Cougar Pause: Lakeland Christian Academy Reports Enrollment Up 19%
Posted
Scott Wiley-
Lakeland Christian Academy is growing. Enrollment is up 19 percent over last year and still increasing. In fact, we are still adding students as recently as this week. What is the cause of this increase? There are several factors involved with the growing demand for Lakeland Christian Academy. One reason is that our community is realizing what a great school LCA is. Over the years LCA has been one of our area’s best-kept secrets. Now, through word-of-mouth testimonies from students and parents, the local media and social media, the word is being spread about the new, fresh and exciting lives our families are living at LCA. One thing that our parents are constantly telling us is how much they appreciate the fact that they feel that their children are in a safe environment. I don’t mean just physically safe, which they are, but socially, emotionally, mentally and spiritually safe as well. Even though we have students from all walks of life, various countries, and with diverse ethnic backgrounds, they all feel like brothers and sisters. We truly have a family atmosphere at Lakeland. Our students also feel safe from being bullied. Since our school is small, even if someone were to try to bully a student at LCA, the word would spread very fast and appropriate action would be taken immediately. One of our school’s mottos or jingles for this year is: “I can be me because God reigns free … at Lakeland Christian Academy.” Our students are allowed to be themselves without worrying about what random things society is telling them is the latest “cool” thing to do, wear or say. Our students have the freedom to relax and just be themselves. This creates a fantastic learning environment. Too often our children have to worry about a dozen other things during school that are not academic related. At LCA they can focus on their academic, social and spiritual lives without fear of being judged. They are supported by their teachers and classmates, not made fun of. Another reason we are growing is the opportunity our students have to explore areas they have never tried before. If they want to try a sport, even if they have never played on a school team, they have the opportunity to do that at LCA. If they want to be in a theater production, sing in the choir, join the band, be on Student Senate, etc. they can at Lakeland without worrying about being “cut” or rejected. We live in a world in which children are barraged with social challenges that can have long-term effects on their character and/or behavior. LCA tries to protect the innocence of children without sidestepping real world issues. LCA offers a safe haven for students to explore, learn and develop their lives guided by Christian values. They then take these values into our community through involvement in their neighborhoods, local sports leagues, church groups and community events. Individualized attention is also a key part of why our parent and students enjoy LCA. All of our teachers know our students very well and are always approachable. If our students don’t understand something they feel more comfortable asking their teacher for extra help, instead of being afraid to raise their hand and have people think they are “stupid.” Individual attention is one big reason our test scores are above the local and national averages. LCA is a very academically challenging school. I’ll sum up this week’s Cougar Pause article by quoting one of our new parents, “Our daughter was bullied and made fun of most of her life. Since she has been at Lakeland Christian Academy she is the happiest she has been in a long, long time. She is even playing a varsity sport which is something that she thought she would never be able to do. Praise the Lord for LCA.”
