IOO YEARS OF CONTINUOUS SDA EDUCATION!!!

What sets us apart?

Growing spiritually

We exist to help students grow in their love for Jesus. While spiritual growth can’t be measured and quantified with numbers, we do see it happening every day. It starts with our commitment to making Christ the center of all we do––not just the subject of a single Bible class. And it continues through our focus on the Bible as the sole guide for our beliefs and behavior as Protestant Christians. We invite you to visit our campus and experience how our teachers and staff model their love for God and nurture it in our students.

Growing academically

Our goal is to develop Christians with wisdom, not just knowledge. So we’ve structured our academic program to put God first and we find that, like Adventist schools of all sizes across the country, this results in students who grow academically at a higher rate than their peers in other schools (see the next paragraph). It really is true that when we “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33) To learn more about the specific results of our school, schedule an Education Success Consult with our principal.

Students in Adventist schools outperform. In a three-year study of 51,000+ students in Adventist schools (kindergarten through high school), researchers documented that they outperformed the national average.  At all grade levels. In schools of all sizes. And in all subjects.

Students in Adventist schools overachieve. Additionally, researchers compared student performance on standardized tests with what would be predicted based on their Cognitive Abilities Test scores, and found they performed above what would be predicted.

Students in Adventist schools gain even more with time. One of the most dramatic findings is that students who transferred to Adventist schools saw a marked improvement in test scores. Furthermore, the longer students are in Adventist schools, the better their achievements and abilities.

Growing physically

Making healthy choices is a way of honoring our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). And plenty of research documents the importance of healthy bodies in developing healthy brains. So we include learning about taking care of our bodies with daily exercise, good sleep, healthy eating, and more. To see how we integrate wise lifestyle choices into our curricula, come visit our campus.

Growing socially

Loving and serving others is part of God’s plan for each of us and something we practice daily.  As we interact with each other here at school and as we practice service in our community, we are guided by Paul’s words, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:2) While we are not perfect, we are constantly aiming to be more Christ-like with each other and to serve our community.  Come see how this influences our students with a visit to our campus.

Governing Organization

The school is operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church to provide a spiritually oriented education for children. A belief in the existence of the Creator God is fundamental in the philosophy of Adventist schools. We respect His divine authority and recognize His intervention in human affairs. We believe that true education develops the spiritual, mental, and physical powers of each student; preparing them for the joy of service in this life and for the higher joy of service in the life to come. To achieve this goal, we encourage each student to:

• Develop a personal relationship with God, Matthew 2:37-39.
• Nurture caring relationships, seeing others in the light of Calvary--as so precious that Jesus gave His life to offer each a chance at life.
• Master academic skills and gain the knowledge, creativity, and problem-solving needed to succeed in an rapidly changing world.
• Learn how to live healthfully.
• Begin training for service, valuing work--physical and mental--as a blessing God intended to help promote physical fitness, mental ability, and moral purity.


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History:

The first verified school for Adventist believers was started in Bucks Bridge, NY, in 1853, more than a century and a half ago, The Seventh-day Adventist Church was organized in 1863, ten years later. It was not quite ten years after that the church sponsored its first official school in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1872. Since then, the Seventh-day Adventist school system has grown to be a worldwide educational system with schools ranging from preschools to universities, and online institutions as well.

Looking back towards those roots, the first SDA school in Ardmore was established in 1919, almost a hundred years ago. It operated many years and produced many fine alumni, but the building was getting older. Consequently, a new school building was completed in 1974 and was the result of a generous donation of land and funds by Charles and Nellie Beavers. The school was then named Beavers Memorial Junior Academy in their honor.

In the fall of 2003, when grades eleven and twelve were added, the school's name was changed to Beavers Adventist Academy. The name was changed again in 2004 to Ardmore Adventist Academy to clearly identify the school as being part of the local community, as well as continue its identification with the worldwide system of Adventist schools. A memorial to the Beavers was displayed in the school to honor the spirit of self-sacrificing dedication to Adventist education that the couple demonstrated.

A tornado completely destroyed this school building in February of 2009. A new building was completed by 2011, and is located just up the street from the original tornado site. This leaves the address the same, and the memorial to the Beavers still exists; but most important of all, the spirit of devotion to God and caring respect for those around us is still as bright and alive as ever.

Since the tornado, we have continued to serve our students with high quality programs. Our students have engaged in an outstanding number of community service and special projects. We recently celebrated our 100 year anniversary, and many distinguished alumni from around the country came to be with us. AAA has graduated doctors (even medical school professors), pastors, teachers, missionaries, and a lot of other professionals and hard-working people in various walks of life. We are very proud of the accomplishments of our alumni!