Hi, my name is Carter Saterfiel, and I am a senior at Claiborne Christian School. During my 14 years at CCS, I have found myself learning and understanding what it truly means to be a Crusader, and why this school has and forever will be home to me. To write about a place that has been that for me for almost my entire life is bittersweet; however, despite it being my last year, I have reflected on how my school has been such a blessing to me, and I am so thankful that my parents chose to send me to the school that would forever change my life. If you are wondering what makes it the best school, here are the reasons that will make you fall in love with this place like I have:

1. The atmosphere is truly a place for partnering with family and church.

One of our daily routines as a student body is to recite the school mission every morning, and as I was doing this a few weeks ago, I began to meditate on the words and think about their true meaning. One line from the mission reads, "...to partner with family and church, to provide an atmosphere that encourages and equips students to know, love and serve Christ..." and in that moment, I realized that is exactly what CCS has done for my life. They have taken both my family and spiritual needs, and enhanced them together by equipping me with a deeper relationship with God, and because I have taken the knowledge learned from my school and utilized it in these areas of my life, I have been able to strengthen the relations within my family and church through love and unity. This school is a place where I have found guidance in becoming a better Christian, and if I am able to grow both in my family and church while deepening my relationship with Christ, then I have ultimately influenced all aspects of my life with God being my center.

2. CCS has equipped me to be a servant leader while providing multiple opportunities for me to be one.

If you would have asked me what a servant leader was four years ago, I probably would have come up with a quick answer, so I could move on to the next question. Although now, I know exactly what it is. At Claiborne Christian School, I have been provided with the information it takes to serve God and others and how to do that as a leader; however, our teachers did not just tell us how to do it, they showed us how to do it. Here are the outlets that were provided to help me learn that:

• SLi: This one is huge for me. One of the best organizations to be a part of at my school is Student Leadership Institute (SLi). Throughout the past four years of high school, I have been a part of this group, which has given me the opportunity to collaborate with diverse groups on our response to real-life situations; to grow as a student-leader by attending conferences regarding life issues, culture, and learning about our identity in Christ; to learn the roles of a church service and how I can be a part of it; and to learn how to defend my faith as a Christian despite the various views of those around me. With these experiences I know being a Christian in the “real world” will not be a scary thought anymore, but an exciting one! Being able to branch out from CCS after graduation and apply these principles to the outside world of my school excites me to not only know what a servant leader is, but to be one.
• Servolution: For the past six or seven years, Servolution has been a great outlet for students to unify together for the same purpose, which is to simply be the hands and feet of Jesus. Each semester our school has a day fully committed to serving others. From grades sixth-twelfth, our school partners with places in our community to serve and be a light for God, and in these moments of serving, I always leave feeling energized for God and His purpose. When we all come together to serve others, its ability to create love is astonishing. The moment of being able to help someone else is refreshing and humbling, and if it were not for these opportunities, the unity and love that is so prevalent at CCS would not be the same.
• Chapel: If you asked me what my favorite day of the week was, I would probably say Thursday. Not only is SLi on this day, but so is Chapel. Throughout the past few years, Chapel has been consistently modified to better improve the atmosphere for changing the lives of its students. The leaders at CCS truly care about that, and they take the time during Chapel to pour into us and lead us where we need to go. We have had multiple speakers attend our services giving us a variety of messages and diverse speakers all while centering it around God. One of my favorite things about Chapel is when we have Family Chapel, which happens once each semester. It’s during this service that the students are given the opportunity to not only invite their families for a time of worship, but they get to lead it! I have been able to not only be on the worship team for these services, but also the drama team. It’s in these services where I have learned what it takes to be a leader, and the various roles that are in such a service. I have also been given the chance to speak at middle school chapels where I was able to pour everything I have learned at CCS into the lives’ of younger students, and in my spring semester, I plan on doing that again through middle school small groups. In these moments I have truly been able to feel the love of God flow through me as my school continues to build me up. It’s an awe-inspiring feeling.
• Little Buddies: I believe Claiborne Christian began this when I started my freshmen year of high school, but at the beginning of your sixth grade year, a student is assigned a “little buddy,” which is a younger student that we are able to mentor all throughout our years at CCS. I have especially been blessed by this specific one, because I have loved every minute of being able to be a younger student’s role model. If I can teach and pour into them like my school has for me, then I will be able to shape a leader just like CCS does for its students. It’s fantastic for students, and I love it.

3. CCS is a place for future growth in all aspects.

One of my favorite things about my school is how they prepare me for my future, while investing in the future of CCS itself. In the last five years of attending this school, I have never seen such growth and improvement. Our student body continuously excels in academics, sports and clubs, but more than that our school grows in Christ together, which is the most important in my opinion. The campus has also featured several renovations and add-ons, which is due to the constant growth seen every new school year. It has also progressed in new clubs and sports, and even though this school may not be as big as others, it ranks top in a lot of areas. The future of this school is bright and open for wide opportunities, and I believe it is one of the best schools around this area and will continue to succeed in its mission to creating just that. As far as my future, my school has invested so much time in making sure I am ready to make real-life decisions, to be a leader, and to thrive in my relationship with Christ after high school. One of the best things about being a senior this year is how I am being prepared for the future. This year I am given several unique opportunities that are rarely offered at other places. For example, figuring mortgage on a house, how to pay taxes, calculating money for expenses in life, what a godly marriage looks like, learning my identity for a relationship and my identity in Christ, and how I can connect with someone through my personality and God. All of these useful tools will be essential to my life, and I am thankful I get to learn about them from a place that cares about my future.

4. I have created life-long friendships.

I don’t want to sound too cliche with saying, “CCS is one big family,” but it truly does describe what it’s like to be a Crusader. With the steady rise in numbers of new students each year, I have always seen unity among the student body. It is definitely a place where you can make forever-lasting connections with new people. It doesn’t take long to feel “at home,” especially because the students and faculty are so loving and genuine. If I ever need something, I know I can count on the people I go to school with to pray for me and love me. I have found a family in them, and they will forever be that for me.

5. The moments you make becoming a better Christian are forever.

I am not a perfect person. I never will be. But my school has equipped in me a foundation that cannot be shaken. It is something I am grateful to have, but when I reflect on all the moments where I was poured into whether it be from a leader or student at CCS, I cannot help but get a little emotional. Life is not easy, and with all the twists and turns it makes, it can get difficult at times, but having people that are there to help you and shape you is something I cannot forget. Every word, every moment, and every memory I can think of where I needed guidance has still stuck with me for all these years. I can remember being taught in seventh grade Bible a lot of principles for life that I still hold to tightly today. And if there is anything I am thankful for the most, it’s the fact that I have been given the opportunity to become a better Christian all because Claiborne Christian School cares. They love. They want to see a world full of leaders, and by pouring into them and guiding them, that’s exactly what they’re doing. They are shaping and loving students to become leaders. And that is why I love CCS.

So, thank you, Mom and Dad, for sending me to a place that cares. And that I call home. It has forever changed my life, and I am blessed to have another place that feels like home. We are Crusaders.