The Markham Center renovation is nearly complete. For those who are new to BJA, the Markham Center is the high school “snack shop,” which is used by our students as a place for enjoying food, fellowship, and studying. I hope you all will make a point of stopping by this year to see the transformation.
With great anticipation, we look forward to the start of BJA’s 90th year in just two-and-a-half weeks! We look forward to getting to know our new families and trust that the Lord will unite our hearts together as we partner in the education of your children. Overall, our enrollment total has increased about 55 students, and we give a special welcome to over 150 new BJA students—for whom we praise the Lord!
The Markham Center renovation is nearly complete. For those who are new to BJA, the Markham Center is the high school “snack shop,” which is used by our students as a place for enjoying food, fellowship, and studying. I hope you all will make a point of stopping by this year to see the transformation.
Most important, we look forward to what God has in store for us this year as we seek to know Him better, to look to His Word for direction, and to challenge our students to follow Him faithfully. Please pray that God will teach us in the classrooms, in the hallways, and on the ball fields.
While at the AACS Legislative Convention in Washington, D.C., in September, Dr. Barbrow and I took a side trip to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. We walked from the Metro through the entrance to the cemetery and up the hill past endless rows of headstones. It is sobering to think of the many who have given their lives for the defense of our freedom. When we arrived at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, we eventually found what we were looking for—a tall, proud, immaculately dressed soldier guarding the tomb—PFC Seth Barbrow, nephew of Dr. Barbrow. Here was a young man who was faithfully serving his country at the monument dedicated to the memories of unidentified soldiers who have been killed in our nation’s wars. It was a sobering picture of the past and the present. Veterans Day is next week. Let us take time to reflect on the many U.S. military personnel who have given so much. We are grateful for the sacrifices you have made for our freedom.
Thank you! We salute you! Many of the BJA buildings sustained damage—some minor, others more significant. But thanks to the efforts of many people behind the scenes, there were few remaining signs of the damage by the time classes started on Tuesday morning.
Ceiling tiles and insulation were ruined by water from the damaged roof. Several inches of water accumulated in the tops of the kitchen refrigeration units and surrounded the running compressor and condenser systems.
We want to say a great big thank you to all who lent a hand. It is indeed a blessing to have such dedicated people who give freely of their time to ensure the success of BJA for the glory of the Lord! They reflected Christlikeness in their efforts this past weekend, and I hope you will join me in saying thank you!
The spiritual “Ain’t That Good News!” is ringing in my head. And while the greatest news is that Jesus is coming and will clothe us in robes of righteousness purchased with His blood, we have plenty of good news to report to you. Let me share some exciting things that God has been doing here at Bob Jones Academy. BJA Is Accredited! Bob Jones Academy is now accredited by SCACS and by AACS! Our administration, faculty, and staff have invested a lot of energy in this and are to be congratulated. The final report contained many commendations and some recommendations. We have already begun to address the recommendations and incorporate them in a school improvement plan that will position us for application for regional accreditation in the spring of 2016. Good Enrollment Numbers and New Teachers We are encouraged that fall enrollment has been trending above our projections at each school level. Early elementary enrollment has been so good that we have hired additional K4 and 1st-grade teachers. Please pray that the Lord will continue to bring good families our way. The Lord has provided some wonderful teachers for this year for the CDC and for the elementary and high school. Let me encourage you to check out our BJA Facebook page to see who they are and learn a little about them. We will continue to post bios and pictures of new team members over the next few days. You may want to consider encouraging them with a welcome comment. And if you haven’t “liked” our Facebook page, be sure to do so. Let's reach 1000 “likes”! Standardized Test Scores The SAT10 scores are in, and once again, students have performed marvelously. This is a credit to the excellence of our teachers, the diligence of our students, the support of their parents, and the grace of God. Here are the complete battery national group percentile scores for each of the grades that we test. Congratulations to all for such high scores!
In spite of the ice storm, we had 29 participants in our “Bring a Buddy” promotional at the elementary and middle school levels. We also had 11 families who indicated that they came as a result of the incentives offered for our current families to invite a family to attend. Many other families came as well, visiting our central location at the Applied Studies Building and taking tours of the various classroom buildings in which they were interested.
We appreciate everyone who worked so hard to make this a truly wonderful day. Here are some of the participants we appreciate:
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