Tonya Snyder Head of School
THE THREE E'S OF THE CCS MISSION
from the Desk of the Head of School
AN INTERVIEW WITH A CCS ALUMNA
Kristie (McLain) Lojzim, CLASS OF 2011
It is sometimes easy to forget the "why" behind what we do. This can happen to us as individuals and as organizations if we aren't intentional about focusing on the reasons for doing what we do. Knowing our "why" helps us know which things to say "yes" to when we are faced with options, and it helps us know what we must say "no" to, even if an unrelated option seems like such a good one. Knowing our "why" and sticking to it can help us each achieve our goals with excellence.
CCS is deeply committed to its mission, which begins with two action words to help the school stay focused. They are the first two E's: engage and educate. It is the school's mission "to engage and educate young people to know Christ..." There is no greater Truth than to know Jesus Christ. However, it's not enough
to merely know Christ
on a personal level.
When we truly know Jesus, we are compelled to do something in response. Therefore, Cornerstone also focuses on the third E of the mission: equipped. CCS engages and educates young people to know Christ and "be equipped to impact the world for God's Kingdom."
CCS teachers plan and instruct with an intentional focus on engaging and educating young people through the various content areas to know Christ, but they don't stop there! CCS teachers know that the end goal for Christians is to impact the world for God's Kingdom; therefore, instruction, modeling, and programming focuses on equipping students to do just that.
The CCS mission requires that we know what God's "Kingdom goals" are so that we are each making an impact in the world accordingly. The school's key strategies help us do just that, which we'll begin to look at next month!
Not many can say they have a direct connection to the beginning days of CCS, but Kristie can! Her grandparents, Neale and Gladie McLain, were instrumental in establishing Cornerstone in the early 1980s. Her grandfather, Neale, was pastoring the Manchester Church of the Nazarene at the time when he and his wife simultaneously felt God’s nudge to start the school. With much prayer and hard work, the doors of CCS opened in 1981!
With a rich heritage and commitment to Christian education, Kristie’s parents moved from Moodus to Manchester in 1997 so Kristie and her brother, Ian, could begin school. In those days, CCS did not have a preschool program, so Kristie attended half-days for the first year and spent full days in Kindergarten the following year. She says she is “forever grateful” to her parents for making the move!
For Kristie it is hard to pinpoint the most valuable thing about her experience at CCS, because it all seems equally precious. She appreciated the excellent education
she
received,
but she
believes
her great-
est treasures came from the
extended family she found in teachers, mentors, and peers who walked alongside her. She recalls seeing examples of faithful people with God’s power at work in their lives, and this allowed her to experience God in a real, tangible way. By the time she was eighteen, she had heard and seen such evidence through
continued on back page.
Alumni Feature of The Lion's Roar
Dawn Snellenberger interviewed Class of 2011 alumna Kristie Lojzim. Kristie currently resides in Billerica, MA, with her husband and fellow alumnus, Josh. She works in special education for Newton Public Schools.
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FEBRUARY 2019
THE LION'S ROAR
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