Faith and Spiritual Life: Christian school emphasizes thinking skills

Published 11:15 pm Friday, November 9, 2007

LYNNWOOD — As the Navy band played “Anchors Aweigh,” the elderly gentleman stood. Surrounded by family, he proudly presented himself as a veteran of the United States Navy. Soon, other veterans and military personnel stood, taking part in an assembly that honored those who had served America in uniform.

“Lord, we thank you for this great country you have given us and the brave men and women who have served us,” Kitty England prayed. “We pray a special protection to those men and women in Afghanistan and Iraq. Give them peace and protect them.”

England, the vice principal at Providence Classical Christian School, said the prayer is one repeated solemnly on a weekly basis by staff and students.

“These are the people you have prayed for,” England told the students. “When you shake their hands on the way out, remember who they are.”

As the students filed out, some stopped to talk to the veterans while others asked for autographs from the Navy band.

Providence, which began in 1997, was created as a school that would not only instill Christian values but also embody the classic educational style. Principal Ryan Evans stresses that the role of the school is to create thinkers with an academically vigorous classical model.

“The school teaches a student how to think about any issue,” Evans said. “How to think about all areas of life from a Biblical perspective.”

That perspective has been one of meditation on Biblical scripture and verse, but not compartmentalized nor as an addendum to school curriculum. According to teacher Scott Forrester, the spiritual instruction is just as important as Latin, English, math or history.

“Biblical studies are not tacked on afterward. For example, we are teaching Western classics such as ‘The Iliad,’ a book that was a thousand years before Christ was born,” Forrester said. “We ask the students to not only examine the author’s perspective but then also ask the students to re-examine ‘The Iliad’ from the Christian perspective. We always want the students to think from the point of a Biblical world view.”

The classical education taught at Providence is based on the trivium, Latin for “the three ways,” which consist of logic, grammar and rhetoric.

“Culturally, this type of education is being recognized as valuable,” Forrester said. “Employers are recognizing that their employees need these skills.”

A story that reflects the standards and level of academia involves a former student who had transferred from another Christian school.

“The academic requirements surprised her,” Forrester said. “But the parents believed in the program and stuck with us.”

The young lady continued to improve her grades and graduated to attend Biola University in California.

So far, nine of the 10 graduates from Providence have gone on to college.

“I really like it here,” David Jekel said. “I like that it’s Christian and that the students are as well.”

Jekel, a freshman at Providence, entertains dreams of becoming a novelist or computer programmer like his father.

Reporter Justin Arnold: 425-339-3432 or jarnold@heraldnet.com.