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Reviving the trivium
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Providence Christian School grew out of the vision of Crosspointe Baptist Church and its founding leadership team - Dr. Alan Posey, Darrell Head and Jim Ferguson. The vision of Crosspointe's leadership and congregation is to give birth to ministries that will positively impact the surrounding communities.

 Located on 65 acres at 252 Byrd Road in Oxford, Providence Christian School is surrounded by beautiful woods, a lake and scenic pasture land. In October 2007, the school received full accreditation from the Georgia Accreditation Commission.

 "Crosspointe exists to help people take their next step toward God and his plan for their lives," said the Rev. Alan Posey, pastor of Crosspointe. "We believe this can best be accomplished through relationships.

 "Every ministry from corporate worship to small groups to our Christian School is built on a commitment to cultivate a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and with one another. One of the most exciting opportunities to realize this mission has been a governmental invitation to begin the first Christian school in Ethiopia. Property is secured in Dukum, Ethiopia, and construction will begin later this year."

 Committed to providing high-quality, college preparatory Christian education for families in Newton, Rockdale and surrounding areas, Headmaster Justin Hornsby and staff will welcome 102 students this term. Since opening the doors in August 2005, their enrollment has more than doubled.

"We believe that biblical truth should be the grid through which we examine all of life," Hornsby said. "Therefore, we are committed to teaching a Christ-centered world view. We want our students to see the Bible not as just another school subject, separating it into a class during certain hours, but as relevant to all areas of life."

 Their vision, "Training for Excellence to the Glory of God," is to instruct students who love the lord with heart, mind, soul and strength; apply a Biblical world view to all of life; are knowledgeable and well-read; think logically and independently; communicate articulately and persuasively; appreciate the arts and humanities; and are life-long learners.

 Providence teaches a challenging curriculum and offers a comprehensive physical education program and a variety of extracurricular activities such as a volleyball and basketball program. A chess, drama and year book club were recently added to the school's roster of after-school activities.

 The school offers a classical approach to education based on the trivium. This method was developed during Greco-Roman times, formulized in the medieval period and nearly universally embraced by educators in Europe and America until the early 20th century. The trivium structures learning around the three stages of child development: grammar, logic and rhetoric.

 The grammar stage focuses on learning the basic facts of every subject. Students will master arithmetic, phonics, history events along with their dates, scripture passages and grammar rules. They will begin studying Latin.

 The logic stage emphasizes the higher order thinking skills. Students will start connecting information across the curriculum and figuring out how European colonization resulted from the Reformation. Students will take logic courses and also learn and practice debating.

 The rhetoric stage emphasizes the art of clear and articulate communication. Students in this stage will be trained to express and communicate truth effectively, orally and in writing.

 A native of Conyers and a graduate of Heritage High School, Hornsby earned a bachelor's degree in middle grade education from Georgia State University. He accepted Christ as a senior in high school and is a member of the Rockdale Community Church.

 Hornsby was employed by the Newton County School system in 2000 and taught fourth grade at West Newton Elementary and eighth grade science at Veteran's Memorial Middle. Hornsby and his wife Stacey have four children, Tyler who has been at Providence since its beginning, Emma Grace, William and Miriam.

"As an educator, I had been studying and considering how we would want our children to be schooled," he said. "I came across books and literature on classical education and found it would be the most beneficial for my children. I heard that Crosspointe was starting a classical school as part of their vision. I went to an early community meeting that they had and connected right away."

 Providence has an immediate need for laptops and overhead projectors. To make a donation or for more information about enrollment, call 770-788-6618 or visit www.PCSoxford.org.