STORY TIME — Sierra Hyndman, second from left, a kindergarten aid for Jefferson County Christian School, read a story for some of the school’s students. -- Christopher Dacanay

WINTERSVILLE — The final week of August was a busy one for the Jefferson County Christian School, with the Pre-K through 6th graders having their orientation and first week of class. Guided by a new staggered schedule, the seventh- through 12th-graders started the week prior.

JCCS Principal Scott Abercrombie noted the changes that students and their families will see this academic year. From various building projects to expanding course opportunities, the improvements are setting the school up for success, he said.

“This will be an amazing year for JCCS,” Abercrombie said Aug. 27, as the last orientation day neared conclusion and the remaining student body prepared to return.

Abercrombie spent the last five years as Indian Creek Middle School’s assistant principal, before which he was the director of career technical education and secondary curriculum at Brooke County Schools. JCCS’s principal since July 1, Abercrombie said he’s helped provide a new perspective for JCCS and implement some new strategies.

Already this year, the school has seen a 10 percent increase in enrollment, Abercrombie said. He credits the the school’s staff for the increase, noting they’ve been building relationships in the community and sharing their experiences with JCCS, “and (now) we’re seeing the fruits of their labor.”

WARM WELCOME — A celebratory display welcomed Jefferson County Christian School students during their first weeks of class. -- Christopher Dacanay

Currently at 231 students, the school has more room to grow and the ability to add more classrooms, Abercrombie said. Additionally, between replacements and additions, JCCS added seven new staff members to its faculty this year — one of whom is a STEM teacher who will teach electives incorporating coding, robotics, drones and app development.

JCCS does try to keep class sizes small to “focus on personal attention.” So, when the school received an excess of kindergarten registrants early this summer, staff members considered putting students on a waitlist.

“My response was we can’t do that.” Abercrombie said. “We just need to trust that there’s going to be enough for two classes. So, we just kept taking names, and sure enough, we ended up with enough kindergarten students for two classes.”

To go along with the additional kindergarten class, both classrooms received new flooring to make them more durable and permanent. What’s more, new “flex spaces” were added to accommodate the kindergarten through third-grade classes. The spaces can be used for hands-on activities, creative play, indoor recess and even story time.

Those are just some of the physical improvements JCCS has undertaken to be “good stewards of what God has given us,” Abercrombie noted.

The school’s multi-purpose room on the second floor has been completely renovated, with new ceiling tiles, a fresh coat of paint and new flooring that’s soon to be installed. Kalkreuth employees to installed a new roof, and over the summer, the entire school building had its air ducts cleaned. Also over the summer, JCCS utilized a grant to upgrade its security system. The school is now monitored by 37 high-definition security cameras and is protected by a key fob system.

On a smaller scale, teachers have been preparing their individual classrooms with the goal of making the environments “more inviting,” Abercrombie said. Classrooms contain flexible seating, small libraries and technology like Chromebooks — supplemental resources for which JCCS has a one-to-one laptop to student program.

Apart from the physical improvements, JCCS has taken steps to further its students’ academic opportunities, Abercrombie said.

JCCS can offer four English, two history and three math college-level courses through the several secondary level teachers who have master’s degrees in their concentration. Those teachers facilitate the college courses in-house, meaning students seeking college credit don’t have to attend classes elsewhere. One such teacher — who utilizes JCCS’s fully updated science lab — is finishing her master’s degree program now and is planning to pursue her doctorate in anatomy.

“The staff in our high school is well trained, they’re well educated and they work over the summer to really hone their craft,” Abercrombie said.

One hundred present of JCCS 11th-graders are taking one of two different college-level history courses, and 90 percent of 12th-graders are taking one of two different college-level English courses, Abercrombie said, noting that interest in dual-enrollment is substantial.

JCCS already offers Ohio’s free College Credit Plus through Ohio Christian University, and it is now beginning to offer — for its Ohio and West Virginia students — in-person and online college classes through West Virginia North Community College. Whereas students must normally pay $25 per credit hour to participate, JCCS has agreed to pay for students’ early access tuition, Abercrombie said.

The goal is to remove hurdles between students and obtaining college credit, Abercrombie said, adding that doing so is an “investment in our students and providing what they want and need.”

“We hope that we will get to the point where a student will graduate with their associate degree the second week of May from a school like West Virginia Northern, and the fourth week of May, get they get their high school diploma. We will get there. We have the motivated students that will put the effort in.”

Abercrombie added that, with last year’s graduating class, JCCS crossed its 300 lifetime graduate threshold. Of last year’s graduates, two scored a 35 out of 36 on their American College Testing exams, and Abercrombie said he expects continued high performance on year-end and state-issued tests.

To support its students and their families, JCCS aims to make tuition affordable through programs like Ohio’s EdChoice and scholarship and West Virginia’s Hope Scholarship.

Supporting students in a different way, JCCS has a guidance counselor who’s assisted by a trained facility dog, Memphis.

Guidance Counselor Susan Potvin said of Memphis: “He works with all our students. He’s just here as my counseling assistant to help with fear, anxieties and to teach lessons. … Kids can be really tactile with him. In this virtual reality world, we need to keep kids grounded. He has a real calming and joyful effect on staff and students.”

Whether it’s college credit or putting down new floors, JCCS tries to do everything in a “God-honoring way,” Abercrombie said, adding, that faith pervades the classroom from the very beginning, when teachers lead with a prayer.

“We always look to see what God would want us to do, what direction God wants us to move, and that’s the way we go about doing business.”