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Cary Christian Meets Classical Requirements
School is one of only five U.S. schools to be accredited by the Association of Classical Christian Schools.
When Cary Christian received word recently that it had received accreditation from the Association of Classical Christian Schools, it affirmed what administrators and staff already knew. Cary Christian is helping its students to succeed academically and in the real world. The school is one of 170 schools with membership to the Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS), but it is one of only five schools in the United States to meet the ACCS standards to receive accreditation. "It's good to have a blue ribbon that says "you guys are on track," Cary Christian Superintendent Larry Stephenson said of the accreditation. Accreditation from the ACCS means Cary Christian has succeeded in meeting ACCS standards.
The school places scripture at the center of all subjects; it sets high standards; and demands discipline in the classroom. That adheres to Cary Christian's own mission, "providing an excellent classical education founded upon a Biblical worldview." The curriculum is designed to develop students who think critically about that subject and apply it to their lives. Stephenson said students should leave Cary Christian knowing that the world is not all about them, but about how they can help others in this world. They can ask, "Why algebra?" he said, and have an answer, "so that you can be whatever you want to become and be good at it and serve others."
The teaching models the classical and Christian curriculum of the Logos School in Moscow, Idaho - also accredited by the ACCS. The application process for accreditation was lengthy. Administrators and staff produced a 1,500 page document detailing student life and the teachings at Cary Christian. "In that must be a track record of performance that is equal to other schools (that are accredited)," Stephenson said. The school has that track record, he said. In the spring, for example, the school average on the Stanford Achievement Test was above the 85th percentile compared to all other schools in the nation. In addition, the average SAT score at Cary Christian is 1200. In addition to the application, the school had to go through a week-long site visit by a review panel before it could receive accreditation. During that week, the review panel visited classrooms, interviewed teachers, parents, and even students. "They drilled them with some really tough questions about content," Stephenson said.
The accreditation team had turned down the last three schools before Cary Christian, he said, but they awarded accreditation to Cary Christian. The accreditation has special significance to the staff members who come to teach each day at Cary Christian. "It's a validation from someone external," said Dell Cook, who has taught at Cary Christian for three years. "It's a real affirmation and encouragement." For Sharon Withington, who has taught at the school for seven years, the accreditation helps remind staff that there is something larger outside the doors to their school. "It gives us a broader reference point," she said.
Cary Christian School incorporated in 1994 and began classes in the fall of 1996. The school has grown since then to include 433 students. Led by its board of directors, the school is currently looking to purchase land for its own facility and eventually grow to a campus of 750 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
This article originally appeared in Cary News.