I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of going to Cary Christian School and appreciated all of the love, help, and support offered by my teachers, advisors, and peers, but I did not truly appreciate the type of students this environment produced until I started college. Compared to what I have seen in my fellow college students, CCS prepared me to excel in all academic areas, and especially in writing, which is essential in almost every other subject. It was shocking to me to read over classmates’ papers this year and find sentences without verbs and entire paragraphs made up of nonsensical “fluff” put together to simply meet the word count. The problems are not simply grammatical; most papers lacked simple thought, logic, and organization.
From a starting foundation in Kindergarten all the way through Senior Year, teachers work hard and work together (within the same grade, but also all grades around them) to build confident and logical thinkers, writers, and people. Having gone to CCS since Kindergarten, I was blessed to be able to experience this process the whole way through. The benefits are not simply to excel in any English or Logic class taken, though. It helped build my character and my personal beliefs, not by simply telling me what to believe, but by teaching me how to question, seek out answers for myself, and come to conclusions which I could defend all on my own against difficult opposition.
I think a crucial part of this process, which set CCS apart, was being able to engage in discussions and formal debates with my classmates. It is a much different and fuller experience to converse and discuss with real people who have real opinions and arguments than simply thinking through made-up scenarios and arguments. There was a mutual respect for all of our beliefs, even if they differed, because we had grown up and grown into our personal beliefs together, having been through the same schooling for years. This made it easier to relate and be on the same page when talking through things. I cannot count how many times discussions, especially regarding Theology and Christianity, carried on outside of the classroom and school, probably more times than in the classroom. Working through crucial life choices, issues, and beliefs has played a momentous part in helping mold me into the well-rounded, strong Christian I am, and am still becoming.
Especially in High School, when life gets real and more difficult than ever before, being able to figure things out together with people of my same background, brought me and so many of my peers through difficult times. We were able to support each other in such a unique way, because we came from the same starting point. To be honest, I don’t know what would have happened to some of my CCS friends if they had not had this type of Christian support from their peers. It seems as if they might not have even followed through with the Christian faith, but, luckily, the family created by CCS was there for them.
If I were able to choose what education I could have received for myself, I would choose Cary Christian School a million times again. The benefits are too great to give up, and I will always be grateful for the family I was a part of there.