Gateway Christian School:
Background – Philosophy and Mission
In 1968 the Red Deer Christian School was born out of a desire by a group of parents to provide a distinctly Christian learning environment for their children because they believed that biblical wisdom is the heart of all learning. The challenge of Proverbs 22 to “train up a child in the way he (she) should go and when he (she) is old he (she) will not depart from it”, was something to be responded to in obedience to God and for the benefit of their children. These Christians recognized that God calls parents to nurture children according to His Word and His ways (Deuteronomy 6:7) and that it was important, when parents delegated part of this task, to choose a school that supported what was being taught at home and at church.
When it seemed that their needs couldn’t be fully met in the publicly offered system of education, they associated into a society (Red Deer Christian School Society). They established a constitution* outlining their basis of faith and understanding of scripture, incorporated, elected a governing board, established managing committees, and began a parent-directed educational enterprise that has continued to this day, and which has been held accountable to its membership by the same structure.
Since the discovery of God’s marvelous world and our place in it proved to be challenging work, the Red Deer Christian School (RDCS) joined a group of like-minded parents that were making similar choices in Canada and in the USA. Through Christian Schools International (CSI), RDCS became part of a network of schools committed to the belief that schooling is most life affirming when teachers and students view life through the spectacles of scripture.
In June of 1999 the Red Deer Christian School Society formulated an agreement with Red Deer Public School District # 104 whereby the Red Deer Christian School became a Christian Alternative Program under its direction and as a result this rich tradition continues. In June 2004 Red Deer Christian Alternative Program along with a group of parents, staff and RDPSD board members changed its name to Gateway Christian School. Christian parents still search for schools that will teach their children that the world belongs to God. They want schools that will lead students to understand and heed God’s call to bring justice and restoration to a fallen world. They acknowledge that God calls their children to the research lab, the law office, the political arena, the university, the school board, and the family farm as well as the pulpit and the mission field.
These parents seek schools that look beyond the classroom to the world. They will not settle for Christian schools that retreat from culture or simply add prayer and Bible reading to a public school curriculum. Nothing short of scripture guiding all of life and learning will do. Gateway Christian School seeks to be such a school within the Red Deer Public System, as an Alternative Program School.
Mission Statement:
In 1997, the RDCS Society captured the preceding religious and philosophical basis and defined its purpose with the following Mission Statement:
Our mission is to provide a Christ-centered education,so that students are equipped to serve God joyfully, in every area of life.