WRCA Social Studies 8

WRCA students are Creation Enjoyers

It is the intention of WRCA that students would come to know God as intimately as God knows them. Recognizing the truth that the glory and wonder of our God is revealed through His created world (Psalm 19:1-6), students will be immersed in His creation for the purpose of knowing God. Through creation enjoyment, students will share in God’s pleasure of His created world (Genesis 1). Being created in God's image, students will realize that every interaction they have with each other is a revelation of God's purpose for His created world.

WRCA students will learn how to live life to the fullness. (John 10:10b) Creation enjoying is both the act of appreciating creation (the beauty of a leaf, watching a pro athlete, experiencing a concert) and experiencing creation (climbing a tree, running the 100m dash, composing and performing a piece of music in a concert).

Through creation, students will be experience personal renewal and transformation that will continue throughout their entire lives.

WRCA students are Beauty Creators

It is the intention of WRCA that students will come to know God through the celebration of beauty, as God Himself celebrated during His creation of the world (Gen. 1). Students are to take joy in creating beauty because they themselves are image bearers of a creative God (Gen.1:26). Students will come to recognize that original beauty in friendships, spoken word, personal expression, innovation and service has been distorted by sin. Students will be inspired to accept the invitation to be part of the creative process of restoring beauty and worshipping God in these areas of their lives, while awaiting Christ’s return. (Isa. 28:5) WRCA students will be given the opportunity to create and respond to beauty as inspired by writings in the Song of Solomon, the poems of Robert Frost, the music of Handel’s Messiah, the masterpieces of Rembrandt, and of the simplicity of the DNA molecule discovered by Watson and Crick.

WRCA students will both create beauty themselves and appreciate the beauty created by others. Students will colour, paint, sculpt, take photographs, edit video, play an instrument, present performances, write stories and poetry, run cross country trails, and compete in tournaments.

An appreciation of beauty will come through an understanding of their bodies, collaborating with and serving each other, worshipping as a school body, and spending time with their buddies. As students create beauty and learn the mysteries of God’s creation, they may come to know Him more truly, and more surely discover their role in His eternal purpose.

WRCA students are God Worshippers

It is the intention of WRCA that students would love God and worship Him with all their heart, soul, strength and mind (Luke 10:27). In order for students to live out this form of worship they must desire to know God as intimately as God knows them. At WRCA, worship is more than just music or an activity that is planned or programmed; worship is glorifying God with our whole life (Colossians 3:23-34). When we seek to honor God, we worship Him.

WRCA desires that our students come to understand worship is a lifestyle. It requires total surrender, allowing God to work in every aspect of our daily lives (Romans 12:1). Worship in our daily lives embraces every opportunity to live out this lifestyle at home, at school, in the workplace and through our passions and desires. It is about having God at the forefront of our thoughts and decisions, choosing Him in everything. This could be as simple as demonstrating sportsmanship during a competition, encouraging others in the hallways, or as difficult as choosing to glorify God in the midst of the loss of a loved one.

WRCA wishes students to respond freely with thankfulness and gratitude because of the grace received through Jesus’ sacrifice (Ephesians 2:8-9). The desire is that students will seek out the wonderment of God which will enable them to light in areas of darkness. Just as David worshiped God with the entirety of his being, in times of joy and sorrow, we invite students to worship with the same passion and conviction. This means that students will live out their lives with authenticity and transparency and will work to transform their world for Christ.

WRCA Students are Justice Seekers

It is the intention of WRCA that students recognize God’s hope for His people as they “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly” with Him (Micah 6:8). God’s love for His people extends to all cultures and demographics, and to all people in all places. It is our desire that our students seek to live in joy and peace with their neighbours. Injustice pervades our world; it is too easy to forget or ignore our command to love our neighbour (Lev.19:18) resulting in poverty, disparity, inequality, violence, oppression, and ‘voicelessness’.

It is essential that WRCA students learn to recognize these injustices. As the Lord loves justice, we too should show our love for justice by binding up the brokenhearted, proclaiming freedom for the captives and releasing prisoners from darkness (Isaiah 61). WRCA students seek justice in order to live God’s intention for His people.

Justice seeking is an attempt to mend and restore brokenness. WRCA students will be known by their desire to break the cycles of injustice that capture and harm others. Students will struggle to define justice, will learn to identify injustice as it is occurring, and will personally engage in seeking remedy to enable justice. Students can engage in pursuing justice through identifying and protecting those who are treated unfairly, who are lonely, who are needy, and who need forgiveness.

Thoughtfulness and discernment is important as students identify how, when and where to help. Students should be encouraged by those who have sought justice throughout history. They will recognize those before them who worked for the good of humanity, and will reflect with appreciation and humble hearts on those who have taken small steps that have turned into huge movements toward justice. Students will learn from the wisdom of William Wilberforce, the courage of Martin Luther King, and the love of Mother Theresa.

WRCA Students are Community Builders

It is the intention of WRCA that students come to understand that Christianity is grounded in the development of community for the benefit of all. God created us to live in relationship; we were created to commune with him and with others. At creation, man was in perfect community with God and His world. Unfortunately, that harmony of community was broken when mankind chose independence from God.

Peter’s life was an example of humanity’s brokenness being overcome by faith in Jesus. Just as Peter understood his need to surrender to Jesus, so we need to surrender to Christ for the growth of true community. Through his grace and power, God calls us to restore his vision for community. Ephesians 4:2-6 calls us to be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love and to make every effort to keep the unity of His Spirit through the bond of peace. This is a call to be mindful of others and to think beyond the individual needs to the needs of the community. Just as Peter was charged to share the love of the Gospel and create the community of the Church, so are WRCA students charged with creating, participating and building community that reflects Christ’s love and obeys the will of God.

Students at WRCA will be active participants in building community through caring and loving relationships. Restoration of relationship will occur through their words, actions and attitudes. Students will come to an understanding that building community must be a conscious decision developed over time as they grow. WRCA students will have opportunities to participate in and create community within their individual classes and the school community as a whole, both in leading and serving, and in both academic studies and co-curricular involvement.

WRCA students will continue to learn and practice living what it means to be a community builder as they strive to live out a life where others will see and know Christ’s goodness.

WRCA Students are Truth Seekers

It is the intention of WRCA that students develop the ability to distinguish and recognize truth, based on biblical principles. By learning God’s commandments, students will acquire the wisdom and discernment needed to identify messages that are being communicated to them by their culture (Proverbs 2:1-5). In response, students will set their priorities and values according to the standards communicated in God’s living Word and not conform to the patterns of this world (Romans 12:2). Just as Daniel refused to conform to the influences of his culture, WRCA students will demonstrate the courage and perseverance needed to face cultural pressures.

WRCA students are invited to equip themselves with truth founded on biblical principles so that they can stand strong in the face of a culture that is continuously presenting them with false thinking; the hope is that they might “shine like a light in the darkness” (John 1:5). WRCA students will acquire skills to grow their faith, to develop deep roots, to read and study scripture, to imprint God’s word upon their hearts, to pray, to meditate and be mentored. WRCA students will come to understand the importance and need to serve as active participants of bringing about truth, redemption and restoration to a fallen world. WRCA students will graduate with a passion to seek truth, and to desire wisdom and discernment.

WRCA Students are Order Discoverers

It is the intention of WRCA that students will come to know and understand that God has created this world with purpose and inherent order (Psalm 19:1-3). A WRCA student will learn that because of sin, order in creation has been disrupted and that they have been called to restore God’s order to the broken world around us. WRCA graduates will learn that the order and sequence contained in the created world points to an inherent intentionality and purpose in all elements of creation.

As students themselves participate in an ordered environment, they will discover examples of order/sequence such as sentence structure in English, patterns in Math, seasons in a year, and essential relationships within ecosystems. WRCA students will develop organizational skills that will enable them to recognize the importance of order within their own lives. A WRCA student will acknowledge and act upon their responsibility to restore order within their community through building broken relationships, participating in community service activities, researching scientific methods and helping others restore order to their own lives through service learning activities. “For since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (Romans 1:20). Through order discovering, may WRCA students develop an intimate awareness of the very nature of God.

WRCA students are Earth Keepers

It is the intention of WRCA that students recognize that they have a responsibility to care for the earth that God has created for them to enjoy (Ps. 24:1). Earth keeping means care/tending, enjoyment, and honouring God’s creation. WRCA students will be challenged to not only discover area’s where God’s creation has been hurt/distorted (Gen. 3), but to respond to their responsibility to rectify the hurt.

The choices they make with their garbage, paper, juice boxes, pop cans, batteries, phones, compost and energy matter. Opportunities to develop stewardship skills will include retreats, camps, daily academic study, field trips, service projects, and daily participation in recycling and composting. Through all of these experiences, WRCA students will appreciate, learn and grow a respect for animals, mountains, trees, lakes, oceans and all that God has created (Gen. 1). Growing a respect for creation means a heart transformation and transforming our lives: living simply, consuming less and a fundamental change that leads to being better stewards of the earth and treasuring God’s gift to us. WRCA graduates will be conscious, active earth keepers who glorify God and enjoy Him and His creation.

WRCA students are Image Reflectors

WRCA students will understand that they themselves and those around them are uniquely created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Furthermore, students will learn that their ability to reflect God’s image has been distorted by sin; but, through Christ’s ultimate sacrifice and our restorative work, we are able to work towards an accurate reflection of our creator. The WRCA community will cultivate within each student the responsibility to reflect God’s image. Students will recognize that Christ is the ultimate reflection of God in the flesh. They will realize the importance of knowing Christ as their personal Saviour so that they can genuinely reflect the characteristics of Christ (Galatians 2:20).

In an effort to become image reflectors, students of WRCA will desire to develop the fruits of the Spirit. WRCA students will develop these qualities not only in the classroom, but also through activities within the school community. Students will demonstrate love and kindness by caring for those less fortunate. They will bring joy to their community through sharing their talents. Students will develop patience and gentleness through their interactions with their peers and buddies. Self-control will be evident in all interactions as a class group and on a team. Each WRCA student will graduate with an sense of their identity in Christ and the ability to recognize what it means to reflect our creator.

WRCA students are Servant Workers

To be Christian is to serve. It is the intention of WRCA that students come to know God as the greatest servant. The students’ model for servanthood is the supreme servant: Christ, who humbled himself (Philippians 2:5 – 11). Since the fall, people have a natural predisposition towards selfishness—we put ourselves ahead of others. Though saved by grace, we understand that we show our love and thanks to Jesus for his sacrifice through our actions – through a life of servanthood lived through gratitude.

Who is a servant? It is the person who does things for others without seeking recognition or accolades. It is not just the Mother Teresas, it is the student who takes time to give selflessly – in large and small ways - in school, at home, and in the community. This student will learn to see opportunities to help and act on those opportunities.

Servant learning is a process of heart transformation. Real servanthood goes beyond prescribed tasks and comes from the heart, though it must be acknowledged that opportunities to serve can train the heart. Opportunities to serve in the school and community are provided to WRCA students. These may include: musical performances in the community, visits to the elderly, inner city work, food and clothing drives, and a Guatemala service trip. WRCA students will recognize that serving is a way of life, not a single service opportunity. It is seen in the hallways, on sports teams, in the classroom, and in the home. Though students may not initially serve out of pure motives, it is WRCA’s intention that over the years serving others will become a way of life (Proverbs 22:6).

WRCA Social Studies 8

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