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Dear NCS family,
When Northwest Christian School students and staff report to campus on Monday, August 17th, they will be doing something that many across the course of time would consider illegal.
Oh, wait. That didn't come out right at all! Where is the backspace button on this thing anyway? Goodness, talk about bad timing!
Ill-timed, ill-considered jesting aside, in a very practical sense, unfortunately, my opening thesis is uniquely true and completely verifiable.
As you can read for yourself from a
New York Times article originally published on October 21, 1976
, shockingly, there was a time within our country when parents could be arrested for doing exactly what you are going to do in two weeks: sending your children to a Christian school. In May of 1974, Mr. and Mrs. Levi Whisner were arrested for sending their thirteen-year-old daughter, Janice, to a Christian school, Tabernacle Christian School. As this case captured national headlines, it  made its way all the way to the Ohio Supreme Court where the parents were castigated by prosecutors for electing a curriculum for their daughter that was rooted in God's word. Spoiler alert: the Ohio justices landed on a unanimous verdict that ultimately enabled the Whisners and hundreds of thousands of families, yours and mine included, to pursue Christian education.
But, do not think for a moment that this story ends with a dusty newspaper clipping from the early seventies. In fact, fast forward to
March 2017 when the very same New York Times castigated you and I for sending our students to an apparently unsavory and highly suspect institution in Phoenix, Arizona that goes by the clearly criminal alias "Northwest Christian School". Our crime? Allowing our students to study a curriculum that includes creationism and encouraging them to consider that the Bible may be literally and completely true.
Before you start watching for the cancel culture's keystone cops to come to your door, I am afraid that our story does not end here, even at the late date of 2017. Unfortunately, it continues into present day and the already much despised year of 2020.
(Will this year ever end?) In fact, with nearly three decades in private education, I am not sure if I have ever seen a moment when the threats to Christian education have been more significant than they are in 2020.
 Tomorrow, Tuesday, August 4th, is Primary Election Day within the great state of Arizona. And, there are, across your ballot, numerous individuals who would roll back your ability as a parent to choose the style of education that best fits the needs of your family and your student. This is not a partisan statement advocating for a particular candidate or party. Rather, it is a simple statement of fact. Whether you call it "school choice" or "educational freedom", it is under threat and the notion that parents should be free to decide if a public school, private school, charter school, or home school is best could evaporate from our state legislature within just one or two elections.
But, like all great stories, there is an unlikely hero that could save the day:
you. Tomorrow, you have the opportunity to cast a vote that will make a difference. Then, again, on Tuesday, November 3rd, you can do it again by voting for a candidate, any candidate, that supports your ability to choose the best educational vehicle for your child. Need help in identifying who supports educational freedom? Check out the
Arizona Voter's Guide from the Center for Arizona Policy. There, my unlikely hero, you will find all of the info you need to use your ballot to write an end for this story that will save the day.
Grateful for the opportunity to serve this school and your family,
Geoff Brown
Superintendent
Northwest Christian School
(623)225-5573 (cell)
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| Northwest Christian Prepares to Welcome Students Back to Campus on August 17th |
With a recently revised Campus Readiness Plan in place, faculty and staff are eager to put an end to "the longest summer ever"
"'The longest summer ever'. That is how I recently heard one of our high school students describe the summer of 2020," says NCS superintendent Geoff Brown. "And, I do not think that description is very far off. But, the longest summer ever is about to come to an end. We are extremely excited to see our students and families return to campus on Monday, August 17th."
After a Covid-19 campus closure mandated in March 2020 for schools across the state, the magnitude of the summer's duration was compounded by the frustration of the unknown as an unending stream of speculation within the media and silence from state health officials left many wondering if Arizona schools would be forced to remain closed past the already-extended date of August 17th.
"Governor Doug Ducey's leadership throughout this Covid adventure has been remarkable," explains Geoff Brown. "I appreciated the fact that he and Dr. Cara Christ, the director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, met with myself and several other private school leaders and really made an effort to understand how private schools are unique and have the capacity to open safely in a way that is different from other types of schools. Then, his press conference on July 23rd cleared the path for our school and others like it to responsibly open. Governor Ducey also expressed his appreciation for the fact that parents have the ability to listen to their school's plans
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Mr. Brown meets with Governor Ducey and Dr. Cara Christ via Zoom |
for reopening and independently discern for their own children how and when it is safe to go back to school."
For Northwest Christian School, those plans took the form of the recently revised
"NCS Campus Readiness Plan". Originally published on July 3rd, the plan went through a redrafting process that worked to pull in the latest information, mandates, and recommendations from public health officials before being unveiled to the Crusader community on Sunday, August 2nd. "This plan enjoyed the oversight and input of numerous constituencies within our community," explains Geoff. "We actually put forward two anonymous parent surveys--one in June and another in July--that collected over 1,500 responses. We also anonymously surveyed our faculty and staff in early July and again this past week to collect their feedback."
"The reality is that we all want to return to school as soon as possible," explains Geoff, "but you cannot run a school without the heroic teachers and staff that are truly the lifeblood of this place and serve our students and families sacrificially. And, we have within our community of faculty and staff numerous individuals who fall into Covid's highest risk categories, including several that have been impacted by cancer. If teachers do not feel safe coming back, it just will not work. So, in the week prior to the relaunch of the
Campus Readiness Plan, we made the new plan draft available to every member of over 150 faculty and staff on 'Google docs'. In real time, as this plan was revised, we were receiving immediate feedback that helped us to gauge where our staff landed in feeling safe and ready."
"We are also providing families with choices as to what they want August 17th to look like," continues Geoff. "Students at all grades are able to return to in-person, on-campus learning. But, we also have two virtual alternatives to sustain learning if they wish to return at a later date." For more info on the choices that Northwest Christian families have,
please visit this link.
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| Northwest Christian Announces New Diploma Program Featuring Partnerships with Grand Canyon University and Arizona Christian University |
As part of the school's growing online profile, Northwest Christian grads will get a 'head start' on God's call within their lives
Though not officially launched until August 2021, Northwest Christian students will begin realizing the benefits of the Northwest Christian Biblical Worldview Institute in just a couple of weeks. As part of the school's growing online profile, both on-the-ground and online students will begin enjoying an expanding number of both on-the-ground and online electives that are rooted in Christian worldview, developed by recognized experts from across a diverse spectrum of fields, and which pay real dividends in university savings while offering students a 'head start' on the college education.
The program, called "Northwest Christian Distinctive Diplomas", is best thought of as a "major" in high school. Students will have the opportunity to choose between a standard Northwest Christian diploma or a wholly new diploma which will bear the names of Northwest Christian School and either Arizona Christian University or Grand Canyon University. These diplomas will be multi-faceted and each will emphasize a particular course of study within high school that aligns with the same course of study within the university setting. When it begins, these diplomas will be in the areas of healthcare, pre-law, pre-military studies, history and public policy, YoungLife leadership, preparation for a career as a first responder (fire and police), Christian apologetics, worship ministry leadership, creation science, local and international missions, and others. The elective courses which make up these "high school majors" are presently being developed by recognized leaders
 within all of these fields.
"I am very grateful," says NCS superintendent Geoff Brown, "to individuals like Pastor Mark Driscoll, Dr. Allan Sawyer of Samaritan's Purse, former ASU/GCU ROTC Professor, Westpoint grad, and NCS alum Mia Odom, Pastors Justin Unger and Josh James of Likewise Worship, creation scientist and author Russ Miller, Dr. Len Munsil. and many others that we have yet to announce. These and others are the incredible 'subject matter experts' that are working with curriculum development professionals at Northwest Christian School, Grand Canyon University, and Arizona Christian University to offer motivated students unparalleled learning opportunities."
These elective courses are presently under development for both on-campus delivery and as part of Northwest Christian School Online within Grand Canyon University's LoudCloud learning management system under the umbrella of the Northwest Christian Biblical Worldview Institute. Students that graduate with one of these NCS/GCU/ACU Distinctive Diplomas will also enjoy scholarship opportunities in addition to the scholarship programs already enjoyed by NCS grads through the Canyon Christian School Consortium program at GCU or the Firestorm scholarship partnership at Arizona Christian University. "I hope that these additional generous scholarships will help more of our students to max out the scholarship caps with these university partners," says Geoff. "In that some of the courses we are offering will be dual enrollment courses, these diploma programs will enable students to get a head start on their university programs by enabling both affordability and academic momentum."
Fall 2020 will see two of these courses offered as a pilot program of sorts: "YoungLife Leadership Development" will be taught by San Diego-based YoungLife staffer J.T. Barnes and "Christ and the Arts" will be taught by Andrew Coley. More announcements regarding additional courses and other subject matter experts/course developers will be announced in the weeks and months ahead.
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| Spotlight on a Safe Return to School |
This fall, kindergarten through fifth grade students have the opportunity to enjoy online curriculum from the only ACSI Exemplary accredited school in the state of Arizona. Picked by the Phoenix Business Journal and Ranking Arizona magazine as the "top private school in Arizona" for the past seven consecutive years, the Northwest Christian elementary curriculum, demonstrably rooted in God's word, is available to your student at home!
For more information on the NCS Online elementary program, click here.
For a sampling of the curriculum available beginning August 17th, click here.
What are the safe choices available to families for a return to school? Click here.
Have more questions? Check out our NCS Online and NCS Plus FAQ by clicking here.
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Northwest Christian High School's "Adventure Cru" outdoor leadership club had the Phoenix Rock Gym all to itself on July 16th. A dozen students, both beginners and accomplished climbers, spent the day testing their climbing ability. There was no shortage of "Free Solo" jokes as well as post event ice cream stops at both Portillo's for Cake Shakes and Bruster's Ice Cream for hand-crafted ice cream treats.
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| Spotlight on a Safe Return to School |
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NCS Plus is a virtual extension of all Northwest Christian pre-K to 12th grade classrooms which enables families to decide when they wish to return to campus. Whether you feel comfortable returning your students on Monday, August 17th or at a later date, NCS Plus saves your on-the-ground spot while keeping your students learning.
What are the safe choices available to families for a return to school? Click here.
Have more questions? Check out our NCS Online and NCS Plus FAQ by clicking here.
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| Spotlight on Campus Improvements |
Like a surreal, gargantuan skeletal hand reaching out over the school, the infrastructure for numerous solar canopies went up across the campus in July. The canopies will provide shade for students and staff within some key areas while also helping the school to reduce energy costs.
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This past Friday, the high school's "Adventure Cru" outdoor leadership club hit Lake Pleasant for a full-day of kayaking and fellowship. The day's record heat was broken up by plenty of time in the cool water, laughter, and some great memories.
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NCS Community!
You are welcome to participate in "Hoopin' for Humes," a 3 on 3 basketball tournament fundraiser for the Lee Humes family and Deep Within Ministries.
Questions? Text or call Tyler Collins @ 602-561-7553
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| Numerous Campus Improvements Mark the Return to School |
Right now, teams are racing to put the finishing touches on multiple projects
Although the summer of 2020 was a season riddled with economic uncertainty for many, God's  blessing allowed Northwest Christian School to continue to roll forward within its ongoing "Growing and Going" multi-year campus improvement strategic plan.
The single most
noticeable
project on the campus took the form of solar structures riddled across the campus. Each of these structures will provide shade for students and staff in key areas that are either used for outdoor learning, such as physical education, for recess, or within areas that experience significant foot traffic. The project, completed through a partnership with a solar development firm called Scout Solar which produced virtually no out-of-pocket expense for the school, will provide more than shade during the hot months. In addition, the structures will help the school to reduce utility expenses.
 Not as noticeable from the outside was another significant project within the multi-purpose building which holds the Don Sanderson Gymnasium. Crews and contractors immediately started work during the Covid-mandated campus closure during the spring to build an additional high school classroom within the building in order to help accommodate the high school's largest enrollment in the forty year history of the school.
Campus security also took a big step forward with the completion of a multi-year fencing project that finally sees the entire property of Northwest Christian encompassed by secure fencing. The final stretch of fencing is arguably the most important stretch: completing the run of fencing that surrounds the Early Education building and envelopes the wonderfully expansive field west of the center. The fencing means that preschool students will have access to the open space which will also be utilized within the elementary physical education program and the junior high football and soccer programs.
Finally, among the multiple improvements to the fine arts department that were afforded to the school through the generosity of Jog-a-thon donors, the secondary choir room saw the addition of a Roland piano and keyboard lab. In addition to pulling in a generous amount of new music theory to the secondary choir program, the tech-based Roland keyboards will launch a series of piano courses.
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Some expressions of appreciation warrant inclusion within the school newsletter. Others do not. The photo above represents an example that decidedly falls into the latter category as two of Northwest Christian's finest grads left their rendition of an "awkward family photo" on the desk of Mr. Brown and others in late July.
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| Spotlight on a Safe Return to School |
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On Monday, August 17th, Crusaders families will see a tremendous accommodation to each first through fifth grade classroom which will allow students to work at their desks without being encumbered by face coverings. These simple barriers are clear and unobtrusive and ready to keep students and teachers safe!
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On Friday, July 31st, sixteen Crusaders, involved in the Adventure Cru outdoor leadership club, enjoyed a morning of kayaking at Lake Pleasant followed by lunch at the floating restaurant at Scorpion Bay Marina.
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| Spotlight on NXNW Student Films |
Now showing! The RightNow Media NCS landing page now includes the two latest NXNW student films from Cabin Fever Films and Northwest Christian School. Log in and enjoy "The Rise and Fall of Death Chicken", a mockumentary about the great band that never was, and this year's intense film, "Scapegoat".
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Generous Sponsors of Northwest Christian Athletes
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