LCBI High School - Review #3

The blend of having students that live in dorms and students that live with their families in the community. It creates a special dynamic of still feeling like you are home as there are always families in town that invite dorm students over for dinner.The use of faith in sports really stood out to me. While lots of Christian boarding schools pray before a game LCBI teaches the student athletes how to incorporate faith through sport.LCBI has mandatory volunteer hours that truly impact the community. It led me to be a servant hearted person even outside of school.House Groups. The entire student body is divided into four groups at the start of the year, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. One house group is in charge of the Thursday night activity every week which includes: Art, Worship, Academic, and Intramurals. The house groups have grade 12 students elected as leaders by the staff and meet every second week. It’s a great opportunity to mingle with peers outside of your “group” and / or grade.

LCBI lead me to Jesus. I didn’t come from a Christian family, but the staff and community at LCBI truly felt like a loving family from the beginning. This school made me a better person and taught me so much of what I know today academically, socially, and spiritually. When a student is enrolled at LCBI they will never be the same. The close knit community and diverse campus allows students to grow in many more ways than just in the class room.

Get to know as many people as you can from the start. I found a handful of friends and stuck with them for the first few weeks. I’d recommend getting to know the staff and your peers as early as possible. Once you do you’ll be set because of the way everyone involved at the school actually cares about you.

The community. Although it’s a diverse range of staff and students you can make meaningful connections with everyone. The uniqueness compared to other schools when it comes to relationships with the staff and relationships with your peers is special in a way that is hard to explain.Chapel every school day. It is the most special time of the day looking back. Learning about God’s word, singing worship and bonding with peers and staff.

Do not think of LCBI as a possible high school but a possible home.Always make sure to try one of Trina’s soups in the cafeteria (they never disappoint).Keeps an open mind to the different dynamic of the school. I find it is much more energetic than most schools!

I felt the classes set you up for university well. All classes are competitive and challenging, but the teachers truly care for each student.3 nights a week at 8pm the teachers take turns hosting a supervised study. There you can get extra help on assignments. It also creates great habits going into university with setting time aside to study / work.

The athletic program at LCBI is phenomenal. Whether you’re very experienced / skilled in a certain sport or if you just want to try a new sport out there’s room for all. The coaches take hours out of their schedules to work with the athletes and are compassionate.It is also one of the only schools that inter grates faith into sport. All the coaches are ready for sport related questions AND faith related questions. It’s a special environment.

Although I was never involved in the choir program all my peers that were loved it. The schools conductor ensures that every student in the program genuinely improves and he picks pieces that are challenging. There is also a chamber choir for the elite singers where they can get extra curricular points and take their voices to the next level.The school puts on a musical theatre production every spring. It’s unique because the directors are able to use every student willing no matter the skill level. The plays are unique every year and each one has a new challenge.The school recently started a hand bells class which allows the younger students to learn notes and musical discipline. The school also started a jazz band class, it is wonderful because students can bring the instruments they’ve been playing for years and learn a new style of music.

In order to pass Christian Ethics you must get a set amount of volunteer hours. Some of the volunteer opportunities are during school hours and the school always has new ways the student body can volunteer. Whether it’s just around campus or in the community. LCBI is special because many in the community know how servant hearted the students are and will reach out to the staff about getting a group of students to lend a hand with a variety of tasks.Thursday night activities are put on by one of the four house groups every week at 8pm. The nights include Art, Academic, Worship and Intramural. These are open for all students to participate in and are unique because all students no matter the age come together.

Being in the dorms is like being in a family. The dorm “parents” or resident directors genuinely want to gain the respect of the students under their care. Almost all students have their own rooms unless requesting roommates. The rooms are spacious and can be arranged however the tenants wants. Each floor has a main bathroom with, 4 toilets, 2 showers, a bath and 3 three sinks. On the middle floor there is a kitchen that the girls may use from 7 am- 10:00 pm. There are snacks provided and space for the girls can keep personal food if they want. In the boys dorm there is a kitchenette on the main floor with the same rules.Dorm life at LCBI is unique because every Monday-Thursday evening the dorms meet at 10:00 pm for a devotional reading or for scripture reading. There the students have a chance to bond and tackle questions about their personal faith or questions about life in general. After this time the students are tasked with one individual chore to do around the dorm (vacuuming the stairs, washing the bathrooms, sanitizing the doors etc.). This provides them with the necessary skills of tidying a home I’m the future.There are only two dorm buildings boys dorm and girls dorm. Room selection is decided first at the end of the school year where returning students can pick their rooms for the next year. After that the dorm staff selects rooms for each student in the fall before the students arrive. They typically try to make sure there’s a variety of grades on each floor to ensure the younger students have older peers to be their role models.

LCBI has a cafeteria located separately from the school building and the dorm buildings. The meals are set up buffet style and are prepared approximately a hour or two before the meal. The dining hall is set up with three rows of tables that sits the entire student body. I liked most that even the town kids who may bring their own lunches come and sit with the rest of the student body. The staff ensures everyone is sitting before eating. They lead grace then pick what group May eat first by random. For example it may be the boys first or grade 10’s or sometimes the staff will dish up first.The cafeteria is always filled with stories and laughter which makes the students feel as if they were at home sitting around the table with family.

Outlook is filled with opportunities. From helping at the seniors home, hospital, museum, variety place, daycare etc. The town has two grocery stores within walking distance of campus, a coffee shop, bakery, movie theater, convenience store and a Dairy Queen. The town is also filled with multiple churches which the students are welcomed to try out if they are wanting to see what other services are like.The people in Outlook are some of the friendliest around. Many parents of town students will invite dorm kids over for a home coked meal or will allow kids over for a movie night.

I loved that no matter what grade you were in or what sports you played you always felt welcome with all your peers. LCBI is truly unique for having opportunities to hang with peers outside of your grade it makes for a close knit community. Many of my adult friends from other schools always refer to a bully like person or people from their high school that they avoid talking to in public. I can honestly say that there isn’t a single individual that I wouldn’t want to catch up with from high school. In fact the alumni association puts on a banquet every year that allows the graduates of the last 10 years to come and mingle. It’s always a blessed time catching up with old friends and talking to peers that you haven’t seen since graduating.