Sisters Christian Academy looks to the future

Sisters Christian Academy is charting a course into the future, seeking a stronger technology component to its education, and more secure financial footing.

The academy hosted a community meeting last Thursday to seek community input toward a strategic vision for the highly rated Christian school.

"What we were striving for was some ideas from the community and from parents on what we could do to create a substantial financial base," said school board member Peter Storton.

The school has a budget of approximately $300,000, according to Storton. About 50 percent of that budget is funded through enrollment, which is considerably lower than the industry-standard 80 percent.

That means a top priority is to increase enrollment. The school has operated for the past 13 years, and enrollment has fluctuated between 50 and 100 students. Storton says the academy currently enrolls about 65 students.

Tuition is at the low end of private school fees, at $3,500 per year for the first family member. Affordability is one of the criteria on which SCA earned distinction as one of the two finest Christian schools in the country in 2009, according to the Association of Christian Schools.

Storton believes that increasing awareness and understanding of the school's values and academic strengths will go far in drawing more families to the school. He notes that Christian education is obviously a central aspect of the K-8 academy's profile and mission, but that the school can have broad appeal to families seeking quality education.

"You can talk about God; you can talk about Jesus; you can say the pledge of

allegiance, 'one nation under God' without civil liberties union involvement or anybody telling you what you can't do," Storton observed.

Parents can also count on their children being in small classes with lots of one-on-one interaction with teachers, recognized universally as a key to academic success.

The success of Sisters Christian Academy students was on display at Thursday's meeting. They offered the historical impersonations that have become a trademark of the school, and the evening's program was introduced by masters of ceremonies Seth Flanders and Jessica Miller, both SCA students who have gone on to great success at Sisters High School.

Attendees were also given a demonstration of the Singapore Math curriculum, which teachers at the academy believe is the strongest available to help students excel in mathematics.

Staying at the forefront of educational practice will require some extra work, the group concluded. Technology is a key element of 21st-century education, and SCA has fewer resources in that area than it has in others. The consensus, according to Storton, was to seek out corporate support for enhancing technology education and technological resources at SCA.

Storton thinks the school is in pretty good position to improve its financial footing. There is room to increase participation in the academy's annual fundraising golf tournament, and Storton has ideas for creating a mascot and "school pride" items.

"I think just a little more exposure will help the academy significantly," Storton said.

While the evening conference was billed as a one-evening, no-obligation event, Storton is in hopes that some participants will, in fact, become committed to assisting SCA move into the future.

"We hope through their participation the other night that some people will step forward," Storton said.

For more information on Sisters Christian Academy, call 541-540-4133 or visit http://www.sisterschristianacademy.com