A Few Good Minutes

The 69th academic year is off to a great start. I want to wish a warm welcome to all our students, but especially to those joining us in their first year here at Bellevue Christian. To all of our parents, guardians, grandparents, thank you for trusting us with the most precious gift you have. We are privileged to serve your students and grateful to be in community with you.

Experienced members of our BCS community have undoubtedly observed some changes since we were last together. Those changes were, ahem, purposeful. One change you may have noticed is the introduction of our new tagline, With Purpose. That tagline is an entry point for discussions about what distinguishes Bellevue Christian from other schools in our area. We want to enter that conversation with clarity and consistency.

When talk turns to schools today, it is often about programming: who has the most AP courses, the best STEM program, award-winning choirs, the highest test scores. Programming lives in the classroom; Purpose lives outside the classroom. Programming is an answer to a test question; Purpose is a compass in a storm. Programming impacts the intellect; Purpose touches the heart. Programming prepares you for your future; Purpose empowers you to create the future.

Many schools provide programming. Few, if any, provide purpose. We do.

That purpose is our mission: preparing students to live faithfully for God; equipping them to understand, evaluate, and transform their world; living God’s unchanging values.

As we searched for clarity surrounding our logo & tagline, we consulted with current families, faculty, staff and Board leadership to direct some changes. Those discussions helped lead us to a new logo. Our website and App also have new features with updated language. One point of emphasis we want to make is that we are one school with three campuses.  Whether you are at Clyde Hill, Mack or Three Points, the same mission propels what we do.  This means we have no “main campus.”  All three are equally important to our mission and values.

Those discussions also prompted some changes in some traditional titles in our school. Districts commonly consist of many schools headed by a Superintendent. We are one school. I’ve been a principal, executive director, superintendent, and now Head of School, as a school leader. My responsibility to support the mission of the school remains unchanged. And regardless of my title, I mostly answer to “Hey, Kevin.”  Using “central office” and “Head of school” provides some needed clarity and better reflects what we do.

How we tell our story is important. Writing a story worth telling is critical. That gets done every day in classrooms throughout our school by the men and women called by God to this special place.  May the Lord continue to bless their efforts and our students as together we write the next chapter in the tale that is Bellevue Christian.

In His Name,

Kevin M. Dunning

Head of School