Faith Christian School, here in Roanoke Virginia, was started in 1997 with 47 students. Faith now has over 250 students and is on the cusp of moving into a new, 68,000 square foot building on Buck Mountain Road. The new facility, combined with a new athletic field, are located on a scenic campus which backs up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The new campus will be ready this fall.
Faith is part of the classical Christian school movement that was started in the 1990s and is now up to 186 schools in the U.S. and 10 schools in Virginia. Faith integrates the philosophy of the classical approach of the trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric) in the context of a Christian worldview. The approach produces results.
Graduates of Faith Christian School have averaged above 1300 on their SAT scores and all of them have been accepted into their first choice of colleges, including New York University, the University of North Carolina and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
While academics are important, I am interested in the overall culture of a school, their committment to teaching Truth, and their mission.
As a parent of two children at Faith Christian, I was recently asked why I was committed to this school in particular. My response was immediate.
"Two reasons. One, this school is passionate about Truth. Two, I have been impressed by the quality and character of the faculty. I want these kind of people mentoring my kids and helping them to grow ... not just in knowledge, but in understanding and ultimately in wisdom."
High SAT scores are impressive. More impressive to me, however, is someone who combines knowledge, character and a committment to faith in Jesus Christ. We need more winsome and effective ambassadors for Christ here in Roanoke and in our world.
Faith Christian will be having an open house this Thursday (2/15). For those who live around here, take advantage of that and learn more about this school on the rise. Or email me if you have questions or are seeking testimonials from other parents.