WHAT CHRISTIAN EDUCATION LOOKS LIKE AT
REDDING ADVENTIST ACADEMY (RAA)

 

Redding Adventist Academy’s standards of academic excellence are reflected in upper percentile scores on standardized tests and the number of graduates (90%) who go on to higher education. RAA’s goal is to create well-rounded students who are prepared for success in all aspects of life. Our commitment to intellectual achievement goes hand in hand with the development of students spiritually, physically, and socially. We believe that this approach to education creates the best opportunity for overall character development.

At RAA the Christian faith is a natural part of our student’s lives, and we look to our teachers to model this faith. Teachers and staff speak freely about their own Christian experience and encourage students to come to know Christ better through prayer, Bible study, and Christian fellowship. We regard the Bible as the inspired word of God and the source of all spiritual authority. Students are exposed to biblical truths in classroom worship time, weekly chapel, and religion courses, and through a youth pastor and guest speakers.

Science and Bible teacher Paul Turk talks about the educational experience at RAA: “We teach students how to think. I even challenge their beliefs, because it’s better for them to face a challenge here in a safe environment before going out into the world. We want our kids to believe something because they’ve thought it out, not because it’s been forced on them.” Stimulating the minds of our young people is a priority for our teachers.

In the sports program RAA coaches work to instill a love of their sport and to motivate students to do their best while placing a premium on good sportsmanship. Coaches routinely pray with students before competitions. Mr. Turk, who coaches track and cross country says, “But the students haven’t been satisfied with just praying in our own little group. They go around to the other schools and invite them to pray with us. I watched the entire Foothill track team come and pray with us at one meet. This is what happens when you teach students to witness.”

RAA students also learn the joy of service. For example, each spring RAA music and drama students hold a benefit performance of the school’s annual musical for the Good News Rescue Mission where they raise between $2,000 and $3,000. When Mission graduates come to share their story about recovery from drug and alcohol abuse and how God and the Mission have given them a new shot at life, the students understand the significance of their gift.

Teachers, staff, and parents create a variety of opportunities for social interaction that help students build lasting friendships. RAA students are expected to reflect Christian values in their dress and behavior. Modest clothing, respect for others, and appropriate language are hallmarks of our campus culture.

All those involved with the education of RAA students strive to direct them into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In the midst of a challenging world, RAA students receive the important message that God is interested in their lives and the source of their strength.