BY ISAIAH FRIZZELL
The post-pandemic world is a rolling boil of changing ideals and concerns. Many families were faced, for the first time, with the challenge of educating their childre — is it possible to eschew the public schooling system? Should you if you can?
Roughly 10% of Idaho students were being homeschooled by the end of 2020 (https://www.idahoednews.org/top-news/defying-pandemic-era-predictions-homeschooling-remains-on-the-rise-in-idaho-and-beyond/) and it is estimated that around one-third of the jobs in Idaho can be performed remotely. (https://lmi.idaho.gov/data-tools/labor-force-statistics/)
How these two conditions come together can vary hugely, but the idea of homeschooling has caught the eye of a growing number of parents. To many, it’s a challenge to be home, but with the rise of the University Model, a balance has been struck.
Lori Decker has been a teacher for 25 years, the last five of which she was the director of curriculum and instruction at a private Christian school in the Bay Area. When Jean Rosenlund, the founder of the Sun Valley Eagle Christian Academy (SVECA), asked Decker to be principal, she and her husband weren’t quite ready, as their last child had yet to leave for college. Three years later, they’re officially empty-nesters and Lori Decker has taken the reins as principal of the SVECA.
What makes the SVECA unique is both its approach to bringing all Christian denominations together and edifying the children through a trademarked University Model of schooling. Decker explains, “The kids are at school Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday for a full day, and then for Monday and Friday we call it school at home. It’s still school, but the parents are asked to have input and guidance and assist with assignments, as needed. It really brings in the parents more. And then, for what we call Adventure Friday, we explore the beautiful outdoors. So our first Adventure Friday is at the Hurtig Shooting Center. We take them skeet shooting. We do hikes, we go snowshoeing, we go skiing. We’re hoping to take a trip to the capital.” All in all, it’s a way of unifying the school and the various denominations that attend.
The University-Model concept was developed in the 1990s by John D. Turner as a way to combine academic rigor with family involvement. The first University-Model school was founded in 1993, in Arlington, Texas, and has become especially popular among Christian educators for its flexibility in offering academic and spiritual growth.
SVECA is unique in the Valley and as a Christian school has a mission of bringing together all denominations of Christianity under one roof. They’ve been working with The Life Church in Hailey, since their inception. SVECA takes place at The Life Church as well as at the children’s homes, engaging the parents and the community in the fostering of spiritual and educational achievement.
“It’s all taught through a biblical worldview. We meet on the campus of The Life Church, but we’re not a ministry of The Life Church. We have students who attend The Life Church, Big Wood, Calvary Bible, Calvary Chapel, Our Lady of the Snows. It’s a nice mix of different denominations.” Decker is 10 months into a new life in Sun Valley and loving the new challenges and successes ahead. “I’m still new to the Valley, so I’m learning the culture, but, you know, we’re unified in the common belief of raising our kids in a biblical way and not so worried about denomination doctrines.”
As a small academy, currently with three teachers and twenty-one students, tuition is required, but the majority of their funding comes from fundraisers and donations. Most of their students are from Hailey and Bellevue, but they’ve had some trek from as far away as Carey. Decker is excited about the direction. “We’re just really intent on building people of character who can go out and be strong leaders.”
SVECA follows the Blaine County School District’s traditional calendar with a slightly later starting date. At the moment, they are middle and high school only, but are working on a partnership with [Presbyterian Church of the] Big Wood for their preschool and elementary programs. While they haven’t started electives yet, quite a few of the current students are dual enrolled at Wood River High School and come to SVECA for their core subjects. The school is open to all; however, “our main requirement is that one parent has to be a church attender, and of course the student has to want to come so that it’s a good fit all around.”
For parents who are looking for a hybrid model, SVECA could be a good fit. With more parents working, at least a couple days, at-home new models like this can help them engage with their children’s education while allowing for spiritual growth.
Visit the Sun Valley Eagle Christian Academy’s website at https://sveca.org/