WHAT IS THE MEANING BEHIND THE SHANNON FOREST CHRISTIAN SCHOOL CREST?

Since the birth of Shannon Forest Christian School in 1968, the symbol of our school has been the crest.  Ornate in its design, each element of the crest has a specific meaning that presents, in image, our Vision and Mission.  As you study our crest, you are able to see clearly who we are as a school.

LET’S TAKE EACH SYMBOL OF THE CREST, BREAK DOWN ITS MEANING AND EXAMINE HOW IT RELATES TO US TODAY.

The Bible is the Truth and the worldview in which we live, educate and equip our students.

The Torch stands for our calling.  We embrace this calling to be a light on the hill and seek to engage our world in a loving, but truthful way for Jesus Christ.   When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” -John 8:12

The Wings are a symbol of the protection provided by a faith rooted in Jesus Christ.  In faith and prayer, we rest in the knowledge that we are in union with God and that He will guide us and direct us.

The Crusader reminds us that while we know His peace and protection, we also understand that we are called to action and we, therefore seek to be a school of warriors for Jesus Christ.

The Cross is a sacred symbol of defeat, claimed by Jesus Christ, as His symbol of victory over death.  We, as Christians, display this symbol as citizens of His kingdom.

EACH COLOR ALSO REPRESENTS A FOUNDING PRINCIPLE OF OUR MINISTRY.

White stands for the purity of the Lamb of God in three persons; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and our future in Christ our Savior.

Green is an indication of the growth of our new life in Christ.  We strive to educate in the truth of a Biblical worldview with the hope that each student will come to know Christ and grow in Him.

Black represents our sins and our reality without Christ.  We understand that we live in a fallen world, but we seek to consistently walk in faith rooted in Jesus Christ.

Gold reminds us of the streets of gold in our future with God in His eternal kingdom of Heaven.

This is who we are and we are Shannon Forest Christian School.

Why Should I Give to Shannon Forest’s Annual Fund?

This is a question that comes to mind when this time of the year rolls around. Why give to the Annual Fund? Answers tend to be varied, but the answers are not the issue. The question is.  It is a good and valid question that you should ask each year. Why, then, should you give to the Annual Fund?

First, an Annual Fund is an important part of every school. It supplements budgets, provides support to faculty and staff and keeps tuition hikes in check. The Annual Fund, in essence, provides a scholarship to every student, especially when schools, like ours, work hard to keep tuition affordable.

As a school, we try to keep up with all that is new in education. Educational change, especially educational technology, has accelerated at such a rate that even cost of living increases struggle to keep up at times. Annual funds help bridge the gap between what is need and what is affordable.

Which returns us to our question, why should you give to our Annual Fund? 

Here are three reasons I am giving to the Annual Fund:

First, as a Christian, I have been taught to tithe and give above the tithe.  I tithe to my church, as is Biblical, but I also give above the tithe to ministries that I feel are distinctly Christian and cultural change agents.  I am giving to Shannon Forest Christian School because I believe in its Mission and in its ability to change the world one student at a time for Christ.

Second, my children attend Shannon Forest Christian School, and I invest in that which partners with me in my Christian faith to educate and equip my children to pursue excellence and impact the world for Jesus Christ.  An investment in Shannon Forest is an investment in my children's future.

And, finally, I am a huge advocate of ministries that engage culture for Christ.  I personally believe that the Christian school is one of the best ways to engage culture in a manner that will change culture.  As Deuteronomy references, education is not only for learning content and equations; it serves as a vehicle to transfer the soul of one generation to another.

As you consider the annual fund this year, please do not hesitate to come see us and ask us hard questions about our future in order to get all the information you need.  I know I am giving to the Annual Fund this year.  I pray that you will consider doing the same for the sake of all of our students.  Blessings!    

Vision and Mission

Shannon Forest Christian School

Vision and Mission

Craig Bouvier | Head of School

Why are vision and mission so important? What is the difference between vision and mission?  Vision is where you will be in 25 years, if you do everything right. It is what your product is if you do everything well, over an extended period of time. And, mission is the road to get you there.  It determines what you do and how you do it.

A quick word about our process. We spent a good bit of time engaged in analytical process in order to determine who we are as a school. And, what I am presenting today is the result of that process.

Vision:

Our goal as a Christian school is to be a leader in…

Educating and equipping students to pursue excellence and impact the world for Jesus Christ.

As Christians, we do not just educate. We also equip students by the way we teach and by the way we live.  We want our students to graduate with a mindset that everything they choose to do should be done with excellence as defined by the truth of the Bible.  We also want them educated and equipped to live lives that seek to impact the world for Jesus Christ.

But how do we get there?  We get there by mission. Our mission is:

Mission:

We are a Christian community providing a comprehensive college-preparatory education rooted in the truth of a Biblical worldview and marked by wisdom, excellence, and purpose.

Inside this mission are six ideas that need to be explained. These six ideas make us who we are.

1.     We are a Christian community.  Shannon Forest Christian School is not merely a school; we are a community of parents, students, faculty, and staff, all understanding the value of each member.  Within our close-knit community, students, families, and employees can know, love, and care for each other, both inside and beyond the classroom, during the school day and outside of school hours.  In addition, our parents, students, faculty, and staff form a partnership with a common purpose and vision, to educate and equip our students to pursue excellence and impact the world for Jesus Christ.

2.     We provide a comprehensive college-preparatory education.  We offer an exceptional college-preparatory curriculum specifically built to adjust to each student’s individual needs while providing a collective educational experience that prepares students for college, life, and eternity.  Understanding that many families have children with an array of gifts and talents, we provide a comprehensive educational experience.  Beyond the classroom, all of our students have unique opportunities at Shannon Forest to develop their talents through leadership organizations, athletics, fine arts, and extracurricular academic programs.

3.     We live and educate according to a Biblical worldview.  At Shannon Forest Christian School, a Biblical worldview is central to everything we do.  We believe the Bible is God’s Holy and inerrant word, as declared in II Timothy 3:16, 17.  Therefore, it is our guide and foundation for all our decisions and actions, as Scripture instructs us in verses such as Romans 12:2 and Deuteronomy 6:7.  We believe that God is Truth and that in Him we find the source of all knowledge.  Everything we do, including all aspects of our educational process, is filtered through that belief and the truth of God’s Word.

4.     We cultivate wisdom.  Proverbs 9:10 tells us that the “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”   Colossians 2:3 also tells us that in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” affirming that all knowledge comes from Him.  As a Christian school, we understand that knowledge and content are central to the educational process, but our goal is greater than the mere transference of knowledge to our students.  True wisdom begins with a reverence for God and develops into a deep, abiding respect for His Word, His people, and His world.  As a community, we seek to use wisdom to produce wise students who think in the highest of categories, love and respect others, work hard, and engage the world in a loving, respectful way with the truth of the gospel.

5.     We pursue excellence.  As Christians, God calls us in His Word to do our best, as illustrated, for example, by God’s instruction in Colossians 3:23 and I Corinthians 10:31.  He has uniquely gifted each of us in the Shannon Forest community to work for His glory and the advancement of His kingdom.  He calls us to excellence in that endeavor.  Accordingly, our goal is to pursue excellence in educating and equipping our students in accordance with our vision and mission, and to instill in our students a desire to pursue excellence in the use of their God-given talents and abilities.

6.     We act with purpose.  At Shannon Forest Christian School, we believe everything we do matters.  From the conversations in the hallways to the practices in the gym, everything matters and contributes to the growth of our students.  Therefore, each action must have a purpose.  We do not believe in doing something merely for the sake of doing it; we believe we are called to provide our students with an education that is more than mere content, and in order to do this, we must act purposefully.  In addition, we believe each of our students is called to his or her own specific purpose.  Thus, everything we do must help our students identify and prepare for the next step in that calling.

This is Shannon Forest Christian School.

As I close, I want to make you aware of a few ideas that we are working on at the moment. You can expect to see more information coming soon on each of these.

First, the educational process is a partnership, and we value your role in that partnership. So, we want hear from you. Following this podcast, we will send out a parent survey in a day or two that will become an annual action on our part. We want to hear from you so please take some time to fill this out. Your input is important to us.

Second, we are hard at work on some ideas that will add to the excellence for which SFCS is known.

We are examining our daily academic schedule in light of who we are to see if it is the best fit for our school.

We will present in the next few weeks a middle school concept that we think will enhance the middle school student experience and better prepare them for our high school.

And, finally we are starting to research a student center that will meet the needs of every Shannon Forest student. It will address learning differences, gifted students, oversee tutoring, provide labs in math and writing and address other areas as needed. This movement is just getting started so please be patient with us.

As I close, I am going to leave you with three things. Two will be familiar to you, but the third was born out of the two and will become our new informal logo. Thank you for taking the time to watch this podcast. There will be many more to come. Blessings!