By By EDWIN MODLIN II
Staff Writer
A new Christian school, five years in the making, opened its doors to students this school year.
Shawn Harding and Bobby Wallace are two of the driving factors behind the development of the new school — Unity Christian Academy — and where they wanted it to be located. The school is located at 1501 Haw Branch Road, just two miles from Southside High School.
Unity Christian Academy opened its doors to 28 students, ranging from kindergarten students to 11th-graders. It plans to add a 12th grade as soon as possible. There are five teachers and one administrator at UCA. The school has a Facebook page.
According to Harding, the school began classes Friday with only a half-day of school, with Monday providing the first full day of classes.
“We talked about this at our church (Haw Branch Church of Christ) for about the last four or five years,” Harding said. “We started a preschool and then started a Christian school with Christian-based values.”
Harding said the educational philosophy embraced by Unity Christian Academy calls for incorporating Christian-based values into every subject taught at the school.
“Like math, for example, when studying integers, God is greater than (anything),” Harding said.
The school lists the following core values on its website:
• Unity Christian Academy will infuse a Christian world view into students and families in every aspect of their school experience by use of a biblically-based, Christ-centered curriculum.
• Unity Christian Academy will hire and retain professionally equipped Christian role models who pursue life-long learning.
• Unity Christian Academy will support families as they fulfill the Biblical expectation for Christian education of children.
• Unity Christian Academy will provide a complete educational foundation that will serve as a student’s bridge to higher learning.
• Unity Christian Academy will encourage and provide ministry opportunities for our students and families to the local community and beyond.
• Unity Christian Academy will promote an environment in which students can enter into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ and then become involved in a Bible-believing church.
As a private school, UCA has requirements regarding admission, requirements such as interviewing every prospective student and every family interested in sending their child or children to UCA.
“We interview them to see if they really want to attend the academy and go there,” Harding said.
As with any private school, UCA charges its students tuitions.
“We went all around the Christian school system and researched reasonable tuition rates,” he said. “And we do have a very reasonable tuition at the academy.”
UCA also has an after-school program, providing a place where students may do their homework before their parents pick them up.
“I think it’s really neat that this church started in 1887 in a one-room school building,” Harding said. “And now, a little more than 120 years later, we’re going back to having a community school system there.”
Parents or guardians interested in enrolling a child or children in Unity Christian Academy should call 252-946-5083 and ask for Christy Warren, administrator.