Ignitia writes about our online school.
Written by Candra Knobloch 11.28.11
Edited by Tami Van De Stroet 11.29.11
Jared Davis, principal of Lighthouse Christian Academy in Seneca, Missouri, wants every child to receive a Christian education. He has made strides in reaching this goal, the biggest step being the development of a new online academy, Lighthouse Christian International (LCI).
Davis is nearing the final stages of development on his new academy, with the website set to be up and running in January. He will use Ignitia to power the online school, reaching out to pastors across the nation to start Christian schools for families in areas that do not have one available. Davis also knows that by using Ignitia, he can keep tuition costs low, so another aim is to provide more low-cost educational options to families that may not be able to afford the high cost Christian schools in their area.
LCI’s focus will be churches that have an interest in starting Christian schools but do not have the staff available. LCI will provide support not only once the school doors open, but also with all the planning that comes with a new school start. Davis says that the Curriculum Development Kit that Alpha Omega provides has been a huge help to his school and will have all of the materials a new school will need to get started. He also plans to spend the first few weeks of the school’s first school year on site, helping with any problems or questions that arise. After this, LCI will provide teacher and administrative support. Each school will have an LCI staff member assigned to it to assist with any issues that come up. The brick-and-mortar school will provide classrooms, computers, and teachers for the students, but students will receive a diploma from LCI. This way, the small schools that are just starting out can still provide accredited diplomas.
Of course, the use of online curriculum opens many other doors as well. Davis also plans to reach out to the homeschool families in his area, allowing students to enroll in courses that their parents may not feel confident in teaching to their children. The student can log on to Ignitia from home to take this course, with LCI teachers providing the support and grading.
Davis is excited to be able to use some of the ideas presented at the Ignite Conference to provide more options for his current students and also pass along this information to the new schools he will help start. Davis said, “I don’t want to be the only school using Ignitia. I don’t want to be selfish. I love the curriculum, and I want everyone else to use it, too.”