by Aaron Bass
Fifty years ago, a new Christian school association started here in Florida. The Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools, or FACCS, is now the oldest, state-level association of Christian schools in the nation. The mission of FACCS is “to advance the cause of Christian education by providing school accreditation, legislative, and program services to member schools and their constituents.” (faccs.org) A fun OCP Warrior "claim-to-fame" is that among the FACCS founders was Dr. Al Janney, grandfather to OCP president, Dustin Janney.
One thing that sets FACCS apart are its four core values. The first of these is Biblical authority, meaning they affirm the Bible is their sole rule of faith, and that Biblical principles guide all their practices. Another value is Religious liberty: they are committed to protecting Christian school freedom. Their next value is Excellence, and what they mean by this is to inspire and make sure academic excellence is achieved by all the schools involved with FACCS. The final value is Services. Along with the aforementioned legal and accreditation services, FACCS program services include teacher certification and a diverse and robust student competitions program.
Next week, our OCP teachers will be meeting for a time of training and fellowship at the annual FACCS Teachers Convention here in Orlando. FACCS will celebrate their 50th anniversary in style, and Dr. Al and other founders will be honored. The teachers will return to school refreshed and inspired to teach, and will be equipped with more tools to do so.
We are thankful for all that FACCS has done for Christian schools, and we pray they have another fifty successful years of promoting excellence and defending educational freedom.
