The Leadership Team from Cornerstone Christian Academy | Ep. 63

Even the thought of starting a Christian school can be overwhelming – the finances, a place to meet, hiring personnel, recruiting families, curriculum and programs – the list feels unending; however, when God moves individuals to do His work, He already has a plan to provide for every need and to enable His servants in His work.

Over the past year, Jenny Copeland was blessed with the opportunity to interact with the leadership and teachers at a brand new Christian school in Virginia. She felt led by the Lord to invite them onto the Teacher Edition podcast to share their story. This encouraging episode is for you, whether you are starting a Christian school or you are serving in a well-established Christian school.

Members of the leadership team from Cornerstone from Academy join Jenny on the podcast today to share their journey in starting a Christian school. They share insights from their experience of planning, hiring, creating a mission and holding to it, and so much more.

Some of the questions discussed in this episode:

• What precipitated the need to start Cornerstone Christian Academy?
• How did they get started in the beginning planning phase?
• How do they keep the mission front and center in the school?
• How did starting a school in their area affect other Christian schools?
• How did they navigate the hiring process?
• How do they help public school teachers transition into the Christian school pedagogy?

During this conversation, you will hear important aspects of starting a Christian school such as having a clear plan, an anchoring mission statement, and a collaborative community of teachers and leaders who can contribute in the daunting decisions like classroom materials, technology, and curriculum. Come back next week to hear more from Ruth Davis, Dr. Sam Botta, and Bill Oblas.

God brought people from the north, south, east and west, that weren’t thinking about this [working a Christian school]… many from public schools, some from Christian schools, and from different walks and different backgrounds. God put together an incredibly beautiful tapestry of people that were called to come to cornerstone Christian Academy  for such a time as this to do this work.”

— Dr. Sam Botta

Ruth Davis grew up in a Christian home and, at an early age, gave her heart to Christ while attending summer camp.  She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Marketing and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership.  She began her teaching career as a Teacher of Technology before transitioning to specializing in Instructional Technology Integration. Mrs. Davis and her husband, Jim, live in Northern Virginia and have four grown children, one grandson, and two dogs. Ruth enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, golf, and kayaking.

In the fall of 1975, Sam Botta began his freshman year of college at Old Dominion University. Although Sam initially thought he was attending ODU to play basketball, a senior witnessed Sam at a party in his dorm cafeteria and then introduced him to a pastor, who led Sam to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Sam soon realized that God had ordained for him to be there not to play basketball, but to place his faith, trust, and life in the everlasting arms of Jesus. After incurring a season-ending injury, Sam left ODU and completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Health and Physical Education at The King’s College in New York.  Dr. Botta began his professional educational career serving as a physical education teacher and basketball coach, leading his teams to numerous tournaments and championships. He also earned Master of Education and Doctor of Education degrees. Dr. Botta went on to serve as principal and head of school at several Christian schools and then as the director of athletics and head coach of men’s basketball at Regent University before joining Cornerstone Christian Academy as head of school. He and his wife Lynda have four adult sons: Danny, Scott, Brett, and Jeff.

Although Bill Oblas went to church every Sunday from childhood, he did not accept Jesus as his personal Savior until he was 21. His then-fianceé, Sally, had a burden for Bill to know Christ (she was saved several months earlier), and she led Bill to the Lord. Bill and Sally have been married since 1973.  Bill’s educational career spans over 40 years. He earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Education. While Mr. Oblas retired from education in 2014, he came out of retirement to support the launch of Cornerstone Christian Academy in Virginia. He and his wife, Sally reside in Northern Virginia, and are blessed to know that their three children, children’s spouses, and eight grandchildren all walk with Jesus.