Oklahoma Christian School

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Oklahoma Christian School (OCS) is located in Edmond, Oklahoma. This independent, private school is accredited by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and fully recognized by the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Grades Pre K-12 are offered. Enrollment follows an admission process with an interview and all students pay tuition and fees.

OCS is a faith-based school promoting strong academic preparation along with Christian values and character development. OCS' motto is "To Partner with Families to Educate the Whole Student to the Glory of God. OCS also is a college preparatory school. ACT scores are some of the highest in the state of Oklahoma, and many students have written back to OCS saying that their college professors have praised OCS graduates for being "prepared for the college experience".

1 History
2 OCS Executive Staff
3 Curriculum
4 Chapel
5 HEROES Week
6 Bible Program
7 Extra Curricular Activities and Accomplishments
8 References

[edit] History

Oklahoma Christian School was originally known as the “Christian Center School”. OCS was founded in Fall 1970 and was operated as an arm of the Christian Conquest Center Church in Oklahoma City. During the 1974-75 school year, the church decided to terminate the operation of the school as an arm of the church. Interested parents and teachers decided that the school must continue. The reorganized, independent school was incorporated as Oklahoma Christian Schools, Inc. on January 13, 1975.

OCS celebrated its first graduating class in 1976 with 13 seniors. In 1987, OCS moved to the MetroChurch campus in east Edmond, Oklahoma.

After renting facilities for approximately twenty years, OCS completed its first major building project in 1991-92. This project included a gym complex and then added eight new classrooms in 1995. The facility also housed a band room, science laboratories and the middle school administrative offices.

In 2000, MetroChurch merged with Life Church (also in Edmond). The Lifechurch.tv and OCS leadership worked diligently to compliment one another's ministries. In 2002 OCS purchased 31 acres of land to two buildings from Life Church. Immediately the school began to convert church facilities to full functional educational facilities.

OCS is set to complete its multi-purpose "Student Center" at the end of the 2007-2008 school year. This building is the first phase in OCS' campus expansion. This building will house a new cafeteria, band room, classrooms, concession stand, football locker rooms, and a secondary gymnasium for physical education classes and basketball practice for both the girls and guys team. The OCS "Master Plan" includes a long term expansion plan that will eventually move OCS out of many of its present buildings into new state of the art facilities.

[edit] OCS Executive Staff

Headmaster: Dallas Caldwell
Co-curricular Coordinator: Laura Liles
Executive Development Coordinator: Jeanine Castle
Dean of Admissions: Charlotte Marcus
High School Principal: Keith Campbell
High School Academic Dean: Sharon Jones
Middle School Principal: Dr. Jay McCurry
Middle School Academic Dean: Suzanne Heng
Elementary Principal: Donna Leadford
Discovery: Sherri Cook
Student Council Sponsor: Julie Divilbiss
Campus Pastor: David Thomas
MS and HS Band Director: Michael Brown
Business and Financial Administrator: Linda Catania

[edit] Curriculum

High School Curriculum

Students in grades 9 – 12 are offered a broad range of required and elective subjects. Honors classes in mathematics and language arts are available at this level for qualified applicants. Courses required for graduation are normally taken in the following sequence.

FRESHMAN- English I Algebra I, II or Geometry Oklahoma History/Civics Biology Bible I Two Electives

SOPHOMORE- English II Geometry or Algebra II World History Chemistry/Physical Science Bible II Two Electives

JUNIOR- English III Geometry, Algebra II, Trigonometry/ Pre-Calculus U.S. History Chemistry I, Chemistry II, Chemistry in the Community, Anatomy/Physiology Bible III Two Electives

SENIOR- English IV Algebra II, Trigonometry/Pre-Calculus, Calculus Government/Economics Bible IV Chemistry II, Anatomy/Physiology, Environmental Science, Physics One Elective

High School Electives available include the following: Advanced Drama Anatomy/Physiology Art I and II Band Calculus Chemistry I and II Chemistry in the Community Competitive Acting Computer Technology Drama/Speech Journalism Leadership Skills Media Technology Physical Science Physics Psychology/Sociology Set Design Show Choir Spanish I, II and III Worldview Yearbook

College-bound students are required to take four units of Science. Chemistry I, Chemistry II, Physics, Physical Science, Anatomy, Physiology, and Environmental Science are offered.

[edit] Chapel

OCS has a chapel program which is under the leadership of the chapel council (class chaplains and the STUCO Chaplain(s)). This is a time of student lead worship and Biblical reading and messages. It is not a non-denominational time, but rather an inter-denominational time in which students from all denominations are equally respected. For instance, when the elements of the Lord's supper or communion is taken, students that require an ordained minister to administer the elements may find a staff member who is an ordained minister there to give them the elements. If one does not need an ordained minister, they are free to take the elements from a table. Chapel has been moving more from a time of traditional worship to a time of contemporary worship with themed messages focusing on current problems in the world and the church and within the school. Chapel in the middle school and elementary varies from this explanation in that school administrators lead the chapels of the Middle School and Elementary Grades, but they still have messages that pertain to what the Bible says about Glamour, Popularity, Love, Gossip, Dating, etc.

OCS has two to three all school chapels in which Lifechurch.tv will open up their Edmond Campus' auditorium for the entire school to assemble within it. The occasions for meeting usually are in the celebration of Thanksgiving, Easter, and HEROES Week. Famous Christian recording artists such as Charlie Hall (musician) and Kristy Starling have lead worship in all school chapel on occasion.

OCS requires that on Wednesdays (and Mondays for Elementary students) the students must be in dress code out of respect for chapel. Guys wear a collared shirt, dress pants, and a tie. Girls wear dresses, skirts and nice shirt tops unless the morning temperature is below 32 degrees and then the girls may wear dress pants.

[edit] HEROES Week

OCS students and faculty of all grades (Pre-K through Seniors) reserve one week out of every school year to raise money for a charitable cause. HEROES stands for Hands Extended Reflecting Our Exalted Savior. Recipients have ranged from actual OCS students, families from outside our student body, to Westwood Elementary School in Oklahoma City to the No Boundaries International Missions Group in Sierra Leone, Africa. This week consists of many events such as movie night, a date auction, flamingo football, and teacher auction (teachers auction off notes, quizzes, tardy passes, and homemade items. The largest grossing item to date is a seven course homemade gourmet Italian dinner by Freshman Biology teacher Shannon Campbell that collected over $300 a plate. This totaled over $3,000). At the end of the week, the school assembles in an all school chapel assembly, and after worship songs and scripture readings, the check is presented to the families or the organization representative. In 2008, HEROES week raised over $75,000 for the No Boundaries Missions Group in Sierra Leone.^[1]

[edit] Bible Program

At OCS Bible is just like Math, English, and Science in that it is a required course of study, and it is counted as a religious study on the students high school transcript.

Freshman year is designed as a study of the Gospel in which there is a strict examination of the miracles, parables, and life of Jesus Christ.
Sophomore year is a survey of the New Testament Books. It begins in Acts an usually ends around the James or 1 Peter.
Junior year is a featured year of study at OCS because it picks up where Sophomore year left off. It is a study of the many views of the book of Revelation, and then it examines world religions and cults. This study presents all views of Revelation and at times, Revelation expert Mark Hitchcock has come in and shared his views with the class. The class also shows students the inaccuracies of the Koran, The Book of Mormon, and other religious texts. Students are also required to memorize at least 50 scriptures as a requirement for course passage.
Senior year is another highlight of the OCS Bible program in that it prepares students for defending their faith in college. The year begins with a study of German Higher Criticism and then it moves onto the theory of Evolution and Deism. Under the direction of 24 year teacher at OCS and OCS Bible department chairman Ted Hough, seniors examine what proofs exist and how to disprove many attacks on the scripture. In the second semester, students study topics such a marriage, sex, homosexuality, and other topics that deal with relationships. Students learn that submission does not mean that the wife is the slave to the husband, but they examine the roles of husband and wife and the word submission. This study also teaches students how to counter-act feminism and their claims that the Bible is oppressive to women.

[edit] Extra Curricular Activities and Accomplishments

OCS is also known for its athletic accomplishments. Its cheerleading program has won many state championships and one national championship. Boy's basketball is the most popular sport, with seven state championships, including four in a row (OCS becoming only the 5th team in Oklahoma prep school history to win four in a row). Between 2002-2007, OCS won 5 out of 6 state championships. The Saints have been to the state tournament 7 years in a row and were the 2A State Runner-Up in the 2007-2008 season. The basketball program has produced many good players, including Chianti Roberts, a former Oklahoma State University player, Taylor Griffin, a junior at Oklahoma University, and his brother, OU Freshman Blake Griffin.

OCS has won state championships in men's golf and men's cross country.

OCS has had students who have achieved All-State awards in Athletics, Speech, and Competitive Acting.

The Debate department has grown throughout the past years. Cole Feix, a member of the 2006-2007 debate team, was the State Champion for the 2006-2007 season.

OCS has a growing Theatre Department which has won many Regional Awards and has gone to numerous State Competitions. Under the new direction of Tiffanie Cain, the department has thrived and their most recent One Act production, "Property Rites" took State-Runner-up at the OSSAA sponsored One Act State Competition 2007. They also had three All State Actors awarded from the show, Abby Curry, Kelsey Bowen, and Marcus Sams who was also awarded as an All State Actor in the play "War at Home" in 2006. There latest musical, "Guys and Dolls" was a huge success and has had many rave reviews. On March 15th, 2008 for the first time in the history of the school, the Competitive Acting team competed at the OSSAA Regional Speech Competition, where Marcus Sams and Kelsey Bowen took 1st in Humorous Duet qualifying them for State. On April 12, 2008, Marcus Sams and Kelsey Bowen at the OSSAA State Speech Competition, took home fifth in the state out of a total of 800 other teams. This will be Marcus Sams' third All-State award and Kelsey Bowen's second All-State Award. OCS continues to expand the campus and provide new classroom space. Enrollment from 2000 to the present has averaged approximately 840 students. OCS employs approximately 90 teachers and support staff.