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At the age of forty, Renoir, the pioneer of Impressionism visited Italy and later concluded, “I have gone as far as I could with Impressionism and I realized I could neither paint nor draw.” He kept painting - in a new style, turning his back on his impressive fame. Sixteen years later he was afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis. His disease would slowly cripple his hands and, ultimately his legs, but, the “threat of complete paralysis only spurred him on to renewed activity.” Matisse said this: “Even as his body was going into decline his soul seemed to become stronger and to express itself with a more radiant facility.”
WELCOME
He kept painting. Fifteen painful years later, Renoir remarked, “If I have to choose between walking and painting, I’d much rather paint.” “And so he did. In 1913, at the age of 72, Renoir announced he was approaching the goal he had set for himself after his trip to Italy 32 years before. ‘I’m starting to know how to paint. It has taken me over 50 years labor to get this far, and it’s not finished yet.’” Renoir painted six more years, “until the day he died,” giving us 4,000 paintings total. One of his final works, The Bathers, was anointed by Matisse as Renoir’s masterpiece, “one of the most beautiful pictures ever painted.” (Critics, however, did not like it.) Toward the end, Matisse asked his friend Renoir, “Why torture yourself?” Renoir replied, “The pain passes, Matisse, but beauty endures.” Here’s what I learned from the master painter: 1. Greatness always knows there is room for improvement. 2. Greatness never stops learning; learning never ends. 3. Greatness and passion go hand in hand. 4. Greatness takes time. End strong. 5. Critics, often, do not like greatness. 6. Greatness (learning) is worth the inevitable pain. 7. Greatness endures. What are you learning these days? How great do you want to be? At LRCA, we are learning that there is much to gain from the life of masters and the Master. And, we are not even close to the finish line. Let me invite you to check out our website, schedule a tour or a shadow day for your son or daughter, and discover for yourself how a college preparatory curriculum established on the foundation of biblical truth can inspire greatness.
Gary Arnold Head of School Source: Smithsonian, February 2010, p. 71 Adapted from Dr. Arnold’s journal “Why We Do What we Do”
AC A D E M I C S
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he mission of Little Rock Christian Academy is to serve families, churches, and the community by
providing a pre-eminent K4-12 education characterized by excellence in the pursuit of truth from a Christ-centered worldview. In other words, we are a school in pursuit of truth, wisdom, and knowledge with a focus on college preparation. The preparation begins in the classroom where professional, certified teachers engage students to learn in a caring, nurturing environment. The LRCA faculty understands that not everyone learns in the same way, nor do all have the same ability, and that “differences are a gift�. Therefore, we aim to challenge each student to reach their potential by providing a well designed curriculum, learner-centered instruction, effective teaching methodologies, and an attitude of life–long learning. Little Rock Christian has been recognized as one of the top performing schools in the state of Arkansas and was awarded the College Readiness Award by the ACT organization. Along with these honors, Little Rock Christian has produced an exceptional number of National Merit students. LRCA students have consistently scored in the upper percentiles on the ACT and Advanced Placement tests and have been admitted to some of the top colleges and universities in the United States.
We invite you to take a look at our website and school profile to learn more about the stimulating academic environment offered at Little Rock Christian.
www.littlerockchristian.com
ARTS
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ittle Rock Christian’s performing and visual arts programs offer the student an abundance of creative opportunities. Our
music, band, theater, and visual arts programs are led by professionals who are able to help students achieve their fullest potential. We strive to showcase student work in various venues by providing opportunities for our students to exhibit their artistry through concerts, recitals, plays, musicals, and regional competitions.
Little Rock Christian’s Christ-centered philosophy allows our instructors to teach students to view their creative abilities as a way to glorify God. This philosophy allows young minds to be inspired and fosters creativity along with a deeper appreciation for the Creator, the Master artisan. LRCA’s fine arts program begins in the early childhood years with general art and music education. Middle and high school grades offer extended opportunities in the visual and performing arts.
Be sure to log onto the Fine Arts page at
www.littlerockchristian.com to learn more about these outstanding programs.
AT H L E T I C S
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arrior athletic programs are committed to providing Christ-centered, competitive opportunities which develop Christian character, leadership, and a desire to be an enthusiastic representative of Christ. The coaching staff
is dedicated to leading programs to competitive excellence while challenging the individual student athlete to perform to his/her potential on and off the field of play. Warrior athletic training is based on four core values:
• Competitive
• Christ-like
• Character-based
• Committed
Coaches, players and parents strive to champion these principles. Warrior athletes have led their teams to numerous conference and state titles in the 19 sports offered for middle and high school students. The LRCA athletic program is annually recognized as one of the top programs in the state. These athletes, guided by a committed faculty and inspired coaches, have taken the term “student athlete” to the next level. Teams in multiple sports have earned Academic State championship honors for achieving the highest overall GPA in the State.
Be sure to log onto the Warrior Athletics page at
www.littlerockchristian.com
to learn more about Warrior accomplishments.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
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ervice is a key component of the Little Rock Christian culture. The life of Jesus and his teachings lead us to the undeniable truth that we are to be actively involved in loving and serving one another. Little Rock Christian provides a variety of relevant and age-appropriate service opportunities. Students are involved in local, national and international projects
designed to compassionately assist individuals, communities, schools, orphanages and others. LRCA students have organized and participated in a variety of community service projects. Each project is designed to teach the importance and impact of having a servant’s heart, allowing students to actively participate in and experience the blessing of God’s call to love our neighbors.
Learn more about LRCA community service at
www.littlerockchristian.com.
BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW
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he biblical worldview curriculum at LRCA is truly distinctive.
It is more than Bible class. It is more than a history, philosophy or theology class. Biblical worldview is a framework for understanding the meaning and purpose of life. Simply stated, it is an important part of every student’s day in which they are exposed to wisdom. Through biblical worldview, we aim to heighten our students’ ability to discern truth from untruth, good from evil, and right from wrong. Solomon, known throughout history as one of the wisest men to have ever lived, defined biblical worldview as the ability “to know wisdom and instruction ... doing what is right, just and fair ... giving knowledge and discretion to the young.” (Proverbs 1:2-4)
Little Rock Christian continues to partner with hundreds of students,
parents and faculty who every day place all learning under the
Lordship of Jesus Christ. We put Christian in our name because we look
to Christ as the source of all wisdom and sound judgment and teach
our students to do the same.
It is one of our greatest hopes that Little Rock
Christian students will positively influence the
culture in which they live. That is why it is important to us that our graduates succeed in college and set high career expectations.
Be sure to log onto
www.littlerockchristian.com to learn more about biblical worldview.
when it comes to educating your child. We also know that
there are many variables that factor into your decision. We hope that the previous pages have provided you with a small glimpse of what makes LRCA special. We would encourage you to spend some time researching our school on the website, www.littlerockchristian.com, talking with some of our current parents and alumni and then join us for a campus tour and experience firsthand what a book or a web site can only describe. Little Rock Christian desires to serve families, churches, and the community by providing a pre-eminent K4 – 12th grade education characterized by excellence in the pursuit of truth from a Christ-centered worldview. • Excellent education anchored by a strong college preparatory curriculum taught by professional faculty in a caring, nurturing environment designed to prepare each student to reach his/her God-given potential. • Excellent education that produces well rounded students who have the opportunity to develop their gifts and talents through the arts, athletics and service. • Excellent education that is founded on the principles of God’s word and strives to produce wise students who are confident in their belief structure.
Every student is unique, gifted by God to
accomplish great things. We would like
to partner with you in providing an
education that is priceless
in its effectiveness and influence.
So there is just one more question you need to answer,
“Wouldn’t you like to be a Warrior, too?”
WHY CHOOSE LRCA?
W
e know that you have options