Calvary Christian School Celebrates 25 Years in Pacific Palisades

“It was almost like Little House on the Prairie.”

That’s how former teacher Kay Wadsworth described Calvary Christian School when it opened in 1989 with only 46 students and five teachers.

Calvary Church, which began as a home-based Bible study group in Pacific Palisades and moved to its first church building on Via de la Paz Drive in 1948, has had an on-site preschool since the 1970s, Wadsworth said. She credits Founding School Member Carolyn Stone with the idea of building Calvary Christian School. The church’s generosity and support, along with that of the community, made the dream a reality.

In 1988 Calvary Church funded the construction of the school’s first building on Palisades Drive in the Highlands. The project took a year and a half and in 1989 the school opened its doors for the first time to the hustle and bustle of PreK-5.

“The church really had a passion to help the school succeed and grow,” Wadsworth said.

According to Wadsworth, who first taught a combination class of 4th and 5th graders, the school underwent a dramatic growth spurt in its first five years.

“There were 90 students in the second year and 150 students in the third year,” Wadsworth said.

The church would later forego building a new sanctuary and instead build the next three school buildings, allowing the school to run debt-free and maintain low tuition for its growing number of students – something the school is still committed to. Wadsworth would go on to teach grades 3-5, serve as Assistant Head of School and as Interim Head on multiple occasions.

“The Palisades is a wonderful place, and this school is a reflection of that,” she said. “I think God knew we were going to be here.”

A Vibrant Culture

Although Calvary has come a long way in its 25 years, some things have remained the same – its passion for instilling confidence in children, its dedication to fostering leadership and communication skills and its commitment to Christian values. Calvary’s devotion to each student academically, physically and emotionally is a sentiment palpable throughout the entire campus.

“A real, true independent school really teaches the whole child,” Head of School Vince Downey told the Palisadian-Post.

“This school has always been about building relationships. We consider ourselves the Calvary family,” he added regarding the clear bond between Calvary students, staff and parents.

There is an inexplicable buzz of energy – that of budding potential, no doubt – alive at Calvary. Smiling students are cheerful as they walk from one class to the next, take to the stage or play on the field. And with exceptional academics in an environment brimming with trust, respect, exploration and creativity, Calvary students have every reason to smile.

The school teaches Pre-K – 8th grade, in addition to its infant “Mommy & Me” and toddler “Tiny Seeds” programs.

Across the board, the entire campus operates on the four main tenets of Calvary’s mission statement: academic excellence, Christian values, leadership and service.

“We follow our mission statement very carefully and closely,” said director of communications Jennifer Pettit, who taught 5th grade at Calvary before taking a break to have children – three daughters who are now in first grade and kindergarten at the school.

“I taught here and knew I wanted to bring my own children here when they were old enough,” Pettit added. “From administration to teachers to maintenance staff, everyone is so grounded in the love and nurturance for every child.”

Each grade has two classes that cap out at 20 students in order to maintain a low teacher-student ratio. Students regularly have opportunities to dabble in music, foreign language, performing arts, fine arts and sports in addition to benefiting from Calvary’s outstanding core academic curriculum.

“Teachers meet students where they’re at,” said Pettit of the academics she describes as strong and appropriately challenging. “It’s a priority for the teacher to get to know every student. And they really do.”

Technology also plays a crucial role at Calvary and Middle School Exploratories even allow students to try their hand at documentary filmmaking, iMovie, guitar and more.

Keeping in line with Calvary’s passion for service, each grade level also works with a community service organization throughout the year.

Still, it is the faculty’s commitment to Calvary students and families that truly sets the school apart from the pack.

“We want to give our kids confidence so they can lead, communicate and feel at ease with who they are,” Downey said.

Vision for the Future

Just as Calvary prepares students for life beyond its campus, Downey is laying the groundwork for Calvary’s future.

Downey wants to be sure that Calvary is able to continue its commitment to exceptional education for years to come.

“My goal is to work on an endowment which sets the school up to be here forevermore, for another 25, 50 or 100 years,” Downey said. “I want the next Head of School to have an opportunity to be at a place like I am.”

According to Downey, Calvary’s continued growth and success have come courtesy of a little help from above. “I think God has really had His hand on this school.”