September 9, 2022
New Independence for Calvary Baptist Schools!
LANSDALE, PA – On August 1, 2022, Calvary Baptist Schools (CBS) became a fully separated entity with its own eight member school board comprised of former teachers, parents, grandparents and two pastors from other regional churches. The role of Head of School is filled by Dr. Timothy Gray. He comes to CBS with a history of service in the pastoral and head of school capacity. Dr. Gray served as a consultant to the Transition Team in the past year and now will be reporting on behalf of the school to the school board.
On June 13, 2021, 97% of Calvary Baptist Church members voted to separate the school from the church and transition its governance from the church elder board to a newly formed school board. This vote was to alleviate the interdependencies between the two organizations, providing further opportunity to secure the longevity and vision of both entities. In the past year, the church and school, along with external consulting, have worked very hard together to bring about these changes. Principal Dr. Lesli Nichols told the CBS families, “We are excited about the opportunities that this move will open up for us.”
To affirm its academic excellence and prepare for full independence, CBS went through full accreditation by the American Association of Christian Schools (AACS), which was officially achieved on January 31, 2022 after tireless years of preparation.
Transition Team Leader, Timothy Hampton said “Teamwork is the word I would use to describe the past 14 months. I am so proud of how many individuals from all walks of life and experience sacrificed a substantial amount of time and energy for this common goal. The team verse was Psalm 127:1. We thank the Lord for His goodness and for building the house and we pray to honor Him with every step.”
Installed as Lead Pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in February 2022, Dr. Peter Radford said, ”There is an exciting dimension to the school’s independence: it gives the school space to focus on their mission and it gives our church space to do the same. The school, under the leadership of Dr. Gray and Dr. Nichols is on a trajectory to accomplish great things. This is not only a function of their skilled leadership, but also the support and efficiency of having a school board dedicated to school governance. A side benefit is this new arrangement positions the church to bless the school through our involvement without being encumbered with the weighty task of overseeing the day to day operations.”
“I am excited for the school to be able to meet the needs of our families and actively engage in new ways with the faith communities and churches already present in the school. The addition of representatives from some of those churches on our new school board allows voices to be heard from their networks,” said Dr. Gray.
With many new teachers and administrative staff, more specialty programs are being introduced or are back in full force, including the arts, music, drama, elementary and middle school band, Spanish (grades K-12), full ACCESS and ACCESS PLUS (special education), community service projects, college visits, missions trips and Bible studies program. The school continues a strong athletics program (grades 6-12) of soccer, volleyball, basketball and baseball and a growing alumni association. Foundations Christian Preschool (FCP) continues to cater to kids ages 3 to 4 with programs to aid their transition to primary school.
Since 1968, CBS has been a ministry arm of Calvary Baptist Church, located on Valley Forge Road, when Weis Markets was nothing but a corn field across the street. CBS’s K-12 education and FCP exist to educate students with a Biblical worldview and support families as they train up their children in truth, all to the glory of God. This is done by inspiring students to discover their purpose and to engage their hearts, heads and hands in service to Christ both locally and globally.
The founders had a vision to provide Christian education to their church members. The school enrollment eventually grew to extend beyond their church walls by attracting enrollment from the greater community at large and implementing an international student exchange program (currently 2% of the student body). Enrollment continues to increase at a strong and healthy rate, resulting in multiple waitlisted grades.
For parents seeking Christian education in the area, Calvary Baptist School and Foundation Christian Preschool has been Lansdale’s hidden treasure of dedicated staff and quality education. For more information, www.cbschools.org or contact 215.368.1100.