STATEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

We believe education is not an end itself, but that it relates to a larger
purpose of transmitting “the grace and knowledge of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.” (II Peter 3:18)

We work in partnership with the home, the church, and the community
to achieve our mission to honor God by providing academic excellence
for our students while developing their faith.

Our commitment is to develop a school in which our community
identifies us as: Christ-centered, educationally excellent, a welcoming
community, a place of peacemaking and serving, and a place that
provides opportunities.

Christ Centered

We believe Jesus is central in all aspects of daily life. We call our
students to acknowledge Jesus’ presence in their lives and to be
followers of Christ.

We believe teaching is not just a job; it is a ministry. Our faculty,
coaches, administrators and staff members are called to model Christ’s
love to students and incorporate His teachings into all aspects of our
community. We provide a teaching faculty that is professional,
accountable to the faith community, and committed to faith-infused
educational practices.

We encourage students to become actively involved in the life and
witness of their local congregations both in our community and around
the world.

We strive to integrate faith and knowledge while keeping Christ as the
focus of learning.

Educational Excellence

We advocate academic excellence at all grade levels and we provide a
challenging curriculum for our students.

We employ teachers who are deeply concerned with the preciousness
of humanity and who treat students as works in progress, not finished
products, understanding that student points of view serve as an
instructional entry point. We require that our teachers and students
treat each other with dignity and respect.

As an Anabaptist educational institution, we strive to address the
needs of the whole person -- the intellectual, physical, social,
emotional and spiritual dimensions. To this end, we provide a variety
of curricular and co-curricular programs and activities that help
students to become well-rounded individuals. We strive to prepare
students to be successful at SCS, to be successful in their community,
and to be successful in their Christian walk throughout their lives.

We expect students to exercise their rights and responsibilities as
Godly citizens and to possess the knowledge and skills needed to live
in a global world.

We expect students to be under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, to live as
children of great worth in the eyes of the Savior, and to live as a
people who respect their own heritage as well as the heritage of
others.

Welcoming Community

We are committed to working in partnership with local churches and
the home to nurture our youth in their Christian faith.

As an institution founded by the Mennonite Church, we strive to be a
place of hope and peace. We strive to provide students with an
appreciation for our local community as well as for the global
community.

We commit to making our school free of drugs, alcohol, weapons, and
abusive behavior.
We seek to resolve conflict and restore relationships according to
biblical principles. We believe in open dialogue that encourages
growth by working through problems rather than ignoring them.

Peacemaking & Serving

As is characteristic of Mennonite schools, we recognize that peace is
first nurtured by a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. From this
perspective, students learn that God calls all people to be agents of
reconciliation, whether in school or as members of the global
community. We provide opportunities for students to interact with
service workers who are involved both locally and internationally. We
provide opportunities for all students to volunteer their time regularly
at both churches and at local social service agencies.

Opportunities

We strive to provide opportunities for students so that they develop
their gifts and interests within a place of grace, peace and joy. We
build our curriculum around both core courses and electives and our
co-curricular program around student interests. We connect students
with churches and church leaders, with Christian and community social
service agencies, with Christian artists, both local and national, as well
as with counseling and tutoring opportunities. We expect students to
gain knowledge and develop skills that open up for them a range of
career choices. We also expect students to graduate and to focus their
lives on mission, peacemaking and service within both the local and
global communities.