Grace Christian Academy to serve students of the Southern Tier

LITTLE VALLEY — A new Christian academy will open on Sept. 4 in Little Valley to students throughout the southern Western New York area. The school, called Grace Christian Academy, will be run by the Grace Bible Baptist Church of Little Valley and focus on “leadership, self-discipline, morality, individual responsibility, personal integrity and good citizenship,” according to the Rev. Rich Godinez.

The school, a location for which is currently under negotiation, will offer classes for students in first – eighth grades and is now accepting applications from interested families.

“We’re starting slow,” Godinez explained. His wife Janet, who will serve as director of the academy, said she “understands the needs and economic conditions faced by local residents.” For that reason, the academy will be conducted as an independent ministry of the church and does not accept any financial support from the government or other organization.

The school, which is drawing teachers primarily from the church, will utilize a worldwide education program called Accelerated Christian Education and A Beka Book Phonics, a program that Godinez said “allows each person to excel at their own pace.

“There’s a progress chart at each person’s seat and they come in and review where they are; set their own goals. Some students are more gifted in some areas than others, so they may excel in those areas,” he said. “That’s where the self-discipline and responsibility comes in. We cover all the same things that are covered in secular schools, plus some other things, too.”

“It’s really going to be like a one-room schoolhouse,” added Janet Godinez. “Everyone will be working at their own pace.”

The ACE program has been in place since the 1970s, according to the program’s website, and integrates learning concepts, Bible verse and character traits. Work texts called PACEs “integrate godly character-building lessons into academic context and self-instructional activities are carefully designed to develop thinking skills and create mastery learning.”

According to Rich Godinez, the school district in which the school will be located has approved the ACE curriculum, although the teachers are not required to be New York state-certified in order to implement the specialized curriculum.

“This curriculum is already in place around the world,” Godinez explained. “It’s used a lot by Christian schools, people who home-school and missionary families. It approaches education differently than secular education does.”

Enrollment for Grace Christian Academy is now open for local students, and an application can be obtained by calling 257-3645. Grace Bible Baptist Church is located at 7968 Reed Hill Road in Little Valley. More information is also available online at www.gracebiblebaptistlv.com.