High School

From Shalom Christian Academy's High School Principal Mrs. Dionne Martin

High school is a time of growth and opportunity. Students are moving along the maturity continuum and starting to fine tune their interests. While they have moved out of those “middle school years,” there is still important development happening in a different way as they begin to gain increasing independence. High school students begin to explore that independence as they gear up for adulthood and see themselves as a larger part of their community and world.

Effective Christian education is not simply a process of adding chapel and Bible class to an academic curriculum, but the mission is to forge a mindset to transformation that begins through a relationship with Jesus Christ and is nurtured and developed deliberately and strategically through a curriculum and through relationships that confront and challenge a secular worldview.

The high school faculty assists and expects students to carry more of their workload without as much supervision from parents in meeting deadlines and carrying through on projects. Study halls can become very useful for students as they visit the Learning Commons to complete research or get extra help from a teacher.
 
High school practices character traits throughout their years: responsibility, self-control, kind words, gratitude, inquisitiveness, integrity, diligence, and consideration. Students have chapel each week where they learn more about these traits as well as more about serving and loving God. Various talents are used at chapel through student-led worship teams and assistance in sound. Small groups meet intermittently for a more in-depth topic discussion.

Opportunities for dual enrollment, honors classes, and extracurricular activities are mainstays to the high school experience. From learning how to play the guitar in music appreciation class to a cross-cultural missions trip the senior year, students are able to experience a curriculum that develops the whole person. Habitudes is a program delivered by the school counselors and chaplain to reinforce positive interaction and spiritual application. 

Technology increasingly becomes an engaging tool for students as well as a convenience in turning in and assigning homework. Teachers use interactive whiteboards as a teaching tool. Google Classroom is also used for assignments. A set of Chromebooks is available in each classroom or students may bring their own device. 

Along with core subjects such as language arts, math, science, social studies, and Bible, students take part in Learn to Serve which gives them an opportunity to minister to others in various tasks throughout the school. Some are “buddies” with elementary classes and others help with projects around the campus. 

Effective Christian education is not simply a process of adding chapel and Bible class to an academic curriculum, but the mission is to forge a mindset to transformation that begins through a relationship with Jesus Christ and is nurtured and developed deliberately and strategically through a curriculum and through relationships that confront and challenge a secular worldview.
 
Sincerely,
Mrs. Dionne Martin