Parents and Friends of CSCS:

The Superintendent's Roundtable is a place for you to find answers to the questions that we hear from parents in meetings, through phone calls, and from e-mails. These may or may not be your questions but you may be interested in what others are asking and in the information we have to share. If you have a question that we have not addressed, please feel free to submit your question.

We will take new questions as time permits and answer them on this blog site if they seem of general interest. Otherwise, we will try to get back to you personally if that seems more appropriate.

May—2013

Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

On April 13, 2013, Colorado Springs Christian Schools was honored to host Tim Tebow for our Lion’s Heart Celebration fundraiser. The amazing aspect of the date that was chosen was that 4-13-13 also represents one of Tim’s favorite Bible verses, Philippians 4:13. So we knew from the start that this was going to be an extra special event. In 2011, our team started the communication with Tim’s representatives to invite him to be our Lion’s Heart Award recipient. Circumstances as they were with Tim being traded from the Broncos to the Jets proved to be a challenge in making it work for everyone’s schedules. But we persevered and in October of 2012, we received the call that Tim had accepted our invitation and we hit the ground running from there! For 6 months, our team worked and prayed over every detail of this event that God would be glorified first and foremost, that people would come to know the Lord, but also that CSCS would be able to impact lives and showcase the qualities that make us stand apart as a Christian school.

Our Lion’s Heart award was established by CSCS to recognize outstanding contributions in education and leadership by members of our community and nation. This award has been given to leaders in education, politics, business and faith communities, and now the circle of influence of the Lion’s Heart Award has expanded to include the professional sports arena. Tim is a leader. It is said that the mark of true leadership is the ability to demonstrate courage when facing fear, strength when challenges are great and the opposition is overwhelming, and to leave people better off than when you first encounter them. That is part of what Tim Tebow is about and is the reason why we chose to honor him with the Lion’s Heart Award.

We are so thankful for our many sponsors, donors and contributors who showed their support for our school financially, as well as through prayer. Over $150,000 was raised for the school through this event and we praise the Lord for that!  We have had a very positive response to the event and I have included just a couple of excerpts from some of those who attended:

Worth It? Part 2

In my January blog, I discussed three compelling reasons parents may consider when sending their children to a Christian school. This month, I am sharing three more reasons in hopes of encouraging those parents who have already made the decision to continue to invest in a Christian education for their children, and also to provide information for those parents considering this extremely important option. Here are the final three reasons that I believe Christian education is not only vital but very beneficial and strategic for today’s young people.

At schools like CSCS…all curriculum is taught from a Christian worldview. So what does that mean? The best way to answer that is to compare the Christ-centered approach with the secular education option to compare the difference. The Christian worldview begins with its foundation in the Bible, the Word of God, and the person of Jesus Christ. Upon that foundation are the philosophies of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Added to the philosophy level are the theories of western civilization and at the top of all of this are the academic subjects that are taught. In looking at the secular education model, it begins with the philosophies of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, then the theories of western civilization and then the academic subjects. See the following illustration below.

February 25, 2013
Dr. DeRenzo continues his month-long blog on the importance of Christian education.

One of the outcomes of a CSCS education is developing Christ-centered leaders who know what they believe and have the capability and confidence to engage the culture.  One of our graduates, Matt Mellema is a second year law student at Yale University.  He has written an article of his experience engaging the culture.  This whole month we have been focusing on the value of a Christian school education and being built up and developed in one's faith.  I think you will enjoy reading this article and I hope it encourages you, as parents, to keep investing in your child's Christian education. The article was written for a Focus on the Family publication.

READ MATT’S ARTICLE HERE (Originally published on www.risingvoice.com)

February 19, 2013

The last couple of entries on my blog have dealt with the importance of Christian education.  This past week I was given an article that was written by one of our parents here at CSCS.   It is one of the best articles I have read on the importance of Christian education and it is written from a parent’s point of view.  I hope each and every parent will take the time to read this article and my prayer is that it will encourage you to continue to make the sacrificial investment in Christian education for your children.  The following article is reprinted with permission.

Attachments:

Christian Education Article by Karen Mitchell

Superintendent’s Blog

February, 2013

In my last posting, I shared reasons that Christian school education is of value and worth the sacrifice and struggle. This past week I received, from the Association of Christian Schools International, a summary of a comprehensive study on the lasting impact of a Christian education. A few years ago, a Christian think tank headquartered in Ontario, Canada called Cardus, put together a survey to see the impact those who attended Christian schools were making in the world. So a two year study was conducted and those surveyed were school administrators of Catholic and Protestant schools, along with teachers and graduates, ranging in ages of 24-39 from public schools, protestant schools, Catholic schools and homeschools, along with nonreligious private schools. In 2011, the Cardus Education Survey (CES) was released. Here is the exciting news, graduates of Protestant Christian schools excel spiritually, academically and culturally!

Philip Scott, of ACSI’s Legal/Legislative department, summarized the findings and I have reprinted them below. Take a few minutes to look at the results and I hope you will agree that Christian schools like CSCS are not only worth it now, but have a lasting impact in the world.

Roland F. DeRenzo, Ed.D.
Superintendent

Attachments:

The Christian School Difference

“WORTH IT?”

We are rapidly approaching re-enrollment time here at CSCS. This is the time that many parents, if not all, ask the value question: IS IT WORTH IT TO STRUGGLE AND SACRIFICE TO SEND MY CHILDREN TO A CHRISTIAN SCHOOL LIKE CSCS?

I would like to try and answer that as well as reaffirm the choice you have made as parents. I recently was given a book written by the former President of ACSI entitled: Worth It: The 15,000 Hour Decision. I have summarized some of the points he makes and the resounding conclusion is YES! It is valuable and each day becoming imperative to educate our children and young people in a Christ-centered school.