Located in the Stewart Heights area of Tacoma, Concordia Christian Academy is a K-12 school that is small enough, with under 300 students, to look at each individual student and personalize their education. At its core, Concordia Christian Academy is a community that loves God and seeks to serve Him. Whether it’s through outreach, co-curricular or regular school activities, they strive to live out their mission in the community.

“We really are a light in the community with our service to others. Our staff provides our students with opportunities to serve the community and those lessons in service stay with our students long after they have graduated,” said Principal Sherrie Gibelyou.

Founded in 1899 (yes, more than 128 years ago), Concordia has evolved into a campus with four buildings and more than 30 educators. This school system provides a Christ-centered, quality education in a student-focused environment, preparing young people to actively serve in the world with their unique talents and gifts.

According to Gibelyou, “For us, it’s being a Christian school that finds a balance between law and gospel. We always lead with grace and forgiveness, recognizing and forgiving a mistake and implementing a law only if they keep repeating the same mistake.” This approach is a nice balance — allowing the team to look at each individual student, identify their interest areas, and create an experiential learning environment for them.

The small school environment allows staff to create authentic relationships with students where they can make their education what they want it to be. “I say it all the time. This is your place, make it what you want it to be. Incorporate what you would like to do into what we do,” Gibelyou said. This means extra-curricular activities and clubs happen because the kids are allowed to explore what they are passionate about.

In our world where values are constantly changing, Concordia Christian Academy teaches common values that are biblically-based. These values find their truth in the bible, so they don’t change.

Concordia Christian Academy believes it’s about you – “This is Your Place!”

Concordia Christian Academy
concordiachristianacademy.org

BY LYNN CASTLE