January 20, 2017 - West Liberty, Ohio
April 10, 2017 - San Bernardino, California
May 4, 2017 - Irving, Texas
September 13, 2017 - Rochford, Washington
It seems like in recent years the number of shootings have gone up. Every few months students in another town face the terror and danger. Every few months another community asks the question: How did this happen?
We are starting a new Theology In Action series entitled Growing in Grace. The series aims at answering the overarching question, how do I grow in my relationship with Jesus? Specifically, how do we find clarity, conviction, and confidence in Christ, in a culture of confusion, complacency, and compromise? Throughout this series we will allow God’s Word to confront us and answer these questions. It will be divided into seven parts and Jesus will be our exemplar, our template on how to grow in His likeness.
As the end of January draws near, there is an entire semester of school remaining in the school year. The weather is frigid and everyone is tired of shoveling snow. People are sick of the cold and flu season. New Year’s resolutions are falling by the wayside. It’s common to feel like life’s circumstances are unbearable and it is hard to keep trudging along when you encounter the difficulties of life. This blog article, written by Enlightium Academy’s very own Bible teacher, Heath Robertson, serves to provide you with some biblical guidance on what Scriptures you can turn to when you could use help staying the course. His insight on these 3 Bible verses about persevering through hard times may be just what you need to rely upon God’s word to stand firm and carry on.
1 Timothy 4:7
Galatians 6:9
Romans 5:3-4
Now that the holiday season is over, it may seem like there isn't much left to celebrate. Many of us are focused on getting back into the swing of things at school and making good on our New Year's resolutions. Regardless, January is full of holidays, from Russian Christmas to Chinese New Year and Fun at Work Day. Although you can find something to celebrate nearly every day of the month, one January holiday stands out from the rest. Martin Luther King Day is a very important holiday in the history of the US, is federally recognized as a national holiday, and falls on Monday, January 16th this year.
In this blog article, you will learn more about the important significance of this holiday, including:
The reason we celebrate Martin Luther King Day
Little-known Martin Luther King Jr. facts
Some of Dr. King’s famous quotes
The history of Martin Luther King Day as a holiday
A list of the public and private offices that are closed to observe Martin Luther King Day
Bon jour. Comment allez-vous? In case you were wondering, this means “Hello, how are you?” in French. It seems like forever since I took my first French class in high school, but one thing is for sure: I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I signed up for it. To be honest, I learned much more than how to say a few phrases in a foreign language. In fact, there were quite a few unexpected benefits I received from my French class that you stand to gain too, when you sign up for a French class.
Interested in switching to a non-traditional environment to earn your high school diploma online? You’re not alone. In the last ten years, the number of students enrolling to earn their high school diploma online has increased tenfold. Four of the top reasons families are making the switch are:
Everyone, young and old, has experienced peer pressure. It's not always negative, there is positive peer pressure, too. Peer pressure is when a person’s friend tries to get them to do something, and since some teens and adults want to fit in, they succumb to it. Sometimes it's because they don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings, but most times, it’s because they don’t know how to say “NO!”
According to the Kids Health Organization, these are some of the main topics that come from discussions about positive and negative peer pressure.
Everything is a whirlwind. I feel like I can never catch a breath. From living in Swaziland, Africa, for a summer, I know how it feels to live out of my comfort zone while on a missionary trip. Whether you are doing missions in your own town or if you and your family are international missionaries, some of you may also know the challenges of missionary trips. We face challenges and blessings every day from this lifestyle. How do we keep our daily walk with God fresh? How do we have “us” time? Below, I am going to dissect three challenges that many people face while on missionary trips.
As your home school high school career comes to a close, it is pivotal that you plan ahead to prepare and apply for college. Well-prepared home school students start the process early. The first step is deciding which type of college works for you.
There are two types of schools to choose from:
Traditional College. Perhaps you’ve grown a lot on your own, but you’re ready to enter into the classroom and interact with your peers and professors.
Distance Learning Higher Education Institutes. If you love working independently and want to continue—or maybe you don’t want to move and there aren’t programs that interest you locally—then distance learning might be a good option for your higher education, too. These institutes allow you to attend classes and complete assignments from your home.
No matter which you choose, it is crucial that you begin the process early, learning which schools you’re interested in and what they require of their applicants. Because you’re coming from home school, the requirements may vary greatly from school to school.
We can all agree that teen pregnancy—no matter the circumstances—is not an ideal situation; it is the result of a broken world, and it presents a dilemma for all involved. There are suddenly many things to figure out, and your life is no longer your own. Let’s not forget that, however costly, ill-timed, and inconvenient, children are gifts from God and blessings to their communities. We pray that your community is ready to receive and love you and your child, especially in a time such as this.
While teen pregnancy will change your life, it does not have to derail it. The tools that you need to press into this new path in your life are readily available, easily accessible, and will allow you to proceed in a positive direction.
It is summer. Whew! You have made it through a whole year of homeschool, taking charge in your child’s education and teaching them—not just school subjects but how to live healthy, productive, curious, and spiritual lives. Hopefully you’re able to take a break this summer and regroup. We have some ideas for how you can use your family’s educational hiatus to recharge, keep them learning, and prepare yourself for the coming year.
The primary role of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is to ensure that an NCAA student athlete is equipped to handle experiences that occur on the field, in the classroom, and in life, and its categorization of the diverse schools that make up its membership—over 1,100 schools which play in 3 divisions—put the NCAA student athlete on a level playing field with other like-minded institutions.
For high schoolers hoping to become an NCAA student athlete, pursuing this path can be overwhelming. You are left with a lot to navigate without much direction. Beyond the normal factors of SAT scores, AP exams, and choosing a school and career path, you have to consider schools with the sports programs and coaches you will thrive under in the division (I, II, or III) that you want. For Christian athletes, the values and culture of the school are also important factors.
If you are dissatisfied with the public school system, you may be considering a Christian home schooling solution. Perhaps you are wondering how students who are home schooled compare academically to students who receive a more traditional public school education.
Did you know that on average students with a home school education outperform public school students in all subjects? In fact, a study of over 5,000 home school students showed that they average 30–37 percentile points higher than their public school peers.
Discovering the root cause and finding hope.
While having a child expelled from school can initially feel like life has flown off the tracks, eventually you will be able to look back and see God’s guiding hand shaping the situation for you and your child’s joy, hope, and restoration. Just like when God brought Israel back from exile, His promises remain: “Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy” (Isaiah 61:7).
This article is Part 3 of a three-part series on processing and responding to a child being expelled from school.
Since the birth of my son, Father’s Day has become a very special holiday in our family. My wife has a gift of celebrating other people, and she goes all out to make me feel special as a dad with a day full of my favorite activities and food, along with a gift. This year, she wants to buy me a new disc for disc golfing. Although receiving material gifts can be fun, there are a few other things that I would much rather receive from my son. These treasures are founded in a collection of Bible verses about fathers I’ve found inspirational as a dad.
Part 1: Expelled from School—Riding the Roller Coaster
If your child has recently been expelled from school, this may be an uncertain time for your family. You have suddenly been forced to take a new direction in your child’s education. While the educational journey has taken a turn, you may also find yourself on a bit of an emotional roller coaster.
While you are riding the waves of emotion it can be comforting to find that you are not riding alone. Many parents have been—and are currently—in your place, researching what to do when their child is expelled from school. In fact, according to a 2006 study by the National Center for Education Statistics, over 100,000 public elementary and secondary school students are expelled each year. Remembering this can help you maintain perspective. And while you are realizing you are not alone, send up a prayer for those families, too.
STEM is a field that groups together the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, with the goal of integrating these areas of study with each other and with other subject areas. For more details on the importance of STEM school work, check out this post on the benefits of STEM education. Enlightium Academy STEM students have the freedom to explore new technologies and methods that enhance their learning and achievement by analyzing real-time data, integrating creativity, mapping solutions, and utilizing critical thinking and collaboration.
Sometimes, being a student athlete can feel like a mixed blessing. On the one hand, you have the opportunity to practice your God-given talent. On the other hand, the stress of coordinating your practices, competitions, and travels with the other parts of your life can be pretty intense.
In order to maintain a high level of athletic performance in any sphere of athletics (e.g., soccer, running, gymnastics, skateboarding, BMX, motocross, etc.), students need the flexibility to practice throughout the year, which involves lots of traveling, whether it be due to weather conditions or getting acclimated to a certain environment prior to the big event.
At a conference last year I heard Eric Metaxas, author of the bestselling books Amazing Grace and 7 Men, speak about the fact that our country needs to remember and venerate its heroes. Heroes give young people someone to look up to and emulate. They teach students that they can have a positive impact on the world around them when they use their God-given talents. Finally, they teach us all that greatness in the pure unselfish sense is something worth striving for. This does not mean we should focus only on their greatest accomplishments. Instead, we should accepted that the whole life of a hero or heroine is part of their legacy.
One of our greatest national heroes is indisputably Thomas Jefferson, who will have his 273 birthday on April 13th. Jefferson’s face is familiar to most americans. After all, it was famously carved into Mt. Rushmore, and is, perhaps less famously, printed on the 2 dollar bill. Jefferson accomplished much in his life, both in his career as third President of the United States and beyond. Perhaps the most interesting fact about Jefferson is that he apparently did not consider his presidency as his greatest achievement.
Knowing what is best for your child can be a challenge. Thankfully, God has provided guidance for us, not just for our own relationship with God, but for teaching our children in the ways of the Lord. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise” (Deuteronomy 6:5–7).
As Christian educators, we partner with parents to instill the truths of scripture through an education that begins with knowing our loving God. Enlightium Academy’s philosophy of Christian education rests on four pillars of education:
As we develop a holistic educational experience for students, we seek to offer more than an education in the skills students need to function in society and to make a living — we prepare students for pursuing an abundant life in service to Christ.
