A Foundation of Faith, a Future Full of Possibility

Angie and her husband have always dreamed of providing their five children with a strong, faith-based education. But as a family of seven, making that dream a reality was not always easy.

Through years of prayer, perseverance, and the generosity of others, their family has found not only a place where their children can learn, but a community where they can grow in confidence, discover their gifts, and build a foundation for the future.

Angie’s family began their educational journey at East Side Christian School when her oldest son, Nathan, was preparing for kindergarten. Although the family had moved to the area for its public school system, Angie and her husband felt called to pursue a Christian education for their children. The challenge was figuring out how to afford it.

At the time, Angie was home raising five children, all five and under, while her husband worked in law enforcement. Private school tuition seemed financially out of reach, but they decided to take a leap of faith.

“By faith, we stepped out and said, ‘Okay, we’re going to try our best to educate them all,’” Angie recalls. “But we don’t know how we can come up with five tuitions when the time comes.”

Year after year, unexpected help let Nathan stay at East Side. Angie remembers an aunt who once told her, “God told me to give you some money this year. I don’t really know why.”

For Angie, the reason was clear. Her family needed it. “Every year, God did big things to help us make a way,” she says.

As the years passed, all five children became part of the East Side community. Angie also joined the school as a teacher, and her family continued working hard to make tuition possible. But eventually, the financial strain became too much.

“We were like, we’ve already had our kids here for all these years ever since kindergarten, and we can’t afford it anymore. Do we really have to pull them out?” she says. “We were devastated.”

Despite both parents working, the family could no longer see a way forward. That was when Arete Scholars became part of their story.

Through Arete scholarships, Angie’s family received the support they needed to keep their children at East Side and continue an educational journey that had already shaped so much of their lives.

“You all stepped in and wrote the rest of our story of providing in a way that we desperately needed it to keep them there,” Angie says. “East Side has been a gift of a higher quality education, and you all made it financially possible for us to be there, and so we are forever grateful.”

For the family, the impact has reached far beyond tuition assistance.

Four of Angie’s five children have dyslexia, something the family did not know when Nathan first started kindergarten. Fortunately, East Side’s commitment to early intervention and its specialized reading program have helped the children develop the skills they need to succeed.

Learning hasn't always been easy, but with the right support, each child has built confidence and discovered their potential.

“Because of what you all have given to our family, my kids have a really bright future because they’re learning how to overcome their learning disabilities and they’re learning how to be good students and how to thrive,” Angie says. “And they really are. They’re doing incredible.”

Today, Angie’s children are thriving both inside and outside the classroom. Nathan, now a sophomore, stays active in sports and recently won an Arete writing contest, an achievement

Angie credits his teachers, in part, with the strong writing foundation he built. This year, he transitioned to Johnson Ferry Christian Academy, where the larger school environment and new opportunities were a better fit. Still, East Side remains an important part of his story.

“East Side laid a solid foundation that we are forever grateful for,” Angie says.

Her other children, Elizabeth, William, James, and Blair, are finding their own interests and opportunities, from basketball, soccer, and ballet to music and theater. William especially enjoys playing piano and hopes to join his school’s student worship team, while the younger children are eager to explore new sports as they grow.

Beyond academics and extracurricular activities, Angie says one of the most meaningful changes has been seeing her children grow into confident learners who genuinely love going to school.

“They love going to school. I’m not dragging my kids to school. I’m not pushing them out the door. They genuinely love going,” she says.

At East Side, the children have found teachers who encourage them academically while also caring for their personal and spiritual growth. Angie describes a community where students learn about world missions, are encouraged to serve others, and are surrounded by adults who invest in their lives.

That support has become especially meaningful during difficult seasons. When the family recently lost Angie’s mother-in-law, the children turned to their teachers for comfort. Their teachers responded by reading Scripture with them and praying over them.

For Angie, those moments reflect the kind of environment she always hoped her children would experience: one where they are known, supported, and reminded that they are not alone.

“They have mentors at this school,” she says. “It was just the best comforting environment, and my kids are confident. I think that’s one big thing that’s changed.”

Although Nathan has moved on to a new school, the relationships he built at East Side remain strong. He still returns to visit the teachers who helped shape him, a testament to the lasting influence of a school community that has supported the family through the years.

Angie sees that same investment reflected in each of her children. With the tools to navigate their learning differences and the encouragement to pursue their interests, they are growing into students who believe in themselves and the possibilities ahead.

She knows she couldn't have built that future without Arete’s donors. Angie expresses how she wishes she could meet every donor personally, look them in the eyes, and explain what their generosity means to her family. 

“It has been an absolute blessing,” she says. “I strongly feel [God] put it on the hearts of these people who don’t even know us to bless us.”

For Angie and her husband, that blessing means more than keeping their children in a school they love. It means giving all five children the opportunity to receive an education that recognizes their individual needs, encourages their God-given gifts, and prepares them for a future full of possibility.

“Every parent’s dream is to have their kids have an even better future than they had, or have the best opportunities available,” Angie says.

She hopes donors understand just how deeply their support reaches, not only into her children’s classrooms today, but into the adults they will become tomorrow.

For Angie’s family, Arete’s support is another chapter in a journey marked by faith, perseverance, and people willing to step in at just the right time. Thanks to donors who believe in every child's potential, five siblings can keep learning, growing, and discovering what their futures hold.