FAITHFUL OBSERVATIONS

By BOB SHILLINGSTAD

Special to The Press

With the school year coming to an end, it is a good time to look at the growth and status of faith-based schools in the area.

Across the country, some 6.3 million students (10.2 percent of all elementary and secondary students) are enrolled in private elementary and secondary schools. Thirty-six percent of private school students are enrolled in Catholic schools, 39 percent in other religiously affiliated schools and 24 percent in nonsectarian schools.

An interesting article in The Wall Street Journal last week talked about the Catholic school difference in a study done by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute at the University of California-Santa Barbara. The authors found that Catholic school children “were more likely to control their temper, respect others’ property, accept their fellow students’ ideas and handle peer pressure.” In other words, they exhibited more self-discipline.

The authors had three key judgments:

1) The Catholic schools took self-discipline very seriously.

2) They didn’t have to spend as much time, energy and political capital on penalizing students for bad behavior.

3) We shouldn’t underestimate the power of religion to positively influence a child’s behavior.

It may not be the only way of doing this but it’s effective in channeling youthful energy into productive self-control.

The variety of schools in our area includes not only faith-based schools but the charter schools, which often focus on specific goals and teaching. A limiting factor for parents is the cost of a private school although a change in the tax law that was passed recently allows 529 savings accounts to be set up for children in elementary and secondary schools that cover nearly all expenses. This tax-advantaged account can be attractive for parents and grandparents to help out.

A Christian school is not a place where a “few ornaments” like prayer, chapels and Bible classes merely complement an otherwise secular education. Genuine Christian education seeks to integrate God’s word into every facet of the curriculum as well as co-curricular activities. A Christian school is not a guarantee against sin. The difference, however, is that the Christian school disciplines by teaching students about God’s demands, and His forgiveness, grace and mercy.

I interviewed two principals at local Christian schools for their insights and comments. One was Adam Weeks at Lake City Junior Academy and the other was Chris Finch at Genesis Prep. Here are their comments to some of my questions.

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What is the purpose of your school and the objectives you have?

Adam: The LCJA family exists to show children Jesus, nurture their love for Him, and to teach them to think while empowering them to serve. We want our kids to become healthy adults with a strong sense of their God-given purpose. We like to say that we are preparing our kids to be the next generation of Daniels.

Chris: Our school is an amazing and diverse family and our students come from every population possible, it seems. Our mission is to partner with families to provide their children with a God-centered, creative education that prepares them for life. A Christian education is important for us because He, as the author, is the starting point, the foundation of any study whether it is biology, history, calculus or Shakespeare.

How does your school line up academically? What do you offer that is special and what are some of the results?

Adam: We are a fully accredited school. All of our teachers are credentialed, and most of them have Master’s degrees. We excel academically, performing better than 70 percent of other private and public schools nationwide. Over 85 percent of our students go on to college. Earlier this year our seventh and eighth grade classes had an incredible trip to Washington, D.C., and our ninth and 10th grade classes are currently in Wyoming at the “Dino Dig.”

We have six winter sports programs including skiing at Schweitzer to enhance our physical education. We are also proud of our STEM program and MakerSpace where our kids learn to solder, make CO2 cars, program using 3D printers, program a robotic arm and the list goes on!

Chris: Our graduates have gone on to varied adventures after graduating to schools like Gonzaga, Grand Canyon University and many others. Genesis is dually accredited by AdvanceEd and the Association of Christian Schools International. Our students consistently perform better than the national average on PSAT and SAT test. We have a full range of student activities including sports, student clubs and leadership training. In fact, we had back to back state basketball championships with our boys basketball team.

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I have only highlighted two schools, but there are at least 10 in the county that serve nearly 2,000 students. This saves the taxpayers about $10 million in education costs since they are not in the public system. This does not include homeschool students, which would take another column to cover.

I am listing the local private Christian schools and their phone numbers. There are many excellent examples and visiting these schools is an eye-opening experience. If we have missed any I truly apologize!

Christian Center School, Hayden: 208-772-2542

Classical Christian Academy, Post Falls: 208-777-4400

Coeur d’Alene Christian School, Coeur d’Alene: 208-772-7118

CornerStone Christian Academy, Post Falls: 208-773-5200

Genesis Preparatory Academy, Post Falls: 208-691-0712

Holy Family Catholic School, Coeur d’Alene: 208-765-4327

Immaculate Conception Academy, Post Falls: 208-773-2312

Lake City Junior Academy, Coeur d’Alene: 208-667-0877

LAM Christian Academy, Coeur d’Alene: 208-765-8238

Heritage Christian Academy, Spirit Lake: 208-623-4446