For the staff and students at Calvary Christian School (CCS) in Bellefontaine, standing up for the sanctity of all human life is a natural part of their core principles. They believe every person has value no matter how small, and every life deserves to be defended.
“A baby is a baby at the time of conception,” Tony Carter, CCS high school principal, said. “It’s what we believe and what the Bible supports.”
As a result, the school actively pursues opportunities to fight for life. And, recently, those efforts were recognized when CCS won the first-ever Mike and Peggy Hartshorn Dignity of Life Award from the Ohio Christian Education Network (OCEN).
The Hartshorns have been part of the Ohio pro-life movement for over 50 years.
The new award was given to Calvary in recognition of their “outstanding efforts to promote a culture of life through intentional pro-life education and student engagement.”
CCS, which now has over 500 students and moved into a new school building on County Road 9 in January, received a plaque, a digital award seal, and a $1,000 cash award to support future pro-life efforts.
According to Carter, this was a complete surprise, though OCEN had reached out to Ryan Hyde, head of school, to find out what the school did in support of human life at all stages. The organization soon realized Calvary made the pro-life cause a central part of their mission.
Those efforts include volunteering at the local New Path Pregnancy Resource Center, sending high school students to the annual March for Life at the Ohio Statehouse, inviting individuals from New Path to speak at Calvary’s weekly chapel, and incorporating pro-life beliefs into their health curriculum.
In addition, CCS will host New Path’s annual fundraiser gala in the fall.
Seeing the award as an affirmation of what they’re doing, the school will continue to take an uncompromising position on the dignity of human life.
“We’re going to stand for those things we know are right and biblical, whether it’s the popular thing in culture or not,” Carter said. “People will know we’re authentic because we stick to what we believe. We don’t say one thing and teach something else.”
In a recent interview with The Lion, a Herzog Foundation publication, Hyde said they can’t worry about the political ramifications of their stance on abortion because it’s not a political issue. He concluded, “This is an issue of obedience following God’s Word, and that should surprise nobody.”
CCS has seen a significant growth spurt over the years, with enrollment expected to grow from 480 to as many as 540 when classes resume in September.
To learn more about CCS, visit ccsspartans.com or call (937) 599-4879.
