Why Choose AKCS?

Brian Hazeltine

Principal, Airdrie Koinonia Christian School

www.akcs.com and principal@akcs.com and 948-5100

1)       Brian, our promo mentioned that a number of Calgary families send their children to Airdrie Koinonia. How many Calgary families do you have that drive out to Airdrie?

a)       About a third of our school population comes from Calgary, so about 30 or 40 families.

2)       What reasons do they give for this?

a)       Well, as our secretary has often noted, the reasons people come to AKCS are not the reasons why they stay. Families come for all kinds of different reasons, and we should probably explore that a bit later, but once parents have decided that a Christian education is the best choice for their children, they begin to look around at which schools are available.

b)       Obviously, families that live in south Calgary are going to choose from some of the schools in that area, but in the north there are only three good size schools to choose from which are Heritage, Bearspaw, and Airdrie Koinonia.

c)       I don’t mind mentioning those other schools because they are good schools, and each family has its own set of priorities, but there are several reasons they tell me that they choose AKCS.

i)         First, they typically find us on the internet at akcs.com and find that we have an extensive website that is very clear about who we are and why we are doing what we do. Often, they are convicted by reading the material there and want to join a school that matches their values.

ii)       Second, it’s actually faster for many Calgary families to get to AKCS on the Deerfoot or Centre Street because of the traffic flow and lack of lights, etc.

iii)      Third, our tuition is typically among the lowest in the Calgary area.

iv)      And fourth, they like the drive in the country, and the country setting of the school. They often make comments like, “There is a real family atmosphere here. That family feel is something we work hard to maintain even as we continue to grow.

3)       Speaking of growth, maybe you could tell us a bit about the history of the school. How have you grown over the years?

a)       The school was founded in September of 1987, and we started with 54 children in kindergarten through grade seven. In those days we operated in a church basement and had three grade splits.

b)       Since then we have seen nice, steady growth over the years. There have been a couple of years where we plateaued a bit, but generally we have seen about 10% growth per year ever since.

4)       So what size is the school now?

a)       Presently, we have 270 children enrolled from kindergarten through grade twelve.

5)       Do you still have split grades?

a)       Our last small group of students is just entering grade twelve next year, so we will join them with the grade elevens for a couple of subjects, but other than that we have single grade classes.

b)       However, I should point out a common misconception about split grades. Many parents express concern about having their child in a split grade class, but I have found absolutely no correlation between achievement and single or split grade classes. Neither the research, or in our case 17 years of testing data, indicate that either arrangement is preferable. Achievement is primarily a function of the teacher, the program, the parents, and the student. How the class is arrange is way down the list. In fact, sometimes a split grade is beneficial in that it forces teachers to acknowledge the wide range of differences in a classroom. The differences are typically there anyway, but in a single grade we often overlook them.

6)       So with 270 students, does that allow you to hire subject specialists in the high school?

a)       Yes. The high school level is a place where you need to be more careful with split grades. Some subjects like English, Bible, or Phys. Ed. are easy to join together, but others like Math are best taught apart.

b)       That’s what we try to do, and of course because of the complexity of the subject matter at those grades, it is best to have teachers with majors in the subjects they are teaching.

c)       There is another factor here, however, that we take into consideration at AKCS. Too often we focus only on the subject and not the student. So, in a very large high school, teachers may only teach one subject, but teach 150 students. The downside of this approach is that while they know their subject matter really well, they really don’t know the students all that well.

d)       While we have the size and staff that would enable us to have subject specialists teaching all the core subjects, my preference is to have teachers teach in two different areas. So, for example, a teacher would teach math and science, or English and social studies. This gives them more contact with the same group of students and enables them to more effectively disciple them. It also enables them to integrate material and show students how all knowledge fits together.

7)       Have you found that once families join AKCS they tend to stay with you for the long haul, or do they move from school to school as they sometimes move from church to church?

a)       Annual re-enrolment typically runs between 85% and 95%. The primary reason given for not re-enrolling is that a family is moving to another city. This is even true for Calgary families, though sometimes they end up moving to Airdrie. It’s a great little city and has all the benefits of being close to Calgary, but it’s a little slower pace, and a great place to raise kids. Actually, it’s interesting to note that while many of our families may be on their third church in ten years, they have kept the same school. It’s become a place of community for our families and one of the most stable parts of their lives.

8)       What about staff? Do you have a high turnover there?

a)       That’s a good question. We typically have one or two new teachers hired each year, in part because we keep growing and have to add staff, but a number of our teachers have been with the school for ten years or more.

9)       What about yourself?

a)       I’m the founding principal, so I have been there since 1987.

10)   That’s a long time! How important do you think that it is to have long term leadership in a school?

a)       Well, I guess it depends on whether things are going well or not. If the school is a mess, then the first thing a Board should do is get a new principal.

b)       One of my personal mentors, the late Dr. Roy Lowrie, taught at Delaware County Christian School for 25 years, and he said that long term leadership was important for building a strong, stable school. I think that is true.

c)       Over time, the principal can hire the kind of people who will best reflect the philosophy of the school. A Christian school is like a church or a family, and people should not take coming and going lightly. We don’t look at our work as a job, but as a ministry, and personally, I will be there until the Lord clearly moves me on. Over time, you come to have a huge investment in the lives of people, and it is wonderful to see them grow over the years.

d)       It’s really neat, for example, to see students graduating from grade twelve that you saw begin school as little tykes in kindergarten. Having input into their lives for thirteen years is really special.

e)       The other thing that is wonderful about being around for a long time is that you get to see some educational grandkids come through.

11)   Educational grandkids?

a)       Yeah, those are children of children that I’ve taught. When the kids grow up and graduate, and then come back married with children and want to enroll them in your school; that’s pretty special.

12)   You’ve mentioned your teaching staff. How do you go about getting a quality staff?

a)       Well, just as the Board’s most important decision is hiring the right principal, the principal’s most important decision is hiring the right staff. Get those decisions right, and you will have a strong school.

b)       I work very hard at finding the right people. We advertise on our website and through Education Canada, and we have a long list of materials that we ask candidates to submit. I want to see their resume, of course, but I also want to hear their personal testimony and their philosophy of Christian education. I look at their college transcripts, and I always call their references to get a sense of the kind of people they are. Then, of course, we interview them.

c)       We are looking for a very special group of people. Not any teacher will do. Most of our teachers not only have the typical university education (which is now around five years on average) but also have Bible college degrees. They are often considered pillars in their churches and teach Sunday School or coach sports, etc. They are truly exceptional people, and our parents and students alike agree that our teachers are the very strongest part of our school.

13)   Earlier you mentioned the importance of teachers discipling young people. Can you elaborate on that a bit.

a)       Yes. The reason we work so hard to find teachers who are not only well qualified academically, but also spiritually mature is for this very reason. We believe that every one of our teachers is called by God to mentor the young people in their care. This goes far beyond teaching them to read and write or to understand a chemical formula.

b)       Teachers live and work with students for about 35 prime time hours a week. They are constantly influencing their thinking and behavior. When they advise a student about career plans or counsel them about misbehaviour, it is done from a Biblical perspective. Teachers seek God for the answers to problems and will take time to pray with students or parents about any concern. As parents, my wife and I know that it has been a great support to have teachers at school training our children in the same way we try to at home, including when they step out of line.

14)   So, even the principal’s kids step out of line sometimes?

a)       Well, to be fair to my kids, they have rarely caused problems in the school. But I do think that a part of that is due to the partnership we have with the teachers in the school. It is easier to follow teachers who really care about you; even when they have to discipline you.

b)       Perhaps, one of the most important tasks a teacher has is to discipline the children in their care. Sometimes teachers feel that discipline is a distraction from their main task of teaching math or English, but in reality, discipline is one of the most important things we do as teachers. This is often where true character is developed.

c)       One of the great problems of society today is that we are raising children who do not have a clear understanding of right and wrong. No one is holding them accountable to proper standards of behavior. No wonder we have corruption in government; we have abandoned all pretense of teaching right from wrong.

15)   Aren’t kids these days just as influenced by their peer group as their parents or teachers though?

a)       You’re absolutely right. In fact, that is one of the single most important reasons for enrolling your child at AKCS. I want my children to have good friends. So, I have enrolled them in a school where their peer group is positive.

b)       We need to face the fact that peers are hugely influential, but that doesn’t have to be a problem if we have the right peers to begin with. In fact, I think it is one of the most important benefits of a Christian school.

c)       Over the years I have had the chance to speak with hundreds of students and parents and dozens of teacher candidates as they shared their personal testimonies with me. And in that time, there is one phrase I have heard over and over again in reference to their having gone through some difficult times. And that phrase is, “And then I got in with the wrong group of friends…”

d)       I can’t stress enough how important it is to retain some control over the friends your children make, and the best way to do that is to surround them with a positive peer group so that regardless who they link up with, it will be a positive choice.

e)       This is one of the reasons we take such care in our school’s admission policy. Parents choose Airdrie KCS for their children because they agree with its values. High school students must make their own personal choice to attend the school and abide by its standards. Consequently, there is tremendous agreement about right and wrong and what constitutes acceptable behaviour. The problems commonly associated with schools today are virtually non-existent at Airdrie KCS: bullying, swearing, drinking, smoking, drugs, promiscuity, defiance, disrespect. Our junior and senior high students are worthy role models and our elementary students tend to follow their lead. The student who studies hard and behaves well is the norm rather than the exception. Peer pressure at AKCS is primarily the pressure to do well and follow the Lord.

16)   So, what is the net result of the teachers you have hired working with the students you have enrolled when it comes to academic achievement?

a)       Good question. At the end of the day, parents need to know how well can I expect my child to do academically if I enroll them in this school.

b)       First of all, I should point out that AKCS does not screen out student applicants on the basis of academic ability. This is an oft-repeated charge by some public school advocates. Their claim is that the reason private schools do so well on achievement tests is that we get to pick and choose our students.

c)       It’s true we can pick and choose, but I don’t know of any Christian school that specifically screens students on the basis of academic ability. They screen for agreement with a statement of faith or behavior code, and they may not have a program for students with severe learning disabilities, but other than that, Christian schools for the most part accept very typical cross section of students. If anything, we sometimes get more students who are struggling because we often find parents enrolling their children later in their school career because they are not doing well, and they realize that they need a different kind of education for them.

d)       So, that fact, makes student achievement even more significant. Over the years we have tracked our students performance on a wide range of standardized tests. We use the Canadian Tests of Basic Skills, The Provincial Achievement Tests, and the Diploma Exams, and overall, the average AKCS student will typically achieve in the top twenty percent of all students in Canada or in Alberta. Very often we are in the top five or ten percent, and sometimes even in the top one percent, but it does vary from year to year and, of course, from students to student.

e)       Not only that, but all the stories that we get from parents and students both when they transfer in and when they move on to other schools or to university tell the same story. Our students are consistently performing well above their peers and are always well prepared for their next school.

17)   What about those subjects that aren’t tested on Achievement Tests. Are you able, in a small school to offer a thorough program of options for your junior and senior high school students?

a)       I suppose that depends on what is meant by thorough, but we offer art, drama, computer studies, psychology, legal studies, cooking, basic shop, French, and most importantly Bible.

b)       All of our students are required to take Bible, so it’s not an option, but when you compare programs in a public school to ours, it is one option that we think is the very most important, and it is one that no public school can offer no matter how many parents or students clamor for it.

c)       To be honest, I don’t think that are nearly as important as we often make them out to be. Most students need to have a solid, well-rounded core of subjects that will prepare them for future life. Is there any students who doesn’t need to learn keyboarding and word processing, for example? Sometimes, people just like to see a long list so that they feel that they have some choice, but when it comes right down to it, they take English, math, two sciences, social studies, French, Bible, and Phys. Ed., and don’t have room for any options because they are looking at a university prep kind of program.

18)   What about those students who really aren’t called or gifted to enter university?

a)       This group is where the options do become important, and that is why we offer the ones that we do. Each year we make some changes in our program so that students, particularly those looking for vocational training, continue to have some choices that will best prepare them for the future.

b)       Of course, one of the wonderful advances of the last ten years has been the development of on-line learning. This is a huge, growing area that more and more students are accessing. The Koinonia School system operates Canada’s only Protestant, evangelical on-line school in NorthStar Academy.

c)       NorthStar offers over 150 courses on-line all taught by qualified, born again Christian teachers. Students have access to this teacher as well as Christian students from all over the world through email and on-line forums. It is a really exciting development and one that many of our students use when they can’t find an elective they want in our regular program, or they can’t fit it into their timetable.

d)       NorthStar is growing by leaps and bounds, and as they do, they are adding new courses every year. So, at this point there are very few options that a student might want that we couldn’t offer in some way.

19)   You made reference to the Koinonia system. What is that?

a)       Airdrie KCS is a member of the Koinonia Christian Education Society which includes nine Koinonia Schools across Alberta, plus NorthStar Academy which, of course, is international in its reach.  Koinonia is the largest system of independent schools in the province.

b)       Each school is independently run, but there is tremendous support available to the Board and Administration to help ensure that the school operates with the highest ethical and academic standards. When problems arise between parents and the Board, or a teacher and the Administration, there are outside resources to call in for advice and prayer. If a school needs financial assistance, there are others available to lend a hand.

c)       As a principal, I consider being a part of Koinonia one of the most important decisions we made. When the school was founded, we looked at a number of options such as linking up with an existing Christian school or operating under a church, but we feel that in Koinonia we have the best of both worlds: We have local autonomy which gives us the freedom to act in the best interests of our students, but we also have outside accountability which ensures that we maintain high standards.

d)       Many of our parents have expressed appreciation that we are part of a larger entity; it gives them assurance that there is stability and support from beyond the four walls of the school.

20)   Speaking of four walls, you have a lot more than four don’t you?

a)       Well, we do have an unusual facility. Our entire school is made up of portable classrooms, and it’s a little bit like a summer camp effect. We didn’t plan it that way, but it has worked out very well. Our students actually quite like it. And, because we have been able to save on building costs, we have been able to invest in other elements of the program.

b)       However, there have been some very interesting recent developments. The first is that we have completed a very large expansion to our high school which will enable us to accommodate about 50 more students in grades ten through twelve. We will be renovating our old high school building this summer with a new computer lab and library, so that when we are finished we will have 6400 square feet of space for our grades nine through twelve all under one roof.

c)       Technically, this building could be dismantled and moved, but it has been very well done, and includes an excellent science lab, and it is air-conditioned, which we know our students will appreciate when writing exams in June.

d)       The other very interesting development is that we have finally, after searching for 10 years, purchased twenty acres of land on which to build a permanent facility. This is the thirtieth piece of property that we have looked at, and we believe that the Lord saved the best piece until last. It is located just 200 yards north of our existing site, and it is inside the Airdrie city limits. We are quite excited about this development as it will allow us to continue to grow and develop as a school.

21)   How do you handle Physical Education with portable classrooms?

a)       Well, of course, we like to do as much as possible outdoors. We are situated near two churches with a combined twenty acres of land, so there is lots of field space, and one of the churches has a multi-purpose sanctuary which we use for Phys. Ed. when we are indoors.

b)       However, in order to add to this we have created an extensive outdoor education program for students in senior high. We include a wide variety of activities such as canoeing, horseback riding, mountain biking, golfing, scuba diving, rock climbing, hiking, and orienteering. Those are just part of our regular Phys. Ed. program in senior high.

c)       We also make use of gym facilities in a nearby school, and so we offer  competitive sports for basketball, volleyball, badminton, and track and field.

d)       What we have found is that when one is cramped for space, God always seems to provide an alternative approach that is just is good or even better.

22)   One thing parents will want to know about is the costs. How expensive is it to attend Airdrie Koinonia?

a)       Well, as I mentioned before, our tuition rates are among the lowest available in our area. The cost of the first child in any grade is just $3480 per year; the second child is just $2100, and the third is only $1404! Fourth and subsequent children attend free, and there are no additional fees. We don’t nickel and dime people with lots of little fees for this and that.

b)       What this amounts to is that a family could enroll four children at AKCS for less than $600 a month. That is an unbelievable deal, especially when you look at the value for the dollar. It’s actually pretty hard to beat.

c)       For that investment of funds, parents will get a top quality academic education for their children. And, they will get a positive peer group for their kids. And, they will get dedicated Christian teachers who will work hand in hand with them in raising their children to follow Jesus Christ.

d)       As a parent, I have never looked at tuition as an expense, but rather an an investment, and it is one of the best I have ever made.

23)   Any final thoughts?

a)      Regardless of whether a parent chooses AKCS or another Christian school, I would encourage them to take time and review what the Bible has to say about the subject. The Great Commandment commands us not only to love God, but to teach our children to do likewise. Deuteronomy 6. And the Great Commission in Matthew 28 tells us that we are to make disciples. Making disciples is what we do at AKCS.