Why I love Bethany Christian School…..
“Our son came to Bethany Christian School as a three-year-old preschooler. Prior to that he attended a daycare facility as well as being at home part-time with Mom. The growth that we saw just within the first year was more than we could have wished for! He is now a four year old and in Mrs.McKinley’s preschool class. He has not only taken leaps in his education but also in his faith. We are so thrilled and excited for his continued faith foundation and education at Bethany Christian School!” ~ Preschool Parent
“Bethany Christian School has been wonderful for our child. They have been very accommodating to our child’s needs. He comes home happy every day which reassures my husband and I that he is well taken care of and he shares all the stuff he has learned that day. There is wonderful communication between teaching staff and administration. I highly recommend Bethany Chrisitan School to instill Christian values and educational development.” ~ Preschool Parent
“This is our second year at BCS. I have dropped my daughter off or picked her up on numerous occasions and pulled away with tears in my eyes. You can feel the Holy Spirit even in the car line! Mrs.Cost and Mrs. Ingiosi know every student in the building by name. On a cold day while my daughter waits for me to pull up so she can get in, the music teacher has her arm wrapped around my baby to keep her warm then helps her get safety in the car. There is no place like BCS. It’s like coming home.” ~Kindergarten Parent
“I have three children that attend Bethany and my husband and I couldn’t be happier with the investment we’ve made into our children’s educational and spiritual future. We know that our kids are coming into a place everyday that care for them deeply.” ~Preschool, Kindergarten and 3rd Grade Parent
“Bethany Christian School has not only been a strong foundation in our children’s education, but also their everyday life. BCS instills Christian education, as well as the essential “tools” for growing into a well-rounded individual. We are so thankful for the wonderful talents at BCS!” ~Preschool and 1st Grade Parent
“Bethany Christian School has been wonderful for our child. They have been very accommodating to our child’s needs. He comes home happy every day which reassures my husband and I that he is well taken care of and he shares all the stuff he has learned that day. There is wonderful communication between teaching staff and administration. I highly recommend Bethany Christian School to instill Christian values and educational development.” ~5th Grade Parent
Katie Arter –mom to a 1st grader and Preschooler (Appeal Speech at the BCS Banquet held on October 19, 2018)
Before I get started, I would like everyone to pull out the white card that looks like this….if you do not have one, please raise your hand and we will get one to you. Now I want you to get a pen, there should one on the table, if you need one raise your hand and we will get one to you.
Now, anywhere on that card, write down a student and/or teacher that is currently at BCS or a student that will be attending BCS in the future. Teachers, please write your name down on that card. Just keep that card handy…..you will need it in a few minutes.
Hi, my name is Katie Arter. I have two students at Bethany. My oldest is in 1st grade with Mrs. McClure and my youngest is in Preschool with Mrs. McKinley. Both of my kids started in Preschool Age 3…..my husband and I pray that they will both attend Bethany until 8th Grade. I am also an employee of BCS, I like to refer myself to the face behind the Bethany Christian School Facebook page and Website.
When I was growing up, my parents gave my brother and I a catholic education until 8th grade. My Mom would always say, this is your education foundation and we want to make sure you are deeply rooted in Christ and living out his will. I never really fully understood that until it was my turn to pick a school for my kids….well my husband and I made the decision. We knew we wanted a Christian school, but we wanted a school that would teach both the education foundation as well as, Christ’s teachings and how they are so important in our everyday lives.
We had already been members of Bethany Presbyterian Church and it was an amazing blessing that there was a school in the same parking lot. There were a few church members that had children at Bethany and everyone spoke in such a positive manner. So we made the decision to send our daughter to Preschool and have never looked back. When it was time for our son to start school, we felt a sense of calmness knowing he would be getting the same amazing education our daughter is receiving and they would be at the same school…..they love it when they see each other in the hall. It’s the first thing they each tell me when they get in the car after school. Talk about a Momma’s heart exploding.
Not only are they excited to tell me about seeing each other, they are super (or super duper as Mikayla says) excited to tell me about their day and what they learned. When I sit down with my daughter to do her homework, she is so excited to show me what she learned. I frequently here, mommy lets make a part part mat or let me draw a 10 frame to figure that out……..I absolutely love to see the sparkle in her eye when she applies what she learned at school to her homework…..and everyday life.
My son likes recess, but he also likes to announce that they start their letters at the top. Any time I am writing something, I hear the pitter patter of his feet come over and he ask me if I am using my pinchers. When I answer yes, he runs away happily saying Mikayla, mommy is using her pinchers.
Bethany Christian school has a strong foundation not only in our children’s education, but in our everyday life. We proudly wear the BCS logo wear and proudly speak of our beloved BCS.
I have the added blessing of not only being a mother to 2 students, but I am also staff member of BCS that gets to see first hand the lives of students through the lense of the camera. I love to take candid photos and look back at them to see so much more then what I thought I captured. The students are excited to learn and explore in their education. Many times the teachers and students aren’t even aware I am taking a picture because they are so involved with their studies. Just last month I was in Mrs. Shaw’s class as they were deeply invested in spelling. I took about 50 pictures before Mrs. Shaw saw me……I like to think I have a secret mission in Bethany, its so fun to see the children’s eyes light up when they raise their hand to give an answer, or raise their hand to come up and use the smart board, or be excited about opening their book for the next subject…….I could go on about how excited the students get about their education and the tools they use everyday to enhance their learning.
Not only are the students excited about learning and their educational tools, the teachers are eager to teach those students using their education tools. In the beginning of the year, I was taking pictures and stopped in Mrs. McKinley’s classroom as she was setting up for the next lesson. The first thing she says to me when I walk in the door was, have you seen what we are using for writing letters this year, I am so excited for the students to see and use these tools. It was such a blessing to see how excited she was for her students to learn, but how excited she was to teach them with her new education tools.
As I go on my journey down the hall taking pictures, I stop in Mrs. McClure’s room and we started chatting about the new math curriculum, again so much excitement was beaming from her heart and she tells me how excited she is to teach the students from the new education tool. And the students are so excited to learn. My daughter comes home and cannot wait to do her math homework and show me all the amazing things she learned in school.
I know each and every teacher at Bethany Christian School are eager to teach and change the hearts of students using their education tools. The students come to school with open minds and hearts to learn…..and they have a huge smile on their face.
As you know, this year all funds raised tonight go towards education enhancements……the education tools students and teachers are eager to use and put into action. Items such as the smartboards, new curriculum, handwriting tools, ipads…..I could keep going as the classrooms are filled with examples of educational enhancements. We have so many tools for education, but the one thing that brings everything together is the heart……the students have a heart for learning from those educational enhancements, the teachers have a heart for teaching form those education enhancements, Bethany Christian School has a heart to provide those education enhancements to both the students and teachers.
So I ask that you raise that white card that you wrote on when I started. Raise it up to God and silently pray those names on your card.
And now I ask that you pray for Bethany Christian School.
Finally I ask that you take the pen on the table and fill in the line with what you feel is a fair donation to the Bethany Christian School Educational Enhancements. Before you write down your number, remember all the amazing things those educational enhancements provide and how they impact both the students and staff at Bethany Christian School. Your donation goes directly to Bethany Christian School, which directly impacts that name you wrote on your white card.
Once you are finished there your table sponsor has an envelope for the cards. I ask that you place those in the envelope when you have pray fully considered and wrote down your donation for the Bethany Christian School Educational Enhancements.