Testimonies and Stories
Here is what some of our parents and staff have to say about what God is doing in our school.
- #We’vegothistory
"There is a tradition of excellent education and caring people at PCS.
I've connected to kids coming through as I worked, and I've had the grandkids of kids, so its phenomenal to see the rich history of families connected for a lifetime. I've been here a long time and people keep coming back because this place cares. Why would people grow up and, if there wasn’t love and care in this place, send their own kids here? Why would people pour money into a place that wasn’t providing the best education and environment, building the right character within their families, if there wasn’t something to this place?"
- Proud Parent
"I have many positive stories I could share...
My daughter was greatly struggling with some conflicts with peers. When I asked for input and advice from her teachers and principal I was showered with overwhelming support. Teachers prayed for my daughter, talked with her, helped her know that they were there for her, let her know they were available to talk at any time, etc. they offered the same encouragement to me which was great for this mother's heart. They continued to follow-up through the remainder of the year to make sure my daughter was doing alright and that the conflicts were resolving. There can be conflict anywhere, but the outpouring of love, prayers, and genuine concern went above and beyond the typical child/student relationship. What a blessing!"
- GOD IS FAITHFUL
We prayed over our decision to put our daughter at PCS when she entered kindergarten. How could we afford this? How could we scrape together enough money each month to pay this tuition. Yet, we promised God that if He provided, both of our children would attend PCS. Last Sunday, our youngest graduated. Every tuition payment met, every other family bill paid on time, and our needs met. No financial aid received either!. God has been faithful. Our children received a great education to help them achieve their goal in life. We feel so blessed to be part of the PCS family.
- Previous parent & teacher, Mark Friday
I am one of the few people that has had a ‘look’ at PCS from a few different views:
I started out as a dad, choosing to send his 4 children to PCS for a total of 11 years
I served on the PCS school board for 6 years
I taught Bible for 3 years, and served as Spiritual Life Director for one of those years
As a Christian dad, the reason my wife and I chose to send our kids to PCS was that we wanted the people that spent the most time with our kids in their formative years to be people who had the same values and world-view as we did. I could tell many stories of how I saw this ‘shared world-view’ play itself out to my kids’ advantage, but the very first story (that actually convinced us to enroll our kids in Christian education) happened when I was a young pastor, serving in a church in Minnesota that housed a school like PCS decades ago. I walked out in the hall, and here was this 2nd grade teacher, down on her knees, talking to two boys about an argument of theirs that got out of hand. And I remember her quickly turning the conversation from ‘what did you do that was wrong’ to ‘how would God wanted you to handle the situation?’ I don’t think parents realize the impact those daily, informal conversations with other adults in their lives have on our kids. And we wanted those conversations happening with adults that shared our love for the Lord and our commitment to His word being the standard in our lives.
But the greatest extra blessing for us has been that we didn’t have to ‘give up’ anything educationally to get that godly adult interaction. PCS has an incredible track record of scholastic achievement, including an ACT average (25) that is 4 points higher than the national average (21)! I remember when we told my parents that we were sending out kids to a Christian school, they bemoaned the fact that thought our kids might be bible scholars, they would be so behind in the basic academic areas. But my parents were blown away by the ACT scores our four kids got – which also translated into well over $100,000 as they headed to college.
As a board member, I got to see firsthand how PCS embodies Christian values in everything it does – from the hiring of teachers to the handling of student discipline. PCS is not a perfect school, and it’s certainly not run by perfect people. But it is a school that is led by an administration and board that take seriously God’s principles in how they do everything. These leaders spend much time on their knees asking God to guide them and help them see which directions the school should head, and then spend much time in discussion as they hone in on the precise course of action. And especially when we find ourselves engulfed by a culture that has little value for Godly principles, it is becoming more and more important for these leaders to be men and women who take God seriously in their own lives as well as the live of the students and families they serve.
As a teacher, and then spiritual life director, I got to see how the staff at PCS puts a Biblical world view into everything they do with the students. Obviously, teachers are praying with classes and individual students each day, and they are integrating Biblical principles in their teaching of every subject. But even more importantly, teachers are using Biblical principles to guide all of their interactions with students – especially when there are tough issues to face (cheating, bullying, etc.). As a dad and as a board member I knew this was happening. But as a teacher I saw it happening every day:
in the way students are encouraged when they’re down
in the way students are challenged to do their best
in the way students are graciously rebuked when they exhibit ungodly behavior
in the way students are guided in the handling of difficult situations in class and in life
in the way teachers come alongside students and families during difficult times
And as our country and world head further and further away from God’s Word and His ways, I believe it is even more important than ever for our impressionable kids to not only have Godly parents and church people guiding them, but also teachers and school administrators who love the Lord and value His word guiding them as well – for an incredible 1/3 of their waking hours in their PK – 12 years!