Whitefield Schoolwide Guiding Principles

Whitefield is a community of faculty and students with a unique identity and purpose. This handbook outlines our purpose, as reflected in our mission and history, and summarizes the precepts that will guide students to a successful academic year. By complying with basic principles of decency, respect, and accountability in all things, our students can learn in an environment that is safe, wholesome, and enriching.

“Whitefield Academy, a Christ-centered college preparatory school, exists to bolster Christian families in rearing young people who go on to college and life with a passion for learning, for others ahead of self, and for the living and active Jesus.”

The school holds fast to its founding vision and core values:

• Academic excellence in a college preparatory program taught from a Biblical worldview

• Covenantal education in which the faculty, administrators, board of trustees, and parents form a partnership to educate, encourage, and instruct students in a Christ-centered community

• Enrollment reflecting the racial, ethnic, and economic diversity within the body of Christ

• Effective servant leadership as a characteristic of the Whitefield Academy graduates who are prepared to make a difference in their world for Christ

• Faithful stewardship of the talents and resources of the faculty, students, and the entire Whitefield community, so that God gets the glory

• Modeling excellent Christian education in the United States

One of the most common words used to describe Whitefield is the word “community.” Whether people have been a part of Whitefield for a long time or have just been introduced to the community when stepping onto campus, they often notice a sense of something unique and attractive in how people relate to one another. At Whitefield, we believe that we enjoy such a strong sense of community because it is built on the truth and love of Jesus Christ. Since the founding of the school in 1997, all board members, faculty, staff, and families commit to the following Statement of Faith in Christ:

I am a follower of Jesus Christ. I believe the essence of the gospel consists mainly of its doctrine of man’s sinful condition and need of salvation, the revelation of God’s grace in Christ, and the necessity of personal salvation through faith in Christ. I affirm that, as originally written in the books of the Old and New Testaments, the Bible is the complete, inspired, and infallible Word of God. I affirm all of the statements of faith set forth in the Apostles’ Creed.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.

Whitefield Academy enables the children of Christian parents to reach their academic potential in a joyous, Christhonoring atmosphere that prepares them for the college of their choice. Whitefield students are challenged to pursue a mature faith in Jesus Christ and to develop a love for learning with the leadership, decision-making, and problemsolving skills necessary to enable them to make a positive contribution to the world and a difference for Christ.

Whitefield Academy is named after George Whitefield, the great eighteenth-century Christian revivalist. A native of England, Whitefield helped launch the Great Awakening in Britain’s North American colonies. Preaching outdoors to thousands of people at a time, Whitefield reached a wide range of people with the good news of Jesus Christ, sharing the message of God’s grace in such a way that was clear and accessible to all people, regardless of their socioeconomic status or the color of their skin.

Like all people that God has used in powerful ways throughout history, and as seen repeatedly throughout Scripture, George Whitefield failed to live up fully to the glorious message that he proclaimed. For reasons that are difficult to understand in light of Whitefield’s work, particularly by modern standards, Whitefield committed the grievous sin of defending slavery. We unequivocally renounce and condemn his position on slavery. This aspect of his legacy is inconsistent with Christ’s teaching and how He calls us to live.

The life and ministry of George Whitefield, in both its triumphs and its failures, underscore the importance of Whitefield Academy continuing to pursue a diversity vision for unity in Christ. We believe that each person, uniquely created in the image of God, has inherent dignity and profound worth, and that God has created people with a diversity of cultural, ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds. True to the best of George Whitefield’s legacy, the diversity of our school, cultivated in Christ, provides an opportunity for us to experience together what God has always intended for unity in His Son.

Covenantal Community

Whitefield Academy is a covenant school which means the school exists to educate and disciple the children of Christian families. The mission statement declares that Whitefield “exists to bolster Christian families,” and the missional values state that Whitefield stands for “covenantal education.” In contrast to acting on behalf of Christian families in the education of their children, many parochial and Christian schools are “missionary” in that they will accept anyone that wants to attend their schools. The mission of Whitefield Academy is different in that the school embraces and supports believers who wish to raise their children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” and joyfully shares this responsibility with parents and the churches they attend. Accordingly, the school requires that at least one parent of a student be a Christian with an active faith.

The biblical basis for covenantal education extends from the Old Testament through the New Testament, and the school forms a cooperative and reinforcing alliance between believing parents and churches and executes this coordinated approach to educating and discipling young men and women. In this way, the faculty and staff serve not only in a teaching capacity, but also in a ministerial capacity as they support Christian families by integrating biblical worldview instruction and Christ-centered faith into all aspects of the curriculum, devotions, prayers, chapel discussions, and all other activities associated with the school.

Often people liken the community at Whitefield Academy to a loving, Christ-centered family. We enjoy the benefits of being in such a community, but we also experience issues and conflicts, just like all families and communities in a fallen world. Though such situations are difficult and can cause significant damage to a community when handled poorly, they can be catalysts for strengthening a community and lead to closer relationships when handled properly. As with all areas of life, Scripture provides great wisdom in these matters. Principles gleaned from a passage in Matthew 18 are particularly applicable.

“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church treat him as you would a pagan . . . “

Matthew 18:15-17

This passage is explicitly applicable to dealing with sin in the church, but sound principles are implied for other contexts as well, and we seek to apply them when dealing with issues and conflicts at Whitefield. Principles include honesty, gentleness, listening, reconciliation, confidentiality, opportunity to appeal to others, severing the relationship if reconciliation is not attainable, and proper lines of authority.

Dangerous Behavior: The principles described here do not encompass situations that pose a dangerous threat to the welfare of others in the community – those that involve illegal, immoral, unethical, or other dangerous behavior. Such issues must be handled swiftly and may require a different path to resolution, including immediate contact with those with relevant expertise or at higher levels of authority.

At the heart of Whitefield Academy is a culture defined by Christian teachings, including, without limitation, respect, balance, integrity, curiosity, leadership, as well as our commitment to the safety and health of students. All members of the community have an obligation to know and uphold the school’s values and strive to embody them in word and deed.

We therefore expect that all members of the community will:

• Respect other people and their privacy and property, both within and beyond the school.

• Treat all human beings with dignity, refraining from behavior that intimidates, insults, threatens, bullies, coerces, abuses, exploits, harasses, humiliates, or demeans, acting with tolerance, courtesy, and thoughtful regard.

• Use words constructively, avoiding gossip and other inappropriate or unproductive sharing of information.

• Maintain high standards of honesty, avoiding deception, half-truths, and deliberately misleading words or behavior.

• Exemplify principles of responsibility and fairness in daily life.

• Observe safe behavior and report unsafe conditions or practices.

• Cultivate caring and compassion, seeking to serve others, both within and beyond the school.

Our school cultivates a school environment in which all members of the community feel valued and safe. Part of living our values includes every member’s responsibility to support a safe school environment by refraining from harmful and unsafe behavior and reporting such behavior when observed. In addition, we prohibit all boundary crossing behavior between adults and students (as outlined in our Student/Adult Interaction and Communication Policy) and sexual misconduct (whether between students or adults and students). Adults are expected to identify and report suspicions of harassment, abuse, and sexual or other misconduct and will not engage in such behavior themselves. In addition, school employees are mandated reporters of suspected abuse and neglect as specified by Georgia law. The school has conducted and will continue to conduct training for adults and students on these important issues and encourages all students and their parents to report any concern about boundary crossing behavior, sexual misconduct, or any other situation that impacts the safety, health, or security of any member of our community to their division head or the Head of School.

All adults have an obligation to model through both language and behavior the values and expectations we have as a school and Christian community, being especially conscious of their actions at times and places when students can observe them. Students must be mindful of the power they have in various roles at school. They must use their roles constructively, always avoiding intimidation and abuse of authority. Older and returning students must take seriously the power of their example on younger and newer students, accepting the responsibility to model and transmit our school and Christian values.

These community standards apply to our words and behavior not only in personal interactions, but also in all forms of electronic media and communications.

As members of this community, we acknowledge that our actions reflect not only on ourselves, but also on the school as a whole and therefore strive to live in a way that is consistent with our values.

A positive and constructive relationship between the School and Family (Parent, Student, or other Family Member) is essential to the fulfillment of the School's educational purpose and responsibilities to its students. If any Family Member engages in behavior, communications, or interactions on or off campus (including during Schoolsponsored events), is disruptive, intimidating, or overly aggressive, or reflects a loss of confidence or serious disagreement with the School's policies, methods of instruction, or discipline, or otherwise interferes with the School's safety procedures, responsibilities, or accomplishment of its educational purpose or program, the School reserves the right in its discretion to dismiss the Family or Family Member from the community. In addition, the School reserves the right to place restrictions on a Family Member's involvement or activity at School, on School property, or at School-related events if the Family Member engages in behavior or has a status (such as a criminal conviction) that would reasonably suggest that such restrictions may be appropriate for the community. There will be no refund of tuition where such enforced withdrawal occurs, and any unpaid balance is payable in full according to the terms of this Agreement. If, for any reason, it is in the best interest of the School, the School also reserves the right to withdraw an offer of enrollment or re-enrollment at any time, and to void an executed Enrollment Agreement.