The 2021-2022 school year is the first one I have experienced at Berean Academy that felt almost normal. Covid-19 was still impacting the school in the fall of 2021 (e.g., teachers and kids either out sick or quarantining), but as the year progressed, it really began to feel like a normal school year. We enjoyed concerts, programs, athletics, and banquets without the restrictions of the previous 18 months, which was a blessing.
However, the end of the school year came with several transitions that will require new adjustments for the 2022-2023 school year. After serving at Berean Academy for three years as the secondary principal, Steve Bowers is leaving to help start a new Christian school in Tennessee. The Berean Board has approved the hire of Mr. Jason Wine to serve as the new secondary principal. Mr. Wine, who has served as the high school Bible teacher for the past 19 years, will continue to teach 11th and 12th grade Bible and serve as the senior class sponsor.
In addition, Mrs. Joni Nord, who has taught second grade at Berean for nine years, will replace me as the elementary principal. I am confident that she will bring support to the elementary teachers that I could not provide. She will, however, continue to teach 2nd grade in the afternoons. Please be in prayer for both new administrators as they adjust to their new roles at Berean Academy.
Other transitions involve our facilities. We will convert the old cafeteria into two classrooms over the summer so that we can get the 3rd and 4th-grade classes out of the duplex and into the main building for the 2022-2023 school year. This will allow us to remove the duplex as originally planned with the Kingdom Building Project and begin preparing for an elementary wing expansion. The fire marshal’s office has approved reasonable requirements for a new expansion, so the next step involves drawings for the project and estimates.
The interest of parents in Christian education is at levels we haven’t seen for several decades. As I am writing this, we have waiting lists for kindergarten, first, third, and fifth grades for next fall. We need additional classrooms for future growth. In addition, bringing our grade school program together in one elementary wing will encourage greater collaboration among our teachers, address the scattered nature of our current elementary program, and provide additional classrooms for our secondary program once the elementary grades move into the new expansion. Please continue to pray for the Berean Board as they prayerfully consider expanding the elementary wing. We experienced the Lord’s blessing this past year and look to Him for His guidance, direction, and blessing in the years ahead.