Apple Distinguished School

Charlotte Christian School is pleased to announce that it has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School for 2022-25 for innovatively integrating Apple products and technology into our instructional environment to support our curriculum and academic initiatives.

Director of Technology and Innovation Steve Beezhold helped spearhead the team effort to gain this recognition. “We’ve been working toward this for many years and it was an intensive process that caused us to examine our use of technology and helped us modify the way we use it. We had to make sure we have scaffolding across all divisions so we can tell a cohesive story through our use of technology. It is an honor to be recognized by Apple and it puts us in a distinct network with other high-achieving schools. As an Apple Distinguished School, we will have a higher level of professional development with Apple and more interaction with the Apple Education Leadership Team.”

Apple Distinguished Schools are centers of innovation, leadership and educational excellence. They use Apple technology to inspire creativity, collaboration and critical thinking in teaching and learning in the school environment and have documented outcomes of marked academic accomplishment. Charlotte Christian’s programming and faculty embody these very characteristics which led to this national recognition.

Only around 700 schools worldwide have received this distinction, and CCS is one of only five schools in North Carolina to have achieved this honor.

A big part of that building process was working with teachers to help support them to learn to use Apple technology with proficiency. Upper School Technology Facilitator Grayson Bedenbaugh completed the rigorous Apple Learning Coach certification to help guide teachers through the Apple Teacher Certification training. He said that teachers who were not as fluent in technology had to become so during the pandemic, and already having a solid technology platform helped in the transition through that season. “I think having Apple devices helped us transition through Covid better than most schools,” he said, “and the response our teachers had was great. It gave them confidence to try new things. I’m super proud of this Apple distinction because it shows our teachers have a willingness to learn and shows Apple recognizes our use of technology in a way that separates us from other programs.” 90% of CCS teachers are now Apple Certified Teachers, well over the 75% required to become an Apple Distinguished School.

Lower School Technology Facilitator Katey Balikian shares that the Apple technology at CCS is enhancing instruction that’s already happening, and she sees firsthand how lower school teachers are using it well. “The lessons aren’t about technology – the technology is becoming part of the fabric of what they are already doing in the classroom,” she said. Lower school students are taught to navigate technology carefully to support their learning in both their classrooms with userfriendly iPad devices and in the lower school technology lab using iMacs. iPad devices are a daily component of instruction to support beginning coding, access ebooks, complete research and to create new content utilizing platforms such as Raz Kids, PebbleGo, Seesaw and Apple apps to support student learning and engagement. One iPad device app allows students to record themselves as they reason through math problems and allows teachers to go back and identify what problem-solving skills the students are using. This type of technology helps both students and teachers maximize their learning and instruction.

Teachers also utilize Apple safety dashboard technology to make sure students are safe online. “I’m really proud of our teachers. They have embedded technology into everyday instruction and are making sure students are safe in the process,” shared Mrs. Balikian.

In middle and upper school, our STEM course offerings support a myriad of student interests for learners to explore. Students collaborate and bring their designs through the stages of product development utilizing various Apple tools that include Pages, Keynote, Everyone Can Create, iMovie and Adobe Cloud. Our course catalog includes Architecture, Engineering, Media and Podcast Production, 3D Printing and Coding, Digital Media, Digital Music, Genius Hour and MidKnight Innovation. Middle school students in 3D Printing designed and built a 3D printer!

Middle School Technology Facilitator and Apple Learning

Coach Heather Wilson is excited for this recognition. “This integration of technology through teacher-designed lesson plans gives students higher-level deeper learning, not just memorization and regurgitation. This use of technology increases student engagement, resulting in an increase in learning which leads to opportunity for future careers.”

Digital Music Teacher Don Humphries helped guide the fine arts department into the world of digital music making. “What if we could start teaching students to use these resources to create their own music? It’s different from being in choir or band, we are reaching another set of students.”

Students are able to explore digital media through our newly furnished M1 iMac lab. Mr. Humphries said students are learning and creating with professional software that is industry standard. “Students take the Apple environment to explore and experiment and come up with their own structure and composure to create their own music. It’s endless what these students can do with these programs.”

As always, the commitment to our mission is at the forefront of all we do. It guides our decisions and remains grounded in Christ, focused on students and committed to excellence. Our robust student opportunities in academics, spiritual life, athletics and fine arts are all supported by our program innovation, including the technology tools that enhance so much of our work. An important part of that work includes a focus on healthy and balanced technology implementation and the preparation to be safe, responsible and ethical digital citizens.