FRCS Alumna: Kaylee

How has Christian Education benefited me?

After growing up in the Front Range Christian School community since the second grade, I went through a phase in my Junior year where I begged my parents to allow me to attend a public school. I wanted a big school with a big music program, one that would be overjoyed upon my admittance and with the talent I could offer there already perfected program…(Oh the ignorance of teenagers). Needless to say, they talked me out of it. I graduated second in my class in 2008 having received not only a quality education, but the opportunity to be discipled by successful men and women of integrity.

I have specific memories of each year growing up in Christian education. My second grade teacher teaching the class children songs that I still find myself humming 15 years later, my third grade teacher reading “Where the Red Fern Grows” to an attentive bunch of third graders, and my sixth grade teacher singing about the Colorado Gold Rush making American History interesting and entertaining for sixth graders. These moments and more shaped the way in which I, as a young student began to find my own identity. Proverbs says to “train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” As parents charged with this responsibility, also comes the task of entrusting children to educators. With the excessive amount of time a child spends in school, the thought of my own future children being influenced by people I do not trust or agree with is absolutely frightening. The guidance I received as a young child immersed in a solid, Christian community laid a firm foundation on which I began to form my convictions as a teenager.

As I moved in to Jr. High and High School, the Christian education I was receiving stood out as being a vital aspect in my pursuit of Christ and knowledge.  During a time when most young people are searching for a place to belong, trying to find where they fit in, and discovering important attributes of who they are, having Godly men and women to seek out and look up to is an essential element that is generally lacking in the American church. Young people need to be witness to success stories of “cool” men and women who have gone before them, experienced the trials and temptations of life and succeeded. Through discipleship groups, Bible classes, chapels, and service projects, Christian education is a tangible way to combat today’s culture, through mentoring relationships, missions, and accountability. In addition to having a faculty that will teach and encourage students in truth, the Biblical training I received was of immeasurable worth. Taking Bible classes throughout elementary school and high school, launched me far ahead in my understanding of Christianity and my walk with Christ. There is no doubt that attending a Christian High School allowed me to deeply root my convictions and prepare me for college and leaving home.

Now three years out of High School and the Front Range Christian Community, I recognize the priceless gift of my Christian education. In addition to being prepared for college courses and vigorous academic work, as a freshman, I jumped right into roles of Christian leadership on campus at Greenville College in southern Illinois. My experiences of playing sports, being involved with plays, student leadership, and discipleship groups were a phenomenal spring-board for my future involvement in College Choir, Residence Life, Admissions, Chapel Bands, church activities leading a Jr. High youth group, and much more. I have had opportunities to work at summer camps mentoring young children, as well as had many conversations about my faith with non-believers outside of the community I grew up in. My Christian education trained me in my walk with Christ, prepared me for college, and challenged me to influence the world around me. I am grateful to the people of Front Range Christian School.