Sheri Clegg, Upper School Principal

A recent live telecast was launched by ABC’s 13 News entitled “Our Kids, Our Future.” Sue Freeman and Sheri Clegg attended the telecast at CNU to witness the opening discussion on four statewide concerns of which included the state budget and Standards of Learning (SOL). In attendance to discuss topics and answer questions from the audience was a panel of representatives from the Senate, Boards of Education, city Mayors, local School Superintends and members, Teachers’ Union Representatives, and a Hampton Roads college professor. Bottom-line discussion about the budget revealed; 1) schools reporting 30 – 35 students per classroom, 2) teachers without raises for years,
and 3) the unpopularity of, and wasteful spending on, SOL testing. 

Because 50% of Virginians polled earlier in the month opposed the SOLs, this topic supplanted all other planned discussions for the evening. Major takeaways from the panel discussion and teacher responses are presented below:

Sheri Clegg, Upper School Principal

SOLs, and the like, govern the public education domain nationally. This modern education phenomenon  is data-driven by state standards reducing successful education to merely what is measurable. Education, then, becomes a definition of what can be regurgitated on standardized tests rather than what can be acquired — true knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. At the center of modern education is the student, not God who is the center of all things. There is no Bible curriculum in state-run schools.

Sheri Clegg, Upper School Principal

Is a superlative Christian education possible? Consider God’s words in Jeremiah 29:11, 13. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope…You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart."

The plans for his people are to have the best, including top-notch education for his children. Public education is flawed; leaving out major components of child development, and depending on the school’s vision, Christian education could be no more than a hybrid public education complete with the biblical insignia.

Ask most Christian parents what they want for their child and they would agree they want their child to love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. At Summit, teachers want the same for their students. A biblical worldview is taught in all classes so students understand that God is active and alive and Creator of our world. As a foreign exchange student commented last year, “This God of yours is everywhere. I walk into English class and He is there. I go to Physics class and He is there.” With the foundation of God’s Word in all subjects, a classically trained student at Summit is taught important skills that will help them make a lasting impact on their world.

They are instructed to:
• Think critically
• Reason well
• Clearly articulate their thoughts, questions, and most importantly, their faith
• Express a Christian worldview in a culture frequently removed from biblical foundations.

These tools prepare our students to confidently make a lasting impact on the world today, tomorrow and wherever God leads them in the future.

Contact Dana Tumminello for more information or to schedule a tour of our campuses.