Our Board

Jeffrey Johnston, President

In 1991, while attending college, God graciously revealed to Jeff his great need for a Savior. The Lord was very merciful in converting him at a relatively young age. His desire for a better education for himself is evidenced in the years following his conversion. He has earned his B.A. in Business and English Literature from Brock University in St. Catherines Ontario. Following that, he gained his teaching credentials in Elementary Education, Language Arts, and Social Studies from Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Jeff ran a Classical homeschool cooperative for middle school aged students for two years before taking a teaching job with National Heritage Academies. He has taught in virtually every subject area from fifth to eighth grade. In the summer of 2006 he completed his Masters in Education from Calvin College. Currently, Jeff is serving as the Assistant Principal at Greensboro Academy.

The Lord provided Jeff with a godly wife, Laura, who has helped him to pursue his goals. In December of 1999 they were married. The year 2002 brought them much joy with the birth of their daughter, Avonlea. Approximately a year and a half later Jack joined the family and in 2006 McKenna Grace arrived.

What bible verse or passage have you found to be helpful in your life? Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." Phillipians 4:8 is also very important to me as I think about Christian education. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." (NKJV)

Why do you think a Classical Christian school is so important? Classical and Christian education is vital to recovering the intellectual and spiritual heritage that has prospered the Western world. It is an excellent approach to education because it focuses on a system and curriculum that is neither novel nor trendy. Classical education has proven to be effective through the centuries. If it is built on a thoroughly biblical worldview, it holds the potential to provide the opportunity to train the next generation to effectively bring Christ into the marketplace of ideas.

Tony Fairchild

The early years of Tony's life were spent in the farming area of Illinois. God blessed him with Christian parents who endeavored to be godly examples to their children. The Lord began working in his heart even while he was a young child. He often felt real conviction and grief over his sin, but God did chose not to convert him until he was a teenager.

Tony attended private Christian schools for ten years and was home schooled his Junior and Senior year. His family relocated to Florida for a few years and then in 1996 they moved again to Mebane, North Carolina where they attended Grace Reformed Baptist Church and Tony started college.

Tony met his future wife, Amy, at church and they became good friends. After awhile they began courting and about two years later, they became engaged. In 1998, between college and jobs, they managed to plan a wedding and were married. After graduating with an Associates Degree in Applied Science of Mechanical Drafting, he started working for Builder's First Source. The Lord has blessed him and he is now the manager of the Engineered Wood Department. In 2003, the Lord again greatly blessed Tony and his wife with their son, Landon.

What Bible verse or passage have you found to be helpful in your life? Proverbs 22:29, "Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men." My wife and I heard a sermon on this verse long before we had our son. God used that sermon to teach me the importance of training children to excel and to one day, God willing, be in a position to influence our country or even the world. Christians pray for godly leaders, but have they considered that their own children could one day be those pastors and godly politicians?

Why do you think a Classical Christian school is so important? As a parent, I feel the heavy responsibility to train my child according to the word of God. I cannot get through the first seven verses of Proverbs without feeling overwhelmed and there are many more passages that point to God's desire for His people to pursue knowledge and wisdom. We need not despair; however, when God charges His people with a task He graciously provides them with the means to accomplish it. His primary means for the training of our children is, of course, the Bible, but in educating our children it cannot be the only textbook. However, a good curriculum founded on God's truth combined with classical education can be a powerful tool in the hands of parents and teachers.

I believe that we fail in teaching our children if we only fill their heads with facts. They should learn how to form their own opinions and to think on their own. Learning should be a life-long pursuit and we need to give them the proper foundation. Before they leave our protection they should be armed with truth and the knowledge to use it skillfully and present it winsomely. I am persuaded that the trivium can help us accomplish this. It requires students to read a canon of good books, study history, fine arts and language. This enables them to see how God has providentially brought the world to where it is today.

Classical education is not infallible or commanded by God, yet it is a time-tested and proven tool that can help us accomplish what God has commanded. I pray that this method of teaching will enable our children to one day "stand before kings."

Jimmy Thrasher

Jimmy was converted somewhere around age 7. He comes from a family of missionaries and spent time as a child in South Korea. He met his wife Sarah in physics class at North Carolina State University. They married shortly after college (as soon as they could tear Jimmy's brother, the best man, away from his studies in California), and began attending a small church plant in Raleigh. That church disbanded, so Jimmy and Sarah began attending Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Mebane, NC, where they are currently members. Jimmy and Sarah have two small children.

Jimmy has a B.S. in Computer Science and a B.S. in Applied Mathematics. He is currently a software engineer at a large Chinese technology company.

What bible verse or passage have you found to be helpful in your life? Psalm 37:4 - "Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart." This verse summarizes much of what is incredible about Christianity: that the God of the universe would not only condescend to interact with people, but also justify and redeem some, adopt them as sons, and then give them the desires of their hearts.

Why do you think a Classical Christian school is so important? Christians have been given a taste of the depths of the knowledge of God that we will have access to in the next life. Plumbing the depths can be called "learning." Sadly, American culture has largely lost the art of "learning," and replaced it with "training," where the ultimate goal is to provide one's way into an easy retirement. Classical education is an excellent way to teach our children (and ourselves) how to learn again.

Brad Morrison

In God's perfect plan, Brad Morrison grew up in a home where the things of God were not taught to him. When he was thirteen the Lord used a neighboring family to encourage him to attend church and teach him about Christ. Three years later, the faithful prayers of his friends were answered and God saved him. It was through their display of Christ-like love that showed Brad how much he needed a Savior. In 1994, while attending Grace Reformed Baptist Church, he was introduced to Ashley. They were friends for two years before God began to reveal his purpose to bring them together. In 1997, they were married and six years later the Lord blessed them with their son, Reagan.

Brad has an A.A. degree in Humanities from Alamance Community College and a B.S. in Information Systems and Operations Management from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is currently employed as a business process analyst for a small company in Chapel Hill.

What Bible verse or passage have you found to be helpful in your life? Proverbs 16:9 says, "A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps." This verse has served to remind me over the years that God is sovereign over all things in my life. He alone is faithful to guide and prosper me in ways that will truly make me happy and bring the most glory to Him.

Why do you think a Classical Christian school is important? My K-12 education inundated me with facts, but never provided me with the tools to organize those facts and draw logical conclusions for myself. Classical Christian education teaches children to analyze information, critically think, and cogently organize and express their thoughts. As a Christian, I believe that it is important to teach our children through the prism of a Christian worldview where the revelation of God is found in all aspects of learning. Classical Christian education provides a solid foundation to prepare our children to accept the responsibility as our future leaders. I want such an opportunity for my son, as well as all the children in our community.