Families attracted to school’s accountability
Wednesday, January 31, 2007 -- Michelle Strutzenberger
Families are drawn to Rhema Christian School for its accountability to parents and its nurturing of students as individuals, a recent meeting revealed.

Last week school leaders met with past and new families to discuss a variety of issues, including why families have chosen to send their children to the school.

Allan Hill, chair of the school’s Development Committee, says that two of the reasons new families mentioned struck him in particular.

“One of the reasons families continue to stay involved with the school is because they believe that the school, and by extension, Ray and the teachers, are accountable to them for what happens in the school,” says Hill. “They feel they have more control over what takes place than in a public school.”

Parents also said that they feel their children are treated as individuals at the school.

“They talked about how they don’t see Rhema as a cookie-cutter school,” says Hill. “Not everyone has to fit into the mold that Rhema makes.” Instead, there is a nurturing of each student’s individuality.

On a related theme, parents mentioned the safety they sense at Rhema. There is not only a feeling that students at Rhema are safe from the dangers, such as bullying, that plague many schools. But also the students can feel safe to be themselves, as they explore their own view of the world, says Hill.

“They feel their children are really able to grow in a safe atmosphere.”

The discussion included why families may have hesitated at considering Rhema, before making a final decision. “A certain percentage mentioned that they had been worried that Rhema was not a ‘real school’,” says Hill, adding that some had been surprised to discover the school’s true size, both in terms of its building and student population, and the full, comparable education it offers.

The discussion with past parents revealed a number of interesting points as well, says Hill.

“Number one, we need to be better at helping each family make their mark in Rhema’s history,” says Hill, noting that every family that attends the school becomes part of the school’s legacy and there needs to be some tangible way of recognizing that.

It also became clear that families who no longer have children attending Rhema are less interested in continuing to support the day-to-day running of the school. “It came out that they’re more interested in helping when there is some project, something that they’re good at and feel passionate about,” for a defined length of time.

Rhema’s leadership is currently looking at a number of issues in order to strengthen the school’s overall community.