Riverside Christian Academy's administration, board, and faculty are currently undergoing a strategic planning process. This process is a critically important opportunity for our school and the direction of our future at Riverside Christian Academy. We have named this process the RISE Project. Rise is an acronym for road map for innovation, strategy, and engagement.
Whitney Creasy has been named RCA’s Director of Strategy and Community Relations, and she will be serving as the Director of the RISE Project. Whitney received training at Lipscomb Academy on how to formulate and execute a successful in-house strategic plan.
“I am very excited about this opportunity at Riverside Christian Academy. We are in a season of transition, and I believe it is the perfect time to re-evaluate our whole program. The RISE Project will be comprehensive. It will touch every aspect of our school, and will be generated with input from RCA’s stakeholders as members of the AD HOC and steering committees. The RISE Project is not a ‘wish list’; it will require us to make choices, set priorities, and be accountable for actionable items that will move us toward our ultimate goals,” said Creasy.
RCA’s Board of Directors and Administration realize that hope is not a strategy. They believe that God has given his children minds to think and strategize, gifts and abilities to bring order to the world, and most importantly prayer to seek His will in all that we do.
Solomon, in all his God-given wisdom, wrote in the book of Proverbs, “Commit your activities to the Lord, and your plans will be established (16:3),” and “A person’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps (16:9).”
“The success of this project will depend on engagement from everyone in our community. We ask that you join us as we endeavor to steward the ministry of RCA well. As we move forward, we pray and seek the Lord’s vision, and we plan and work for His glory,” said Creasy.
See the timeline below for more details on the Rise Project.
ONE COMMON VISION…OUR VISION
Riverside Christian Academy's strategic planning process is a season of transition, vision, and planning for the future of Riverside Christian Academy.
RCA is well-positioned to make specific goals and build the plan of strategies and tactics to move toward a unified vision. That unified vision begins with the end in mind. Our product as a school is the graduates we send into the world, who we hope will glorify God with their gifts, talents, and abilities and contribute to human flourishing in a culture that seems to get darker by the day. But we realize that hope is not a strategy. We believe that God has given us minds to think and strategize, gifts and abilities to bring order to the world, and most importantly prayer to seek His will in all that we do.
Solomon, in all his God-given wisdom, wrote in the book of Proverbs, “Commit your activities to the Lord, and your plans will be established (16:3),” and “A person’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps (16:9).” So, as RCA moves forward, we pray and seek the Lord's vision, and we plan and work for His glory.
With all of this in mind, our faculty and staff started the school year by creating a common, unified vision for our graduates, our “Portrait of a Graduate.” This exercise was the first step in our RISE Project. RISE is an acronym meaning “road map for innovation, strategy, and engagement.” This project will take place over the course of the school year.
The 5 Characteristics of an RCA Graduate:
1. Christ-Like - RCA graduates will love God and love others. They will exemplify the fruit of the spirit-- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
2. Academically Prepared Lifelong Learners - RCA graduates will not only know the facts and information needed to be prepared for college, the workforce, and beyond, but will also have a love to continue learning and growing for life. They will have the wisdom to discern truth from lies and to think, feel, and choose based on truth.
3. A Spirit of Excellence & Accountability - RCA graduates will operate in a spirit of excellence by going the extra mile, focusing on quality of work and relationships, and doing everything in word and deed in the name of Jesus while giving thanks to God the Father (Col. 3:17). RCA graduates will value constructive criticism and accountability; they will be teachable and coachable in all aspects of life, not just in the classroom or on the athletic field.
4. Foundation to Live by Faith - RCA graduates will know what they believe and why they believe it, and will possess the courage to live by faith in Christ in a world that no longer believes in absolute truth.
5. Effective Communicators - RCA graduates will have the social and emotional learning skills to communicate effectively through written and spoken word in public and interpersonal settings. They will be able to take in information, form logical conclusions, and articulate themselves in a way that is clear and understandable.
We covet your prayers as we embark on this strategic planning process this school year and as we continue to grow and make a difference...for life!
S.O.A.R. ANALYSIS: Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, Results 
Riverside Christian Academy’s current strengths, future opportunities, and shared aspirations underpin the new strategic planning process - the RISE Project - and provide a backdrop for where we are and where we can go. Our strengths are a foundation on which we can build, and the opportunities identified below are how we can leverage those strengths. Our aspirations show the scope of our ambitions, and our results share what we seek to achieve through our work together.
Strengths: Riverside Christian Academy has many strengths including the academic rigor, dual enrollment classes, and the college preparatory nature of our education. Our Christ-centered focus is also ranked high among our strengths as well as the family atmosphere and Kindergarten through twelfth-grade approach to education and community. Students have many opportunities for leadership and extracurricular activities because of the small environment. In addition, our small environment allows for a small student-teacher ratio. RCA’s tuition is affordable, which makes Christian education accessible to more families.
Opportunities: Our strengths foster opportunities for growth, continual improvement, and success. The changing needs and interests of our students and the world requires that we re-evaluate our academic processes and tools and provide a variety of classes including advanced subjects. We can expand the support for extracurricular activities including athletics, the arts, and STEM to provide a well-rounded school experience. There is a need for increased faculty/staff support in order to be competitive in the marketplace. An increase in community presence, involvement, and service including advertising/social media and church relations provides opportunities to create positive relationships and perspectives. Student retention is also important for RCA’s long-term success.
Aspirations: Our analysis of Riverside Christian Academy’s strengths and opportunities inspired our group. The aspirations below convey the possible futures we envision. We can become debt free and financially sound. We will produce graduates who are faithful to Christ and prepared for the future. We aspire to be the most desirable school in the area and to provide well-rounded academic offerings. We believe that we can increase student enrollment while keeping a desirable student-teacher ratio, and that our school operations can move from “surviving” to “thriving.”
Results: If we leverage our strengths, utilize our opportunities, and fulfill our aspirations, our achievements will ensure that RCA:
- Has student enrollment at capacity.
- Is financially stable.
- Has increased involvement from parents, volunteers, and the community.
- Has increased morale and buy-in.
- Graduates truly reflect the Portrait of a Graduate.
To establish our course toward these results Riverside Christian Academy has begun a strategic planning process - the RISE Project - that will continue through the winter and spring of 2024. Join us in considering these possible futures, and add your faithful voice to these vital discussions of our shared future success.