Alton's Riverbend Christian Leadership Academy Outlines New Brand and Goals
Our Daily Show! MCVS: A New Era as Riverbend Christian Leadership
ALTON - Mississippi Valley Christian School recently announced its decision to rebrand as Riverbend Christian Leadership Academy, and Administrator Tim Lee breaks down what this means for the school.
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Located at 2009 Seminary Street in Alton, the school serves students from preschool through high school. They offer a Christ-centered education for families across the Riverbend region. Lee emphasized that the changes are an opportunity to sustain the school for years to come.
“We have been discussing what we need to do for sustainability in the future. We want to honor the heritage that we have,” Lee said. “With change comes fear. People fear what that change looks like. It’s not going to be the same that it always was, because the last time I came here, we were going bankrupt and going to not be existing at this point. So there are changes that we’re going to make and we’re going to make intentionally. Doesn’t change our mission. Doesn’t change our passion.”
Lee shared that he has been at the school for six years, and every summer, they must consider whether or not they are going to open their doors again in the fall because of funding shortages. They hope that by rebranding and enrolling more students, they can move past this question.
Riverbend Christian Leadership Academy was previously associated with Faith Baptist Church in Alton, but they are now completely separate entities. Lee emphasized that the split from the church was amicable, and he encourages people to reach out to the church to learn more about what they offer. In the meantime, he’s excited to see what this means for the school.
“With our separation from Faith Baptist Church, it really creates some freedom for us,” he said. “Again, this is not a slight to Faith, but they’re a church who is trying to build a church, and one of the ministries they had was a Christian school. Now that we’re no longer a church, we’re not in competition with you or your church. We want to facilitate you. We want to facilitate the parents and the pastors of those churches to fulfill their mission.”
He explained that the new name, Riverbend Christian Leadership Academy, better reflects the school’s location and values. The school believes that service is “true leadership,” and they emphasize this with their rebranding.
There are also several promotions to encourage more enrollment. Current families, known as “Legacy Families,” have “really stepped up” in the previous months to support the school, Lee said. The first 150 new students who enroll will be considered “Founding Families,” and they will receive 10% off tuition costs if they enroll by April 14.
Riverbend Christian Leadership Academy hopes to triple their student body. With a goal enrollment of 210 students, the student-to-teacher ratio would be 15:1.
Lee encourages interested families to “come and see” what Riverbend Christian Leadership Academy has to offer. He noted that it’s an exciting time for the school, and he is excited to see what happens next.
“Don’t just take our word for it, but come and see our academics. Come and see our sports. Come and see the character of our young people, which is the most important thing as we live out this academic excellence,” he added. “Bringing [your child] into a Christian school creates an atmosphere where they are in that type of atmosphere on a regular basis, where not only is it not frowned upon, but it’s actually encouraged that you would carry your Bible, that you would be spiritually-minded, that you be growing in Christ. You’re being encouraged to explore that side of your image of God, that God has created you to be. That’s the value that we bring.”
For more information about Riverbend Christian Leadership Academy, including how to enroll, visit their official website at Riverbend.Academy.
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