Cornerstone Christian Academy envisions a high school without grade levels or semesters, where textbooks are rarely used but international mission trips and community internships are required.
“The typical high school is eight semesters where time is constant and learning is the variable. As long as you get your D- and your credits, you get your diploma,” said Steve Butler, the school’s chief innovation officer. “We want to create a high school where learning is the constant and time is the variable.”
Checkpoints would measure students’ learning progress, determining whether they graduate in two years or five years.
“We want to prove to the world what can be done if you have a vision and a strategy,” Superintendent Bill Gibbons said. “It’s our desire to create a learning environment that will maximize opportunity to grow.”
About 430 elementary and middle school students attend the private Christian school split between two church campuses. The school would like to move its learning approaches to one bigger facility and add a high school. Student population has grown to the point where potential students have to be turned away because there’s not enough room.
“It’s just a space problem. It’s a good problem,” Gibbons said.
Gibbons and Butler joined the school in 2011, aiming to bring it up to current standards and make it a “future-ready school” by focusing on teacher training.
After getting funding, Cornerstone modeled its classrooms after Stanford University’s “classroom of the future.” That classroom includes heavy integration of technology, mobile furniture and flexible seating options.
On Thursday, a second-grade classroom was using tablets to create commands that moved a robot, called an Ozobot, along a pathway; they were learning elementary coding skills. Meanwhile, first-grade students were using tablets and QR codes to learn about spiders and their life cycles. Fourth-graders were using an online forum to talk about how to help a friend having tough time. In the same classroom, fifth-graders were designing newspaper-style obituaries about a character they’ve been studying. Students were using flexible seating; they were sprawled out on weighted balls, high chairs and a couch.
“It’s supposed to be where we’re most comfortable and what helps us to learn better,” said Logan Connelly, 10.
Katya Yaremenko, 11, said that besides choosing her seat, she likes choosing research topics.
Exploring options
Cornerstone could remodel an existing building or purchase property and erect a new school, ideally about 100,000 square feet; at minimum, it would be 80,000 square feet. Gibbons said they’re aiming to get 10 acres of land within a 5-mile radius of the current school. Cornerstone considered renovating Living Hope Church, which occupies a former K-Mart building off Andresen Road. The school worked with Tiland Schmidt Architects, the firm behind Grand Central shopping center, to design what that sort of school might look like. But, the idea was recently nixed. Madore Properties, an LLC owned by Clark County Councilor David Madore, recently purchased the property.
“Kids need playgrounds. They need grass to be able to run on and play. It’s not an option there,” Gibbons said.
So, Cornerstone continues exploring all its options.
Currently, kindergarten through fifth-grade classes are spread out over three building at Crossroads Community Church. Cornerstone recently signed its lease on the facility with an option for staying a second year. The school used to be affiliated with Crossroads but has since become a separate entity. The middle school is about a quarter-mile down the road in another building that’s owned by Heritage Church.
About 80 students, including seventh-grader Zack Baker, attend Cornerstone’s middle school. Baker said the rules at Cornerstone helped him become a better student and leader, and he enjoys working with technology.
“It definitely changed me and helped me and I really appreciate it,” said Baker, 13.
On Thursday, his class was making Powerpoint presentations summarizing historic events. Meanwhile, they were tackling what Cornerstone calls “essential questions.” What makes a person a hero? How much control do we have over our destiny? What makes something real? Why are we drawn to stories of good versus evil?
A Woodland resident, Baker is considering going to Three Rivers Christian School in Longview or Prairie High School, a public school, if Cornerstone doesn’t have a high school available for him.
