Our 9th through 12th grade high school classes are located in our Laketown campus building

FOLLOW THE PATH TO MORE

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. – Matthew 7:13–14 (ESV)

The choice to follow Christ is an exchange. We lose our life in order to find it (Matt. 10:39). We sell all that we have in order to gain a better treasure (Matt. 13:44). We live by an economy that is unseen, yet eternal (Matt. 5:20). We measure our success by a standard that is altogether other than our own (Isa. 55:9). We believe there is more to be had, more to be gained, by choosing the narrow path because we believe that between those two boundary lines lie all the treasures of wisdom, knowledge and life in the infinite person of Christ. We say yes to the promise of more.

Understanding that the high school years house a life-shaping season in which individuals are choosing which of the two paths they will take, we must, as Christian educators, ask this paramount question:

In what way should the Christian belief in the more inform our approach to education? How do we inspire our students to embrace this hope?

We want our students to do more than just pass the test. More than just check the boxes. More than just get by. Calvary Schools has established a different view of high school education.

At our school, you will not find the average educational model plus a Bible class. Ever and always, we are asking each student, “How much are you growing? What is your relationship with knowledge, growth, and God’s creation?” We value career and life opportunities but even more so, we value the development of a passion for knowledge, a hard work ethic, and a willingness to stretch ourselves. That demands a far higher calling for each of us.

We are moving past a focus on “What must I do to get by?” Instead, our students should be asking, “How far can I go?”

Student engagement is of utmost importance in our model of education. We want students to take responsibility for their own learning by developing communication and critical thinking skills, a work ethic that forms their own relationship with the subject at hand, a mindset of growth that keeps them reaching for more.

While we work intentionally to maintain an atmosphere of student engagement throughout our curriculum, schedule and standards, there are five key distinctives in our high school in which this mindset of growth is best observed.

SMALL FAMILY ATMOSPHERE

The atmosphere of the learning environment has the power to transform—or poison—a student’s attitude toward learning. Students are breathing in the values that the school community is exhaling. Children are born asking, “What is worth having?” And the school atmosphere—in which half their waking hours are spent—is an overwhelmingly powerful force of communication of the answer to that question. Atmosphere is caught, not taught, so students catch desires and motivations from their school environment.

So we work to establish a culture of reaching for more together. One-on-one connections between students and staff create an environment of accountability and opportunities for the personal development of each individual. Real relationships, prayer times, ties from the classroom to current life experiences, personal follow-up—these all work together to enable the upholding of a higher standard of character and potential. Everyone participates, no one hides, everyone contributes. Less in this context makes more available. It is this small family atmosphere that makes everything we do and value possible.

SERVICE FOCUS

One of the ways our values find outward expression is in our distinctive Service Practica program. Service Practica classes are intended to help students explore new areas of service and to rethink how they can use their interests and talents toward serving others. Following Christ’s example, all of our service instructors are mature believers who have expertise in their service course because spiritual maturity is developed by learning and serving with mature Christian servants.

Service Practica is also intended as a certificate program that can be used to showcase areas of knowledge for resumes, college admissions and job applications. Calvary students receive certification upon completion of each year of service, and at graduation, students will receive a certificate, along with their diploma, which lists up to five areas of expertise in service. Areas of focus for service include children’s literacy, gerontology, special needs populations, at-risk youth, technical skills-based service, maintenance, and more.

HUMANITIES AND THE BIGGER PICTURE

While the specialized approach found in most modern secondary and higher educational institutions has brought greater potential depth in each subject by instructors trained exclusively in specific topics, there is something lost in which the bigger picture gets broken up into smaller, unconnected facts. We are taking those unconnected facts and putting them together under one umbrella course in order to connect our students with the big picture. These unique humanities two-credit courses are offered as integrated seminars that blend history, literature, theology, and philosophy together into one subject. In this college-level approach, students acknowledge connectivity between these subjects as they engage with big ideas about God, humanity, and the world.

Our goal with these humanities seminars is to facilitate a holistic academic approach that is centered on big ideas about the world, ourselves as individuals, humanity as a whole, and God’s work throughout history. Students are trained to think critically at both microscopic and macroscopic levels. We are developing individuals, yes, but also members of a larger community that understand how they fit into the bigger picture of life.

WINTERIM ELECTIVES

For 20 years, our high school has pioneered an elective program that gives students exposure to more than what they might normally encounter in their day-to-day lives. Each school year during the month of January, our high school students spend two weeks taking electives specifically designed to encourage them to explore their unique gifts and interests. Students gain exposure to a wide range of physical activities, academic prep, life skills, technical skills, creative arts, musical training, and more. Course offerings rotate from year-to-year, and classes are taught by teachers as well as professionals in the community. Additionally, seniors have the opportunity to intern with multiple area businesses and ministries.

DUAL ENROLLMENT

Upperclassmen who plan to pursue a college degree have opportunity to earn college credit during their 11th and 12th grade years with no additional cost to their families. We partner with multiple colleges and universities in our area, including Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Valley State University, Grace Christian University and others, to give students space both during class time and independently to earn college credit for courses completed during high school.

These distinctives are by no means exhaustive but they do demonstrate some of the practical ways in which we intentionally walk out our mission. We are all—students, faculty, staff and parents—reaching for more of Christ, more of life, more of faith, more in excellence, more in impact. We are reaching for more than what we can do ourselves, but are partnering with each other and with the One who can do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us … to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Eph. 3:20–21, NIV)

If you are interested in finding out more about the distinctives of a Calvary education in the 9th through 12th grades, contact us at info@cshk12.org, or call the Laketown campus at (616) 396-0248 and schedule a visit. Additional information on Charlotte Mason’s educational philosophy and the curriculum we use can be found at Ambleside Schools International.