The Making of a Miracle, By Dr. Gary Sallquist

by Dr. Gary Sallquist

©Copyright 2007, 2016, 2020 by Dr. Gary Sallquist

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or scanning— without the prior written permission of the author or publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to Dr. Gary Sallquist, 6830 School Street, Cincinnati, OH 45245, (513) 272-6822.

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Dedication

This book is dedicated to the students, families, teachers, staff, alumni, donors, and community leaders who have made MVCA what it has become over the years, and to all of those who through God’s leading, will help it become what He wants it to become in the future.

A special thanks to Ed and Mary Lou Wambach, Dr.Hank and Marilyn Wedig, and Wayne and Havalyn Andrews, without whose commitment, love for the school, significant financial support, and boundless faith, MVCA would not have become what MVCA is becoming! May God provide them with special blessings!

“Dr. S”

Two Teachers, Eleven students, virtually no money, a ton of prayer, and God’s call on MVCA… and you begin the “Making of a Miracle.”

Foreword: The Making of a Miracle

It has often been said that the sermon preached, is first and foremost for (or to) the preacher! If that is true, and I believe it is, then it may also be said that “the book written is first and foremost for (or to) the author!” I believe that is true also, so this book is an attempt to identify, to reflect upon, to distill (if you will), what I have learned while having the privilege of serving God as Headmaster of Miami Valley Christian Academy (MVCA).

While you are completely immersed, (and it is completely!), in a ministry such as this, it is virtually impossible to get, or to take, the time to think about a project such as this writing.

On this glorious summer morning, on the veranda of the “MotherHouse” here at the Abbey of Gethsemani, I finally have the chance to pray, to think, and to process these past five years as Headmaster.

8 The Making of a Miracle

My favorite hymn in seminary (from Isaiah 6:8) was “Here I Am, Lord.” Here are the words: Here I Am Lord Chorus Here I am Lord, it is I Lord, I have heard you calling in the night. I will go Lord, where you lead me, I will hold your people in my heart.

When I said, “Here I Am, Lord” to the Headmaster position at MVCA, it was the beginning of a God-ordained love affair with a group of students, parents, teachers, staff, trustees and donors that would change my life, and I believe through God’s grace would change theirs.

From the time the alarm went off at 4:30 in the morning, until I said my prayers and put my head on my pillow between 10:00-11:00 at night, it was “full steam ahead.” “Here I am Lord, send me” — and he did send me “pell-mell” for these past five years.

Those 7th grade middle school “kids” that were 7th graders when I began will be our first high school graduating class this next spring. I’m 6 foot, 3 inches tall and some of them are now taller than I am! These have been good years: hard years, happy years, sad years — and most of all, years that have always shown God’s leading of, and His faithfulness to, MVCA. My imagination could not have conjured up the incredible array of real-life experiences of which I have been a part. I have been a part of graduation services, of academic and athletic recognitions, of disciplinary meetings, and all kinds of sports events. I have stood at the grave site of school family members and former students.

What an incredibly vast spectrum of activities and events God has in store for the man or woman who bears by whatever name the “Head of School” responsibilities of a Christian institution of

learning. That person knows from Day 1 in that position that Scripture’s admonishment from 1st Thessalonians 4:17-18 to “pray without ceasing” is his/her spiritual lifeblood. You cannot do a job of this magnitude on your own. Praise God! And every minute of every day we are in effect saying, “Here I am Lord, send me…” — and He does!

The wonderful hymn whose words are: “Take my life, Lord and let it be, holy and acceptable to Thee,” summarizes what I think is the first, and primary opportunity/responsibility of a head of school. You need to have a clearly identified Christian world view, and through the lens of that world view, to model Jesus Christ as best as you can in everything you say and do at the school. That holds true in your private life as well.

As I began my trek down this road, I searched avidly for printed material that might tell me how to became a headmaster and what that really meant. Some five years later, I still haven’t come across anything in written form that is specifically designed to be of help to a person in that role — so here it goes.

Obviously, Holy Scripture is the lens from which we, as born-again believers, view life. It is the most important backdrop. These following notes are merely recorded in the hope that they may be of some value to the persons God calls to this task. I also hope that these observations and experiences

will be of particular value to my brothers and sisters in Christ at Miami Valley Christian Academy with whom I have traveled this road. They are the ones who have enriched my life, and made Miami Valley Christian Academy a reality.

There (fortunately!) are a plethora of excellent books available on the topic of leadership. There are both Christian and secular books over the course of my careers (both in business and in ministry) that I have attempted to “absorb.” I’ve studied as much about leadership as I could. It’s kind of been “my thing.” God has blessed me by allowing me to serve on 22 boards and now in 13 presidencies of organizations over the years. I have tried to strengthen myself, and to “grow” both in the areas of academic knowledge and practical experience.

Included is a list of those books that I have read and have found particularly helpful (I turn each book into a “workbook” — peppered with my highlights and notes in the margin). Each book is a truly participatory learning experience for me. You may have read many of these books already. But just in case you too are looking to broaden your leadership horizons, some of these may be of particular interest to you.

The list is on the following pages...

Leadership Books and Authors

Trust: Csorba, Les T.

Leadership is an Art: DePree, Max

The Leadership Secrets of Jesus: Beth-Jones, Laurie

Leading Without Power: DePree, Max

The Leadership Bible: Maxwell, Dr. John

Decision-Making by the Book: Robinson, Dr. Haddon

Effective Church Leadership: Callahan, Kennon L.

Called to Lead: Gangel, Dr. Kenneth

Excellence in Leadership: White, Dr. John

The Most Effective Organization in the US: Watson, Robert A. First, Break All the Rules: Buckingham & Coffman

Principle-Centered Leadership: Covey, Dr. Stephen

Jesus/CEO: Beth-Jones, Laurie

Leadership Prayers: Kriegbaum, Dr. Richard

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Covey, Dr. Stephen

The Eighth Habit: Covey, Dr. Stephen

The Book on Leadership: MacArthur, Dr. John

Jesus, Life Coach: Beth-Jones, Laurie

One of the most special leadership experiences I’ve had was serving as Special Assistant to Dr. Thomas W. Gillespie, the president of Princeton Theological Seminary when I was there as a student.

As busy as he was, “Dr. G.” often shared “snippets of wisdom” with me, for which I was and still am most appreciative! I clearly remember the conversation where he pointed out to me that the leader of a Christian school dealt with seven component parts, all of which were moving forward in their own intricate way at the same time, not dissimilar from a chess game.

He identified those seven component parts as students, parents, faculty and staff, alumni, donors, Board and the community. He used the analogy that it was truly like a chess game, for one always had to be thinking of the “next move” in each of these seven “games” that were constantly underway. Dr. G certainly did not consider the life of the seminary as any kind of a “game” in the common use of that word, but he used the analogy to point out to me as a rookie potential Christian educator, that one seldom had the luxury of dealing with just one group at a time, but in reality was constantly dealing with the next upcoming project of each of the seven components, every minute of every day. As I viewed his schedule and level of commitment to Princeton Theological Seminary, and to the Church, “busy” was an understatement.

Yet Dr. G always exuded the feeling that “still water runs deep,” and knew how to practice Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.” He never seemed rushed, although there was always somebody, somewhere requesting he be involved with them on their “next move” in one of the component parts which was in their particular category!

Headmaster Hints

Dr. Thomas Gillespie, former Princeton Seminary President (now in Heaven), sees the leadership/management of a Christian Educational Institution in the following way:

Dr. G’s Seven Points

Students

• Get to know them. Build relationships.

• Genuinely care for them.

• Be accessible to them.

• Model Christ for them.

Parents

• Same as for students continues on next page

Dr. G’s Seven Points — continued from last page

Teachers and Staff

• Stand behind them and with them. • Listen to them.

• Pray with and for them. • Protect them. Then you have earned the right to lead them

Staff • Have them work with —not for—you. • Pray with them and for them. • Develop a leadership team. (Trust them and delegate to them.)

Board • Communicate, communicate!

Model servant leadership.

Be open, be honest.

Community • Be visible. • Model what your school is.

Invite the community in. • Ask what’s important to them.

Ask for their specific support.

I have learned along the way that there are lots of “bits and pieces” of things to learn to help one become more efficient and productive. But , at the end of the day, it is still God’s school, not your school, and if you commit the school (and each day) to Him, He’ll take care of the “big things” and we can then take care of the “little things.”

That is not to infer that what we do is not important — it is critically important. It is to say that when there are 500 students (or more), 75 teachers (or more), and 1000 parents (or thereabouts), and the siblings and the Board, and the donors, and the community — well, there is only “so much of you” to go around. And there is only so much of your staff to go around also. The point is when the school gets to any size at all, it becomes quickly apparent that the “scope of the enterprise” quickly grows beyond us and we had better have God in our corner!

So how – or why – does one become a headmaster anyway? I believe the answer to both of these questions are germane and that you are truly “called.” At a school like Miami Valley, that is equally true for each student, parent, teacher, staff member, board member, or donor. If God is not in the selection and acceptance process of the school, if you as a potential leader of the school accept a position for perceived recognition or authority, for a desire to be in the limelight, or to “be the boss” – then you have become a part of a disaster in the making. The U.S. Army used to have an ad whose tagline was, “It’s not

18 The Making of a Miracle just a job – it’s an adventure!” If you see a Christian headmaster’s position as just a career move, a “step up the ladder” so to speak, then when the challenges come (and come they will), you will not be properly anchored to withstand those challenges. Even when you are properly “anchored,” when dealing with all seven parts of your constituencies at “full blast,” you will have all you can handle!

The Word says to us in Psalm 127, “If the Lord doesn’t build the house, then in vain do the builders labor.” Amen! Our school – and every Christian school – needs to be firmly anchored in God’s Word. Even then, it’s never just a “job,” and it’s always an adventure!

Early on, shortly after accepting the headmaster position at MVCA, I had the privilege of attending an ACSI Leadership Conference in South Carolina. During breakfast one day I asked a very wise, and very experienced, person how he would define the role of headmaster. His response was, “It’s everything you can possibly imagine – and more!” The “and more” has constantly kept me humbled, on my knees, and asking for God’s wisdom, direction and strength. In retrospect, I should have had a sign made for my desk that said, “…AND MORE!…” It is much more than a job, because it is a ministry.

As I do this writing at the Abbey of Gethsemani, the home of that wonderful monk, Father Thomas Merton, who has now gone home to be with the Lord, I was recently reading a portion of

his “Thoughts in Solitude” and it really describes the way I kicked off my time as Headmaster and then ultimately “wrapped up” that time. Here’s what Father Merton said:

MY LORD GOD

I have no idea where I am going.

I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I believe I am following Your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You.

And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.

I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this, You will lead me by the right road.

I am sharing here a wonderful prayer from Dr. Richard Kriegbaum’s marvelous book on Leadership Prayers. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.1

“Put the right people on the board, and give them the knowledge, skill, and insight to guide the organization with wise policies. If they are not the right people to begin with or not well-informed or set foolish policies, we will all look foolish – including them. If they understand our situation and set wise policies, we will shine with success.

Do not let them be weak and overly cautious or we will miss opportunities. Do not let them mandate impossible or conflicting priorities so I will not know how to lead with integrity, and we will fail and waste precious resources. Give them your Spirit of wisdom and courage, so that we may achieve our mission with distinction.

Do not let them act as separate individuals, each with a personal agenda of issues or a particular constituency to represent, or the organization will end up a fractured reflection of their political compromises. Grant the Board your Spirit of unity with a strong and sincere consensus regarding the long-term good of the whole organization, so that together we

1 Kriegbaum, Richard. Leadership Prayers, (Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.), page 98.

will reflect unity and cohesiveness.

Let them evaluate me based on specific desired outcomes and available resources that they have identified, so I will know what direction to lead and we can all give our very best effort together. Spare us from micromanagement. Instill in the Board a commitment to trust us for the outcomes they specify and to empower to make our own way to excellence. Let the Board believe in us and encourage so that we will be able to believe in ourselves. Let the Board celebrate often in your Spirit of confidence.

If the Board moves me into a particular leadership role, then I trust you for the grace to lead well. I also trust everyone in the organization to participate actively in the leadership process as we move forward together. If the Board calls me to do more following, I will accept that as your wise and loving guidance for me and the organization. Show the Board the person who should lead us in particular projects.

Grant your special grace to the Board, O Lord. We are entirely at the mercy of what it decides.” The board of trustees of each Christian school is, I am sure, unique and “put together” by God to

perform certain leadership functions in the life of the school. Ours certainly falls into that category. Some of the members of our present board were actually part of founding Miami Valley Christian Academy some 11+ years ago now, and they are still faithfully serving.

If you asked me to use one word to describe the most valuable thing our board does, my response would be: “Prayer!” Rarely does a school day go by without board chairman, Wayne Andrews, or other board members for that matter, sending out several prayer requests for the people of our school. Sometimes the requests are related to school situations, sometimes they are personal. Sometimes they are a combination of the two, but they steadily get the time and attention of our trustees, and there is no doubt in my mind that our trustees pray – and God answers those prayers!

Let me give you an example of answered prayer. I had never met anyone who prayed steadily for nine years for new windows for a school, have you? Yet that is exactly what Mary Lou Wambach did. She and her husband, Ed (two of the world’s great saints!), were the first couple God used to help launch the school at the request of Dr. Ed Bonniwell, the senior pastor of Faith Christian Fellowship Church. Starting a school was the last thing on their minds (they had just retired), but bless their hearts, they were obedient. As former realtors, they were particularly cognizant of the status of the

component parts of our (built in 1926) elementary school building.

Mary Lou Wambach was particularly aware of the sad state of the windows, and how that affected the discomfort level in the classrooms which was created by both extreme heat and extreme cold. It was a difficult situation for both the teachers and students. Those old windows also had an enormous impact on the size of our utility bill.

When MVCA was blessed by an anonymous gift for redoing the HVAC system for the building, guess what? Even though it wasn’t on anyone else’s radar when that project was started, somehow it got “patched in” and included in the project and our school ended up with $250,000 worth of badly needed windows! Mary Lou’s prayers were answered. When the contractor installed several “demo” windows, she and I stood out in front of the preschool fence with tears in our eyes. Mary Lou’s tears were for God’s provision for the new windows. My tears were for that special lady’s faithfulness in her prayers!

Each Board has its own “personality” which is the composite personality of the Board members. As long as you have thinking members on the Board, you will inevitably have differences of opinions. That’s OK — you don’t want “rubber stamps.” One of the other strengths of our Board is its willingness to listen to God and to eventually come to-

24 The Making of a Miracle gether before moving on important issues. They follow the wise admonition of my mentor, friend and preaching professor, Dr. Gardner Taylor. Dr. Taylor advises, “Never move forward with a small majority.” You might “win” a Board issue by a vote or two, but that is hardly the glue that is needed to keep everything together as the Board moves major projects forward in the life of the school.

It is also true in board/staff relationships. The board and staff may see things differently sometimes, but at the end of the day, we are on the “same page,” so that we may move forward in unity. Board members often have to make agonizing decisions. They often labor in obscurity, and seldom do they receive the recognition they so richly deserve. God bless the board members of Christian schools – especially ours!

It Begins With You

There is an old saying that: “An organization is the extended shadow of the person who heads it.” MVCA is headed by Jesus Christ. The opportunity and responsibility of the headmaster is to do everything he possibly can to “extend Christ’s shadow” by (as best he can) modeling Christ’s love and Christ’s behavior to, and in, every aspect of the life of the school. Although that is what we are called to do as Christians, it sounds audacious to me even as I write these words.

I know how human I am. I know how short of this ideal I have so often fallen. I know how high the bar is. Yet, in the scriptural words of the Apostle Paul, in Phillipians 3:13-14 it says: “But this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul also says in Romans 6:4: “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

As the wonderful hymn says so well, “(life is) new every morning, new every morning” – so we

26 The Making of a Miracle are constantly being given the chance to get it right. It is the constant struggle of all of us who name the name of Christ – to ask “What can I do today to be more like Him, and less like me?” In the words of my former senior pastor, Rev. Jerry Kirk, when discussing how simple a 30-day prayer covenant with a friend can be, said, “Gary, it can be as easy as saying, ‘Holy Spirit, please let Gary get out of the way today so the Lord can work in and through his life.’” As another hymn goes, “More like Him, More like Him, (and implicit in that is make me less like me!)

Dr. Paul Thigpen, in his startling book Shaken By Scandal, provides a chillingly accurate and honest assessment of leadership in the lives of both the Catholic and Protestant churches. He details the ethical and moral failures of folks in high ecclesiastical positions. It struck me while reading this that just as we are literally one heartbeat away from eternity, we are one action (inappropriate action – whatever that might be) from casting a “stain” on Christ’s presence here in the life of the school. Make no mistake about it, quality Christian education and the processes connected to it are intimately connected to the lives of the churches. (In the case of MVCA, that was 93 different churches in this past school year!)

My point is this: the tone, the tempo, the love, and culture, and heartbeat of the school starts at the “top.” We will discuss the concept of servant

leadership later on, but it’s important to recognize that in the eyes of those seven constituencies to which Dr. Gillespie referred, that in their eyes the headmaster sets the tone for the school. So, if I’m going to be talking with a student/parent/teacher/ staff member about “getting their act together,” I darn well better be working on my own!

The Staff

We are all in this together!

As headmaster, we should not think for a moment that we “run the show.” We don’t. God runs the show! Yes, we constantly have the responsibility of making key operating decisions (hopefully drawing upon God’s wisdom in the process), but the implementation of those decisions are done by a deeply committed and highly competent staff.

One of the many ingredients of the quality staff is that they are “safe.” Consequently, in a moment of genuine crisis, in a moment of plain old “losing your cool,” a parent/neighbor of the school, or community leader may unfairly and unfortunately “unload” on a staff member. They do so because it is safe but that unloading process may in fact have very little, if anything, to do with that actual staff member. Family relational problems, health issues, job issues, financial issues – all fall into this situation. If you are on the unwarranted receiving end of a “blast,” it is tough.

Holding one’s tongue in that situation and responding with kindness and compassion is a very

difficult thing to do. Our very natural human tendency is to lash out in return in order to try and protect ourselves.

The story is told of the thief that was caught redhanded stealing eggs from a Quaker’s henhouse. As the Quaker raised his old “blunderbuss” and pointed it to the thief he said, “Friend, I wouldn’t hurt thee for the world, but thee standest where I am about to shoot!”

Sometimes we are standing where they do “shoot,” but it’s our responsibility to attempt to hear them and to neutralize that kind of emotion by recognizing the “blast” is directed “toward” us, but it is not usually directed “at” us.

I still owe an apology to one of our parents – and I will clear that up soon. One evening at an annual report of the school, I had just finished recounting what God had done in the previous 12 months in the life of the school. We don’t slow down as often as we should to celebrate God’s accomplishments together. That’s what we were doing this particular evening. Immediately upon the completion of the report, and in the presence of several other parents, a parent leveled a “blast” at me based upon their perception of the (many) shortfalls of the school. It struck me wrong. In fact, it made me angry. We set up a time to have another visit in my office. Joyce (my wife) had just broken her heel and we had virtually been up all night. I was stressed and fatigued,

but that was not the parent’s fault. I didn’t handle it well then either. I will resolve this. I need to do this for that parent and for me.

Establishing an atmosphere of respect in a school is very important. Respect among all the members of the school family is important. Respect means we really do listen to and hear each other. It means we practice Matthew 18 and go directly to the other person in the event of a conflict or misunderstanding. We don’t do an “end run” and involve other people unnecessarily, or try and do a “group prove” that we are right and someone else is wrong. Disrespect tears at the fabric of the life of a school.

I’ve used the example in chapel of holding up a piece of beautifully finished tapestry. The front is intricately woven together – great colors and great fabric working together in close harmony with each other. When you turn it over, however, you see the “unfinished” product and you see all the loose threads hanging there. If you pick at those threads, you can surely pull apart the beautiful tapestry and the front will soon look like the back. Disrespect is one of those threads and there are many more in the life and culture of the school. We can either work together to keep that tapestry a beautiful work of art or we can shred it by pulling on those loose threads. It’s up to us.

Drawing The Line

Psalm 46:10 says to us, “Be still and know that I am God.” The danger, challenge, and situation for most Boards is that the process of “waiting on the Lord” is sometimes incorrectly perceived as inaction.

It is the board’s responsibility to set vision (long-term direction) and to establish policy (those principles that indicate how the logistical process of running the school on a day-to-day basis should be done.) It is in fact the staff’s responsibility to do those “day-to-day” operational functions.

One of the challenges I believe that Christian school boards have is to “how to draw the line.” Which line? The line between policy making and daily operations —the line between vision and action. Let me explain.

Most strong Board members are action-oriented people. That’s part of what makes them a good Board member! Given the choice between “being” (which is often the role one is in while casting vision) and “doing” (which is creating an action item), they will opt for action almost every time. Why? Because action is perceived as being “productive,”

34 The Making of a Miracle while perceived inaction (which is unfortunately how prayer is perceived by many board members), is not regarded as being as nearly “productive.”

I know. It applies to me too. I struggle with being “in motion” and “doing something” way too much of the time. And the irony is, I do so while clearly hearing Psalm 46:10 in my head and I can even see in my mind’s eye, exactly where it appears on that particular page in my Bible. “Be still and know that I am God.” Be still! Sit quietly. Pray. Think. God tells us He doesn’t need us to be doing something all the time. Yes indeed, we are His hands and feet in this world. But sometimes the hands need to be quietly folded in prayer. They don’t need to be dialing another phone call, operating the dictating machine, typing on the computer.

We know the story well. “Now as they went on their way, He entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister named Mary…” We know the story. We need to learn from it!

Ok, Lord. I get it. Please give me the wisdom when it’s appropriate to “do by not doing.” Please give our Board (and our staff) that same wisdom.

The fact is, the Board has been ordained by God for determining the direction of the school. They have been ordained to determine who we are going to become as a school and then to set the policies that show the how and the why of that becoming.

Board members often feel like they are “giving up control” when they appropriately do not involve themselves in the “daily” operations of the school. Yet, if they are listening to God and focusing on the vision, they do have the control that really counts!

Speaking of control, we often act as if the ministry was “ours.” It is not ours – it is God’s.

A terrific prayer on “leadership” from Dr. Richard Kriegbaum’s marvelous book, Leadership Prayers articulates it well.

“This is my one incessant prayer to you, hour by hour, day upon day: It’s yours. I am not fighting this battle for you, God, it’s Your battle, and You are fighting for me. It is all yours, and I want whatever you have for me in this situation.

It is not my organization, it is Yours, so I depend on your Spirit to show me what to do. These are not my people. I chose them and organized their efforts, but they do not belong to me. You entrust them to my leadership, and they agree to follow me. They desire more and sometimes expect more of me than I can give them. What they really need is enormous. If I take their needs and hopes and fears on myself personally, I will crushed instantly. They are Yours.

The Making of a Miracle

So much depends on me, yet all I have for this task is whatever health and energy you give me – my eyes, ears, back, heart, lungs, knees, hands, feet, voice. I eat carefully, rest, exercise, and think positive thoughts, and still this wretched lump of clay fails me. You have Creator’s rights on my body. You formed every miraculous part. What you take away is Your business. I will do what I can with whatever physical capability You give me. It’s Yours.

Yours is the kingdom, but we never seem to have enough resources! We are always lacking something, our dreams always mocking our reality, our vision always dancing around our poverty. You own everything, so what we need must seem small to You. Show me where to look for it, how to know it when I see it, how to get it, how to use it best, and especially how to be content with it. It is all Yours.

Time crawls relentlessly, mercilessly onward. The days end as the years end, there’s never enough time for all the good that could be done, only just enough for Your priorities, if I get them right.

You created time, and it does not limit You. But I do not have a thousand years today, God. I have only now.

So this day is Yours; I am Yours; all of our staff is Yours; the resources are Yours. The challenges we face are Yours, as is anything we hope to accomplish.

It’s Yours, God. It’s not mine.2 ”

This marvelous prayer is something that I believe must be understood by each board and staff member, and should be prayed by each board and staff member.

Admissions

God knows exactly which families to bring here – and when. No one comes here – staff or families – by happenstance. Sometimes people do think they just “wandered in.” But if they actually end up as a part of this ministry, there was “a whole lot of behind the scenes” planning done by SomeOne. There are families who should never have come in (financially) and never been able to stay, but somehow, that old African-American hymn applies: “God will make a way when there is no way…” and things work out. Instead of “no way,” it becomes “way.” Thank you, God!

Our admission process requires that at least one, and preferably both, parents know the Lord, know God’s Word, and are active in the life of their church. If those things don’t apply, that family should probably be somewhere else. We do not accept “families” where mom and dad are living with a girlfriend or boyfriend. Scripture is clear on living within the parameters of one’s marriage vows. That’s why those vows are taken in front of “God and everybody” – that’s the theology from a “living out” standpoint. If a child of a family with

married parents goes home from school to a home where mom and dad just live together, what would those married parents say to their child to explain and justify the difference of lifestyles between the two homes? Yes, it has been suggested to us in this era of political correctness that it might be “nice” to relax those rules. Nice for whom? Not nice for the married parents, not nice for their kids, not nice for our teachers and staff – so nice for whom? Just for one couple when it, in fact, is not “nice” for them either to be outside of God’s laws!

We have even had families who have come faceto-face with us on this issue when they weren’t married and/or were living together make a highly appropriate change. People have moved out of their former living arrangements and folks have gotten married as part of the integral process of having their child and families involved in a school like this one. Praise God! His Word never comes back void!

Courtesy

Courtesy is another thread in the tapestry. Middle school boys are not necessarily known for their good manners. I have explained to them that it doesn’t look very “cool” to an adult to see middle school boys get jammed in a doorway together while they were trying to get out of class ahead of the girls. Not cool.

I have also explained to the high school guys (real-life example) that one of our varsity basketball girls had broken her hand and was trying to carry all of her books in one hand. It was not cool for them to come whistling down the hall behind her, carrying one book and then dart through the doorway ahead of her into the classroom as she tried to maneuver her load of books one-handed into the class. Not cool either!

Yep, it’s true…some days you are a dad, a grandpa, an etiquette discusser, an administrator, a teacher, a financial guru, a public speaker, a counselor, a planner…and more. ‘Tis not work for the faint of heart. However, God always shows up! He always sustains us and always leads us if we will let Him!

In the midst of wearing those many hats, we are called to love – really love – all of those around

42 The Making of a Miracle us. Paul said in the book of Corinthians that “the capacity of a man’s soul is reflected by how much love he has – which is measured by how much love he gives away.” I recently overheard that comment from one of the tapes of the famous Father Thomas Merton lectures at the Abbey of Gethsemani.

In a school like ours, which now has a elementary school, a middle school, and a high school, you interact with really little people all the way up to those who are taller than you are.

While writing at the Abbey, I saw on the back of a T-shirt one evening, the words of that famous philosopher and theologian, Dr. Seuss:

A person Is a person No matter How small he is.

AMEN!

I know that some of the Right to Life ministries have utilized that quote. It’s perfect because it’s true. In the life of a school showing care and respect for one of God’s “little people” – no matter how small he/she is – is truly important. We know what Jesus said about the little children.

Facilities

Psalm 127 tells us, “If the Lord does not build the house, then in vain do the builders labor.” Well, He sure built this one! By this one, I mean the high school that began construction on July 17, 2004 (an early Friday morning) when the first bulldozers arrived on the site which then became ready for occupancy in late August 2005 – when this past school year began.

I can still close my eyes and see that empty field that was hardly ever used, and had on it only one big tree which needed to be removed, and a badly rusted old metal slide. The second graders were particularly concerned about what was going to happen to that old slide once the announcement was made about the new building!

When the bulldozers began grading on the site that is immediately adjacent to what was formerly the Jerden wing of the elementary building (and has now been appropriately renamed The Founder’s Wing), we were told the site was absolutely “perfect” for rapid construction and building. God knew long ago that empty lot was evidently also going to be used to educate His children!

Kudos to the building committee which worked long and effectively to put together the master plan which eventually took life as our new high school structure. Thanks also to John Westheimer, owner of Cincinnati Commercial Contracting (CCC), site supervisor Jeff Eiventher, and the entire staff who worked so diligently to help us bring our building in on budget and on time. We are deeply grateful!

MVCA dad and Board member Tom Rhodenbaugh was put “on loan” to us by his terrific family (thank you Mia, Jen, Sarah, and John!) and his business, Kutol. In nearly 47 years of working, I have never seen a better job done on anything by anybody! Tom has done an absolutely incredible job and without him, this high school building would not be what it is.

In the Spring of 2004, the word “on the street” was that the supply of steel was drying up, so that the price was going to go up significantly. That meant, if true, there might well not be enough steel to even build our new Butler steel building. Tom, our Board chair Wayne Andrews, and several other trustees put together the financing (including the second mortgages on some homes) and purchased the $316,000 worth of steel. Talk about a faith walk!

At that point, we didn’t even really have a place to put the steel. We had to stack it on the edge of the parking lot in front of the elementary school build-

ing when the steel came in. Sure enough – ten days after that decision was made to buy that steel, the steel supply “dried up” and the price shot up 40%! That decision, by the board, was what truly launched the building program for the new high school. It was a great job done by great people! They stepped out in faith and God honored that.

From putting together the “MVCA Family Financing” on an interim basis, to, along with his son, John, installing the multitude of lockers in the new building, to installing the protective wall pads in the new gymnasium, Tom has been there. I’ve been in that new building on weekends when nobody was supposed to be around, and bumped into Tom who was just there “checking things out.”

All of that work, and he brought the final cost of the building in at $67 per square foot for a 44,743 square foot building. A cost of just a shade over $3 million. Cincinnati Public Schools just built a new school which is almost exactly the same size as ours for $12 million!

Thanks, Tom! To you and everyone else who worked so hard for the generations of kids who will benefit from your tireless efforts in making that building the “home” of a high school that we believe is already on its way to making a national impact!

The most exciting thing about watching and participating actively in the development of this new high school has been experiencing God’s goodness,

Making of a

and His provision, every step of the way. Whenever we needed something, it has appeared, often as if by magic. Time and space does not provide for a sufficient explanation to give you a “blow by blow” each step of the way, but I think a discussion of God’s miraculous provision about just some of those rooms in the high school makes the point.

In the initial capital campaign budget, we allocated a sum of $500,000 which we had been told would be “typical” to furnish the rooms in a building this size – even assuming we got “good deals” on much of the furniture. In reality, it appears that we have been given about $300,000 worth of “goods and services” by the community and all the rooms are now adequately furnished.

The music room was furnished by teachers and friends of the school, including (surprisingly) full sets of both kettle and bongo drums. Around 10:0010:30 in the morning, you know the students are in there!

The art room has been at least partially furnished with cupboards we got from an auction at another school and some equipment which was being upgraded and replaced by Cincinnati Bell.

The Tim Barker Conference Room and the Tim Barker Hospitality Room near the administrative offices were funded by $50,000 in gifts from 64 of his friends in his memory after he went home to be with the Lord.

The Cafetorium (which goes “full bore” virtually all the time) had $7500 worth of stage floor covering donated by the company who built our gym floor.

The gym floor, itself, an NBA quality floor, was provided at a significant discount by a company owned by a friend of one of our families – and on it goes.

Pro-visions Again

Each and every step of the way God has provided. Most often it has been a surprise, and as usual, it has always been right on time.

Through God’s provision we have raised thus far $2.8 million in gifts and pledges and another $300,000 in goods and services. There is, however, still work to be done. The goal is to pay off the entire mortgage as part of the capital campaign, and thus eliminate future mortgage costs which are normally part of the tuition package in a private school. Can we do it? Of course, we can! It will take (as it always does) each of us doing our part, and the community doing its part — set against the backdrop of God’s continuing loving provision.

In and of themselves, facilities are not important. They are, however, critically important in maximizing the facilitation of the kinds of programs MVCA works hard to provide. Buildings are just the support mechanisms for that educational process.

Our buildings are clean, functional, and nice. They are not intended to be luxurious — we think that sends the wrong message—at least the wrong message for our school.

So, what does God have in mind long-term for the facilities for our school? We don’t know yet. We do know that He has been faithful each step of the way. We also know, since it is His school and not ours, He will continue to be faithful in His provisions as long as we, to the best of our ability, actively seek His wisdom and His direction for the life of the school.

We can also say “and it was wondrous in our sight!”

Upside Down

Once I became a Christian, I began to learn about and understand part of the “specialness” that made Christ, Christ.

Having spent years in the business and civic world in leadership positions, and through God’s grace having experienced a significant number of those leadership experiences, I was initially familiar with the ìtraditionalî models of leadership styles.

When you pare everything else away, the goal of traditional leadership is to have everyone pitch in together, to collectively achieve the goals of the leader. Whether those goals were initially set by the board of trustees or the leader himself/herself, the goal is to get everybody lined up, to put their shoulder to the wheel, so that those leaderís goals are achieved.

In more recent years, business has become much more aware of the need for an employee to ìbuy inî to the goals that are set, in order to do his/her best towards the achievement of those goals. Yes, employees are often asked for their genuine opinions which are in fact often taken into consideration by those who do set the final goals. Be assured, how -

The Making of a Miracle ever, that in the final analysis, the leader will be the one whose objectives are sought and met.

Then, at least in my life, along came a real “curve ball.” After all the years of studying, researching, evaluating, reading about, and attending leadership seminars, along comes a whole new leadership model. That model, as originally exemplified by Jesus Christ, is servant leadership. This is such a vital topic, and time and space here in this book is sufficiently finite, that I will just touch on several of the high points. I hope to really explore this topic in depth in a future separate book.

In the here and now, however, the point I primarily want to make as far as Miami Valley Christian Academy is concerned, is that it is the perfect con-

Students Parents Staff Board Head Master

Servant Leadership

GOD

text to allow a leader (such as me) to implement servant leadership and that is exactly what I tried to do.

For servant leadership to work, there must be genuine openness, trust, and respect all the way up and down the line. The important thing is that the job gets done, and not who gets the credit. An atmosphere needs to exist where we all (and we do) work to serve the Lord, the students and each other.

To start your workday seeking to fulfill God’s will at MVCA, as best you and the others can discern it, and to end up that day knowing that is how things unfolded, is a special, special opportunity, for which I am deeply grateful!

Hall’s Halls

The publication for the new high school is called High School Halls but the staff calls it Hall’s Halls. It is said that if you recognize anybody, you should recognize everybody. I do hope that each of the readers of this small book will feel recognized, because each of you are part of the MVCA family, and a part of the unique and very special mix of backgrounds and talent that comprise the students, parents, teachers, staff, board, and donors that make up the school. Time and space does not permit the “break out” and specific recognition of each and every one of you who serve “above and beyond,” because, in fact, each one of you do!

Those of you who have students in the middle school and high school level will recognize the name of the weekly information publication at the top of this segment. We put this communiqué out at the high school level with this title on it since it not only has a clever ring to it, but it does truly recognize a special person who in very many ways is emblematic of our high school. Mike Hall certainly doesn’t know that I am going to do this, but I feel it is most appropriate.

Very few (if any) of us have come here in what might be termed a logical or linear progression. We usually wind up here in a manner, and a time, that most often surprises us!

In business (my former life), there often is a linear progression to one’s career. When God is at work, however, things often happen in a “swirl” that has at its vortex, the element of complete surprise.

So it was with Mike. As he often tells folks, after a long weekend of retirement, in the aftermath of helping Anderson High School become a national blue ribbon school during his 18 years as principal there, Mike came to MVCA.

Mike and I became friends in a “typically God” manner. Although my office was probably less than one-half mile from his, while he was at Anderson High School, we didn’t know each other until a friend of his brother’s, in Washington, D.C., suggested he call this “Sallquist guy” in Cincinnati to explore putting together an accountability group. That has led to a great friendship which began in the late 80’s, when we were accountability group partners, before God sent me away from Cincinnati and off to seminary at Princeton.

Shortly after I was called to MVCA as headmaster, I began praying for future staff members. God really laid it on my heart that I was to reconnect with Mike. We had not seen each other since the late 80’s. Joyce and I had been in and out of Cincinnati

several times as God moved us around in ministry, but Mike and I had not crossed paths since we were together once a week at our accountability group meetings back in the late 80s.

Mike and I had lunch in the fall of 2001 and I told him God had laid it on my heart that he was eventually to be the principal of the soon-to-beformed new high school for MVCA. Mike said he appreciated that, but if God had those things in mind for him, he would appreciate it if God would talk to him! And eventually God did!

Like all of our teachers and staff members, Mike has brought to our school a genuine love for students, a clear understanding of the mission of this school, an incredible background that prepared him for this position, and a willingness to be obedient and serve God at a point in his life when most of his peers were winding down. At that point, Mike was once again starting up!

Those credentials I just mentioned above, not only describe Mike, but they describe every teacher and staff member I know with whom God has truly blessed our school. They are an incredible cadre of experience and talent!

I was overjoyed when our application to the State of Ohio to start a new high school was acknowledged in an e-mail by the State in a very positive way.

It will not surprise you to know that there are a myriad of hoops that MVCA had to jump through

58 The Making of a Miracle to be accepted in the State of Ohio as a new high school. Mike and our incredibly competent Assistant Principal Dr. Jane Stuart worked long and hard on that project. The payoff was the State of Ohio’s response to the DNA of our new high school as it was submitted in the application packet.

Mike came here because he felt God was calling him to help lay the foundation for a new high school that was to become Number 1 in the U.S.A. in character education. That is no small putt, and yet when you closely observe what is going on already in this new high school, you can tell that process is already underway.

I share those specifics with you because every person, in each building, indeed in every room, has a similar and surprising story. All the way throughout our staff, age-wise, from preschool to our first senior class, there is the sense that this is a very special place — and it is!

Thank you to each and every one of you staff members who have been obedient to God’s call (usually at considerable sacrifice) — to come to Miami Valley Christian Academy.

It is my belief that day will come for each and every one of you (hopefully many years from now) when that wonderful Scripture, “Well done, good and faithful servant” will be spoken to you.

You and God are faithful, and you daily change students’ lives for eternity!

Finances

There is an enormous difference between ministry and business. Enormous. Believe me, I know, having spent nearly 30 years in the financial services world prior to spending these last 17 years in ministry. In business, the goal at the end of the day is to make a profit. As a good friend of mine would say, “It’s to make your numbers.” That is the goal – rightly so – for commerce regardless of what product or service you provide. The very essence of business (commerce) by its very definition is to make a profit.

Ministry on the other hand, by its very definition, has a completely different objective. The Latin root word “ministrare” means “to serve and to care.” To minister means to serve, and to care while serving.

It is often difficult for fine Board members of Christian schools to understand and differentiate between those two very different philosophies. There are those who disagree with me on this point and I have certainly had those conversations. If you live (or have lived) in the world of for-profit, it is a complete mental “culture shift” to think in terms of not-for-profit.

I believe that every penny that comes into MVCA should go to educate the children – every penny. Having said that, it should be obvious to everybody that we have a responsibility to be the best stewards we can be of the Lord’s resources that come in to MVCA – whatever their source.

My former pastor in Colorado, James Ryle, used to kid about having come from an agricultural business into ministry. He said when discussing the profit issue with his congregation that their former business model had been: “Get all you can, and can all you get!” This is not to say that one is right and one is wrong. God uses resources from all sources – certainly including commerce, to advance His Kingdom here on earth. When Nehemiah was called by God to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city walls, the funding for that project, in the form of the timber to make beams and gates, came from Artaxerxes, a Babylonian king.

One of the challenges every ministry has is finances. I believe it is so because it makes it clear to us that we are truly dependent upon God, or we will then slip back into our own comfort zones. When there, it’s only one step to believe that somehow – some way – the financial resources of the school came from our own self-sufficiency. Our own talents. Our own smarts. Us. Not God – us.

So, human nature being what it is, God knows to keep us slightly off-balance, leaving us always “a

little short.” We must always be a little uncomfortable, and thereby acknowledge that we are completely dependent on Him.

In business, it’s OK to say, “Get all you can and can all you get.” In ministry, it’s OK to say, “Get all you can – and give all you get.” It’s all God’s anyway!

Special Needs For Special Kids

Dody Staker, our former elementary principal (now retired) used to say regularly when we were discussing children with special learning challenges: “There is room for all of God’s children at the table.” That phrase continued to ring in my ears each time a special education situation came up.

Our medical director, Paula Jacobs, is an R.N. and has a child who is autistic. She has an incredible radar which helps identify and diagnose various problems that children have. There are lots of stories at MVCA about children who came here after having been “written off” by other schools, who for the first time were properly diagnosed and successfully treated on Paula’s “watch.”

At present, 45 to 50 students have special challenges. We can’t take everybody. We are not sufficiently staffed nor financially “deep enough” yet to take them all. We don’t do anybody a favor if we knowingly take a child that we don’t have the resources to help. So, like in every other aspect of the school, we need God’s wisdom to know which

64 The Making of a Miracle families to take, so that we have the best opportunity to help that child and his/her family. Special educational needs don’t take place in a vacuum – they impact every member of the child’s family, his/her teachers and his/her classmates.

I have never heard the term, “mainstream,” used at Miami Valley Christian Academy. You are either there as a student or you are not. There is no “qualifying” or “labeling.” If you are at MVCA, you are a member of the family. Period! Jesus did not say, “Bring the little children unto me, and bring only those without problems.”

The Culture Wars

Culture doesn’t just happen in the schools, it is created. It is created by what does, or doesn’t go on at home with Mom, Dad and the siblings. It is created by how involved the student and family is with their church. It is created by the kind of nonschool friends the students “hang out” with when they are not at school. It is created by a myriad of large and small influences. When you put all that “in the pot,” add the influence of your school, stir thoroughly, and you get “culture.”

Culture manifests itself in a way your students talk, the way they think, the way they dress, the way they look, the music they listen to, the internet that they watch, and all the media-type things that have an enormous influence on young people.

You can, of course, only directly influence those types of things that are a part of your school. But if you do it right, that influence will indirectly modify other negative influences that come up in the lives of the students.

One of the most difficult, challenging, and yet enjoyable things that I did as headmaster was to teach chapel (initially) to the middle school students and then eventually, on occasion, to the high

66 The Making of a Miracle school students. Looking out at a bunch of rapidly growing, constantly fatigued, under attack by the secular culture teenagers on Friday morning at 8:15 is a daunting task!

As I got to know the students early on and became familiar with the kinds of issues with which they were dealing, I decided to be proactive instead of reactive. In military terms, I decided to regularly launch pre-emptive strikes. We had some very spirited debates about the topics we discussed.

I particularly remember a chapel where we discussed, “What Can Put a Stain On Your Heart?” The students decided that language, attire, TV and internet, cell phones, and inappropriate boy/girl relationships, as well as music, all had the potential to “put a stain on their heart.” It was a series of conversations where I could barely acknowledge all the hands that went up as students weighed in with their views on those topics.

I also remember the hottest of all topics – music. I went to a local music store and got the words to some key secular songs that I had been told that the kids listened to. I then asked them for the names of their favorite Christian musical groups and got the key words to their songs. I then asked the students to tell me if a particular word was healthy/positive for them or unhealthy/negative for them by using the actual words from both Christian and secular songs. I would read a word and they would vote on

whether a particular word was positive or negative to them.

Once we got the words voted on, and lined up in the proper columns, we discovered together that the unhealthy/negative words outnumbered the healthy/positive words by about 4-1. No wonder so many of the kids were feeling depressed.

I told them I didn’t want to know who was listening to what, and I would observe strict confidentiality that after our sessions together, if they wanted to get rid of CD’s that they had determined were not in their best interests, they could quietly deposit them in several wicker baskets we had strategically located in some out-of-the-way places in the administrative offices. A number of “bad” CD’s quietly went away – Praise God!

Students really do want to do the right thing, but as adults, we have to be firm with them, educate ourselves about what is really going on “out there,” be patient, surround them with prayer, fire a preemptive strike (or two or three) now and then, and then stand back and give them a chance to do the right thing, and they do!

Just one more chapel story. We had been hit with a spate of cheating at the middle school level. In most Christian schools, ours included, a student signs a “honor code” when they are admitted to the school. The problem was that it was one of a number of forms that they had signed that was wordy, was

68 The Making of a Miracle not written in “their language” and had little – or no – impact on them.

High school principal, Mike Hall, called them out of class for a “surprise” chapel. My job was to “lay it on the line” with them and I did. We then took the honor codes of the military academy and discussed them in depth. I then asked the members of the student council, all of whom who were in chapel, to go to each of the students, grades 7 through 11, (this year will be our first 12th grade class) and ask them for their input. They were then to take that input and hammer out a succinct and meaningful honor code that each of our kids would (a) buy in to, and (b) personally sign off on. Here’s what they came up with:

M Morals V Values C Character A Attitude

IT WORKED! Good kids do want to do the right thing. We just have to work hard to specifically create the atmosphere in which they can do so.

One thing is for certain. The “world” keeps trying to come in under those school doors. Our staff calls it “cultural crabgrass.” We have to be on the alert to keep pulling out those weeds every hour of every day!

Property Value

The first capital campaign raised just under $600,000 to buy the elementary building and our 5+ acres of property from Faith Christian Fellowship Church. That was completed in the spring of 2001. With the refurbishing of the elementary school, and the construction of the high school, Hamilton County recently valued the entire school at slightly more than $6 million. You talk about leverage, only God could have done that!

It is the nature of Christian schools, regardless of how much they grow, how large they become, how many families they serve - - to always come up “a little short” in the budget process. It was true at $500,000 for MVCA, it was true at $2 million, and it will always (I believe) be true. Always. It’s uncomfortable, but I believe it’s God’s way of showing us that regardless of how we work, or how “talented” we are - - that this is His school, not ours. So we will always be “a little short,” clearly dependent upon the Lord, and thereby hopefully avoiding the trap that would have us thinking “we” did it - - and therefore becoming reliant on our own self sufficiency.

This school is a classic example of the well known

70 The Making of a Miracle

scriptural quote from Matthew 19:26, “With men, this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Folks have asked me what kind of a legacy I have wanted to leave at MVCA. I don’t think in those terms, but I did however want to “finish well!”

Through God’s grace, I hope I did.

I would be deeply disappointed if folks thought only in terms of the monies I helped raise for our new high school. I will have served well only if I have been able to touch the lives of those people, younger and older alike, to whom God has entrusted the ministry of Miami Valley Christian Academy.

A Brief Summary

As you can tell, where we have been as a school and where I believe we are going…is the direct result of a Christian theological world view, and a Christian philosophy of leadership.

Numbers are “value neutral”. In and of themselves they have no value. But , in the world of business, numbers measure how you succeed since it’s how you “keep score”.

“I learned a long time ago that financial reports can be columns of numbers — or they can be stories about people. My head tells me that I have to understand the numbers, but my heart tells me that they mean very little unless I can also correlate them to what they do and who they touch.”

Ed Pease, a christian former congressman, now executive vice president of Rolls-Royce

In the world of ministry, and MVCA is first and foremost a ministry - - numbers measure God’s provision for this ministry. It’s been said that “where there is vision, there is God’s pro-vision.” Amen!

Let’s look at how God has faithfully provided for our vision - - for MVCA - - as it relates to numbers.

Enrollment

From the fall of 1996 - - to the fall of 2001 - - God grew the school from 11 students to 150 students. From the fall of 2001 to the fall of 2006 - - he grew the school from 150 to 400 + students.

Academics

On the annual Stanford Proficiency exams, our students have tested well above the norms, both for schools in general, and the other 3,500 ACSI member schools.

MVCA Stanford 10 Achievement test results for 2006-2007 (average student profile)

A) Complete battery 84.6 percentile

B) Stanine (7 out of 9)

C) GE K-6th - 3.0 above grade level

7th – 4.6 above grade level

8th – 9th PHS (post high school)

In addition to that, advanced placement courses are now part of the high school curriculum.

Music and Drama

The Fine Arts have always been a part of the DNA of our school. Led originally by our highly talented and committed Dody Staker, these programs involved many in our student body last year.

Athletics

In the winter of 2001 our athletic program consisted of one volunteer dad as a coach and eight little guys playing basketball. Last year, “up and down the line” (from 2nd grade through the senior year) we had 21 teams, 42 coaches (staff and volunteers) and 250 students playing sports at one level or another.

Economics

In the fall of 2001 - - our budget was $537,000 for that year. In the fall of 2006 the budget was in excess of $2 million. THANK YOU GOD! THE BEST IS YET TO COME! “– Dr. S”

A Brief Summary Update 2016

Let’s look at how God has faithfully provided for our vision—for MVCA—as it relates to numbers in the years since 2007.

Enrollment

During the period of time bridging from the fall of 2007— (Original writing of this book)—until the fall of 2016—several major events have occurred:

In 2008, the major recession impacted us along with all the other private schools—and our enrollment dipped to 292 students.

Through God’s grace, the enrollment has now risen to 370 students.

We have now started adding additional classes for grades, a sure sign of growth.

Academics

On the Terra Nova exams, our students have tested well above the national norms, both for schools in general, and the other 3,500 (Association of Christian Schools International) member schools.

MVCA students “across the board” test in the 91st percentile. 80% of 1st-12th grade students earned honor

roll recognition.

The graduating Class of 2016:

• Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) - 100% passed

• 2016 composite scores (ACT)

• MVCA average 25.0

• State average 22.0

• National average 21.1

• 100% of the graduates enrolled in college

• Over 2.5 million dollars in scholarships were offered to the Class of 2016.

Music and Drama

The Fine Arts have always been a part of the DNA of our school.

The Band plays for the musicals, and the social student events, while the Pep Band plays for athletic events.

• Last year’s performances included:

• Elementary (K-3) show, “Meet Me at The Manger”

• Elementary (4-6) show, “The Night Shift Before Christmas”

• High School Play, “The Ransom of Red Chief”

• Middle School Play, “The Boxcar Children”

• Musical, “Fiddler On the Roof”

Coming in 2016-2017:

• Middle School Play, “Henry and Ramona”

• High School Play, “A Tale of Two Cities”

Facilities

During the last several years, thanks to some very gracious donors. MVCA has been able to:

• Completely renovate the Elementary Gym

• Build a new Worship Center/Contemporary Dance Floor, on the site of the old Chapel

• Build a new Elementary Science Lab

• Build a new High School Science Lab

• Convert a former storage/supply area into a welcoming social meeting center called “Connections Cafe.”

Athletics

By the fall of 2016—Here is where MVCA stands: “Up and down the line”— (From 3rd grade through the senior year) there are:

• 53 Coaches and staff assistants

• 36 Teams • 170 Student athletes

Since 2010 MVCA has won 19 state and conference championships (including both boys and girls)—in multiple sports.

Present teams include: • Football • Girls Volleyball • Basketball (Girls and Boys) • Baseball • Track and Field (Girls and Boys) • Club Soccer • Cross Country (Girls and Boys)

• Cheerleading • Wrestling Economics

For the 2016-2017 school year, the operating budget is 2.7 million dollars.

SPARC (Short Park Athletic Recreation Complex)

In partnership with the Village of Newtown, where MVCA is located, MVCA is building a football field, baseball diamond, and running track. There will also be a recreational area for school and community use.

SPARC is a 2.2-million-dollar project. Newtown has provided the 14-acre Short Park, and MVCA is building the fields and the structures.

The objectives are to break ground in the fall of 2016, have the baseball field ready to use in the spring of 2017, and football field ready to use in the fall of 2017.

The Miami Valley Athletic Conference has invited MVCA to join them in the fall of 2017.

Member schools presently include Summit Country Day, Seven Hills, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, Clark Montessori, and Cincinnati Christian School and eight others.

Being part of the Miami Valley Athletic Conference will be a great opportunity...and challenge.

THANK YOU GOD!

THE BEST IS YET TO COME! “Dr. S”

A Brief Summary Update 2020

Let’s look at how God has faithfully provided for our vision – for MVCA – as it relates to numbers in the years since 2016.

Enrollment

During the period of time bridging from the fall of 2007 (original writing of this book). In 2008, a major recession impacted MVCA, along with many other private schools, and our enrollment dipped to 292 students. Through God’s grace, we have come back this past fall with 560 students. All classes now have multiple classes, a sure sign of healthy growth. Along the way, MVCA has graduated over 250 fine young men and women. They have already begun distinguishing themselves in the wider world and are indeed, “Impacting the World for Christ.”

Academics

Our students test well above the national norms, both for schools in general, and among the other 3,500 (Association of Christian Schools International) member schools. MVCA students “across the board” test in the top 10%. Over 80% of 1st-12th

80 The Making of a Miracle

2017-2018

• The Most Epic Birthday Party Ever (Drama Camp)

• High School Musical

• Charlotte’s Web (MS)

• Pride and Prejudice (HS)

• 2016-2017

• Giants In the Sky (Drama Camp)

• The Little Mermaid

• Henry and Ramona (MS)

• A Tale of Two Cities (HS)

2015-2016

• Dear Edwina (Drama Camp)

• Fiddler on the Roof

• The Ransom of Red Chief (HS)

• The Beloved Dearly (MS)

Facilities

During recent years, thanks to very gracious donors, MVCA has been able to:

• Installed new flooring throughout Lower School.

• Painted and refreshed the walls of the entire school.

• Converted former preschool classrooms into remodeled space for our expanded Student Services Program, as well as a resource room.

• Installed Raptor Security System for increased student safety.

• Added more parking to accommodate growth.

Founders Hall

“Only God”! While that phrase applies to much of MVCA—it particularly applies to the new Founders Hall. In the Spring of 2019, we learned the former FCFC Church was going to sell and relocate. God protected us with a first right of refusal included in the original contract. A bid from another entity came in and we were able to match it—and acquire the building, the parking area and the adjacent land. In a very short time, God provided us with generous donors to buy the building for $820,000! Thank you, Lord!

The sanctuary has become home to The Academy’s Fine Arts Center and also hosts weekly Chapels. The former classrooms have been completely redone (as well as the sanctuary)—and is now chock-full of 110+ preschoolers and their teachers. What a blessing!!!

Athletics

By the Fall 2019—here is where MVCA stands “Up and down the line” - from 3rd grade through the senior year there are:

and Staff

Since 2011, MVCA has 131 state and conference championships (including both boys and girls)—in nine different sports.

82 The Making of a Miracle

Present teams include:

• Football

• Girls volleyball

• Basketball (boys and girls)

• Baseball

• Track and field (boys and girls)

• Cheerleading

• Wrestling

• Swimming

Banners-Banners-Banners!

There are 31 of them are now on display in the Upper School. They represent both boys and girls sports—nine of them. Each Banner represents either a state or Conference Championship. MVCA teams are often the smallest in contests in terms of numbers. However, neither our coaches, nor our players, have ever used that as an excuse. Go Lions!

Trophies (AKA “Hardware”)

When you walk down the athletic hallway—next to the Upper School gym, you see trophies. There are now, on the High School side, 67 of them. In the Lower School Hall there are an additional 21. We were originally told that, as a new school with new teams, that it would be 20 years before we won a major sport trophy. Not so! We’ve been blessed with fine coaches, fine student-athletes, and fine volunteers. We believe there are some things that can only be learned in the classroom. There are other

life lessons that can only be learned on the field, on the court, or on the track. We are committed to helping students maximize a balanced education in both settings.

Lions on the Move Wall

In the MVCA Sports Hall there is a display area called “The Lions on the Move” wall. It features photos of our former students who have chosen to—and been selected to play on college teams. There are presently 24 of those photos. Our young people now play 13 different sports for colleges and universities around the country.

Go Lions!

Sports represented include:

Girls Volleyball

Boys Basketball

Cheerleading

Track (Boys & Girls)

Athletic Field

Beginning in the fall of 2015, we began working toward having an all-purpose Athletic Field. It has been a long and challenging journey, but we are now closing in on it! Through good-hearted donors we have been able to raise 1.2 million so far.

Multiple requirements must be met for a project of this scope. We have finally been able to move the field itself right on MVCA property. That has been made possible through the acquisition of the adjacent former church property. This provides both room for the end of the field and much-needed additional parking. It is our plan and prayer that the field will eventually be “home” to Lions football, soccer, and lacrosse teams. Our new All-weather field will be complete by fall of 2020 and will be very welcoming! Go Lions!

Economics

For the 2019-2020 school year, the operating budget is $3,473,737.

Doug Bush

Heather Engel Tom Rhodenbaugh Nick Rutolo Louis Schott, MD Rob Seddon Chris Wilson Carla Wood

This book is dedicated to: These loving and committed MVCA families, the faculty and staff, and Board of Trustees MVCA Board of Trustees

MVCA Faculty and Staff

Lauren Backus

Louann Bartholomew

Lisa Bauman   Kyna Baylor

Greg Beasley   Jill Beasley

Susan Belcher  Richard Bennett   Carrie Berry   Joshua Braun

Megan Browarsky

Robert Cassidy   Maria Chastain   Euna Choi   Christina Collins   Amy Cook   Karen Croswell

Kelly Eastman

Anne Fisher

Megan Fishell

Atalie Fite

Holly Fox

James Frazier

Sandra Garman   Haley Greene   Bridget Grosjean

MVCA Faculty and Staff

Jenny Guin

Melissa Hargis

Jenna Hawks   Margaret Heuck

Dee Dee Hilsher

Jody Hilsher

Heidi Huber   Kellie Hunkler

Andrea Jones   Mark Jones

Laura Kempf

Aaron Kinebrew   Kimberly Kirk   Julia Koch

Stephen Leichter   Matthew McCasland   Tara McCasland

Rick McDonough

Paige McElfresh

Rene McGill

Andrea Mitchel

Becky Montemore

Deanna Moon   Sydney Myers   Lisa Neumeister   Kyle Oedy

MVCA Faculty and Staff

Amy Parks

Leah Patterson

Garrett Peters   Penny Peters   Erin Pierson   David Poindexter   Cathy Presley   Yance Pyle

Lisa Ratterman   Kimberly Rodarmel   Lisa Ruhl   Sarah Sauer

Stephanie Scott   Brooke Singleton   Kelly Sirotak   Michelle Snyder   Bethany Stanger   Greg Steinbaugh

Joy Swensen

Russ Theisens

Missy Thorpe

Alicia Weber

Shannon Weddle  Ellie Wells