Lake Region Christian School was granted full accreditation this fall. The endorsement came from the American Association of Christian Schools, one of the nine accrediting agencies recognized by the Minnesota Department of Education.
The process was more than two years in the making. School administrators and teachers worked long hours completing requirements for accreditation, a news release states.
Principal Steve Ogren shared the school's motivation for taking on the daunting task.
"We wanted to show our current families that we were serious about providing the best education possible. We also wanted to show families in the Brainerd area that might be considering LRCS that we offer a quality college prep environment. ... We teach our students with the assumption that they will be pursuing higher education. Most choose to do just that and feel they are adequately prepared for their first year of college," Ogren said in a news release.
An on-site accreditation team, representing the AACS, conducted a visit and evaluation of LRCS in September. The team focused on the school's compliance with accreditation standards and the school's policies and procedures.
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Additionally, the school was expected to live up to its own philosophy: "... to teach the heart and mind of each student from a biblical worldview, ... cultivate in every student an understanding of the importance of growing in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and to assist parents in preparing their children to faithfully serve their families, churches, businesses and communities for God's glory."
While all of the teachers took part in working long hours to gain the endorsement, department heads led the process by guiding teachers and submitting an academic manual, setting completion goals and objectives. Scope and sequence for each subject and at each grade level was examined and defined.
Staff members also identified strengths and weaknesses, with plans in place to improve where needed.
"I think the accreditation is a benefit in that we are being held accountable for what we are teaching," Julie Kovacik, high school teacher, said in the release. "It also caused us to take a good, hard look at what we do and why we do it. It covers everything from academics to philosophy to safety. Improvement is always beneficial."
Looking forward, the school plans to add one subject each year to its curriculum guide. Also, the science curriculum has been boosted to a more robust program, challenging students to think critically and be able to solve real-life problems.
With the AACS granting accreditation to LRCS, parents are already embracing the benefits their children will reap.
"It is important to me for my kids to go to an accredited school for the assurance of a high quality education," Jillian Wagner, a parent, stated in the release. "Also, I like that my children will graduate from an accredited school (so) their diplomas will be recognized. I already knew from experience that LRCS provided high quality education, but this just puts the stamp and seal on it."
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