Oakland Christian School is dedicated to quality education, and it shows. With nearly 35 years in education, the school was awarded the Governor’s Cup in the fall of 2002. The award is given to the school with the highest number of scholarships as a result of the Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) test.
Oakland Christian School competed against 192 other schools in the state for the award for Class D schools. Located in Auburn Hills, the school offers both general education and college preparatory curriculum for grades K-12.
The school is inter-denominational, and students regularly attend chapel and participate in Bible classes.
“We’re not run by a church, but a lot of different Christian churches have representation here,” says Oakland Christian School Superintendent Randy Speck. “Elementary students attend chapel once a week, while the secondary students attend daily.”
Bible classes are part of the daily curriculum at Oakland Christian School, and are not taught based on any one denomination.
“The class that’s offered in the elementary and junior high is more factual information, where in the high school they are applying what they have learned,” says Speck. “We try to set up those Bible classes so they are useful and applicable for them.”
A useful tool for students and parents alike offered by Oakland Christian School is Edline. Edline links to the school’s website, and all teachers for grades 4-12 have their own web page, updated weekly.
“For every class they teach, they can post homework and other information,” says Speck. “Every parent has their own secure access code, so they can see how their child is doing in the class. Students have their own codes to check as well, so you always know how you are doing.”
In addition to top-notch academics, Oakland Christian School also offers students the chance to participate in competitive athletics. The school offers varsity boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, volleyball, boys golf, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls track, baseball and softball.
“Our boys basketball team has had a top 10 ranking in the state all season this year,” says Speck. “Our boys soccer team was in the state semi-finals last year. Our varsity athletics are top-ranked among Class D schools.”
The school also offers students the chance to explore their creative sides in drama and music programs, band and choir. Oakland Christian School also takes part in National Honor Society, has a student council, and a student pep club (the Super Fan Club).
The school’s guidance office is active in helping students with their post-high school decisions, and Oakland Christian School has a 96 percent rate of students going on to four-year schools after graduation.
“We are also taking part in a program for our juniors and sophomores (and later adding freshmen) that allows them to enter a database to find scholarships,” Speck says.
Students enter their profile, including areas they excel at, and are given a list of scholarships for which they can apply. Speck says the program is useful for helping students not involved in athletics find scholarships.
Oakland Christian School currently serves students from Wayne, Oakland, Genessee, Lapeer, and Livingston counties. The school has a current enrollment of 575 students, and Speck says they are accepting new applications.
The school’s mission statements states “Oakland Christian School is committed to providing excellence in education in an environment which is supportive of Bible-believing, Christ-centered families and their churches, and to nurturing individuals to become caring, contributing members of the body of Christ and society.”
“We had a family from Detroit that made the drive everyday,” says Speck. “There’s a commitment with our families to Christian education here.”
Oakland Christian School was originally accredited in 1985 from the Association of Christian Schools International. The school applied for and received a full seven-year accreditation renewal in 1994. Preparations are being made for a visit from the ACSI accreditation committee in 2004.
The school offers morning, afternoon and all-day classes for kindergartners. There is also an after-school program for elementary students.
Oakland Christian School is located at 3075 Shimmons Road in Auburn Hills. The phone number is (248) 373-2700, and the fax is (248) 373-9255. Oakland Christian School is online at www.oaklandchristian.com, and can be e-mailed at info@oaklandchristian.com.