After 5 years, a stable Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy looks to the future

Headmaster Cris Perdue knows every single one of the 75 students enrolled at Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy, and only three are her own children. The lake’s Christian school opened its doors five years ago. Its goals for the future: an increase in enrollment, addition of more sports and, eventually, its own facility.

“That’s where we want to go,” Perdue said. “I think with God’s help, the parents’ help and the community’s help, we can get there within the next five years.”

Perdue, 35, of Moneta, who recently started her fourth year as headmaster and math teacher at the school, served on the original curriculum team six years ago.

“My children started here when it opened,” she said.

SMLCA is an independent, non-denominational school with a governing board. Perdue said the academy rents its space from Halesford Baptist Church.

“We find it a wonderful partnership,” she said.

The first two years, Deke Andrews was head of SMLCA. He now runs Christian Heritage Academy in Rocky Mount.

Since Perdue started as headmaster, she said her goal has been to get SMLCA accredited by the Association of Christian Teachers and Schools, which is a lengthy process that doesn’t start until a school is 3 years old. She said it’s well on its way.

The school started in 2008 with 20 children from kindergarten to seventh grade. This year, there are 75 students from pre-K to 12th grade. Each year the academy has added a grade.

The first year, operating expenses came from donations. This year’s operating budget is $320,000. Tuition accounts for about 70 percent of the budget; a fundraising team raises the remaining 30 percent, or about $96,000.

Each student paid $5,400 a year until this year, when a tiered structure was developed.

Elementary students pay $5,500, middle school students pay $5,700 and high school students pay $5,900 annually in tuition.

“We keep our tuition as low as we possibly can. We offer financial aid for needy families as well. Obviously, the economy went bad right when we were starting so that hurt families that may have wanted private education,” said Perdue.

The operating budget includes salaries for 10 teachers, including Perdue, and one office administrator.

She said the staff has stabilized after some turnover. A Christian school teacher’s salary is much lower than a public school teacher’s salary, she explained.

“It’s a significant reduction, and we don’t have health benefits, but the teachers here want to be here,” she said. “They make the sacrifice because they love students and they love God.”

Four members of the academy’s staff have their own children enrolled in the school, she said.

Some grades are combined, but all fit into the traditional seven-period class day.

The academy offers art, theater and music classes, and for the older students, Advanced Placement, duel-enrollment and foreign language classes.

Each day begins with a 30-minute integrity institute session, where area clergy are sometimes invited and students are encouraged to praise and worship.

“Just to see students grow in both their faith and academics and their work ethic, it’s great,” Perdue said.

Sports were added last year when the academy started a junior varsity basketball team for boys and girls. This year, the school added a co-ed soccer team, which plays area Christian schools.

Perdue said the school has grown tremendously from 15 to 43 families in the past five years, but its kept its small, close-knit family atmosphere, and many siblings attend school together. She said growth has changed the dynamic, but the academy continues to encourage strong parental involvement, made easier because most parents drop off and pick up their children for school everyday.

“Every parent here is paying for their child to come, so we encourage them to be a partner with us,” she added.

Perdue said the school has a good core group of families, many of whom have been there since the beginning.

“Our biggest issue, as always, is the finances, and that’s true with any private Christian school,” she said.

Aside from constant fundraising, the headmaster and former public school employee said she enjoys her job and has no regrets.

“I really don’t. I feel like we are headed in such a good direction,” she said. “We just wait on God and his timing, and He’s putting everything into place.”

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