As we celebrate our 35 years anniversary as a school community, I am reminded that we are first of all a Christian community which operates as a school. As the years have passed I have come to appreciate the distinctiveness of our School in our basic assumptions and our purposes.
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The primary assumption for the existence of most schools is that their purpose is to prepare students for society. However, the primary assumption for the existence of Pacific Hills Christian School is to bring glory to God. In doing that our School community will prepare our students to become wonderful members of community and society.
These primary assumptions determine the driving force of our operation as a community of teaching and learning. If our primary assumption is to prepare students for society and then what society is and how we interpret society will be the chief factor in how we operate as a community of teaching and learning. That is not a good foundation for our purpose to be fulfilled. If our primary assumption is, however, to bring glory to God, then Who God is and the purposes that He has for our lives will be the motivation, the driving force, the goal of the way in which we operate as a Christian community of excellence.
The beginnings of Pacific Hills, or as it was called, Pennant Hills Christian School, were simple and based largely on faith and a pioneering commitment by a group of men and women who had a vision for what God could do with a Christian school. One of the foundational purposes of PHCS was to integrate children with learning difficulties into the normal life of the school. Another foundation was the decision to employ only committed Christians within a trans denominational framework of thinking and practice. In the book, Vibrant Grace by Dr Noel Davidson, we have recorded many of the salient stories of the first 30 years of the ongoing journey of Pacific Hills. This book reminds us to be thankful, to have faith, and to show love and to express God’s grace in various ways. The School has grown to include more than 1200 students and a staff of over 150.
The current Board of the School is extremely strong in Christian commitment and has a desire to be critically constructive of maintaining and enriching the essential characteristics which were put in place when the School commenced. The School has changed over the years but in many ways it is much stronger in its understanding and commitment to the vision that was there from the start. This growth in quality has been possible by the strong foundations that were set by those who pioneered the School and so we are very thankful for the commitment and energy that was given by so many for so long.
Dr E J Boyce
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Read After 35 Years Pt 2