11 minute read
FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL AND THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
HAT AN INCREDIBLE NIGHT THIS HAS BEEN! Such a W wonderful celebration of what God has done through His school through each of us as we’ve labored alongside one another to nurture and disciple students to know and follow Jesus. We’ve shared such a sweet community as God has knit together our hearts and lives in service to Him. What a blessing it has been to see so many using their gifts to fulfill the mission and purpose of TCA! Any accomplishments we’ve highlighted tonight have been made together with our incredible team of committed, gifted faculty and staff as we’ve partnered with godly parents and grandparents and poured into your precious children and grandchildren. It has truly been my joy to serve together with each of you all these years.
So, thank you, God, for your faithfulness, protection and provision for TCA for almost 52 years. Thank you, Rose, for your steadfast love, grace and support, for your listening ear and partnership in our mission to serve others and Jesus. All those trips to the Amazon and Zambia would not have happened without you. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for your love, prayers and support my whole life. Thank you, Katie, Scott, Jason, Rachael, Lauren and Clint for your support as well . . . and our Brazilian daughters, Priscila and Sara. What a blessing it has been to share in the TCA journey with all of you for so many years! Katie was born after our first year at TCA, and now, 36 years later, our three alum children have blessed us with nine grandchildren. This community helped teach, train, love and care for our three children, and Rose and I will forever be grateful for all of you who were part of their lives.
Thank you to my brothers and sister and your spouses for your support and prayers over the years, and to our dear community group who have been faithful to walk alongside Rose and me through so many highs and lows of serving, especially these last few years. You have been a tremendous blessing to us both.
Leading a school cannot be done alone. I am so proud of the team of leaders and colleagues God has put together here. It takes the many different gifts of the body serving alongside one another to create a culture that daily pursues honoring the Lord by serving students, parents and one another. Sharing in the mission to serve our King has been a joy. Please join me in thanking those on our administration team over the last 20 years. I know some were unable to be here, but I would like to recognize those who have done most of the heavy lifting each day. It’s been such a blessing to share the journey and grow in Christ together with current and past school heads Kyle Morrill, Scott Berthel, Anne Badger, Dennis Saffold, Rod Morris and Bentley Craft; assistant heads and deans Janie Heard,
Fran Legband, Bob Dyer, Steve Williamson, Stephanie Scott, Bev Birmingham,
Ryan Berens, Susan Pendleton and Anne Sylvest; my friend and co-leader, former academic dean Diane Taylor; admission directors Amy Prideaux, Sam Peters and Mary Helen Noland; chief financial officers Brian Rodriguez, Sam Thomas and Larry Kivioja; development directors Becky Lewis and Sue Bailey; athletic directors Jeff Smith, Don English, Kirk McJunkin, Steve Hayes, Kevin Fields and Barry Morgan; technology directors Lisa Wong and Julie Abell; facilities managers Radu Sucilea, Kevin Folsom and Rob Waples and other school administrators with whom I worked closely: Justin Zappia, David Smith, Kristina Spears, Joy Konstans, Julie Brown, Tony Jeffrey and Kristy Kegerreis. I thank Dawn Booth for overseeing the construction of the new Middle School and Annette Metz for being a special behind-the-scenes prayer warrior. Mike Beidel, thank you for hiring me 36 years ago. That decision blessed my family in so many ways. Thank you for making TCA’s faculty and
Taken from excerpts of Dave Delph’s remarks at the March 25 TCA Fundraising Gala
academic excellence a priority during your time as head of school. Dan Russ, thank you for giving me my first administrative role as head of Middle School and challenging me as an academic leader. John Schimmer, thank you for planting so many seeds in the early years of TCA. Many students, families and colleagues have received the fruit of the labor of you three leaders. A special thank-you to the four ladies over the past 20 years who kept me organized, reminded and encouraged and protected me from myself: Dawn Booth, Kristy Kegerreis, Valencia Ward and Pam Larson.
I’ve had the privilege of serving with 38 different trustees, 11 who served as board chair, over the past 20 years. Thank you for your support, prayers, wisdom and leadership. God used the many challenges we faced together to grow our faith, trust in and dependence upon Him. Thank you, Alumni Association, TCA Foundation and Trojan Real Properties boards, our Investment Committee and PTF leaders. Your contributions over the years are immeasurable.
Perhaps my biggest thank-you is to those who deliver our mission in the classrooms, on the playing fields and courts and in support roles each day . . . our current and former teachers, coaches and staff. Thank you for your faithfulness to your students, their parents and one another and for your support of me, even when it may have been hard to do so. The Lord has blessed us all and refined us through sharing in the joy and struggles of laboring together. You are TCA’s greatest asset, and I’m so proud of the impact you have, day in and day out.
Thank you, TCA community, current and former parents and alumni, for your commitment to our mission. I’ve been privileged to partner with hundreds of families over the years in educating and developing your children to become fully devoted followers of Christ. As a teacher, coach and administrator, it has been my joy to serve alongside you in this worthy calling. For those of you who journeyed with us to the Amazon and Zambia, we share a special bond. You get pretty close, pretty fast when you’re sleeping next to someone in a hammock! Our TCA parents are the best! From room moms to grill dads, Independent Social Committee to Booster Club leaders, your support has been critical in creating the amazing culture and experiences which characterize this incredible community.
Fifty-two years ago, a group of families had a desire for their children to receive a Christ-centered education, and that desire turned into a dream from which those of us in this room have benefited greatly. Those pioneers, like Bill Millet, set forth their vision, and God has provided for and protected Trinity Christian Academy during every season of its history. I’ve had the privilege of seeing His faithfulness up close, having met many of the founding fathers and mothers and hearing their stories of trusting God for tuition, salaries, buildings, faculty, staff and leaders. All of us have shared in the fruit of their labor, and we never want to forget the sacrifices so many made so that TCA could be the school it is today. While tonight we celebrate God’s faithfulness in the past, I’m also reminded of what a critical role TCA must play in the future.
Clearly, the world’s values have changed significantly in our lifetime. No doubt we live in a post-Christian culture, and our children and their children will navigate a much different world than we did, than our parents did. Isaiah 5:20 states, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” Providing a school that teaches and trains students in biblical truth, where the affections of Jesus are evident in the lives of teachers, coaches, administrators and parents, is critical in preparing them to make a difference in their world for Jesus. Our aim, by God’s grace, it to teach students to think biblically, critically and creatively to prepare them to engage the culture with the truth of God’s Word and share the hope, freedom, peace, joy and abundant life that can only be found in Christ. Please pray with Rose and me that TCA will continue to bring glory to God in its mission to educate and develop each child, preparing all of them to be salt and light in whatever roles God calls them; that each parent and employee would be united in pursuing that which is eternal, intentionally combatting the world’s pressures to conform; that we would encourage one another to be transformed by the renewing of our minds by the Holy Spirit and that we would model what it means to be a Christ-follower, whatever the cost.
I pray tonight has encouraged each of you as we’ve remembered God’s work at TCA and the blessing we have been to one another . . . of His beautiful, amazing and sacred ministry in and through us while we were part of this community. I am reminded that only three things will last: God, His Word and people. Until Jesus returns or we go home, let’s keep encouraging one another to pour out our lives into those things that are eternal. Tonight, we shared one small way we can do that through STA and the bigger picture of the eternal difference TCA continues to make in not only students’ lives but our whole community. May we all be challenged to steward the resources He’s graced us with as we prayerfully consider how He would have us invest our lives and resources in that which is eternal; that we might one day lay everything we’ve done, given or accomplished at the feet of Jesus and give Him all the glory.
Ephesians 3:20: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or imagine, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
S I REFLECT ON THE 2021–22 SCHOOL YEAR
Aand look forward to the 2022-23 school year, I am thankful for all that God has provided our community and am excited for what God has in store for the future of TCA.
This past year TCA completed a successful accreditation process with an organization called CESA—the Council on Educational Standards and Accountability. CESA’s mission is to “motivate, support, and hold accountable Christian schools that aspire to superlative academic standards, institutional best practices, and collaboration with like-minded schools.”
The accreditation process involved a commitment of a significant amount of time and resources from our teachers, administrators, staff and the TCA Board of Trustees. As a part of its duties and as a part of the accreditation process, this past fall the board approved TCA’s Strategic Plan. Many thanks to the teachers, faculty and administrators who committed their time and effort to prepare this important document.
The accreditation process culminated in an in-person visit by four heads of prominent Christian schools from around the country. The process was collaborative, with TCA learning from the CESA accreditation team and the team learning from TCA’s success as well.
At the conclusion of the visit, TCA was commended was commended for the following: • its clear commitment to excellence in its academics and programs • its creative and effective fundraising operations • its well-managed finances and operations as well as strategic and wise stewardship • the campus’s warmth and hospitality as well as the intentional use of space on the 40 acres • the longevity of its leadership team and a high faculty and staff retention rate • its thriving and healthy culture and community
The committee also made these recommendations for consideration over the next few years: • continuing to develop best practices for the board of trustees • considering new strategies for funding its student tuition aid program • focusing on clearly articulating its brand • considering leadership positions to focus on curriculum and instruction, diversity and the spiritual health of the school
The CESA accreditation team wholeheartedly affirmed that TCA is a “mission-driven, Christian institution aspiring to be academically, programmatically and institutionally excellent”
and that TCA has developed a “Christian ethos rooted in a commitment to the Nicene Creed that distinguishes them from other local public and independent schools.” Based upon the feedback from the CESA accreditation team, this summer the board will hold a retreat where we will discuss goals for the next school year as well as board education and training so that we can better serve TCA.
Under TCA’s bylaws, the board chair serves for a period of two years. As my term concludes, I am excited to be able to serve under the leadership of our new board chair, Stacey Doré. Stacey is a gifted leader, and I am confident she will lead our board well.
I would like to acknowledge and thank Dave Delph for his faithful servant leadership as head of school for the past twenty years. The TCA community has been immensely blessed by his service. I would also like to acknowledge and thank three long-tenured board members who have recently completed their terms on the TCA board. These three men have committed thousands of hours in service to TCA. Thank you to Steve Novakovich, Mark Layman and Wesley Sneed for your faithful and long-standing commitment to TCA.
God has many great things in store for TCA during the 2022- 23 school year. Please join me in embracing the Apostle Paul’s challenge in Philippians 3:14 to “press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
