PEORIA MAGAZINE August 2023
wanted to make sure that I put her in a program that fell in line with some of the things that she had already learned in preschool, the things that we were working on at home, as well as our own spiritual and moral beliefs,” said Stacy. The Christian education provided under the curriculum was the glue that attracted her to the school, she said. “They do a lot more focus on targeting complications that the kids may have,” said Stacy, adding that the one class per grade allows students to develop friendships. “It’s more like a family because you go from one grade to the next with the same kids, and you build those bonds,” she said, adding that her daughter, Khloe, now a fifth grader, has had the same peer group since kindergarten. “It’s like they turn into siblings rather than classmates.” Single mom Shatiya Alexander re cently applied to SSCA for her two daughters. A younger brother already attends. “I want my kids to have a really good education and I want them to be in a school that’s going to push them to their best ability, all while focusing on God,” said Alexander. GROWING A recent, $2 million expansion at SSCA brought six additional classes and a gym. The annual budget has grown to almost $700,000, said Meiss. SSCA Board President Chad Zobrist says with the recent capital improvements and no debt, the school is well positioned for the future. Plans are in the works for a high school. “We know that some of our students will probably go to college but not all of them,” said Zobrist. “Our hope and prayer are that they continue to live on the South Side, give back to the com munity and become leaders in this city.”
Heather Holt teaches grade-schoolers at South Side Christian
math, or whether that is reading or writ ing,” Giosta said. “We are giving them the one-on-one time up front. They’re closing the gaps that they may have.” Meanwhile, “we do a lot of checking, both academically and behaviorally,” she said. “We have a lot of kids who come with a lot of hard things, burdens to bear for little people.” There are 87 students in grades K-6 at SSCA. They attend school for about 10 months, with five weeks off for summer vacation. Some 80% of the students are from the South Side, the rest from other areas. Giosta credits teamwork, parental involvement and relationship building as vital to the school’s success. The implementation of the Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) program also has been an asset, she said. Students are rewarded when they follow PBIS rules. Sixth grader Kieyer Wells said his education at SSCA has helped him make better choices. “When I was little, I used to be bad and cuss a lot, but I don’t do that as much,” he said. SSCA parent Brittney Stacy said the school’s mission aligned closely with the goals she has for her daughter Khloe. “I ‘SIBLINGS RATHER THAN CLASSMATES’
FOCUSING ON THE BASICS, PRODUCING RESULTS The board hired Principal Nikki Giosta at the end of the second school year. She is especially proud of her students’ achievement scores, as measured by the 2022 Illinois Assessment of Readiness, or IAR tests. Giosta said 72% of South Side Chris tian Academy students scored in the approaching/meeting/exceeding cat egories, level 3 or above on a 5-tiered scale in reading. In math, IAR results show 20.8% of students at SSCA at Level 3 or better, she said. Those surpass the scores at some nearby schools with comparable demographics. Average class sizes at public schools double SSCA’s. SSCA uses Common Core curriculum standards like other Illinois schools. While the school is state-recognized, it is not accredited, said Giosta. There is no special education program. Two years ago, SSCA began using federal Title 1 funds, targeted for schools with high percentages of low-income stu dents and administered by Peoria Public Schools. Three interventionists work at SSCA, their salaries paid by Peoria Public Schools. Once students are identified as needing remediation, it starts quickly. “There’s not a lot of red tape if we see that you need something, whether that is your behavior, whether that is with
Denise Jackson is a native Peoria South Sider and former television journalist who now represents District 1 on the Peoria City Council
52 JULY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE
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