in which the teacher is in
charge of the classroom, misconduct is
fairly dealt with, obedience is rewarded,
administration “backs-up” the faculty,
and all students, regardless of ability
levels, are given a chance to learn and
succeed academically.
Schools, administration, and teachers
must place more emphasis in the coming years in replicating educators.
Teaching is a high calling and must not
be taken lightly. Other than parents,
children spend more time during the
school year with their teachers than
with any other adults. The positive
influence a teacher can have on a student is invaluable. For the Christian
school to continue as we know it today,
qualified, educated, spirit-minded
teachers must continue teaching the
whole child and influencing students to
serve God when they graduate.
Academics – A strong, quality academic
program is a foundation piece for the
Christian school. For years, the Christian
school has proudly proclaimed higher
academics than public schools. Is this a
valid claim, though? Certainly we do
better “as a whole” on annual achievement testing, but for the most part, the
Christian school’s average student is,
among many things, in a higher socioeconomic status than the public
school’s average student.
Most Christian school students study in
an environment conducive to learning,
come from stronger, traditional homes,
and have more one-on-one time with
teachers; consequently, the overall class
average should test higher on SAT and
ACT testing. Would the Christian
school’s brightest students be trained
more effectively and test higher than
the public school’s brightest students?
Regardless of the correct answer, the
academics in a Christian school should
never be the reason someone leaves or
does not enroll in a Christian school.
Academics should be one of the prima-
ry reasons a family is drawn to any
Christian school.
The Christian school curriculum is distinctive because most curricula are written from a Christian philosophy. Subject
matter is funneled through the Word of
God, and truths are Bible-based. Still,
this curriculum should be annually reviewed for each class and each subject.
Goals and objectives can be developed
annually. A Teacher Observation Program ensures that the administrator is
personally aware of each classroom situation. These observations (both informal and formal) help administrators
know how the teachers are doing,
whether they are managing their classes
adequately, and whether they are
teaching to the level of each student.
Annual achievement test scores can be
carefully examined to find any repetitive
issues that should be corrected. The
Stanford Ranking Report that the
NCCSA annually publishes is a good
way to determine how a school ranks in
comparison to other NCCSA schools in
complete battery, math, reading, language, science, and social science.
Today’s parents (customers) are increasingly concerned about the academic value of the school their children attend. If a Christian school is to
be relevant in today’s society, this foundational piece must be a distinctive that
can be upheld proudly.
Extracurricular Activities – For the
Christian school to be competitive in
today’s world of vast education opportunities, extracurricular activities must
be given proper value and resources.
Athletics and fine arts opportunities are
often on the forefront of parents’ discussions with the administrator during
an initial school visit. The administration
must develop a philosophy and policies
that hold these activities in their proper
place. These activities must be distinctive from public education. Athletic uniforms must be modest, and attitudes of
school athletes must be above reproach. Many schools use athletics as a
(continued on page 5)
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AACS Youth Legislative Training Conference
Washington, DC — July 20-24, 2010
We have received official confirmation from the AACS Washington office announcing the NCCSA scholarship winners for the AACS Youth Legislative Conference in Washington, DC, on July 20-24, 2010.
Congratulations to: Hannah Williams, Grace Christian, Sanford; Monica Ibrahim,
Wilmington Christian Academy; Matthew Long, Wilmington Christian Academy;
T.J. Hardy, Raleigh Christian Academy
Many students have written our office and expressed that this conference was an
“opportunity of a lifetime.” The conference goal is to impress upon each student
his/her need to be involved in the political process – whether by voting, praying, participating, or running for office.
If your school did not submit a student application for this year’s conference, please plan to do so next year. Make every
opportunity available to your students; you do not know just how they might be positively impacted for life.
2010 NCCSA Staff Development Seminar
On July 26-29, 2010, the NCCSA will host the 2010 NCCSA Staff Development Seminar. This year’s guest speaker is Dr. Phil Johnson from Global Next
in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Johnson is a former classroom teacher, administrator,
and educational director for the Florida Association of Christian Colleges and
Schools. He has been a very popular speaker at past seminars, and we are
glad to be able to bring Dr. Johnson back to our area.
The cost to attend is $45. 1.2 NCCSA Official CEU credits will be available
and will count toward the "official NCCSA CEU" credit that is required for
NCCSA Teacher Certification—2008 Edition v1.5. Any new or renewal applicant since January 1, 2008, must earn at least 25% of all CEU renewal work at either the annual convention or the summer staff development session.
Registration information has been mailed and emailed to each
NCCSA administrator. You can also view this information online by clicking
here.
2010 Freedom to Learn Conference
The Second Annual Freedom To Learn Early Childhood Super Conference will be held
on Saturday, June 19, 2010, at Gospel Light Christian School in Walkertown,
NC. This unique, one-day conference is sponsored by Freedom to Learn and the North
Carolina Christian School Association. We are excited to be able to offer this service to
the early childhood employees in our ministries. This event is designed to meet the
growing needs of daycares, preschools, kindergartens, and early childhood providers
across our state. All NCCSA member schools are encouraged to make every effort to
ensure that all of your early childhood directors, teachers, and workers are able to attend
the special conference that has been planned especially for them.
To download more information about registration, conference schedule, lodging information, and other details, please go to the Freedom to Learn website
(www.freedomtolearn.com).
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ATHLETIC NEWS
Congratulations to the winners of NCCSA spring tournaments!
STATE GOLF TOURNAMENT TEAM RESULTS
1st Place—Alamance —299
2nd Place—Gospel Light —328
3rd Place—Vandalia —339
4th Place—Bethel —381
5th Place—Hickory —385
Medalist—Jacob Hicks, 69 —Alamance
Runner-up—Robert Warta, 73—Gospel Light
NCCSA GOLF REGULAR SEASON RESULTS
District Regular Season Champions
EAST:
Bethel
CENTRAL:
Alamance
TRIAD:
Vandalia
WEST:
Hickory
SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT RESULTS
2A
Champion—Woodland
Runner-up—Union Grove
Consolation—Cornerstone
1A
Champion—Temple, Asheville
Runner-up—Fayetteville Street
Consolation—Hilltop
BASEBALL TOURNAMENT RESULTS
3A
Champion—Vandalia
Runner-up—Wake
Consolation—Alamance
2A
Champion—Bethel (Kinston)
Runner-up—Faith (Goldsboro)
Consolation—New Manna
1A
Champion—Fayetteville Street
Runner-up—Calvary, King
Consolation—Temple, Asheville
GIRLS’ SOCCER TOURNAMENT RESULTS
3A
Champion—Wilson
Runner-up—Alamance
Consolation—Wake
springboard to increase their enrollment. Some schools have year-round
training for fine arts activities. Regardless of the importance level of these
activities at a school, they must be at a
level that fits into the school’s master
plan and philosophy.
While this distinctive may not be a major foundational piece that was developed in the early 1960s, because of the
way education has changed and
evolved, extracurricular activities can be
a deciding factor for many parents concerning enrollment.
Parental Involvement - Perhaps the
final distinctive of Christian education to
be considered is parental involvement.
Defined more clearly as parental involvement in which parents and the
school agree philosophically. The Bible
is very clear that the responsibility of
2A
Champion—Hickory
Runner-up—Cramerton
Consolation—Falls Road
training children is given to the parents. For the Christian parent, there is
no better place to train a child than in
the Christian school. Add to that a solid church that stands behind the
school both in resources as well as philosophy, then all three God-ordained
institutions can be in harmony. The
Christian school owes parents the assurance that the Christian educators
who train and care for their children
will do their best to instruct the students academically, spiritually, physically, and socially.
I am thankful to have had the privilege
of being involved in Christian education throughout my lifetime, and I realize that this is not “the norm” for
someone my age in today’s society.
Counting kindergarten through graduate school, I have received all of my
training (20 plus years) in Christian
education. Directly out of college, I was
on staff at a church/school ministry,
and this July will start my twelfth year
working with the NCCSA. All of my “full
-time” work as an adult has been in
ministry. I am thankful for my Christian education heritage, and I wholeheartedly desire the same privilege for
my child and future generations.
We must continually, now more than
ever, look at the “total package” of our
schools and make sure we remain distinctive — distinctive because there are
vast educational opportunities available to parents, and distinctive because
Christ commands us to be. Let us all
do our part to continue training students so they may be better equipped
to serve our Lord!
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NCCSA Elementary Fine Arts Competitions
Western Region—Cathy Newlin, Coordinator
On Friday, April 30, 2010, Tabernacle Christian School in Hickory hosted the Western Region NCCSA Elementary Fine Arts
Competition. There were eight schools in attendance with approximately 350 student participants. The participating
schools were Bible Baptist Christian School, Cramerton Christian Academy, Heritage Christian School, Shining Light Baptist
Academy, South Charlotte Baptist Academy, Southview Christian School, Tabernacle Christian School, and Temple Baptist
School.
Trophies were awarded to the following schools for overall points and category points: Our 1st place overall winner was
Cramerton, 2nd place overall was Temple, and 3rd place overall was Tabernacle. In the area of Art, Cramerton took 1st
place, Temple 2nd place, and Tabernacle 3rd place. In Poetry, Tabernacle was 1st place, Heritage placed 2nd, and Cramerton placed 3rd. In the Spelling Bee, Cramerton came in 1st place, Heritage 2nd place, and Shining Light and Southview tied
for 3rd. In the Sword Drill category, Tabernacle came in 1st place, South Charlotte was 2nd place, and Temple received 3rd
place. Heritage received 1st place in the music category with Bible Baptist placing 2nd and Cramerton taking 3rd place.
We had some outstanding performances this year, some of which were "showcased" at the awards assembly. The competition is always one of the highlights of the year, and we praise the Lord for an excellent day and another great year of
competition!
Central Region—Starlet Jones, Coordinator
The 2010 Central Region Elementary Fine Arts Festival was held at Gospel Light Christian School on April 28-30. There
were fifteen schools participating this year: Alamance Christian School, Calvary Christian School (King), Faith Christian
School (Ramseur), Fayetteville St. Christian School, Gospel Light Christian School, Grace Christian School, Oak Level Christian Academy, Mt. Calvary Christian School (Archdale), Rockwell Christian School, Roxboro Christian School, Salem Baptist
Christian School, Shining Light Academy (Greensboro), Union Grove Christian School, Vandalia Christian School, and
Woodland Baptist Christian School. We had 378 entries in the competition. Over 250 art entries were submitted. Approximately 600 students participated in the competition.
The following trophies were presented: Bible Sword Drill-1st place: Mt. Calvary Christian School, 2nd place: Gospel
Light Christian School Poetry-1st place: Alamance Christian School, 2nd place: Gospel Light Christian School Art-1st
place: Gospel Light Christian School, 2nd place: Vandalia Christian School Spelling-1st place: Gospel Light Christian
School, 2nd place: Union Grove Christian School Music-1st place: Gospel Light Christian School, 2nd place: Vandalia
Christian School
Thank you to all the schools for a job well done. Our theme has always been to "Do all to the glory of God". May His
name be praised!
Eastern Region—Stefan Bryant, Coordinator
The eastern region Elementary Fine Arts Festival was held on April 29-30 at Greenville Christian Academy. Two wonderful
days of competitions were held involving over 600 students from 19 different schools from cities as far west as Raleigh
and east to Wilmington. We appreciate all the work by Greenville Christian in hosting the Festival. Many complimentary
remarks were made about the great job they did.
2010 Editions of NCCSA Manuals
The NCCSA will be releasing the 2010 editions of the NCCSA Fine
Arts Manual, Elementary Fine Arts Manuals, and the NCCSA Athletic
Handbook this summer.
In Case You Missed It
NCCSA UPDATE
May-June
Vol. 19, Issue 6
Joe Haas, Ed.D.—Executive Director
Jason Haas—Editor
The NCCSA UPDATE is published bi-monthly by the
North Carolina Christian School Association. The
NCCSA UPDATE is designed for Christian Educators,
pastors, and parents. All published material included in
the NCCSA UPDATE is Copyright © 2010 by NCCSA
UPDATE and is subject to U.S. copyright laws. Permission to reproduce may be requested by contacting the
NCCSA State Office.
Articles pertaining to education may be submitted to
NCCSA, P.O. Box 231, Goldsboro, NC 27533. The
staff reserves the right to correct grammar and
spelling, clarify and modify content, adapt to style, and
adjust to fit available space.
www.nccsa.org
1. Pastors and Administrators, please make sure you and your Athletic Directors have read the “Athletic Female Dress Clarification”
documents from Dr. Haas that were emailed to each NCCSA pastor
and administrator on March 29 and May 13.
2. If you did not read the lead article in the last issue of the NCCSA
Update regarding “ Accreditation” by Dr. Joe Haas, you may download it here.
3.
Is your school taking advantage of these programs?? If not, please
contact the NCCSA State Office to see how these services are available to help your school.
4. Looking for a Summer Project? Why not consider upgrading the
credentials of your teachers and school by beginning the NCCSA
Teacher Certification and Voluntary School Accreditation Programs.
For more information, please contact the NCCSA State Office.
NCCSA Re-enrollment for the 2010-2011 school year
will be August 15-September 15
Spotlight on Bethel Christian Academy—Kinston
Bethel Christian Academy began in
1970 under the direction and leadership of Pastor David Paramore. Principal Richard Barnard has been with
Bethel since 1990. Bethel operates a
daycare and K-12 academy. Present
enrollment is 67 in Daycare and 294
in K5 through grade 12.
BCA is located on the Bethel FWB
Church property of 37 acres in Kinston. Facilities include two music
rooms, science lab, computer lab, full
kitchen and cafeteria, gymnasium, and
classrooms.
Saxon, and other curriculums in the
classrooms. For computer training, the
Global Academics with the University
of Richmond has been used since 2004.
Students in K5 through grade 10, as well
as the entire faculty, are trained in computer technology and how to integrate it
into the other curriculum. Grades 9 and
10 have separate classes for Writing and
Literature. AP English is offered. An
Anatomy class preparing students for
the medical field has recently been added, coordinating its content with a local
college. Through dual-enrollment, high
school students are able to earn college
credit. In the NCCSA state competition,
Bethel does well, even taking all places
in junior high English one year!
Spiritually, Bethel knows that the example of its teachers is of first importance. With an average tenure of
15 years, the faculty provides a stable, In the area of fine arts, Bethel particivibrant Christian example to the stu- pates in the NCCSA elementary, junior
dents.
high, and high school levels. Bethel has
state winners each year at the NCCSA
Academically, Bethel uses A Beka competition. Music is strongly emphaBook curriculum in elementary clas- sized since it is a means to worship and
ses. In grades seven through twelve, serve the Lord, and since this skill is a
teachers use A Beka Book, Bob Jones, life-long blessing regardless of the voca-
tion one chooses. Speech is required in
junior high, and drama is offered to all in
grades 7-12.
For leadership training, Bethel has a chapter of the SLi (Student Leadership Institute) which meets weekly and strives to
be like Christ through servant-leadership.
A yearly banquet highlights the areas of
student service.
Athletically, Bethel enjoys the good competition and fellowship of NCCSA athletics. Girls play soccer, volleyball, and
basketball. Boys play soccer, baseball,
basketball, and golf. Five state banners
have been earned, mostly in baseball.
Middle school also participates in basketball and baseball.
With 40 years of experience, Bethel
Christian Academy wants to be even more
involved in the surrounding community
and the world, sending strong believers to
serve the kingdom of God.