27 Aug 2017 Conway Christian: A unique option for families

by Jason Carson

Every life journey looks a little different, right? Mine has slowly led me a little further up the interstate, from Benton to Little Rock and now to the great city of Conway. Each spot along the way provided for me valuable life lessons. As a child/adolescent I was fortunate my family raised me in a city/county very similar to Conway and Faulkner County, so I came to understand the importance of quality public services, particularly when it comes to schools. As a matter of fact, I believe wholeheartedly every city/county should do everything in its power to provide the highest quality schools for its citizens.

If you’re like me and live in Faulkner County, then you’re blessed to be immersed in a very strong educational community with fantastic school choices. My colleagues in the Conway Public Schools along with our neighbors in Vilonia, Greenbrier, Mayflower and many others strive daily to positively impact students.

The last 16 years spent working and consulting in private Christian, college-preparatory education have convinced me that every city, like Conway, should have both quality public and private school choices. Each school has unique mission statements, providing options for families. This is important for our community because families have different opinions about what’s of the highest importance when it comes to “educating” their child(ren).

Conway Christian provides one of those unique choices for families living in Central Arkansas. Founded just over 25 years ago, the school has a mission to partner with Christian families by offering a biblically-directed, college preparatory education focused on equipping students to serve and impact the world for Jesus Christ.

This mission was changed last school year to emphasize our focus on the family partnership and our laser-like approach on equipping (and discipling) students in the love of Jesus Christ while committing to a college preparatory educational model. This mission is unique and requires a strong partnership revolving around home, school and the local church.

Over the past several years I’ve shared with my constituents the importance of Jesus Christ being the center of everything we do in life, be it government, marriage, friendships and certainly education. We have an opinion that everything is better when Jesus is in the equation. Remove Christ from anything and it’s not as good as it could be with Him.

Because of that opinion, Conway Christian commits each day to praying and learning about the truths of God from the Bible. We strive to be a school which places Christ in the center and everything else revolves around our pursuit of Him. Because of this position, we have a goal to pursue excellence every day.

We teach our students that excellence as a whole is not attainable (we all fall short every now and again right?) but because of our love for Christ we must strive every day to be our best in academics, arts, athletics, community service and beyond.

Our most recent data serves as a good testimony to this pursuit. Over the past several years, our graduates have earned an average ACT score of 25, an average class GPA well above 3.5 and garnered astonishing amounts of scholarships from colleges and universities from across the country.

Our fine arts department boasts robust visual arts, drama, band and choir programs, all featuring strong participation numbers and numerous achievements while instructing students how to honor Christ with our artistic abilities.

The Eagles compete well in athletics. We offer nearly every sport available in the Arkansas Activities Association and have won several state and conference titles. Last year was a banner year for Conway Christian athletics as we won many championships and had six student-athletes sign letters of intent to play college athletics.

So, should my family consider a Conway Christian education?

My personal opinion is there has never been a better time for Christian education because of the challenges our world throws at students each and every day. If Christian education is done correctly, in partnership with the home and church while pursuing excellence in academics, arts and athletics, it can make a powerful impact on students.

If students don’t have the love of Jesus Christ coming from their home, church and school, this world can be extremely difficult to navigate. Simply put, the person of Jesus Christ and the truth of God’s love, redemption and higher calling is our hope, their hope.  

The best way to experience Conway Christian is to come see for yourself. We might be just right for your family! The school has made some exciting changes over the past year which we believe will positively impact our learning community. We also significantly increased our financial aid offerings for families who qualify so now is a great time to apply for admission.

Tours are available every day and my door is always open to prospective families who want to discuss our Christian, college preparatory educational philosophy.

You can learn more about Conway Christian by visiting conwaychristianschool.org, or on social media using #weareconwaychristian. Have a great school year!

Jason L. Carson is the president and CEO of Conway Christian School, beginning his second school year this fall. He has served in private, Christian school leadership for nearly two decades, most recently as vice president, director of advancement at Little Rock Christian Academy. He has been a consultant to private schools across the nation and is a regular presenter at Christian, educational conferences. In 2014, PAIDEIA Inc. awarded him the Don Weber Award for Leadership in Development, signifying his work in school advancement.