Academic excellence is not just the ability to perform, achieve, or excel at scholastic activities. While academic excellence is identified with achieving good grades, academic excellence is more than just report card marks. Knowledge in the 21st century changes rapidly. Academic excellence is the maximum development of intellectual capabilities so that one might serve others with specifically developed skills. This is where “academic excellence” and “spiritual excellence” intersect. Students strive to achieve academic excellence so that they find purpose and meaning in their place in the world as it relates to others.
Why is academic excellence important? Students who do well in school are not only prepared to be successful occupationally and economically; they are also prepared to impact their communities and their world. Students who are academically excellent demonstrate 21st-century skills of being a critical thinker, a creative thinker, and effective communicator, and an effective collaborator. Truly academically-excellent students demonstrate the Christ-like characteristics associated with servant leadership.
At Grove Christian School, we benchmark to meet and exceed state and national standards – with a Biblical worldview. We strive to develop a hunger for excellence in students at all levels, we benchmark ourselves against state and national standards, we believe that Christian schools should be among the very best schools because we represent Christ, and we believe in building concrete strategies and plans for continuous improvement for academic excellence. (Please see our GCS Strategic Plan.) At Grove Christian School we work really hard, we focus our efforts, we are adaptable, and we do not give up in the pursuit of increasing academic excellence for every student.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Phillippians 4:8)
