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A note from Chris: Some iteration of Christ Covenant School has been around since 1958, first as a preschool (Southside Baptist), and now as both a preschool and elementary school. For over 65 years, the preschool has had faithful followers of Jesus in its teaching and aiding ranks and has served the families of Baton Rouge steadfastly. I usually say that “it has not been hard to build out into an elementary because the preschool was so healthy!”
We know that many of you are in motion at other schools or our days/hours don’t work for your family…however we still want you to know what’s going on at CCS! And to know that we understand our ability to build out to 5th grade is due in large part to our sweet preschool.
This month, we’ve asked one of our elementary parents to write the blog from her perspective. Currently her Kindergartner and 2nd grader attend CCS, but both have been with us since they were in preschool. Our small class size (10 to 1 ratio in 1st through 5th grade) helps us shepherd hearts while delivering instruction. It’s a privilege to welcome Alexandra McCall to the CCS Connection this month!
My husband and I started thinking about schools for our kids in early 2020. We had recently moved across the country and had our second baby when the pandemic hit. The pandemic became somewhat of a blessing to our family as it slowed us down after all the major life changes that we had experienced and caused us to really evaluate what we wanted for our family. Our oldest at the time was in a sweet Mother’s Day Out around the corner from our house that went up to PreK, so we had some time to really sift through our options. I started reading books on education, from the origins of schooling in general to different methods, including books on homeschooling and even books on the importance of reading (I had a lot of free time those weeks inside!). I then started asking moms in the community about their experiences at all the schools in town and toured probably every one of them.
In hindsight we can see the Holy Spirit working in our lives through this time and the people that were put in our path. Two of my now best friends gently nudged me to look at Christ Covenant when I incessantly spoke of school concerns at the playground by our house. I finally called Chris Shipley (how cool that you could call the principal’s cellphone!) and was drawn to the school by our conversation and the Transitional Kindergarten option that they had for my oldest. I will never forget meeting the TK teacher, Dotty Loar, on my tour and tearing up when she gently listened to me play out all my concerns. After the tour I immediately called my husband and cried that I thought I'd finally found our school.
Upon extensive research and reflection, we concluded that we wanted our children's education to be play based, developmentally appropriate, and soul forming. We loved to learn that the kids at Christ Covenant were not sitting at desks all day but were learning through movement and fun. The kids all looked so happy and had plenty of outdoor time. Our sons flourished at the school. We decided to stay for one more year and try Kindergarten for our oldest.
We are now in the Elementary portion of Christ Covenant, planning to stay throughout, and can happily say that our experience has been nothing short of wonderful. The teachers and staff throughout the whole school really have ‘made’ this experience. We truly feel that when we drop off our kids every morning that they are with teachers that love them and want the best for them. I have never heard of a school where the teachers are so present, helpful and accessible by the parents. I also have been surprised at how much my kids love school. They cry at the start of summer and winter breaks because they do not want school to end, which is so countercultural to their peers' (and parents!) experiences. The kids seem to be learning with no anxiety or pressure, and our kids are right on track academically. Our boys love reading and have curious and thoughtful conversations with us. They are memorizing scripture and talking about deep things like forgiveness and humility. We have plenty of time for family and extracurriculars every week because they aren't loaded with hours of homework and tests, get off at a reasonable hour, and have Fridays off. We are actually enjoying this stage of parenthood.
Another thing I love about CCS is how the different grades interact with each other throughout the day. In the elementary suite it's not uncommon to see a third grader teaching a game or skill to a kindergartener. They all learn from each other important life skills that I believe can't be learned from a worksheet or a test. The teachers are right there when problems arise to gently guide them in Christian problem solving. The parents of each of the kids are different yet very like-minded. I know any of the teachers or parents would do anything for my children and I would do the same for theirs. It is such a special family feeling that it’s hard to describe unless you are there.
We have also fallen in love with the gently classical education model in Elementary. The model is a holistic approach that teaches kids how to think, something we believe is especially important in today's world. Our kids are coming home talking about authors, painters, and composers that we didn't know about until probably high school. They have a sense of wonder about the natural world and a love of learning new things. The whole child is involved and nurtured.
If you had asked me Pre Pandemic where my family would be now, that answer would be completely different than what you see today. We would probably be struggling with our faith and on a traditional track. Christ Covenant has been a pillar in our lives because it is not only educating our children, but my husband and me as well. We are now deep in our faith journey and love learning alongside our boys. We now define a successful early education for our children as one that fosters a love of God and others, curiosity, and a passion for lifelong learning and reading. As adults we now realize that education doesn't stop in college or grad school but is continuous. We are so grateful that Christ Covenant is the seed that is planting this alongside us!
