About
History
In July of 1957 the founders of Tri-City Christian Academy of Seventh-day Adventists started construction on the first TCA campus building. This was a personal commitment on their part. They drove nails, poured concrete, laid block, and cooperated in a hundred other jobs. Families worked shoulder to shoulder. Many individuals left work, drove directly to the school every day for weeks, and worked on the building until late in the evening. In one month the building rose from the foundation and the school started. That was commitment!
Why were so many individuals dedicated to this school? The answer is simple. They wanted a Seventh-day Adventist school that would be able to serve the Triad area. In 1957 schools did not face the huge educational problems we encounter today. Drug use and violence were not problems in '57. Public schools were safe. Teachers still controlled the classrooms. So why were these individuals so committed to a Christian school? They wanted a school where the Bible was a regular textbook, where values were taught and modeled, and where prayer was a way of life. These dedicated people wanted these things for their children in 1957. Today we see how wise they were. Today, most parents want this for their children. Now, as parents face a world of violence, drugs, a hostile media, and the breakdown of family values, many need a school like TCA.
Tri-City Christian Academy still requires a commitment today. TCA is only a tool. Parents and guardians still need to be committed to home-schooling. Parents and students not only pay tuition and support fund-raising, they must be committed to a total education of the body, the mind, and the heart. Parents and guardians must take an active part in educating their children at home. TCA is a partnership of students, parents, churches and dedicated teachers. It will continue to work if we all work together.
We praise God for those individuals who started this school in sacrifice. We praise God for those individuals who continue to support TCA with their money and their time. If you would like to be part of this kind of school, we welcome you. And if you decide to come to TCA, we ask that you commit yourself to the goals and ideals outlined in this website. TCA is a commitment. It always has been. It always will be.
Mission Statement
"Our mission is to provide an education in accord with the Bible as understood by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, that enables students to reach their highest potential in academic excellence, spiritual growth, moral integrity, and physical fitness; that prepares students for Godly participation in the world community and promotes loyal service to God and mankind."
Unique Product Quality
Tri-City follows the 4MAT model of teaching and integrated instruction as is recommended by the North American Division Office of Education's Journey to Excellence model. (North American Division Office of Education, 2004) This philosophy considers and integrates the diversity of human learning styles and directs instruction to address all styles. The four learning styles identified in this method are:
• Innovative learners. These learners are primarily interested in how subject matter coincides with personal meaning. They have a need to connect personal experience and determine daily usefulness of any new information. The innovative learner best understands lessons that are taught with brainstorming, cooperative learning and integration of subjects.
• Common Sense Learners. These learners are more interested in a “hands-on” approach. Kinesthetic and experiential activities such as hands-on tasks and manipulatives work most effectively for these learners.
• Analytic Learners. These learners are primarily concerned with the accumulation of new facts in order to deepen their understanding of a specific subject area. They learn effectively through independent research, data analysis, expert testimony and lectures.
• Dynamic Learners. Self-directed discovery is the most effective mode for this learning group. They learn exceptionally well through independent study, role-playing, simulations and games.
While traditional teaching methods have relied heavily on teaching to the analytic learner's strengths, the 4MAT curriculum is designed to address all styles to give students from all learning types the opportunity to excel and broaden. “That is, each lesson contains "something for everybody," so each student not only finds the mode of greatest comfort for him/her, but is challenged to adapt to other, less comfortable but equally valuable modes.” (Living Laboratory Curriculum, 2005)
The 4MAT method being utilized by Tri-City Junior Academy also synthesizes the understanding of left-brained, right-brained, frontal and basal intellectual capacities.
The 4MAT method integrates with and strongly complements the philosophies of two of the most highly acclaimed educational and behavioral scientists in modern education; Howard Gardener's “multiple intelligences” philosophy and William Glasser's motivational philosophy strongly parallel the 4MAT ideal.
North American Division Office of Education. (2004). Journey to excellence . Retrieved June 14, 2005, from http://www.journeytoexcellence.org
Our Philosophy
Tri-City Christian Academy is operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church to provide a spiritually oriented education for children. A belief in the existence of the Creator God is fundamental in the philosophy of Seventh-day Adventist schools. We respect His divine authority and recognize His intervention in human affairs. We believe that true education develops the spiritual, mental, and physical powers of each student; preparing them for the joy of service in this life and for the higher joy of service in the life to come. To achieve this goal, we encourage each student to:
- develop a personal relationship with God and his fellow men as stated in Matthew 2:37-39
- master the basic academic skills
- value labor, physical and mental, as the
- blessing God intended
- cultivate physical fitness, mental ability, and moral purity as the blessing God intended.
Tri-City Christian Academy is operated in harmony with the guidance and direction of the Office of Education, North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The Tri-City Christian Academy family exists to show children Jesus, nurture their love for Him and others, teach them to think, and empower them to serve.
Safe and Sound video presentation
Few decisions are as important -- and potentially life-changing as choosing a school for your children. In this video you will learn some of the history of Adventist Christian education. Hear from some of our committed Christian teachers and see how Adventist Christian education provides a quality academic experience in a caring Christian environment.
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Journey to Excellence video presentation
Hear from administrators, teachers, parents and students about the quality academics, strong curriculum and integrated spiritual and moral content of our school.
Windows users: click here for video
Mac version: click here for video
"Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
Proverbs 22:6 |
