Welcome to Grace and the Grace Way!
We invite you to join us during your pre-teen and early teen years alongside peers and teachers who are working towards the same goals as you are. We want you to be the unique person God made you to be. We respect the talents and gifts that you have. We hope you will share your own voice as you talk in and out of class. We do that in a Christian community where you can be yourself joyfully and safely.
We know you want to succeed. At Grace, our students want to succeed in three ways – join a community where your peers want what you want!
- Academic success – yes, we are a school and we take it seriously. Our education is really good – every student who comes here can be proud of what he or she accomplishes. Learn with excellence is part of our school’s mission.
- Personal integrity – you want to be a trustworthy person and to be with peers who are the same. You want to know that you can believe what someone else is saying. Living with character (also in our mission) is key to feeling comfortable.
- Having meaning – you probably wake up some mornings and just wonder, “Why?” Good question. Not always easy to find the answer. You know that part of the answer is contributing to the community, helping others, and feeling good about giving. It’s what we call loving with the hands of Jesus. Now there’s someone who wants you to have meaning! He loves you so much!
How can we do all this together? Well, there are our teachers. They don’t sit around waiting for things to happen. Nor do they teach by handing out worksheets and sitting back to read the paper while you sweat. They are as excited about learning as you are. They are well educated, understand quite a bit about who you are as a Junior High student, and are eager to meet you. Yes, they will communicate with your parents in order to support you; usually about all the good things you are doing.
It’s actually really different here at Grace! You learn in groups, just as we did for thousands of years. You are together with other students in grades 7, and 8. Together you are a learning community. If you’re younger, you will learn from the older students – as well as challenge them; if you are older, you will learn how to lead and be an example. There are lots of different voices and gifts; you will find this a rich way to learn through collaboration, projects, and individual pursuits.
Now we want you to meet those students and those teachers – and hopefully you’ll want to come and see what it’s all about by visiting. It’ll be a good time. We almost always have goodies to eat!
Junior High Program
The Junior High is a community in and of itself. You have two expert teachers who are dedicated just to you, as a junior high student.
As you get older, we trust you to have more freedom.
Before lunch we have hangout time, where you can connect with friends, play a ball game, and get caught up on school work.
In Junior High we have some really great flex seating. Do you want to sit on a bean bag chair, an exercise ball, some cool surf desks. Maybe you want to sit at a regular desk for awhile, or a table-it’s up to you.
Class is interesting and fun. Classes challenge you because we want you to grow intellectually. We want you to be proud of your own expertise. We like to say: Don’t Give Up Until You’re Proud. Here are three examples of normal things we do (there are lots more):
Science: you have science labs a lot, so learning becomes really hands-on. The textbook is just a guide. You don’t have to go boring page by boring page. You learn through individual research and learn together in collaborative groups. You own your own learning.
Reading: You will have Choice Book time, where you can read a book of your choice, and tell the class what it is all about. We also read some great books which you’ll really like!
Community Service: Each year it’s different but always amazing. A couple of years ago, we read the Christmas Carol and went out into the community to find people who were doing things that helped others like True North (pregnancy center), First Baptist Church (addiction program), Bayada Hospice (support to those who are dying and their family members), and Sunrise Resource Center (children and family services). The students developed interview questions and brought experts who work at these places into the school to interview them. Each group of students was an Interview Committee. Each group then developed a Slide presentation and had to agree upon a group they were going to partner with for the rest of the year.
When you come to Grace, you won’t be bored. It’s not the Grace Way! Come and visit us and experience it for yourself. We Are Lions Country! Come Rise with us!
Are you an incoming 9th grader? Grace is the Place!! Why? Check out our High School Page
