Why Faith Is Different
Faith Elementary and Middle School is a unique school. The school is different from public school, including State-supported charter schools, and also different from other Christian schools or private schools. The following characteristics of Faith are offered as justification for the existence of Faith when there are public, charter, church schools, and other secular private schools in the community.
Faith is an Independent, Christian, Alternative, Non-denominational, non-profit day school. Faith does not belong to, nor is it operated by any church or denomination. The school was organized in 1982, to meet the needs of community students. According to parents, many of these student needs were not being met by existing school for a number of reasons. Some parents felt that their child's needs were not recognized, or met in the schools where they were enrolled because of social factors, such for example as race, economic status. Some students were transferred to Faith because parents perceived classes in other schools were too large to provide sufficient attention and assistance to their child.
Schools operated by churches have the sponsorship and support of tithe-paying, and contribution-giving families and individuals within the church, denomination, or support, church-related organizations. Often a church board, or school board under the tutelage of the church develops and oversees the school's budget and operations. The school often operated in church-owned facilities, or facilities paid for in full or part by the church or church constituents. This is not the case with Faith. Faith has not this type of linkage with any church or organization to-date.
The independent status of Faith is a blessing and a challenge to it's existence. Because the school exists to serve community children and families, it is an important benefit and blessing to local churches. Many local pastors, ministers, officers, and member have attested to this benefit over the years. Generally speaking, Faith students are considered a plus for program building in Sunday and Sabbath Schools throughout the community. This has been so because Faith students are taught to pray publicly, to memorize and recite bible verses, poems, and to sing, and narrate programs. These skills and attitudes about handling themselves before an audience makes Faith students invaluable resources for church schools, family gatherings, and civic events.
Faith welcomes students and employees and volunteers from all sectors of it's community. No one is excluded because of his or her denomination, race, skin color, culture, and often not even for economic status. Over the years, more than $200,000.00 in unpaid tuition has not prevented the school from continuing to hold on to students who needed the training offered by Faith despite the fact that many parents could not afford to keep up tuition payments, or did not know how to manage their resources to enable them to meet their school commitments.
Reportedly, some students were thought to be incapable of "normal" scholastic and citizenship performance in former students. Many students have been sent to Faith to "make a new start", or to "get straightened out". According to parents, public school teachers, and administrators, and others, Faith has a very good tract record of teaching minority students and others students heightened, positive self-esteem, and increasing their abilities to develop good academic skills, improved conduct, and an over-all more positive attitude toward themselves and their interest in school work and authority figures.
Faith works with students whose parents are from professional, management, industry, military, and civic avocations. Many of our students have been part of single-parent households. Many of our students have been raised by grandparents. Some have been taken in by aunts and uncles, or other relatives.
Full participation in school life at Faith is not influenced by the family's position in the community, it's wealth, education, religion, skin color, nationality, ethnicity, or other social barriers. At Faith each student is a part of a loving and supportive family, to which he or she is an important member, with privileges and responsibilities.
One primary reasons why Faith exists is to benefit students in providing a strong basic elementary and middle school education that will give the student a foundation on which to build in future schooling and life experiences. A second very, very important reason Faith exist, even in the face of tremendous hardships is, to bring glory to God. This is done by not merely providing education, but by offering a sound, Christian education to boys and girls and youth from diverse religious and in some instances, no religious background. As well as serving students from various Christian families, the school has had good success in teaching a student from a Jewish family, Muslim, and near eastern orientation family children.
Another important reason why Faith exists is to demonstrate to all of it's community that grassroots people can do some things significant and good about improving their own situations and plight in life. It is important to model to our community that it is not always necessary to permit oneself to become victim because of perceived or reality powerlessness or disadvantages. In any event, the school's leadership has consistently attempted to demonstrate that it is Christian to try to serve, and to trust God and others to assist good works that benefit community children and so prove over and over that God does exist; to prove that God sees and knows; and to offer proof positive that God cares; and that He helps those who help themselves and help others.
Finally, Faith is different also because of the character and quality of commitment it's leadership and cadre of employees and volunteers have exhibited continuously for more than twenty years in the face of woeful lack of resources, facilities, and finance, and public humiliation, and civil embarrassments. When Faith employees are paid, whatever is offered, they work conscientiously. When paychecks are absent or weeks before they can be deposited and used, employees have continued to make sure that their offerings to students and their respect and cooperation with administration and parents have remained respectful and enthusiastic.
Faith has been blessed with many highly qualified, professional teachers of training and experienced from it's inception. Workers and volunteers without completed formal training have distinguished themselves in association with the dedicated credentialed staff to perform exceptional and excellent service to the school's program. All have labored together in Christian love and cooperation as instruments in the hands of the Holy Spirit, the Perfect Teacher, to help fashion a student that families, churches, and other schools can accept with pride and commendation. The success is in part due to loving and highly interested and active parents, who work along with our wonderful staff. The compliment belongs to our students who are among the brightest and the best behaved students our nation possesses. All the glory belongs to God, Who, through His Holy Spirit, has promised us, "I'll Be With You". And so, He Is.
Yes, Faith is different; but the difference is a very good difference. The school prays to continue to maintain it's independence, but looks forward to affiliation with individuals and other organizations to enhance and support it's offerings to more community students and families.