Tell a child to run across the field, and they might jog. Tell two children to run across a field, and suddenly they are both racing to beat each other there.
In recent years the idea of competition has garnered bad press as possibly being "harmful to a child's self-esteem." However, there is a beneficial Biblical principle we cannot overlook.
"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17)
Competition (healthy competition, not malicious or spurred-on by riotous soccer moms, mind you) possesses a mechanism within it that unlocks our hidden potential. This is why the Olympic games are such a sight to behold: the competitors have trained their bodies and minds for excellence through competition.
Healthy competition: It's what pushes us from doing okay to doing our best.
In the healthy spirit of sharpening, students at PHCS compete in an array of extra academic competitions within our local community and the broader Christian school community. With the support of the teachers and staff of PHCS, our students have the opportunity to push themselves to soar in different areas.
If you're looking for a Christ-centered family atmosphere that emphasizes academic excellence, you'd be interested to know about the competitions our students take part in every year:
We love our students, and want them to succeed in every area of life. Adding academic competition into their curriculum encourages them to do their best, and gives special - and rightful - recognition to those who soar to the top of their discipline. We are so proud of our students, and how they demonstrate that a very small school can do very big things!
In recent years the idea of competition has garnered bad press as possibly being "harmful to a child's self-esteem." However, there is a beneficial Biblical principle we cannot overlook.
"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17)
Competition (healthy competition, not malicious or spurred-on by riotous soccer moms, mind you) possesses a mechanism within it that unlocks our hidden potential. This is why the Olympic games are such a sight to behold: the competitors have trained their bodies and minds for excellence through competition.
Healthy competition: It's what pushes us from doing okay to doing our best.
In the healthy spirit of sharpening, students at PHCS compete in an array of extra academic competitions within our local community and the broader Christian school community. With the support of the teachers and staff of PHCS, our students have the opportunity to push themselves to soar in different areas.
If you're looking for a Christ-centered family atmosphere that emphasizes academic excellence, you'd be interested to know about the competitions our students take part in every year:
- Our very own Speech Meet is a school-wide competition where every student is assigned a poem, a verse, or a fable to memorize and present. Teachers choose finalists to compete before community judges who use comprehensive rubrics to rank students into categories including: Good, Excellent, and Superior, based on their presentation skills.
- The Spelling Bee is a regional competition with public schools in Western Sonoma County. This year we placed 7th out of 40 competitors.
- History Day is a regional, state, and national competition. Ms. Kinser has required her 6th-grade students to participate for many years, often resulting in students moving on to the state competition, and even the nationals! National History Day is actually a year-long academic program focused on historical research, interpretation and creative expression for 6th- to 12th-grade students. By participating in NHD, students become writers, filmmakers, web designers, playwrights and artists as they create unique contemporary expressions of history. The experience culminates in a series of contests at the local and affiliate levels and an annual national competition in the nation's capital in June.
- Math Olympics is another competition we participate in, only with other Bay Area Christian Schools. Competitions are proctored at individual schools, then mailed in to the host school for grading and ranking. All students get a chance to qualify and then compete in either computation or problem solving. We sent in our tests in mid-February and we should be getting them back early April. Last year one of our PUMA's got 4th place in computation among all the 4th grade computation participants!
We love our students, and want them to succeed in every area of life. Adding academic competition into their curriculum encourages them to do their best, and gives special - and rightful - recognition to those who soar to the top of their discipline. We are so proud of our students, and how they demonstrate that a very small school can do very big things!
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