Alma Heights Christian Academy
Encyclopedia
Alma Heights Christian Schools, formerly Alma Heights Christian Academy, consists of an elementary, middle and high school. Together, the organization is a private evangelical
Christian
school located in Pacifica, California
. Alma Heights Christian Schools is affiliated with Pillar of Fire Church
.
Elementary School Student Life Video
Middle School Student Life Video
High School Student Life Video
, and many families moved into the area.
Alma Heights Academy was named after Bishop Alma White, the founder of the Pillar of Fire Church
, and was later renamed Alma Heights Christian Academy. Today, the combined elementary, middle and high school are called Alma Heights Christian Schools.
Alma Heights’ enrollment gradually grew and the school became a charter member of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). The boarding school was closed in the spring of 1965 because the population of Pacifica had increased so that a greater demand for day students had materialized. By the mid 1970s, a second campus across the street from the original boarding school was developed. Additional classrooms and campus housing for teachers were added during the 1980s and 1990s. The high school started in 1986. In 1990, the first class of seven students graduated.
In this past decade, Alma Heights achieved accreditation with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and a major building program was completed, adding the gymnasium, library, science wing, computer lab, music room, shops, and several classrooms. In 2009, the high school merged with Highlands Christian College Preparatory, increasing the Alma Heights High School enrollment by almost 40%.
In 2009 Alma Heights Christian Academy and Highlands Christian College Preparatory in San Bruno combined their high school programs beginning in the fall of 2009. The newly combined high school program is located on the Alma Heights campus in Pacifica, California
and is now called Alma Heights Christian High School.
with hills and a view of Montara Mountain
. The school property now provides buildings on two campuses, one campus on each side of Linda Mar Boulevard. The Seville Campus includes the first completed building, and houses the kindergarten through fourth grade. The White Field Campus, also named after Bishop Alma White, includes fifth through twelfth grade in separate buildings. The last two buildings to be added to the campus were fully occupied during the 2005-2006 school year. These comprise (1) an official-sized gymnasium which also includes classrooms, a commercial-sized kitchen, men's and women's shower/restrooms, a conference room, and workshops; and (2) a library, which also includes a computer lab, science lab and lecture rooms, and offices.
(ACSI). Alma Heights achieved accreditation with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
(WASC) in early 2003, and after merging with Highland's Christian College Preparatory, has accreditation with ACSI.
Both parents and the student(s) are required to sign the following as a precondition of admission: “I understand that Christian teachers are in partnership with my parents. I will strive to obey them also as they seek to train
me according to God’s Word. With the help of the Holy Spirit
, I will seek to live a godly life in and out of school in order that Jesus Christ will be glorified. I understand that failure to uphold these principles and guidelines of the Family-School Handbook may result in my dismissal from Alma Heights Christian Academy.”
Parents and the prospective student(s) are required to sign a declaration that they agree with the Alma Height Christian Academy seven-point Christian’s statement of faith.
Parents are furthered required to sign the following consent agreement: “I hereby give permission for my child’s teacher, and/or other members of the school staff and administration to enforce all classroom regulations and school policies in a manner consistent with Christian principles of discipline.”
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
school located in Pacifica, California
Pacifica, California
Pacifica is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay.-Overview:The City of Pacifica is spread along a six mile stretch of the north central California coastal beach and hills, nestled in several small valleys spanning between...
. Alma Heights Christian Schools is affiliated with Pillar of Fire Church
Pillar of Fire Church
The Pillar of Fire International is a Christian organization founded in Denver, Colorado in 1901 by Alma White, with headquarters in Zarephath, New Jersey. The Pillar of Fire was originally incorporated as the Pentecostal Union, but changed its name to distance itself from Pentecostalism in 1915...
.
Elementary School Student Life Video
Middle School Student Life Video
High School Student Life Video
History
Alma Heights Academy was founded in the 1950s as a boarding school in a rural, unincorporated part of San Mateo, CA, known as Pedro Valley. Property for the establishment of a Christian school was purchased in 1949-1951. In the following decade, it transitioned into an elementary and day school. Pedro Valley was later developed as part of a newly incorporated suburb of San Francisco named PacificaPacifica, California
Pacifica is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay.-Overview:The City of Pacifica is spread along a six mile stretch of the north central California coastal beach and hills, nestled in several small valleys spanning between...
, and many families moved into the area.
Alma Heights Academy was named after Bishop Alma White, the founder of the Pillar of Fire Church
Pillar of Fire Church
The Pillar of Fire International is a Christian organization founded in Denver, Colorado in 1901 by Alma White, with headquarters in Zarephath, New Jersey. The Pillar of Fire was originally incorporated as the Pentecostal Union, but changed its name to distance itself from Pentecostalism in 1915...
, and was later renamed Alma Heights Christian Academy. Today, the combined elementary, middle and high school are called Alma Heights Christian Schools.
Alma Heights’ enrollment gradually grew and the school became a charter member of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI). The boarding school was closed in the spring of 1965 because the population of Pacifica had increased so that a greater demand for day students had materialized. By the mid 1970s, a second campus across the street from the original boarding school was developed. Additional classrooms and campus housing for teachers were added during the 1980s and 1990s. The high school started in 1986. In 1990, the first class of seven students graduated.
In this past decade, Alma Heights achieved accreditation with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and a major building program was completed, adding the gymnasium, library, science wing, computer lab, music room, shops, and several classrooms. In 2009, the high school merged with Highlands Christian College Preparatory, increasing the Alma Heights High School enrollment by almost 40%.
In 2009 Alma Heights Christian Academy and Highlands Christian College Preparatory in San Bruno combined their high school programs beginning in the fall of 2009. The newly combined high school program is located on the Alma Heights campus in Pacifica, California
Pacifica, California
Pacifica is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay.-Overview:The City of Pacifica is spread along a six mile stretch of the north central California coastal beach and hills, nestled in several small valleys spanning between...
and is now called Alma Heights Christian High School.
Facilities
The campus is located on approximately 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) along San Pedro CreekSan Pedro Creek
San Pedro Creek is a perennial stream in the City of Pacifica, San Mateo County, California in the San Francisco Bay Area whose tributaries originate on Sweeney Ridge in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Montara Mountain in the Santa Cruz Mountains.The creek mainstem flows through the...
with hills and a view of Montara Mountain
Montara Mountain
Montara Mountain, positioned between the unincorporated community of Montara, California to the southwest and the city of Pacifica, California to the north, forms the northern spur of the Santa Cruz Mountains, a narrow mountain range running the length of the San Francisco Peninsula that separates...
. The school property now provides buildings on two campuses, one campus on each side of Linda Mar Boulevard. The Seville Campus includes the first completed building, and houses the kindergarten through fourth grade. The White Field Campus, also named after Bishop Alma White, includes fifth through twelfth grade in separate buildings. The last two buildings to be added to the campus were fully occupied during the 2005-2006 school year. These comprise (1) an official-sized gymnasium which also includes classrooms, a commercial-sized kitchen, men's and women's shower/restrooms, a conference room, and workshops; and (2) a library, which also includes a computer lab, science lab and lecture rooms, and offices.
Accreditation
Alma Heights Christian Schools maintained membership with CACS throughout its early history, which then developed into the Association of Christian Schools InternationalAssociation of Christian Schools International
The Association of Christian Schools International is an association of evangelical Protestant Christian schools.-Purposes:ACSI, a protestant association for Christian schools, impacts nearly 23,000 schools and transforms the lives of more than 3.9 million students worldwide...
(ACSI). Alma Heights achieved accreditation with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
Western Association of Schools and Colleges
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges is one of six official academic bodies responsible for the accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in the United States and foreign institutions of American origin. The Western Association of...
(WASC) in early 2003, and after merging with Highland's Christian College Preparatory, has accreditation with ACSI.
Admissions requirements
The school requires both prospective students and their parents to complete a 14-page application form in addition to numerous other references, student performance data, tests and interviews. In the application, both parents and the prospective student are asked detailed questions about their religious beliefs, practices, and affiliations. As an example, the prospective student is asked: Who is Jesus Christ and describe your relationship with Him? Have you trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? If yes, when did this occur? Do you go to church regularly? Are you active in a church youth group? Are you willing to stand up for what is right?Both parents and the student(s) are required to sign the following as a precondition of admission: “I understand that Christian teachers are in partnership with my parents. I will strive to obey them also as they seek to train
Training
The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies as a result of the teaching of vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relate to specific useful competencies. It forms the core of apprenticeships and provides the backbone of content at institutes of...
me according to God’s Word. With the help of the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
, I will seek to live a godly life in and out of school in order that Jesus Christ will be glorified. I understand that failure to uphold these principles and guidelines of the Family-School Handbook may result in my dismissal from Alma Heights Christian Academy.”
Parents and the prospective student(s) are required to sign a declaration that they agree with the Alma Height Christian Academy seven-point Christian’s statement of faith.
Parents are furthered required to sign the following consent agreement: “I hereby give permission for my child’s teacher, and/or other members of the school staff and administration to enforce all classroom regulations and school policies in a manner consistent with Christian principles of discipline.”