Christian Education

By Karla Uecker

kuecker@star-telegram.com

For the family that values living by Christian principles as foundational, a public-school curriculum may not offer quite enough.

Public schools in the North Texas communities provide many outstanding educators and opportunities for a child’s intellectual and personal growth. Still, some parents may feel that education of the whole person – mind, body and spirit – is important. Parents who hope to develop a young person who is not just schooled in academics – but also an individual who is molded and shaped by Christian formation – often decide to make a private Christian education part of their children’s upbringing.

Some parents opt for home schooling, but for many families, Christian schools such as those available in North Texas provide the answer.

The area’s Christian schools, colleges and universities can help parents make sure their children receive a quality, Christ-centered education.

For the families who choose a private Christian education for their students, that decision may involve a financial sacrifice, especially in today’s economy.

They have faith that their decision will be a wise investment of resources, one that lays a solid and sure educational foundation in the minds and hearts of their children.

For parents who hope to give their students the benefit of this type of education, the schools profiled in today’s Christian Education pages are good options to explore.

Things to know about our featured schools:

Southwest Christian School is celebrating its 40th year of Christian education in 2009. "Starting with our youngest members in pre-school and advancing through the grades to graduation, spiritual life remains inseparably linked to all aspects of student life," writes SCS’s president and headmaster Dr. Penny Anderson in a message on the school’s Web site.

Christian schools look beyond graduation day, as they mold their students into leaders for the future. At Faith Christian School in Grapevine, for example, its goal as stated on the Web site is "... to guide our students through rigorous academics and thoughtfully developed extra-curricular activities, to develop into individuals who can successfully lead a family, a business, or a government with a Christ-centered worldview."

An out-of-the-ordinary experience at Fort Worth Christian School are the A+ and N+ computer networking certification classes, and classes for students interested in developing Christian video games. The school opened its state-of-the-art science and technology center in spring 2008.

With a senior class of 280, Nolan Catholic High School annually has its share of National Merit Scholarship finalists, semifinalists and commended students.

The school’s social service programs put students in the forefront of addressing societal needs through direct contact with the underprivileged. Many Nolan graduates pursue careers in social service fields because they have learned to address these needs while they are in high school.

Pantego Christian Academy is growing and has opened an additional campus in Mansfield, which educates and nurtures students from three years old to third grade, growing with enrollment to fifth grade.

Students continue to grow in faith and intellectual achievement through their college careers, and church-affiliated institutions such as Hardin-Simmons University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary provide especially fertile soil during those higher education years.

Southwestern, the landmark Fort Worth seminary that just broke ground on a new chapel, specializes in equipping and preparing students for the ministry, offering bachelor’s degrees through doctoral-level programs.

For the past 115 years, Hardin-Simmons in Abilene, a Christian liberal arts university, has produced close to 24,000 graduates. Today, more than 70 fields of study are offered, and Logsdon Seminary at the school provides three degrees to help in ministry preparation.

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