What Parents Say
“As we thought about where to send our kids to school we didn’t have strong opinions on public versus private or Christian versus non-Christian. But as we began to listen to friends talk about their school experiences, we were continually impressed with what CSW families would say: Christ-centered, passionate teachers, small class sizes, community, teaching kids to love to learn.
We were drawn to the combination of an excellent education that intertwined the day’s subjects with faith and Scripture and the community created by the families who choose this school. We find the atmosphere warm and inviting, the teachers engaged and excited, and the students sharp and respectful.
Our children are thriving in this environment. They are excited to go to school and share with us what they are learning, and we are watching them develop into confident, discerning young people who love the Lord.”
–Jason and Dorian Graham, parents
“I have had the privilege of spending an hour with our class of children nearly every Friday afternoon for the past few months. Your daughters invite my two pre-school girls to play during recess each week and happily push them on swings or climb with them. Library time is a treat for my girls because each girl in the class has read to them, sat with them or listened to my little ones. I say this to show you what a beautiful-hearted, kind class of girls God has placed them in.
The boys have impressed me with their obedience to and respect for Mrs. Glosson and (still) Ms. Wright. And I’ve watched “Revenge Tag” and “Midnight” and light-saber wars carried out without unkindness to each other but with utmost respect for all the boys, even the younger ones on the playground. Once, during library time, the boys all sat together talking quietly for a while, but began to have outbreaks of loudness. I listened in and heard they were telling a story, each making up the next scene of the story, then passing it on to the next boy. They were loud when someone interrupted another boy: they quickly stopped him and didn’t allow the disrespectful interruption!
I have loved watching them in pairs or in a large group enjoying each other quietly when necessary, running full speed and being very active when it’s time. We have very boyish boys with self-control!
The boys and girls interact with the same grace toward each other and friendship, as well. Overall, I praise God for this class of boys and girls in which God has placed my son, Levi. I look forward to our 12 growing together in wisdom and stature and favor with God and man over the next 10 years!”
–Heather Neumann, parent
“When we started to think about potential places to look for Joel to go to school, a friend from our local congregation mentioned we should check out a school called Classical School of Wichita. She works for the Sedgwick County Historical Museum and had seen groups of 5th graders go on tours through the museum. She told me that consistently this school brought the most well behaved and inquisitive set of students… she was incredibly impressed. So we checked them out and have been so happy for that recommendation. Just this fall our friend shared that CSW visited again and again she was impressed. The woman who works in the museum gift shop was nervous to see so many kids heading her way after the tour, but commented to my friend how mannerly and courteous they all were. CSW kids are clearly making an impact even on field trips… let your light shine… you never know who may be watching!”
–Amy Schlosser, parent
“Kena, I can’t tell you often enough how amazing it is to see the progress Jack has made this year. His ability to THINK is the most exciting, rewarding development among all others.
Every day I see a shocking lack of critical thinking skills in the professional world. Linear, logical thought processes are needed to save companies and organizations from scattered priorities and inefficient spending. A classical education offers tremendous benefits to our society by producing men and women of character, and future leaders with the ability to think clearly.
At a dinner party one evening, my fourth grade son Jack asked our Ph.D.-level guest, ‘So, when did you first study Augustine?’ What followed was a beautiful discussion between the two about early Christian history and the major thinkers of the middle ages. My ten year old spoke as a typical boy, his speech still peppered with ‘ums’ and awkward pauses, but I sat mesmerized, proud, and amazed at his curiosity, knowledge and perspective. Blessings!”
–Sheree Nikkel Dixon, parent
“There are two main reasons Maggie and I send our children to CSW and will keep them there until they graduate, Lord willing:
1. First, CSW “aims to graduate young men and women who think clearly and listen carefully with discernment and understanding; who reason persuasively and articulate precisely…” Classical Christian education is uniquely geared to accomplish these ends. And classical Christian education, by definition, is K-12; it gives training in Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric. You can get a good education at CSW through 8th grade, but you can’t get a truly classical education unless you stay the course. All that CSW is building in the Grammar and Logic stages paves the way for the Rhetoric stage. There’s no other school in Wichita that formally teaches the tools of Rhetoric from a distinctively Christian perspective. Therefore, there’s no other school in Wichita wherein a student can get a truly classical Christian education.
2. Secondly, the church is called to make disciples of Jesus Christ…teaching them to observe all that Christ has commanded (Mt. 28:19-20). And parents are called to raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph. 6:4). These commands are clear. As a parent thinks about their obligation to raise their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, I’m convinced there is no better education option than classical Christian education. And I’m convinced there’s no better education option that will prepare students for faithfulness to the Great Commission than classical Christian education.
The word translated “discipline” in Ephesians 6:4 is paidea in the Greek. It carries the idea of holistic training. And being a disciple of the Lord is Word based—to observe all that Christ commanded we must study the Word. Therefore, disciples need “discipline” or training in the Word: they need tools for reading and studying the Word and for communicating that Word to all nations. I know of no other education that gives students the tools needed to rightly handle the Word of God than classical Christian education. And I know of no other education that will prepare a student for proclaiming that Word and defending that Word in the world than classical Christian education.”
–Josh and Maggie Black, parents
“Do we believe that we need leaders in every aspect of life that speak, write, and act with virtuous, well ordered hearts and minds? After Grammar, learning the rules of every subject, then Logic, learning to listen carefully and think critically… Rhetoric, the high school stage, is the completion as well as the reward for the family and student that has persevered through the rigor of the first two disciplines. It is such a blessing to watch your child develop an awareness of their mentoring responsibility to the younger students that they share the halls with as well as the confidence that blossoms as they do the job! All this comes from, in the words of our graduate, teachers that showed her that learning was exciting and their passion and commitment to the students was the same whether the class size was 16 or 4.”
-Mike and Laurie Ferguson, parents
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2
This verse distills much of our hopes and dreams as we raise our children and make educational decisions for them. We do not want our children’s hearts taken with this world and devoted to its patterns. We want them to be able to discern God’s will for their lives. We hope they live non-conformed, transformed lives, and we believe that CSW is a great place for their minds to be renewed in God’s Word. We do not want them swallowed up by a youth culture that puts them at its center and glorifies them rather than an environment where their gifts and abilities are poured out not for their glory, but for the Lord’s.
I (Julie) attended a large high school with a huge menu of activities, and I participated in one. I love the well rounded experience Fletcher has had the last two years. He has not had to specialize in one area, but has been able (and felt comfortable) to experience multiple sports, a musical, choir, a formal, etc. He has enjoyed these student life activities while receiving what I consider to be the best education in the city; a Classical, distinctly Christian curriculum delivered by teachers I hope he emulates in his Christian life.”
-Alex and Julie Kice, parents
“The Lost Tools of Writing curriculum really enables students to put a voice to their Christian beliefs. They are taught how to gather relevant ideas, arrange them, and then use style techniques to present them persuasively. This process will serve students well in the future, as they will have the tools they need to express the things that they hold true with order and beauty.”
-Mrs. Kris Darrah, teacher
“The pursuit of a liberal education in the classical sense is the pursuit of freedom. What is meant by this? The freedom engendered by a preparation in the classics imparts the ability to wield ideas.
In the modernist school, a person is groomed to fit into the society that is imagined to exist at the time. In this way, a student in the modern system becomes a servant to the ideas prevalent at the time, and made productive in that context. Many decisions have been made for the student as to what their life will mean. But what if the ideas and prominent processes of the time, the political, commercial and technological streams of the world change?
The modernist student is formed for a world which has disappeared, and now fights to maintain a place that is vanishing. This specialization of education in reaction to productive trends is actually a limitation imposed upon the student. The free or liberally educated student has been given access to their intellectual and spiritual heritage, and is the owner of ideas and skills that are universally supportive of their continued growth throughout life, whatever direction the ‘of the times’ manifests.
Cultivating the affections and encouraging inquisitiveness in the environment of the Gospel also provides advantages over the secular and technical approach to the formation of productive citizens that is prevalent amongst the modernists. Because of the freedom of the Gospel, we can approach knowledge as a journey that leads to greater assurance, rather than as a technique or instrument to progressively create skepticism. In our own times, skepticism has led to a denial and rewriting of history that ultimately forces every skeptic to write their own. This pits everyone against everyone, and assures tranquility only by the exercise of force. We have on one hand sober hope in the redemption, and on the other grim survival against chaos.
Freedom from coercion depends on immersion in the deep pool of our common heritage, the heritage of humanity and the infusion of the Kingdom of Heaven. We work to free our students.”
-Mr. Dan Snyder, teacher
“Upper school science offers the student access to high end technical equipment including medical school quality microscopes, chemistry equipment and physics instruments. Students also have the opportunity to become proficient with software including MS Office, Adobe Creative Suite and CATIA Engineering 3D Design Application. Biology students in 9th grade participate in a multi-year study of the Little Arkansas River ecosystem with a complete survey of the flora and fauna as well as a chemical and physical analysis of the environment. A strong Human Anatomy section is also included. Chemistry students in 10th grade participate in numerous labs with a college-prep approach. Physics students connect math with the real world using hands-on activities. Students design and 3D-Print parts of a hand-built functioning electric motor. AP Biology students use the most popular college AP Biology text to master concepts only introduced in earlier grades.”
-Mr. Mark Neas, teacher
“Classical School of Wichita has excellent outcomes when you consider our graduates’ACT scores, success in college, the number who stay true to the faith. Our son is currently a Sophomore in Newman University’s pre-dental program. This school is known for its high academic rigor in the sciences. Thanks to the incredible preparation our son received at CSW, he is excelling. In fact, his grades are higher now than they were in high school. More importantly, he is well equipped to defend his faith. Our CSW teachers are so dedicated to our students that Mr. Neas told Nathan to call him if he ever heard a Darwinian argument in college that sounded plausible so that they could have a conversation about it.
Our son has been well equipped to handle opposing world views without being shaken. He is leading the philosophical and theological discussion in the classroom. Furthermore, he is motivated and prepared to share his faith and led someone to Christ earlier this year.
We are excited to see our daughter getting the same opportunities at CSW. We often comment that her tuition is the best financial investment we could make. It is thrilling to see the advances she is making in her writing skills, mathematics and scientific knowledge. The public speaking and composition that CSW emphasizes is lacking in the public sector. This gives our students a clear advantage. As a college professor, I can attest to the fact that students who write well, learn public speaking skills, are strong in math and science, while maintaining a firm grounding in their faith excel. CSW equips our students for success. I am so glad we found this school 9 years ago.”