CALVARY DAY SCHOOL

Where Academics & Worship Meet

BY DENISE HEIDEL / PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEJ PHOTOS

The mission of Calvary Day School is to partner with parents to equip students to think, learn, and live from a biblical worldview by integrating God and His Word into every aspect of life, so they can impact the world for Christ.

Never has the classroom been more important. Students need stability, and parents are seeking quality education experiences that enable their children to grow and thrive. For the parents of more than 875 students, that need is being met at Calvary Day School, a private school located in Winston-Salem and based on the foundation of biblical teaching.

Calvary Day School offers a comprehensive education from Preschool through 12th grade. For 50 years, Calvary has taken pride in nurturing students and encouraging them to pursue their God-given talents, as well as preparing them for higher education and future careers.

Preschool & Transitional Kindergarten

“We cannot say enough about how much Calvary Day School means to our family. From early education through high school, the teachers, administration, staff, and coaches have invested in our children’s lives. There truly is a Calvary difference.” ~ Michael & Tiffany R., Calvary Parents

Preschool classes are available for children ages two and up. Students are given the opportunity to learn through play – with demonstrated activities that promote academic readiness in science, math, art, reading, and music.

Calvary Day School does an excellent job of ensuring the child/teacher ratio is low for optimal individual instruction. Additionally, the preschool classes are based on age-appropriate games and activities that foster a sense of curiosity and an eagerness to learn.

Lower School

“Teaching at Calvary Day School has been a joyous ministry. Educating and guiding students about our Lord Jesus Christ is a great privilege. I deeply appreciate the opportunity to teach here at CDS.” ~ Catherine Beddard, Second Grade Teacher & Spelling Bee Coordinator

Calvary Day School offers Kindergarten through 6thgrade classroom instruction where strong academics and biblical teaching are complemented through additional learning opportunities in technology, music, physical education, and art. Students in the lower school are given ample opportunities to grow and develop through a variety of learning strategies.

Upper School – 7th & 8th Grades

“We are so grateful for Calvary Day School. This is the second year our children have attended, and we love the Bible-based education that our children are receiving. The teachers and staff are incredible, and we are thankful to be a part of the Calvary family.” ~ Andrew & Stephanie W., Calvary Parents The transition from elementary to middle school is often difficult for students. But, as they become more independent, Calvary Day School continues to use Bible-based education to help students develop critical thinking skills and attain the wisdom needed for life.

The middle school curriculum challenges and prepares students for the rigors of high school. During the 7th and 8th grade years, students begin to maximize technology use in the educational process, and our 1:1 Google Chromebook initiative enhances their window for learning.

Upper School – 9th – 12th Grades

“Calvary Day School means the world to me. I have attended the school for nine years, and I wouldn’t change it for anything. I am thankful for my teachers and the wonderful and safe environment to learn and grow.”

~ Garrett R., Calvary Student

The 9th through 12th-grade students at Calvary Day School are offered a rigorous college preparatory curriculum which includes 40 honors-level and 15 advanced placement opportunities. The CDS track record is impressive, with a 100% college acceptance rate for their students. The Class of 2021 graduated 73 students, who combined, were awarded more than $9.3 million in scholarships. Similarly, this year’s graduating class, the 22nd in CDS history, is expected to be just as promising.

To complement the successful work taking place in the classroom, CDS requires students to complete service hours throughout their tenure in high school. Students may choose activities they are passionate about, or participate in monthly service opportunities that the school provides within the Winston-Salem community.

Athletics & Extracurricular Activities

“Calvary Day School is a special place. CDS is not only building strong minds and bodies through our classes, programs, and activities; it is also giving our young people the opportunity to grow their relationship with their Maker. It has been my pleasure and joy to serve alongside such a wonderful faculty and administration as we strive to model, challenge, encourage, and inspire those students entrusted to our care.” ~ Max Floyd, Instructor & Leadership Institute Director

While Calvary Day School places a tremendous emphasis on academics, faculty and staff know that athletics and activities are a part of a well-rounded educational experience. Calvary Day School offers 14 different middle-school, junior varsity, and varsity level sports. Those sports include cross country, soccer, volleyball, tennis, basketball, swimming, baseball, softball, wrestling, golf, and cheerleading.

Additionally, the dedicated Fine Arts department offers students the opportunity to participate in extracurricular drama and musical productions, as well as explore and enhance their talents through classes in art, photography, praise band and chorus.

Faith-Based Curriculum

Read what other parents, students, and teachers have to say!

“Calvary Day School has strengthened my relationship with the Lord and has helped me discover my passion for serving others.” ~ Austin N., Calvary Student

Christ is the center of all academics and activities at Calvary Day School. Students are encouraged to study the Word of God as well as pray. In addition, all students attend weekly Chapel services. It’s truly a place where academics and worship meet. With biblically based learning, students can learn how to make Jesus a part of all aspects of their lives.

During a time when the classroom is under such scrutiny, Calvary Day School parents, teachers, and even students agree that the biblically based direction is making a difference in the lives of these students – today and in the years to come.

Calvary Day School is located at 134 South Peace Haven Road in Winston-Salem. Visit the school website, CalvaryDay.School, or call the school office at 336.765.5546. You can also like Calvary Day School on Facebook or follow them on Instagram (@calvaryday_school). “Calvary Day School is a second home. It has given me my best friends, and I am thankful for all I have learned over the past 11 years. I am thankful for CDS in preparing me for a strong walk with Christ, even after graduation.” ~ Olivia V., Calvary Student

“I am thankful for Calvary Day School because I learned to see the world like God does when I was a student here. I am grateful for the opportunity to help students do the same today while teaching.” ~ Catherine Stancil, Computer Science and STEM Teacher

“Calvary Day School has been our family’s school for 20 years. We wanted to ensure that the Christian values so dear to us were nurtured and reinforced in our girls. In addition, we felt that Calvary would challenge them intellectually and that their talents would be cultivated. Calvary has exceeded our expectations, making it the best decision we could have made.”

~ Jerry & Christine R., Calvary Parents

The POWER of Simple Acknowledgement

BY JEAN MARIE JOHNSON

I was at one of our “name brand” supermarkets the other day when a cashier standing by came forward to scan my items.

“Oh, you don’t have to, I can do it,” I said.

“No, I’m happy to help.”

“Okay, well, thanks!”

Talk about being impressed! Instead of just waiting around until a befuddled customer messed up on the self-scanner, this kind and attentive employee stepped in to do it herself. But, despite her many efforts, my 50% mark-down item simply refused to scan anything other than full price.

“I am SO sorry. Thanks for being patient.”

“No worries, I understand.”

Eventually, it was her patience that ran thin as she apologized again and quickly made eye contact with another employee in an unspoken plea for help. That employee slowly sauntered over and pointedly positioned herself with her back to me. After a number of rapid keystrokes, she was able to correctly ring up my item and walk away.

If her goal was to send the message that I did not exist for her, then she succeeded with aplomb. I mean, not once did she make eye contact, look at me, smile, or address me. I felt as though I was as inanimate as that last call, holiday serving dish on the scanner.

The contrast between how I was treated by these two employees could not have been starker. The first employee turned to me and said:

“Again, I’m so sorry. Thanks for being patient.”

“Believe me, I get it. I have been in your shoes. Thank you for being so kind.” In my line of work, we refer to my experience as a “service disparity.” Consequently, the next time I enter that supermarket, I will be primed to wonder how I will be treated, and if I will feel respected simply by virtue of those basic gestures of verbal and non-verbal acknowledgement.

As I drove out of the parking lot, my mind flashed to the thousands—yes, literally, thousands—of customer comments I’ve pored over in the past decade. Again and again, people like you and me comment on being ignored, feeling invisible, “like an empty chair.” And yes, that is a quote!

I am by now stoically accustomed to being ignored from time to time. It’s one of my biggest gripes, a source of sadness, even, because here’s the thing: every single human being has a need to be recognized and acknowledged by others. When we are treated as though we are invisible, we feel devalued. Some even say that our very sense of identity is diminished.

Social mores change over time, I know. And adults, especially parents, are wise to raise their children with an acute awareness of “stranger danger.” But that caution needs to be balanced with an understanding of the value, the importance, and the timelessness of basic courtesies. Ignoring someone is almost never the kind, polite, respectful, or gracious thing to do.

I am deeply appreciative that the young parents down the street have modeled kindness for their four children and taught them to look me in the eye and smile when they see me—a no danger ahead neighbor. I am grateful that the 20-something-year-old who does work for us on a regular basis asked, upon meeting me: “Should I call you Mrs. Johnson, ma’am?” Delighted by the question, I said “Yes.” As the years go by and he gets older, he still calls me Mrs. Johnson. I’m not into formalities, but yes, I like that.