Our Mission
Our purpose is to partner with parents in educating their children to become the next generation of Christian leaders equipped to shape culture through faithful, wise, and joyful Christian living.
Thoroughly Christian
Everything we do at The River Academy flows from our commitment to the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. This means every subject taught comes from a distinctly Christian worldview. It also means all our relationships and interactions are informed by our Christian faith. By necessity, all of our faculty and staff share in this love for God and His Word. As you would expect, the Bible is taught as its own subject, but a biblical worldview weaves its way into every subject we teach because we believe the Good News informs all things. In other words, Christianity is not an isolated topic. Rather, it is at the center of everything we do at The River Academy. To learn more about what we believe, please read our Statement of Faith.
innovatively classical
Classical education has been making a resurgence in America recently. And while the name itself may conjure up images of ivy lined brick buildings, it is simply an education aimed at teaching students to think and learn for themselves. You have probably heard of a liberal arts education. Classical education at The River Academy is rooted in this approach and specifically focuses on the first three of the liberal arts - Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric - also known as the Trivium. Trivium based classical education has been practiced for centuries and we have the joy of recovering the education that most of the western world used up until the nineteenth century when it was abandoned for an education more suited to prepare students for the industrial revolution. Now that we are past this revolution a new method is needed and we happen to believe that the way forward is to go back to the past - to a tried and true method of classical (aka liberal arts) education. For more on how this works at our school see Academics.
Additional Reading:
10 Difference Between “Classical Christian schools” and “Christian Schools
boldly joyful
At The River Academy, we believe joy is the natural outworking of our Christian faith. We also believe it is the natural outworking of all learning. If you have spent time around a young child recently, you will undoubtedly find them to be naturally curious and interested in learning. We believe if we are doing our job, this natural curiosity and desire to learn will be most fulfilled at school. And when this happens, joy will be the result. Said another way, we believe school should be fun!
intentionally relational
Education is not just a transfer of information from one human to the next. It is the impartation of virtue, wisdom and character. It is discipleship. And we believe our greatest tool to impact students is the relationship we have with them. For this reason we prioritize relationships as one of our chief values here at The River Academy. One of the most common pieces of feedback we receive from our graduates is that their teachers were not merely their instructors - they were their mentors and friends. This is intentional on our part and we are grateful our graduates experience us as such.
vision statement
Vision /Goals for a Graduate:
Our goal is to graduate students who love the Lord their God with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strength. Our desire is for them to be thoroughly equipped for the world they will encounter and prepared to sow seeds of faithfulness for generations to come through Christ-like leadership in their homes, neighborhoods, churches, schools, businesses and communities.
Accordingly,
Graduates will know, love and embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and be well equipped to live out that Gospel by faithfully using the gifts they have been given to serve and minister to the world
Graduates will possess a love for God’s Word as well as a thorough understanding of His Word so they are equipped to view every area of life and learning in light of the Scriptures
Graduates will possess solid Christian character learned in a community context where character formation is part of daily life and students learn to lovingly navigate communal life together in a Christ-like fashion
Graduates will be well equipped academically, enabling them to pursue future endeavors with proficiency and confidence
Graduates will love learning and will be inspired to a life-long pursuit of learning
Graduates will be equipped to lead sacrificially not because they are all naturally gifted, but because they are image bearers of the most High God and thus will be influencers in whatever arena God chooses to place them.
Graduates will transform our culture by making art, stories, homes, churches, organizations, businesses, and communities that embody the true, the beautiful, and the good.