Cheryl and Zach Ward at their first-ever Tulip Time Kinderparade in their first year at Calvary Schools in 2016.
Dear Calvary Families,
Throughout this past school year, I have been sharing parts of my story about how specific life experiences have had transformative effects on my heart and career. If you missed part one (with Mother Teresa) or part two (the China years), they are posted on our school blog. Here is part three…
In 2009, Mr. Ward and I made decisions to say no to more lucrative roles at local public school districts and said yes to very different paths. I accepted a role at a tiny start-up classical and Charlotte Mason school in the western suburbs of Chicago. Mr. Ward took a role working in a school on the south side of Chicago, which was started by and for the Black community that comprises 30% of that neighborhood. Their uniforms were sharp-looking (a beautiful embroidered crest on a dark grey sport jacket), they used a classical curriculum, and, out of all of the places on earth, they had also heard of Charlotte Mason.
(If one has ever wondered if Mr. Ward and I were intended to be doing exactly what we are doing, I would point to this amazing providence as a testimony. After all, had YOU ever heard of Charlotte Mason before you became acquainted with Calvary Schools and the Ambleside network? What are the odds that we encountered it at two different schools in completely different communities, with completely different demographics?)
For our first year in our new communities, we simply compared notes. We both knew we were looking for something different and we were impressed by what we saw at our respective schools. We talked about nature study and composer study and transcription and handwork — all very common at Calvary Schools currently — but very new to Mr. Ward and I at that time.
Zach serves dinner to our high students at our recent Spring Social event.
But it wasn’t just the subjects that were new — it was an entirely new paradigm for viewing education altogether. I had worked at schools that had valued a Christocentric worldview, but they still weren’t accomplishing the things that I was seeing at my then-new school. I had also worked at schools that focused on character development and work ethic and critical thinking — but they were not accomplishing the genuine love for learning, healthy relationships, and rich ideas that I was seeing coming out of my Charlotte Mason-taught students.
To add to this, I had previously developed advanced courses for high school students getting into ivy leagues. How was it possible that our young students were engaging with learning far more deeply than many of those high school students? How was the genuine intellectual curiosity that I saw in elementary-aged students developed — especially in an era where modern schools are (arguably) snuffing it out?
I saw middle school students that could make beautiful things with their hands and also conduct a classroom discussion on (literally) how “form follows function in the musculature of an alligator.”
And I was not alone in this perception. A colleague and I who taught college courses part-time shared my observation that the Charlotte Mason students were far more intellectually engaged than the college students in our classrooms.
In the end, Mr. Ward and I made the decision to work for the same school, precipitating his transfer to the western suburbs, because we believed that Charlotte Mason — not classical education — was the key and we wanted access to the best organization in the world that was supporting an authentic Charlotte Mason education: Ambleside Schools International.
We worked for years with dear colleagues to support the growth and development of the school and when the time was right, we believed that God was calling us to start or transition a new school into this excellent model of education.
Sharing a laugh at this year’s back-to-school parent meeting.
And that is how we came to Calvary Schools of Holland. We immediately saw the potential in Calvary Schools. What’s not to love?
There is a 100-year-old building at Plasman campus with all of the charm that goes with it. There is a beautiful 40-acre semi-rural site at Laketown. There are loving, caring, and committed teachers who have come and have stayed because they love God, they love Holland in general and our school specifically (we’re looking at you long-timers, Ms. Sisk and Ms. T, and also Mrs. Goossen, Mrs. Bos, Mrs. Boer, and Miss Polly. Not to mention those who retired recently and/or moved on to other opportunities: Mrs. Looman, Dr. and Mrs. Netzly, Dr. Broussard, Mr. Williams, and all of our stellar “new or new-ish” staff!).
Do you know their stories? Here are a few…
- Mr. Sytsma, our principal, was so interested in Charlotte Mason education that he asked to be transferred from Laketown to Plasman in 2016, where it was being implemented. I remember sitting with him under a live oak tree at the Alamo in San Angelo, TX and thinking what a wonderful leader he would be for this model of education. And isn’t he?
- Mrs. Swinehart came to us as a music teacher who asked to be trained in Charlotte Mason. So we spent a year together studying the model of education in 1:1 sessions — they were great conversations.
- Ms. Firebaugh, who displayed early mastery of the method and who has always risen to the challenge. She takes on extra work with the master teacher training program and writes letters to students during her summer break time.
- Mrs. Adkins, who was offered an emergency position and showed up the very afternoon that it was offered and then spent her first years with us teaching during pandemic conditions. And she’s still here, helping children thrive!
There are so many more stories I could tell. We are all here because we believe in Charlotte Mason education and have seen the superior results in the lives of children.
So, why am I here? Because God led us here. Because there is something more available to families in the educational landscape. Because God has preserved and sustained this organization for 45 years for special purposes. Because God, through the dedication and generosity of other believers, has given our school community this property at this time in history, by His hands.
I am the executive director of this organization because I believe that there is more to education than what is being offered for a generation of children and families, and I believe that God is working in and through Calvary Schools of Holland.
I am proud of who we are and am making plans for the road ahead.
Warmly,
Cheryl Ward
Head of School
Calvary Schools of Holland