Michael Cripe
Special to the Citizen
Northland Christian Schools is looking to reach more children now than ever and achieving that goal involves opening up a brand new campus at Christ Chapel.
The new Platte City-located campus will be the Northland’s third. Though the location will be somewhat small in size, plans for the campus see an emphasis in family atmosphere and Biblical lesson plans woven into standard education practices.
The school will offer courses for students in preschool up to 5th grade, though the campus webpage says the campus — at 15275 92 Hwy, — only has plans up to second grade.
The page also suggests that public interest could lead to “additional grades.”
Principal for the upcoming location, Joseph Smith, has been hard at work learning from experienced educators in order to prepare for his soon-to-be role. His clear dedication shows when he speaks of his position and is backed up by the extensive research and preparation he has undergone.
“Last summer I started looking into what it would take to start a Christian school,” Smith said. “Through that process saw a lot of research and reached out to a lot of different Christian schools. I’d ask, ‘If you had day one over again, what would it look like? What would you keep, what would you do different, and how would you adjust things to make life better for yourself?’”
Before pursuing a path in the education of others, Smith served in the military for a little more than 20 years. He says this background, along with his master’s degree, provided invaluable organizational leadership skills.
Alongside this offbeat history, Smith says he has taught children and adults alike at Sunday school for years.
“My vision is that we continue to grow with Northland Christian Schools; continue to learn, love and lead.” Smith said. “That’s one of the things we believe in. Obviously, the Bible is our foundation and what we stand on…teaching those Biblical foundations and being able to intertwine that with science, history and math.”
Smith’s goal moving forward is to build a family, starting with the staff all the way down to the families that choose to bring their children to the school.