 As we enter our 80th school year, we are thrilled to reflect on all that is new and exciting at WCS. Listed below are just some of the innovative new things that our students will experience this year. And while we continue to improve the educational experience for our students each year, there are some things that haven’t changed since our founding. Prayer. We began in 1946 with prayer. We continue today with prayer. And each day we rely on God’s guidance as we lay our praises and requests before His throne. Thank you for your faithful prayers on behalf of WCS. And please let us know how we can be praying for you. You can access our prayer line here.
Provision. God has always provided for our needs, and nothing is changing there! Throughout our 80 years, God has used the sacrificial and generous financial support of faithful donors and the wise stewardship of our resources to fund the mission. Thousands of lives have been impacted by those financial investments. Material things pass away. But the heart and mind of a child, transformed by the Gospel and established on biblical truth—that is eternal! Partnership. We continue to value the home-church-school partnership that allows each WCS student to thrive. We understand that for truly transformational learning to take place, a student must receive a unified, integrated, and Biblical worldview. What students learn daily from their parents at home, what they learn through their faithful and regular connection to their local church, and what they learn here at school—in and out of the classroom—are all aligned through the truth of God’s Word. Those things haven’t changed at all. But here are the fresh innovations that our students will enjoy this year: New Greenhouse: Through the generous provision of donors who value innovation, and a grant from the WCS PTF, WCS is going green(house)! We are so excited about getting our K–12 students’ hands in the dirt (literally) as they explore God’s creation and His world of plants and soil. The new greenhouse, located just outside the lower school entrance, will be a great learning environment and a wonderful enhancement to our science curriculum. Outdoor Learning Professional Development: Through our collaboration with Energize Delaware Pathways to Green Schools, teachers will participate in training sessions designed to make the most of our new greenhouse. Students will enjoy hands-on activities with engaging lessons and materials. Nearby independent schools have also benefited from this program. Potential Partnership with the Mt. Cuba Center: With our WCS property on Old Wilmington Road adjoining the Mt. Cuba Nature Center, we have the opportunity to give our upper school science students additional hands-on experiences. Through a potential grant, our upper school students will have the opportunity to help remove invasive species and plant native trees and shrubs in the shared hedgerow. Stay tuned for more details. New Library Enhancements: Thanks to your generous donations during Giving Tuesday, a grant from the lower school PTF, and other generous donors, our lower school library has been refreshed with vibrant murals and window treatments. In the fall and winter, new lighting, creative book displays, and flexible seating will also be added—all designed to inspire a love for reading in our students. New Weight Room: Another Giving Tuesday initiative was realized over the summer as we expanded and relocated our weight room. It is now in a prime location above the gym, and 300% bigger! New equipment will help our student–athletes achieve even more for years to come. And your generous donations will continue to pay off as this is a revenue-generating space. Like our gyms and auditorium, we are now able to rent out this training space, providing additional income to WCS for years to come. New WCS Mascot: You may have already seen Warrior Man around campus—but did you know his debut was made possible thanks to a generous gift to our school? We’re excited to officially welcome him to the WCS family! Don’t miss your chance to meet Warrior Man in person at Homecoming, where he’ll be greeting students, families, and fans! New Kiln: A third Giving Tuesday initiative has come to life this summer. Located in the Lower School Art Room, our new kiln will allow our K–12 artists to utilize ceramics, add to their 3D portfolios, and expand their artistic expression. If you missed the quick video this summer, you can see it here. Beanstack: A nationally recognized gamification system (featured on Shark Tank) used by libraries across the country. Beanstack allows us to create seasonal reading challenges for our lower school students (summer, fall, winter, spring) and reward lower school students with achievement badges throughout the year. ClassDojo: A lower school parent communication platform that functions like a private classroom social feed. Families can stay connected through class updates and our lower school “story.” Students will also receive Godly Influencer badges each trimester to celebrate their growth and character. Lower School Chapel: Lower School Chapel has a new time of 8:30 am (stick around after drop off and join us for chapel!), and a new location—the Auditorium! Also, at the end of every trimester, we will hold special chapel services to honor students for the badges they have earned on both Beanstack and ClassDojo to recognize their achievements as a community. And some new chapel speakers – In addition to visits from local pastors and WCS staff, we are excited to welcome special guests, including Mr. Jon & Friends, 123 Andrés, and author Christy Smith, who will bring educational music and storytelling (in English and Spanish) to our students. New Freshmen and Sophomore Guidance Seminars: Built into the schedule, these new seminars will help further prepare our students for success in high school and beyond. Freshmen will learn critical study and organizational skills, as well as course planning and the academic opportunities and challenges of high school. Sophomores will dig deep into discovering God’s calling for their lives, post-high school educational plans, and long-term career pathways. New Parent Survey and Communication Tool: Called Parentpulse, this new survey and response platform will allow parents to submit critical feedback through a series of shorter, targeted surveys, further strengthening our partnership and fine-tuning future innovations. Stay tuned as we roll this out later this month. Tablets for Teachers: Every lower school teacher has received a Chromebook tablet with a detachable keyboard and stylus. These devices make it easy to award ClassDojo badges, update the class feed, and support student portfolios, where students can upload photos and showcase their learning. Professional Learning in Reading & Math: Our elementary teachers are outstanding, but even Olympic athletes benefit from good coaching. This fall, we are partnering with the University of Delaware’s School Success Center to review and analyze NWEA MAP data. Instructional coaches will collaborate with our teachers during after-school faculty meetings. Nearby independent schools have found great success with this partnership. Restructured Influence Groups: One of the greatest distinctives of WCS is our close-knit community, and our Upper School Influence Groups are a part of that. This year, we are restructuring them to make the connections even stronger. Students meet together in small groups on a regular basis for Bible study, fellowship, life discussions, and even activities and competitions. Groups will remain single-sex, but beginning this year, students will be blended across grade levels (Middle School Influence Groups will consist of Grades 7 and 8, and High School will be Grades 9 through 12). This will not only allow our older students to practice their leadership and mentoring, but will also allow stronger, multi-year relationships with other students and with their faculty advisors. Redesigned Chick-fil-A Leader Academy: Launched last year with great participation and success, this year the program has been revamped and expanded. And we will also be hosting a number of special guest speakers to challenge our students in practical leadership skills. As you can see, a lot of new things are happening at WCS! All of this on top of the existing and outstanding curricular, cocurricular, and extracurricular opportunities will ensure that our students are primed to discover and become all that God has created them to be! To God be the glory! Educating for Eternity, Jonathan Nazigian WCS Headmaster Comments are closed.
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Wilmington Christian School provides a distinctively Christian, innovative education that effectively develops Godly influencers who are well prepared for life after high school and who impact the culture for Christ.
Wilmington Christian School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. |
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