Excel Christian School is an accredited private Pre-K through grade 12

Christian school A Christian school is a school run on Christian principles or by a Christian organization. The nature of Christian schools varies enormously from country to country, according to the religious, educational, and political cultures. In some count ...

Sparks Sparks may refer to: Places *Sparks, Georgia * Sparks, Kansas *Sparks, Kentucky *Sparks, Maryland * Sparks, Nebraska *Sparks, Nevada *Sparks, Oklahoma *Sparks, Texas * Sparks, Bell County, Texas * Sparks, West Virginia Books * ''Sparks'' (Raffi ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

, founded in 2003 as a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

. The school

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fic ...

is the Warriors, and the school colors are red and black.

Description

Excel Christian was founded as a

non-denominational Christian Nondenominational Christianity (or non-denominational Christianity) consists of churches which typically distance themselves from the confessionalism or creedalism of other Christian communities by not formally aligning with a specific Christian d ...

school by teacher Bonnie Krupa, with a stated mission "for students to find joy in the pursuit of spiritual, moral, relational and academic excellence". Basic skills in "

phonics Phonics is a method for teaching people how to read and write an alphabetic language (such as English, Arabic or Russian). It is done by demonstrating the relationship between the sounds of the spoken language (phonemes), and the letters or gro ...

, current events, mathematics, language skills plus reading and writing" were planned as the focus, with class electives to include "journalism, cinema, music, sports, art and cheerleading". As of the 2017–2018 school year, Excel's K–12 enrollment was 231 students, with 63 students enrolled in grades 9–12. Niche reviews rated Excel Christian as sixth among nine "Best Christian High Schools in Nevada", with an overall grade of "B" for academics. According the 2021 Niche survey, "After graduation, 75% of students from this school go on to attend a 4-year college." It is a non-profit corporation, filing under 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code.

History

Excel Christian School opened in August 2003 in leased classroom space on Baring Boulevard, large enough to serve between 50–80 students in grades K–12. It was located next to a YMCA which the school panned to ue "for sports, recreation, PE programs and breaks". In 2006, the school opened a second site, on Odie Boulevard, for its 75 middle school and high school students, with room enough to expand enrollment to 160 students. The site included a 560-seat auditorium planned for use with a new

fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwo ...

curriculum. The elementary school program moved in 2008 to the Hope Chapel campus of University Family Fellowship, a larger location with 6,000 square feet of space, to allow expanding enrollment from 40 students in the elementary program up to 140 students. In Fall 2008 the school also began the accreditation process of the

Association of Christian Schools International The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), founded in 1978, is an association of evangelical Christian schools. Its headquarters are in Colorado Springs, Colorado. History ACSI was founded in 1978 through the merger of three ...

, and as of 2021 it is accredited. In March 2015, the school began fundraising for a down payment to buy the former YMCA property at Baring Boulevard and Rockwood Drive.

Athletics

Excel is a member of the NIAA (

Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for high schools in the state of Nevada. In addition, five schools in the state of California (Coleville, Needles, North Tahoe, South Tahoe, and Tru ...

) and competes in the Single A (1A) division. Current sports offered for middle school are: girls’ basketball, boys’ basketball, volleyball, football, track, and wrestling. High school sports offered include: boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball, cheerleading, cross country, football, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling. In January 2020, five international students from the school filed a federal equal rights lawsuit against the

after the NIAA threatened to void any games the students had played in. The NIAA has a ban on international students playing in varsity sports, to prevent the trafficking of students for the benefit of sports teams. In February 2020, it was announced that Excel Christian School would be exempt from this ban due to its small size, although no other schools were affected.

References

External links

Official site
{{authority control Christian schools in Nevada Educational institutions established in 2003 Private high schools in Nevada Schools in Reno, Nevada Private elementary schools in Nevada Private middle schools in Nevada 2003 establishments in Nevada