Story by Tim Soper
Education
Story by Shaun Robinson
This school year, Takoma Academy (TA) welcomed five new members to its teaching staff: two math teachers; a history teacher; an English Language Arts teacher; and an athletic director. Some schools end up with teachers who go into education as a secondary option or who consider the job to be some sort of mitzvah. This group, however, is different. They have truly been called by God to do what they do.
Story by Janel Haas Ware
At the recent Shenandoah Valley Academy Senior Dedication, Principal Don Short placed the Class of 2023—made up of 56 seniors—into God’s loving care during his dedication prayer:
Dear Father,
What a tremendous collection of dreams, hopes and desires on the platform this evening. It is with those dreams and desires that we come to you as teachers, administrators, parents, grandparents to ask for Your help.
Story by Esther Hernandez
Blue Mountain Academy (BMA) began the new year with 161 students—an increase in enrollment over the past three years—and with several “power weekends” featuring speakers who shared their testimonies and challenged the young people and staff to take the steps needed to strengthen their relationships with God.
Justin Kim, assistant director of Sabbath School and Personal Ministries for the General Conference, challenged students not to settle for being mediocre.
Story by V. Michelle Bernard
The Columbia Union Conference’s 97 early childhood education centers, elementary, junior academies, academies and colleges have a combined enrollment of 8,069 this school year, up from 8,027 last school year.
At recent Columbia Union meetings, Donovan Ross, vice president for Education, said the boarding academies are enjoying the highest enrollment rates since 2016 with 558 students at the union’s four boarding schools. Ross also reported that six schools across the territory are in various stages of building projects.