Address from the Executive Director

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End-of-Year Address from the Executive Director
Dear Amazing Summit Families.

                  As we look back in gratitude for all of the true, good and beautiful experiences our students have had learning, building friendships and having a place to gather in unity as a homeschooling community, let's also remember to celebrate the blessings that our Upper students had, studying this verse as the theme of Chapel with Jimmy Graham this year: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." - Philippians 4:8 We are deeply grateful for your steadfast dedication to homeschooling and discipling your children. Your commitment to nurturing their hearts and minds in alignment with biblical values is truly inspiring. By choosing to guide their education at home, you are fostering an environment where faith, character, and learning flourish.

        When I began designing this school 4 years ago, I was determined to build a program that is centered around home discipleship and committed to partnering with parents to do what's best for their children. I recently learned what the true meaning of FAMILY is... Forget About Me I Love You. Leading can be rewarding but it also carries a heavy weight of responsibility to hold true to your stakeholders, even when it's hard. My stakeholders are all of you, our Summit FAMILY. I am proud of the program we've built, one that honors God and that is FAMILY-focused. There are other homeschool options out there, traditional in form and philosophy, resembling the public schools that most of us ran away from. Even as a homeschool enrichment program, they tolerate and teach secularism as an ideology, which bleeds into the culture and community it attracts. I am here to assure you that I will be steadfast to uphold the original Mission and Vision of our school culture by keeping these promises:

• We are committed to a classical parent-driven, fully transparent FAMILY model. We will not conform to a traditional secular-driven model. In a public school, teachers are taught “my class, my rules” and they shut the door and introduce materials, concepts and resources that may or may not align with the program or your family values. In our school, we believe that the classroom is a place of safety, trust and support for our families. We are not here for ourselves, but to serve you. We will continue to be 100% transparent in our classrooms to protect the trust that you have in us. 
• We are committed to delivering full, high-quality courses. We will not slow down a whole class for a few students. Our pacing will be designed and overseen by Dr. Jensen to deliver our FAMILY-first culture. After all, this is homeschool! A homeschool parent has the opportunity to support their children 5 days a week with additional supports as necessary, and we only have 2 days at Summit. We will not penalize other students who are on track (or ahead). And we will not pass over the students who are on track for a few who are able to move more quickly. This is the nature of a high-quality collaborative model and is what sets us apart from traditional public schools.
• We are committed to supporting all students who attend. We cannot guarantee success, but we will provide the opportunity. We are not the homeschool police; parents self-govern their homeschool. 
• We are committed to subject-expert teachers (math/science or English/history) beginning in 3rd grade for excellence and consistency in program delivery and for the benefit of our FAMILY. Additionally, and just as importantly, it will lighten the burden on our teachers from time spent lesson planning and training in the curricula.
• We are committed to a schedule that supports 1-on-1 math and literacy coaching for our grammar school FAMILY. This will support parents, especially in the beginning of the year when everything is new and can be overwhelming. We care about your success as a homeschool educator. 
• We are committed to developing our culture of professionalism and appreciation for excellent teachers by providing high compensation, proper technology resources, classroom supplies, professional development, restful teaching schedules and time to honor our staff by connecting as teams.
• We are committed to recruiting and retaining teachers who believe in FAMILY and who are committed to building up our community in a Christian, classical homeschool-focused model 
• We are committed to consistent and clear communication. Mrs. Martin will step into the role of Community and Communications Coordinator next year! She will be the single source of communication for school news and events. She will also be coordinating our fundraisers, school pictures and yearbook (more to come). To help deepen our communication platforms, she will also be managing our social media with details and updates on meetings, trainings, events, resources and even snow days. 
• We are committed to transparency through excellence in oversight. 
  • Regarding the Board, we would like to share a few exciting updates. Currently, the Board makeup is 3 positions, filled by 2 people - voting members are: President (formerly held by Toni Smith, it is  currently vacant), Secretary (formerly held by Toni Smith, it is currently vacant) and Treasurer (Formerly held by Chris Smith, it is currently vacant). The Executive Director, Richelle McKim, acting as the interim Board of Directors, has determined it would be best to add voting positions to increase depth and transparency through oversight, due to our successful growth. As such, the new 25/26 Board positions are:
    
    • President, Senator Bill Cadman
    • Secretary, Emilie Scheid
    • Treasurer, selected
    • Policy Chair, Dr. Deborah Scheffel
    • Development & Communications Chair, vacant
  • Our Board will begin holding open meetings, in intervals determined by the Board in June (an email from the Board will communicate the details). Additionally, they are adding 2 chairs. One being Development and Communications. That person will provide newsletters from the Board to our school community and will oversee fundraising activities and revenues. 
  • The Board is accepting resumes for the Development & Communications Chair. This position will serve to oversee Fundraising activities and revenues generated from fundraising, as well as communicating Board activities to the school community with an annual newsletter. If interested, please email your resume and cover letter to the Board President at board@summitha.com. 

      Your sacrifices and efforts do not go unnoticed. We are honored to partner with you in this journey, supporting your vision for raising children who love God and pursue excellence. Thank you for your unwavering devotion to this calling.

With heartfelt appreciation,

Richelle Mckim,
Co-Founder and Executive Director

Celebrating the end of our year & looking forward to what's next!