First Day of School Message from CEO & Head of Schools

Parents are dropping their children off in the parking lot, busses are arriving, and students are streaming out of dorm, all reminders that we are partnering with families in the critical work of educating the next generation of leaders. Each student is brimming with potential, looking for connection, and, like all of us, battling their insecurities. My prayer every year is that they will find, at NCC, a place where they can be known and loved.

Our educational vision is to be “people of God’s story, engaged in real work, that forms self and shapes the world”. Being people of God’s story means realizing the depth of God’s love for us and reflecting that love to others. We believe that when students experience the love of God, they find the safe environment necessary to learn and grow. They are about to be challenged by projects in Math and English and Science, real work that will shape them and the world around them, but all of this work is rooted first in the belief that we, all of us, are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works. (Gal 2:10)

Our theme verse for this year is 2 Corinthians 4:16 which first calls us “not to lose heart.” That’s an easy thing to do in today’s world. It’s easy to see the things around us that are not the way they should be, the things that are “wasting away,” the challenges of the world - but our theme verse also reminds us that “inwardly, we are being renewed every day.” Please join me in praying for each student who enters our campus - that they would be known and loved, that they would rise to the challenge of real work in their studies, and that NCC would be a place where they experience renewal day by day.

We believe that the work of education is done best in partnership with families, so I continue to encourage you to reach out to us anytime we can work together to better support your child. Parents are often asking how they can get involved in the work that is happening. The most valuable things you can do as a parent are praying for NCC, offering your time and resources to the work, and sharing about the school within your personal networks. Please reach out if you would like to be involved in any of these ways.

Finally, I’m excited to share that this summer has been a time of significant change for NCC. We are making strategic changes to strengthen the future of NCC, and build on a solid history of faith and learning. NCC has served as a Christian day school for children from the region and as a unique international boarding school that engages students from around the world in faith formation. This year we are looking forward to new international recruitment efforts and exploring new program options and post-secondary pathways. We will be engaging with students, family members, and the community in these efforts. We have been encouraged by an outpouring of alumni support this past summer as the board wrestled with determining future directions for NCC. Last year we saw renewed relationships with local churches; this year we are seeing renewed relationships with alumni, and it’s all building towards a strong foundation of support for the work at NCC. We are consistently looking to innovate and grow, and this summer has set the stage for exciting initiatives ahead.

All the best,

Chris Baird,

CEO and Head of Schools