This school is constantly trying to improve and the Independent Schools Association of the Central States accreditation process helps to develop new ideas to institute here. Accreditation also validates transcripts for colleges and other outside organizations to look at and understand the mission of this school.

A visitation team of 15 members from ISACS meets at each affiliated school and spent several days the week of Nov. 12 collecting information and deciding if the school is following its specific stated mission. At the end of this process a final decision on whether the school is accredited will be made and as well as suggestions for areas of improvement offered. 

Mr. Dennis Thomas, vice principal of academics, has spent a lot of time making sure that the school has followed its own mission in order to renew its ISACS accreditation and to prepare for the ISACS visitation team, which arrived on campus on Sunday. 

“What we say we are doing has to be what we are doing and be aligned with our mission and goal,” Thomas said. The school’s mission statement can make or break its chance at accreditation, he said.

The team spent hours preparing and executing its visit. Mr. Rolly Landeros, chief information officer, has served on six visitation teams in 15 years and knows the importance of the advice every school receives. 

“Always look inside yourselves in order to find ways to improve,” Landeros said. These topics can sometimes be uncomfortable but provide new areas and challenges for the school to improve upon in order to provide a even better academic experience for its students.“It’s only when you’re challenged that you will do better,” said Landeros.

Landeros explains learning from other schools opens up new opportunities. “You’d think that your approach is the best way of doing it until you go to a great school that makes it simpler,” he said.

According to an email from Ms. Dawn Jenkins Klus, ISACS director of accreditation, this school has been accredited since 1990. ISACS allows more than 235 schools from 13 states from the Midwest region to receive a grade in a smiliar way in which a school grades its students.