Spiritual formation is the foremost task of our teachers and staff, and occurs in both formal and informal settings. The main goal of our school is to see each child have a knowledge of saving grace in Christ, and to assist in each child’s continued growth and maturity in their faith. Students are taught and encouraged by faculty who know the Lord as their Savior. We also have specific activities that help to aid in spiritual growth including:
Chapel Programs
All students in grades K-12 participate in a weekly chapel service with separate chapels for elementary and high school. Chapels typically consist of worship, prayer, and a message. Speakers are typically local pastors from churches which our students attend. Other speakers may include students, faculty members, and college representatives.
Bible Class
Classes occur daily. Elementary focus on stories of the Bible, with scripture memorization and life application. High School covers various topics including worldviews and apologetics.
Community Service Days
On two specific days each school year, individual classes pick service projects to perform in the community. The goal of the two days is to be the “hands and feet of Christ” and serve the local community which graciously gives to us throughout the year. Projects have included clean up of lawns, coat drives, making food for elderly, playing games at nursing homes, and many others.
Senior Projects
Each year the senior class is required to do some form of service project as part of their senior curriculum. The project involves approximately 20 hours. The students are encouraged to pray for direction, find an organization or cause that they have a passion for serving, and organize the project, and present it in full detail. In the past, students have held blood drives in memory of a loved one, raised funds for wells, food, and other needs for those in other countries, held an Olympic ‘track and field’ day for the disabled, worked with various organizations for our veterans, sponsored the first 5K races for the school, and many other assignments. The blessing of this program is to see young people stepping out of their comfort zone to serve others and be touched in return.
Senior Mission Trip
The senior class trip occurs each year with an emphasis on missions. Past classes have worked through soup kitchens to feed the homeless in various large cities and cleaned up a Christian camp in Maine. This trip is always very encouraging for the students as they learn the joy of serving others.
CLEW: Christian Life Emphasis Week
Once a year, North Rome Christian School looks forward to a Christian Life Emphasis Week (CLEW) event. CLEW is a time of reflection on our school theme for the year. A special speaker is invited to share with the students and staff through a week of daily chapels. This week gives students the opportunity to discuss spiritual matters, to pray with and for each other, and to encourage each other in the faith of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is always exciting to see what message God will give our speaker and to see how his sermon will address the hearts and lives of our students.
ACSI Leadership Conference
Each November the junior class attends the ACSI Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. Several hundred Christian high school students gather to learn from well known speakers and worship together to deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ. The emphasis varies each year but centers on God’s story of creation, our fall into sin, and God’s redemption and restoration for all of life.
In addition to personal transformation, students develop an action plan to make a difference for Christ. The plan is taken home to be implemented at school and in their communities.
One afternoon of the conference is spent on an excursion into the city. Choices include the Holocaust Museum and the Capitol.
Stoney Point
Fun! Exciting! Challenging! Adventurous! Physical! Spiritual!
These are some of the words used to describe the experience students get at Stoney Point. It’s two fun-filled days packed with one activity after another. The fifth and sixth grade classes head to Stoney Point in early fall, while the seventh and eighth graders embark on this trip in the spring.
Students participate in a scavenger hunt trying to locate and identify several items related to God’s wonderful creation. Groups are formed to develop team building skills, character, and dependency on each other. One activity that utilizes the talents in each group is to see who can build the best fort out of materials found in the woods. Individual interests and abilities increase as students learn how to shoot a bow and arrow, play nature games, get involved in charades, and engage in gaga ball during free time. They sleep in cabins, cook some meals over an open fire, and take nature hikes into the beautiful surrounding areas.
The main purpose and most important aspect of their time is having devotions together as a class. They are challenged in their relationship with God, reminded how wonderful our Creator is, and encouraged to have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.