West Suburban Christian Academy
Encyclopedia
West Suburban Christian Academy (WSCA) was a private, independent, non-denominational, evangelical Christian school located in Waukesha, Wisconsin
Waukesha, Wisconsin
Waukesha is a city in and the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, in the Upper Midwest region of the United States. The population was 70,718 at the 2010 census, making it the largest community in the county and 7th largest in the state. The city is located adjacent to the Town of Waukesha...

, a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...

 of Milwaukee. WSCA served students in preschool through eighth grade. The school operated from 1979 until it was permanently closed on June 30, 2010.

History

Phil and Mary Ann Lee founded West Suburban Christian Academy in 1979 as Sonshine Christian School. It began with 33 students and three teachers. Over the years, the school moved several times, including locations in Brookfield
Brookfield, Wisconsin
Brookfield is a city located in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It had a population of 37,920 in the 2010 census. Brookfield is the second largest city in Waukesha County, and the leading commercial suburb of Milwaukee. The City of Brookfield was formed in 1954 from the Town of...

 and Greenfield
Greenfield, Wisconsin
Greenfield is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 35,476 at the 2000 census.-History:Greenfield was originally created as the Town of Kinnickinnic around 1839. On Feb. 19, 1841, the name of the town was changed to Greenfield, taking its name from the name of the...

, and changed its name to West Suburban Christian Academy (since the majority of students were from Milwaukee's western suburbs).

In 1995, West Suburban found a permanent home in Waukesha. The school defeated Walgreens
Walgreens
Walgreen Co. , doing business as Walgreens , is the largest drugstore chain in the United States of America. As of August 31st, the company operates 8,210 locations across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1901, and has since expanded...

 in a bid to purchase Waukesha's former Northview Elementary School campus, which became the first campus owned by the school in its history. With 99 students from kindergarten through eighth grade, WSCA opened its new campus for the 1995-1996 school year. In the summer of 1996, WSCA began remodeling the old Northview school buildings. The school began to grow rapidly, tripling its enrollment over the next decade
Decade
A decade is a period of 10 years. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek dekas which means ten. This etymology is sometime confused with the Latin decas and dies , which is not correct....

. In the fall of 1997, the 3- and 4-year-old preschool program was added.

In April 2004, a 22000 square feet (2,043.9 m²) building and 6.5 acres (26,304.6 m²) were purchased a few blocks from the Northview campus. During the summer of 2004, the building was renovated to include eight classrooms, a science lab, media center, administrative offices, and commons areas. Known as the Silvernail Campus, this building served as WSCA's middle school from 2004-2009. The Silvernail Campus was closed following the 2008-09 school year.

In the wake of the national recession in 2008, WSCA began to experience a mass exodus
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...

 of students, whose parents could no longer afford the private school tuition
Tuition
Tuition payments, known primarily as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in British English, Canadian English, Australian English, New Zealand English and Indian English, refers to a fee charged for educational instruction during higher education.Tuition payments are charged by...

. A similar situation occurred with Heritage Christian School in Milwaukee, though it narrowly avoided being forced to close. Despite multiple attempts to save WSCA, the loss of students, coupled with the multi-million dollar debt incurred by the purchase of the Silvernail Campus in 2004, led to the board's decision to permanently close the school on June 30, 2010.

Membership

West Suburban Christian Academy was a member of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), the largest accrediting agency for Christian schools.

Teachers

WSCA teachers had at least a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...

. Teacher's aides assisted where needed. All teachers had acknowledged an evangelical faith in Jesus Christ.

Educational philosophy

West Suburban Christian Academy strives to promote an atmosphere where students learn to live their lives for Christ, develop their character and achieve their highest potential in Him. Christian heritage is reinforced through curriculum and committed Christian teachers, and through corporate worship with a chapel service on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning. Prayer and music accompany the staff and area pastors who teach the Scriptures to students and faculty.

WSCA’s curriculum is designed to include parents in their children's academic studies. There are also opportunities for parental involvement in special school functions, such as serving as room parents, office helpers, playground monitors, and hot lunch helpers.

Administration

The Academy’s Board of Directors consists of 9 to 12 individuals with limited terms. There are four standing committees: Advancement, Education, Business Operations, Students/Families, and Extra-Curricular Activities, where parents are encouraged to volunteer.

Athletics

Sports offered at WSCA middle school include co-ed cross-country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...

, girls' volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

, boys' and girls' basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, and co-ed track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

. The Wildcats compete in the Lake Area Athletic Conference (LAAC). In the late 1990s, the WSCA boys' basketball teams won several conference and tournament championships.
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