ASHLAND — In summer 2015, a small group of teachers, parents and the pastor at Southview Brethern Church gathered to address Ashland’s void in Christian high school education options.
Parents like Jonathan Priest felt forced to choose between homeschooling, public education within the county or Christian education at a distance, when what he wanted was a local, Christian-based option for his children to attend from ninth through 12th grade.
“We decided it should be a flexible option that would be supplemented with another school or home schooling,” said Priest, who was a founding parent and now serves as a teacher and administrator for the school.
As it turns out, other area parents wanted the same. Since Genesis Christian Academy began operating out of Southview Brethern Church in 2015, the non-traditional homeschool cooperative now offers more than 20 classes for more than 60 high school students.
Genesis Christian Academy offers classes Monday through Friday on a university-like schedule. A math class might be held Tuesday and Thursday mornings, while a science course is offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons.
As the school has grown, its students can now complete the majority of their coursework through the cooperative. These full-time students are required to attend Chapel regularly and take “Bible I” for one semester before graduation.
Other students — about 20 of the more than 60 current attendees — are part-time. They take only a few courses through Genesis and complete most of their high school education requirements through either a homeschool program or at a public high school.
Classes are taught by 17 different teachers, 70 percent of whom have their Master’s Degree. Many are retired Ashland University professors.
“We’re a small school, but we have a very big focus on quality,” said academic coordinator Hillary Young. “We’re not throwing in any teacher or parent in there who says they can teach.”
She says the cooperative follows the Ohio Department of Education’s guidelines, but is not accredited. Because of the set-up, parents must declare their children are being homeschooled.
“We follow are the guidelines. We provide transcripts, diplomas and they have a graduation,” Young said.
She went on to say the school offers several college-credit plus courses in partnership with Ashland University, North Central State College and Ohio Christian University.
To raise awareness and funds for additional school programming, Genesis Christian Academy will hold its first-ever pancake breakfast and silent auction from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, March 7 at the Southview Brethern Church’s fellowship hall at 810 Katherine Ave. in Ashland.
The breakfast includes pancakes, sausage, fruit, yogurt, juice and coffee. And gluten free options available. Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for kids age 3-12.
Those interested in learning about the school are also encouraged to attend an open house on March 20.
“We hope the community will want to surround us, whether it’s prayerfully or monetarily,” Young said.
To learn more about Genesis Christian Academy visit www.gcaashland.com.
