Mission

Proverbs 16:16 says, “How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver!” The Bible urges us often to seek wisdom above all things (Proverbs 4:7). It also explains that the source of wisdom starts with the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10). At Grace, we recognize that students are more than just their GPA or a sum of what they know. The pursuit of wisdom is holistic, to skillfully live according to God’s way of life. This training reaches far beyond a student's time in school. In this context, we seek to see each student develop individually and uniquely so that they will, with God’s help, navigate life in a way that honors and glorifies our Creator.

As image-bearers of the creator, we reflect His relational character. God has created us to exist within relationships. We recognize this truth and the immense influence that healthy, God-honoring relationships have on the development of students. Grace recognizes that teachers who go out of their way to develop relationships with students garner authentic authority in the classroom and affect the trajectory of their students' lives. These relationships also help young people make the right choices during school as they undergo and emerge from the turmoil of adolescence to the challenges of adult life.  Right relationships help students make wise choices as adolescents and as they mature and face the challenges of adult life. Ultimately, we hope that these relationships serve to point students towards Jesus and a life lived God’s way. ?

Proverbs 9:9 says, “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.” We desire to instruct for wisdom and not simply knowledge acquisition. This guides our decisions and the feel of our classrooms. It prioritizes critical thinking, personal effort, and character development. Excellence in God’s eyes is doing one’s best. This is in contrast to the world’s standard of being the best. It is essential in the development of students that goals be set at a challenging, but not impossible, level. As a young person experiences success from their best effort, even more, the effort is exerted toward continued success. We believe in challenging students with this model of excellence to achieve the goal of doing their best in their academic pursuits, extra-curricular activities, and their service to others.

We hope that by developing healthy relationships and providing clear instruction, what culminates is service. Here we follow the example of Christ in helping each student toward a genuinely Christian worldview. The witness of Jesus Christ who came “not to be served, but to serve” stands in stark contrast to a society often characterized by indulgence and self-gratification. We believe that only by following God’s call to service can one find true fulfillment. In following that call to service, one can also demonstrate leadership. Christ again becomes the model of a leader to whom we point our young people. As a school, we attempt to teach this by serving the students entrusted to us. We then can challenge them to serve others in their home, church, school, and community.