EDUCATION
Academic Matters
Individualized instruction in a Christian environment
From left to right: Dressed for the Medieval Festival; Students contribute to the Shoebox Ministry in Atlanta; Elementary students
show off their art projects.
Bham Family August 2020 11
BY JEANA DURST
Cornerstone is a private Christian school
from Alabaster, Calera, Chelsea, and beyond.
Established in 1997 when Pastor Allen Dennis
and Bethel Baptist Church decided to create a
County could have a Christian alternative for
school, Cornerstone offers a college-preparatory
curriculum in a Christ-centered environment.
Their goal is to equip students so that they can
thrive in their communities and live out the word
Cornerstone’s small size enables teachers to meet
the needs of the individual students. Because the
staff knows the students so well they can help them
students participate in dual enrollment courses with
Central Alabama Community College.
STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS
have created their own ministry team that seeks to
welcome new students and to help students who
are struggling in academic or personal areas of
their lives. These young men also help to support
and increase attendance at FCA meetings.
Every year members of the senior class
support Backpack Buddies, a ministry that helps
local students who are struggling with food
Christmas as well. Each year they hold chapel
Ministry and the Baptist Association to attend.
The students present their gifts and pray for the
children who will receive them.
They follow up the Christmas chapel by taking
Beta Club members to Atlanta to help pack the
students put on a Medieval Festival celebration
for the high school Christmas party. Everyone
dresses up and plays a role—from singing to
acting to serving the food. (It’s the one tradition
that students will not let them skip!)
Each year seniors spend two to three days in
a retreat where they discuss what they want to
accomplish as a class and how to handle their last
year as the school’s academic and spiritual leaders.
ON THE HORIZON
With new technology additions, Cornerstone
will be able to offer many more devices and
new learning opportunities for students in the
coming year. They’ve been working hard this
summer to create an online learning tradition
that will enhance in-class instruction as well
as provide continuous online learning should
students be unable to attend. At press time
the school plans to do temperature checks,
keep classes and gatherings small, and perform
school year. For information and updates, visit
cornerstonechargers.com.
/cornerstonechargers.com