The Shadow
“Fiercely Faithful” is the motto of Covenant Christian Academy, now located at 1601 Chestnut Street in Clifton Forge. The tiny school that is just shy of a dozen students recently moved into the donated building that was formerly Oak Hill Bible Church.
Founded in 2018 by Angela Howdershelt who serves as a teacher, administrator, and board member for the school, Covenant Christian Academy uses multiple online resources which include iLumenEd, Saxon Math, Institue for Excellence in Writing, Bob Jones Press, and Christian Light. Students work independently on their assignments, akin to homeschooling, but have one-on-one access to teachers who serve as mentors/tutors for students who may require additional help understanding the material.
Tuition is set at $100 a month for elementary school (grades 1-5), $150 for middle school (grades 6-8), and high school (grades 9-12) is $300 a month, with books included. “Tuition is again paid, it’s monthly, but it’s paid September through June and we have always said we would never turn away someone who truly felt like this is the place for their child, regardless of their ability to pay,” Howedershelt said. “…God provides for us and we wanna help families be able to come if they wanna come.”
Pastor David Hanks, who pastors at Iron Gate Baptist Church, serves many roles at Covenant Christian Academy. In addition to teaching French to students one-on-one, he is also the school’s pastor, the assistant administrator, and a board member. He sat alongside Angela Howdershelt and Bill Wade, another teacher and member at Covenant Christian Academy, and spoke fondly of the school’s new building. “This hopefully will be our new, permanent location,” Hanks said. “Lot of room for growth here and it’s pretty exciting. There’s plenty of room out there for the kids to play ball, too.”
The school’s mascot is a lion, drawn by one of its students, 14-year-old Amelia Ledford, and school colors are royal blue, gold, and white. Despite the size of the school, it is the only one in the county to offer a French class with a teacher on-site. The only other school to offer French is Alleghany High School, but the class is offered exclusively online. Additionally, the school offers fun electives for the students that they typically do together, regardless of grade level. This includes an auto class, led by Pastor Dave Maddy, and a Theatre class led by Mrs. Maureen Stec.
All teachers at Covenant Christian Academy are there on a volunteer basis and the school is always looking for additional volunteers who feel it placed on their hearts to serve. Additionally, they are looking for both a qualified elementary school teacher and kindergarten teacher.
Covenant Christian Academy is currently taking applications for the upcoming school year that begins on September 5th. For more information about how you can volunteer or register your child, please call the school’s direct number at 540-862-1958, email ccaalleghany2018, or visit the website at www.covenantchristianalleghany.org.
