There have been times when people have said to me, “Anika, you just need to find more donors for the school.” It is not that easy. Others have said, “If you advertise more, you can increase enrollment.” It is not that easy either. Still others have advised me to offer more of this or less of that, or to appeal to a different type of family, because then the school would really grow.
After twelve years of leading The Living Water School, the most valuable advice I have received is this: Keep your vision and mission clear and consistent. Do not change who you are simply to attract more students, because what people want will always change. When you are clear about who you are and what you offer, the people who need what you have created will be able to find you.
Our school has never experienced a sudden rush of people flocking to enroll, but we have maintained a steady stream of families searching for an experience different from that of a traditional Christian school. We have chosen to occupy a challenging and unusual space. Although we are not the right school for every family, we have attracted families who believe we are the right school for their unique needs. Therefore, we fiercely protect the mission God has given us.
Some of our commitments may appear to clash with one another. We celebrate freedom and diversity, but we do so within a biblical foundation and from an explicitly Christian perspective. For us, these commitments are not contradictory. They come together in the example of Jesus. Jesus never compromised His standard, yet He consistently loved, welcomed, and recognized the dignity of all people. He crossed social, cultural, and religious boundaries without abandoning the truth. That is the model we seek to follow. We remain faithful to our Christian convictions while extending the gracious love of Christ to every person.
Number One: We Are Explicitly Christian
In these challenging times, Christianity has sometimes aligned itself with political movements and ideologies that have caused real harm, particularly to historically marginalized communities. Because of that, identifying as Christian may not feel as attractive or as safe as it once did for some families. I have even been accused of promoting a faith that is inherently racist.
But I know the Jesus revealed in Scripture. He crossed human boundaries, restored dignity, welcomed people who had been rejected, and gave His life for the whole world. He said in John 12:32, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” Therefore, I will always lift up the name of Christ in this work.
Honestly, when I look back over our history, I sometimes believe I could have made that commitment even more explicit. That is why I am now especially intentional about making it clear that The Living Water School exists to glorify God and God alone. We are not aligned with a political party or ideological movement. Our allegiance is to Christ. Our understanding of education, humanity, justice, freedom, and community begins with Him.
Number Two: We Are Unapologetically Black Founded
The Living Water School is unapologetically Black founded. We celebrate Black history and the histories of all the people whose stories have too often been erased or minimized in education. That commitment is not always popular within the Christian education world. Nevertheless, I know what Scripture says. Psalm 139:14 declares, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
We want every student who enters our school to know that they are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. We do not center Europe, but neither do we center Africa to the exclusion of others. We center the dignity of every human being because Jesus gave His life for the world.
Every student should encounter people who look like them in the curriculum. They should also encounter people who do not look like them. Students should learn that their own story matters without concluding that someone else’s story must matter less. No human story needs to be diminished for another human story to be seen.
Number Three: We Do Not Erase European Stories and Voices
Some believe that addressing racism requires us to minimize or remove everything associated with Europe or the West. We do not believe that. Scripture teaches in Luke 6:31, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” It does not say, “Do to others what they did to you.”
We do not repair the erasure of one group by erasing another. We do not heal dehumanization by dehumanizing someone else. Jesus gave His life even for the people who nailed Him to the cross. Instead of canceling human stories, we bring them into conversation with one another. We explore how they intersect, where they conflict, what they reveal about our brokenness, and how they fit together to form a beautiful human tapestry.
A tapestry is created by weaving together many different threads. A single thread may seem ordinary or disconnected when viewed alone, but when the threads are woven together, they create something beautiful. That is what we want our curriculum to do.
Including European and European American stories allows students to discover the many people who risked their freedom, reputations, and even their lives in the struggle for the dignity and liberation of others. Those stories should not be erased either. We tell the good, the beautiful, and the ugly in the histories of all people. It is the only honest way to understand our world.
Our students may read Aristotle and Shakespeare alongside the Great Law of Peace and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. They may encounter the Torah and the Qur’an while studying a curriculum firmly grounded in the Bible and the Christian faith. We do this not because we believe every text makes the same claims or carries the same authority. The Bible remains our foundation. We study other traditions because students need to understand the ideas, beliefs, and human experiences that have shaped their neighbors and their world.
We are striving to create a school that offers a glimpse of the kingdom described in Revelation, with people from every nation, tribe, people, and language gathered before the same throne. Families who are willing to enter this explicitly Christian community, have difficult conversations, cross the color line, and participate in healing human relationships will find a place here.
Number Four: We Believe Children Deserve Freedom and a Voice
We believe children should have as much freedom as is developmentally appropriate to make decisions, discover their interests, and take ownership of their education. That can feel frightening to adults. Many of us are accustomed to schools in which nearly every decision is made for the child. At Living Water, we invite parents and teachers to join us in helping students develop the wisdom to make meaningful choices for themselves.
This does not mean that children are left without guidance, boundaries, or accountability. Their freedom exists within a Christian community, and freedom is not the same as an absence of standards. Adults remain responsible for guiding students, protecting their wellbeing, and preserving the health and safety of the school community. In emergencies or situations that threaten a student’s wellbeing or the stability of the school, we will step in. Whenever possible, however, students are included in the decisions that affect their learning and their community. They are not merely recipients of an education designed by adults. They are human beings with ideas, gifts, questions, and voices that deserve to be taken seriously.
Remaining Faithful
I am sure there are other reasons The Living Water School will never appeal to everyone. We have chosen a demanding niche. We are an explicitly Christian and unapologetically Black founded school that welcomes all human stories, refuses to erase European traditions, and gives children meaningful freedom and voice. That combination can be difficult to explain, and it may even seem controversial to some people.
We celebrate diversity without abandoning biblical truth. We give students freedom within the context of loving guidance and accountability. We acknowledge the harm done throughout history without teaching children to hate or erase those associated with it. We welcome families and students from many backgrounds while remaining clear that Christ is the foundation of everything we do. We believe Jesus showed us how to hold on to his faith, while still loving others unconditionally. He maintained His standard while loving all people. He welcomed those whom society rejected, crossed boundaries others refused to cross, and never treated a person as though their humanity did not matter. That is the kind of Christian school we are striving to be.
I fiercely protect this school and what it stands for. The families, teachers, and students who have remained with us through the years protect it too. We trust God to send us the people He wants here each year. For twelve years, He has remained faithful. When I see our graduates thriving in colleges, careers, ministries, trades, and many other settings, reaching their goals and returning to thank us, I find the inspiration to keep believing in this work. We may never be the school for the masses. We are not trying to be. But if you know a family searching for an uncommon Christian school, one that loves Jesus, honors every human story, welcomes difficult conversations, and gives students the freedom to discover who God created them to be, send them our way. They may discover that this unusual little school is exactly the community they have been looking for. To sign up for a virtual (so anyone in the US can learn more) or in person info session click here: https://forms.gle/UiT5ppGmaypkPpk16 .
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