Welcome

Welcome to Stillwater Christian School; we are so glad that the Lord has brought your children to our school and we are so excited to see how He will continue to bless their growth and learning throughout this year! Our Board of Trustees, administrative team, faculty and staff are considering three important scriptural principles related to Christian education. The first observation is rooted in what we call the “incarnation”; that is, how Jesus Christ purposefully entered the world as an infant and grew according to the same stages that govern all human development. In other words, we believe that God considers every moment of a child’s life as precious/purposeful and expects us to be “lifelong learners”. Although God could have created Jesus as an adult (remember, in the Garden of Eden, God created Adam and Eve as adults - not children), He chose instead to have Jesus Christ, His only son, progress and experience the same “milestones” as each one of us! Therefore, at SCS, we consider all of the ages/stages of our students’ growth as precious and purposeful and we will celebrate that growth as a fulfillment of our intentional mission and vision.

The second aspect guiding our program and preparation is founded upon Romans 12:1-8; this passage of scripture affirms that because we are all created imago dei (in the image of God):

1. 1. we are created to learn (transformed by the renewing of our minds),
   2. learning is a “spiritual act of worship” (our curiosity, imagination, service, etc. are all gifts we offer back to God),
   3. learning is inherently transformational (we change/grow via both process [how we think] & product [what we think]),
   4. learning fosters “discernment”; the ability to make informed, robust and just assertions based upon clear evidence/rationale,
   5. we are created to be interdependent; that is, learning occurs within the context of community; it therefore requires, and cultivates, virtues (like humility, charity, boldness, mercy, etc.).

Lastly, our school theme/focus this year (which will be emphasized/discussed in all aspects of our program and culture) is “One Another” (as found in Philippians 2:4-5). We want to celebrate and accentuate the joy, truth, beauty and goodness of the way that God has uniquely designed each individual to live interdependently (in humility and unity) with one another through the power of the Holy Spirit.

What I am most excited about is how each of these perspectives (like the whole counsel of scripture) are complementary and give us the perfect blueprint for how to embody (live out) our covenantal partnership. It means that the community of Stillwater Christian School can/should be defined by these scriptural realities:

1. 1. every moment of a child’s life is precious and purposeful because they are created imago dei (in the image of God),
   2. because we are created to learn - both the process and the products of our learning can be used by God to glorify and worship Him,
   3. when we offer our individual/unique gifts/talents to serve the community, we are bonded together in unity through the supernatural love and power of the Holy Spirit!

I am so honored to serve as the interim Head of School and excited to partner with you; please join us in prayer that

Jesus Christ will continue to unite our community as we work together to shepherd His precious children!

Grace & Peace,

Dr. Laura McCollum