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FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL AND THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
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HEN I WAS CHOSEN TO LEAD TCA for the 2002-03 school year, I prayerfully considered what I wanted to communicate to the faculty and staff during my first in-service as headmaster. Beginning my 20th and final year as head of school, I chose to charge this year’s faculty and staff with the same message from 2002. It was a great reminder for all of us of the school’s mission and the ministry we have in the lives of our students, parents, community and one another.
Asking our faculty and staff, “Why are you at TCA?” reveals our true purpose and calling from God. Author and social critic Os Guinness defines “calling” as “the truth that God calls us to Himself so decisively, that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion and dynamism lived out as a response to His summons and service,” and that “our primary calling as followers of Christ is by Him, to Him, and for Him. First and foremost, we are called to Someone (God), not to something (such as motherhood, fatherhood, or teaching) or to somewhere (such as TCA). Our secondary calling, considering who God is as sovereign, is that everyone, everywhere, and in everything should think, speak, live, and act entirely for Him.” Teaching at TCA is “a calling” not “the calling.” Teaching is our personal answer to God’s address, our response to God’s summons. Teaching matters only because the primary calling of delighting in Him matters most!
For TCA to be what God wants it to be, we all must first choose to be used by Him for His glory. We have the awesome task of providing an atmosphere of love and grace, knowledge and wisdom, safety and security for all who enter our classrooms. Our classrooms should be free from ridicule, coldness, sarcasm and impatience. A young person’s culture today is filled with cutdowns, disrespect, selfishness, rudeness, hurt feelings and mixed messages. Authority is undermined in social media, music and on TV. The classroom, hallway and playing field should be a haven of encouragement, love and respect. Our lessons should be inspiring and life-changing at best, interesting and challenging at least. Planning is important, thinking through not only what to teach but also how to teach understanding our students have varied learning styles. Yes, this can be difficult and time consuming, but an effective teacher does it. Howard Hendricks, former professor at Dallas Theological Seminary writes, “One of the greatest fears I have for my students after graduation is not that they will fail, but that they will succeed at doing the wrong things—that they’ll reach the end of the line and discover that this isn’t the destination they wanted, and it can’t fulfill them.”
I reminded us that we will teach more about Christ by how we act than by what we say. Children are constantly looking at us and their parents, inevitably shaping their image of God. The joy of learning, the joy of the Lord, the joy of fellowship should all be present here. Mother Teresa defined joy as “a net of love by which you can catch souls.” In reading some of former Middle School head Steve Larson’s writings, he says that joyful service means your joy is sincere, not put on; it combines merriment with mercy; and a merry saint is familiar with sorrow while poised for laughter. We want TCA to be known for its joy!
Through my entire 36 years at TCA, I think I delight most in watching and hearing stories of lives changed because of our faculty’s, staff’s and parents’ hard work, devotion and faithfulness—of students gaining the knowledge, skills and wisdom that draw them to love Jesus more and influence and serve others as a result.
What a blessing and privilege it has been to work with some of the most gifted, committed and passionate educators, coaches and support staff who fulfill our mission of developing students for His glory and purpose! Seeing the influence our current students, families, teachers, coaches, staff and alumni have in their world spurs us on to continue the work God prepared in advance for us to do. He has protected and provided for Trinity Christian Academy for over 50 years, and I am confident I will continue to be in awe of what He will do in the future. Soli Deo gloria!
DAVE DELPH, HEAD OF SCHOOL
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ITH 2021 IN THE HISTORY BOOKS, we look forward to 2022, and there are many exciting things to share with you, our TCA community. From academics to the arts and athletics, the first half of the 2021-22 school year has been a huge success. It is exciting to see construction progress on our new Middle School building, and we are happy to report that project continues to be on schedule and on budget. If you feel led to make a gift for this important project, please reach out to Becky Lewis at the TCA Foundation. The reports from Amy Prideaux, who leads our admission team, are extremely positive with a strong number of new applicants for next fall—almost double than what we had last year at this time. This fall a team of faculty and administration worked collaboratively on preparing a new Strategic Plan that was approved by the Board of Trustees in November. Much thanks to Kristy Kegerreis, TCA’s director of administrative programs, for spearheading these efforts. In 2022, TCA will be completing a reaccreditation process, and we look forwarding to sharing the results later in the spring. We are thankful for the many hours that our administrators and teachers have committed to prepare for that process.
The accomplishments of this school year are the result of the diligent planning and hard work of our head of school, Dave Delph, and of our administration, faculty, coaches and staff, who continue to work tirelessly to make this school year a success. Thank you to our TCA parents and students who have partnered with our teachers, coaches and administration in this ongoing endeavor.
In the spring we are looking forward to a time of celebration to honor Dave Delph and his years of faithful service, and we look forward to sharing more details in the weeks to come.
While there is much to share this school year, it is important to keep our focus on what makes TCA so very unique. At the center of who we are at TCA is Christ. As we recently celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior and prepare for the New Year, I am reminded that it is our focus on Christ that makes our school and our community so special.
Isaiah prophesized the coming of Christ, writing, “He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). We serve a God who is Wonderful, Mighty and Everlasting and who offers the gift of salvation to all. In Luke 2 the angels appeared to shepherds in the fields tending their sheep, and it is reported that when they saw Jesus, they were compelled to share their story, and all who heard it were amazed. In Matthew 2 it is recorded that when the wise men saw the star leading them to Christ, they celebrated with exceeding great joy, and when they saw Jesus, they bowed down and worshipped him. What makes TCA so unique is not just the fact that we have amazingly gifted teachers and coaches who pursue excellence, but it is the fact that these same teachers and coaches daily share with our students and TCA family the joy that shepherds and wise men experienced over 2000 years ago.
My prayer for our TCA community in 2022 is that we continue to focus purposefully on sharing the hope and joy of Christ our King.
For His glory,
