Portrait of a Graduate

Think about who you want your child to become. What do you want them to have learned formally in the classroom and informally in the hallways and locker rooms? Our educational experience has been designed to help students think with excellence, believe with confidence, and live with character.

1. Love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength.

This is a student who possesses an informed passion for Christ, His church, and the
work of His kingdom. The beauty of the gospel has so influenced him that the pursuit
of holiness is not just a duty, but a delight. He understands that faith is lived out in
the context of community, particularly the local church. He encounters Christ and His
message through scripture, prayer, and Christian community.

2. Demonstrate mature Christian character and virtue.

This is a student who recognizes her own sin and need for forgiveness; she knows that
salvation is found in the love and grace of Christ Jesus. She knows, loves, and practices
that which is true, good, and beautiful and sees God as the ultimate source of these
things. She possesses the virtues of faith, hope, love, prudence, justice, temperance,
and courage. She demonstrates good manners, honorable relationships, self-control,
and Christian leadership from a sincere desire to honor God rather than merely
following the rules.

3. Possess the ability to live and think with truth, wisdom and excellence.

This is a student who has developed a scholarly, biblically sound theological framework
that will serve as a foundation for decision-making. He is grounded in the truth of
God’s Word and recognizes that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. He
strives to do his best in all things. He has the determination, grit and strong work
ethic necessary to do the good, hard work to which we have been called but also has
a balanced view of work and rest. He recognizes that every vocation carries a divine
calling and that Christ’s kingdom is extended by faithful Christians living and working
in a distinctively Christ-like manner and through the works of justice and mercy.

4. Are equipped to listen carefully, reason wisely, think precisely and articulate persuasively.

This is a student who displays attributes of sound reason and resilient faith. She listens
with empathy in order to understand and respect the perspective of others. She has
the ability to lead and participate in gracious and meaningful conversations with those
who are both like-minded and dissimilar. She possesses the critical thinking and
problem-solving skills necessary to effectively analyze issues in order to make sound
and reasoned judgments. She orders, prioritizes, and expresses thoughts well. She
can think both logically and creatively to develop compelling arguments through the
written and spoken word.

5. Develop a passion for lifelong learning.

This is a student who has such a strong foundation of learning that he is equipped
to excel in whatever field of study he chooses. He endeavors to remain engaged in
learning as a steward of his God-given talents and abilities. He is well-read in the
important literature and ideas of Christian theology and Western civilization. His
affections have been trained to appreciate beauty through consistent exposure to great
masterpieces of art, music and literature.

6. Serve the kingdom of God and engage culture faithfully.

This student realizes that the education she has received is not ultimately for her
own personal advancement but should instead be employed to live purposefully and
intelligently in the service of God and man in this city and beyond. She is equipped to
articulate and defend her faith persuasively and humbly, apply Christian worldview
principles to everyday life, and view every subject as integrated in and through the
Lordship of Christ. She can engage people from diverse backgrounds and viewpoints in
a winsome manner with truth, love, and grace and has a genuine desire to know, love,
and serve them.