Delaware County Christian School

Delaware County Christian School (also known as "DCCS" or just "DC") is a Pre-K to 12 independent, coeducational, interdenominational day school with an enrollment of approximately 900 students located on two campuses in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania in the United States.^[1] The school's official mission is "to educate students who will serve God and impact the world through biblical thought and action."

Originally only at the Malin Road campus on the grounds of the George W. Strawbridge, Jr. estate, it expanded in 1968 with the purchase of the Alice Grim school at Bishop Hollow Rd. and West Chester Pike for grades K-5. In 2009, DC made an arrangement with The Episcopal Academy to exchange campuses which allowed DC to move the Elementary program to a more spacious and accommodating facility.

Until 2007, DC was a member of the Southern Chester County League (SCCL). Almost the entire SCCL was absorbed into the Ches-Mont League except for Garnet Valley High School, Devon Preparatory School, and DC (the latter two were the league’s smallest members). For the 2008-2009 academic year DC, joined the Bicentennial League rejoining former SCCL rival Devon Prep. The school's mascot is The Knight and its colors are green and white. The Varsity boys lacrosse team is currently a part of the Tri-County League.

History

In 1949, a group of parents met together, sharing the belief that their children should be educated in a Christian environment. These parents were determined to start holding classes by September of the next year (1950). That fall, Delaware County Christian School opened to enroll 48 families, 58 students in grades K-5. For the next few years, classes met in the basement of the First Presbyterian Church of Springfield with a staff of four teachers.

DC first moved to Newtown Square with the purchase of the 11-acre (45,000 m²) George Strawbridge Estate in 1955. In 1964, the school took on its first building project: a gymnasium-auditorium (now the upper gym). When the gym was complete, DC held the first DC Invitational Boys Basketball Tournament, the oldest continuous Christian high school basketball tournament in the United States.^[2] Over the next 15 years, DC would acquire five adjacent acres and build the High School building (formerly called the Science building) and the Lower Gym/Middle School building (formerly the Elementary building).

Running out of space to build, DC needed more space for the growing enrollment. Marple Newtown School District was selling the Alice Grimm School at 2 Bishop Hollow Road, about a mile from the existing campus. DC, not wanting to let such a perfect opportunity go to waste, purchased the campus for elementary classes in 1983.

Starting in the 1990s, DC's construction projects began to focus toward the artistic sides of modern education. In 1994, the Art Building (officially called The Lowrie Annex, after one of DC's headmasters) was built on the Malin Road (upper) campus to move art classes out of the basement of the Strawbridge Mansion. The art building, designed by DC art teacher Linda Unger, provided two art rooms (one for middle school and one for high school), a drama room, a dark room for photography, and an additional classroom.

In the interest of furthering the arts even more, DC broke ground on the Arthur and Nancy DeMoss Center for Worship and the Arts in the summer of 1999. The new building, connected to the upper gym, adjacent to the Mansion, houses a 554-seat auditorium, music room, bigger drama room, computer lab (computers have since been moved to the high school building), kitchen and a large room (called the “Commons Room”, or “CR”) principally for study halls and wrestling practices. For the 2008-2009 school year the kitchen was upgraded to be able to offer hot lunches for sale in the CR.

In early 2009 DC completed a property negotiation that would exchange the Alice Grimm/Bishop Hollow Campus and a cash sum for a campus in Devon. This Devon campus, originally the Haas Estate (as in Rohm & Haas), had been used as an elementary school by The Episcopal Academy, which moved all of its students to a new campus in 2009. DC made notable changes to the interior of the Devon Campus upon purchase, principally to expand some classrooms, allowing for a raised student cap and increased class size. [DC has an average class-section size of 24, while Episcopal had 18 at Devon.] This move provided DC with new breeds of facilities that were physically impossible at the Bishop Hollow Campus, in the center of bustling Newtown Square. Amenities include a full-size gym with locker rooms, ample field space, a chapel, air conditioning (a feature lacking at the previous campus) and more classrooms - all of which allow for a growth in the DC elementary program.

Academics

DC Faculty and parents pride themselves on the integrity of their academic system. A complete list of Academic offerings can be found at http://www.dccs.org/page.cfm?p=351. This list includes:^[3]

Bible

• Life with Christ
• Doctrine
• Romans
• Apologetics
• Christian Theology
• Contemporary Issues in Christianity
• Calvin's Institutes
• Revelation
• Discipleship
• Biblical Drama

Sciences

• Advanced Topics in Science
• AP Physics B
• Honors Physics
• Physics
• AP Chemistry
• Honors Chem II
• Chem for Health Sciences
• Honors Chemistry
• Chemistry
• Chem Survey
• AP Biology
• Advanced Biology
• Microbiology
• Environmental Issues
• Intro to Forensics
• Biology II
• Honors Biology
• Biology

Mathematics

The DC math program has a notably rigid structure, with varying requirements for graduation depending on placement. Starting with the class of 2011, the progression generally follows:

• Algebra I (Honors available)
• Geometry (Honors available)
• Algebra II (Honors available)
• Algebra III or
• Honors Math Analysis (a pre-calculus course)
• AP Probability and Statistics
• Honors Intro to Calculus
• AP Calculus AB
• AP Calculus BC

English

• AP English Literature and Composition
• English 12 (Honors available) - British Literature and Composition
• English 11 (Honors available - Some Honors students take the AP English Language and Composition Exam to receive college credit) - American Literature and Composition
• English 10 (Honors available) - Genre, Logic and Composition
• English 9 (Honors available) - Grammar, Literature, and Composition

History

• AP Government
• AP European History
• AP United States History
• United States Government & Economics
• United States History (Honors available)
• World History II (Honors available) - 1550AD to 1990
• World History I (Honors available) - The Beginning to 1500AD

Foreign Languages

High school students are required to complete through level III of a modern foreign language. The German department currently runs an exchange program with the August-Hermann-Francke-Schule in Giessen, Germany (a city north of Frankfurt).

• German
• German I
• German II (Honors Available)
• German III (Honors Available)
• German IV (Honors Available)
• AP German

• Spanish
• Spanish I
• Spanish II (Honors Available)
• Spanish III (Honors Available)
• Spanish IV (Honors Available)
• Spanish V
• AP Spanish

Health and Well-Being

• Phys. Ed.
• Health
• Strength & Conditioning
• Career Stewardship

Arts

Artistic Courses

DC proudly boasts an award-winning fine arts program, especially in the categories of Studio Art, Graphic Arts, Photography and Drama. All students are required to take a fine arts course during their time as a DC Student.

• Freshman Art Elective
• Art Major I
• Art Major II
• Art Major III
• Honors Art Major IV
• Computer Graphics I
• Computer Graphics II
• Computer Graphics III (Honors Available)
• Intro to Photography
• Photography I
• Photography II
• Photography III
• Knight Tones (the elite choral group)
• Concert Choir
• Vocal Workshop
• Concert Band
• Drama I
• Drama II
• Drama III
• Drama Elective
• Technical Theatre
• Film
• Yearbook

Theatrical Arts

Throughout the year, DC runs three major shows: the middle school play in the fall, the DC Players (formerly known as the high school Drama Club) show in the fall, and the High School Musical in the spring.

Middle School Play

The Middle School play is usually a play based on a children's book, with middle school actors and high school crews. Since 2005, the middle school production has included full sets and theatrical lighting and sound. Recent productions include:

• The Hobbit (Fall 2005)
• Holes (Fall 2005)
• Alice in Wonderland (Fall 2006)
• Charlotte's Web (Fall 2007)
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Fall 2008)
• Peter Pan (Fall 2009)
• Cheaper By the Dozen (Fall 2010)

DC Players

The DC players (formerly known as Drama Club) produce a show every year, usually two shortened plays. Every play is acted, directed, produced and managed by high school students. This program has grown drastically since its conception. Originally staged in the drama room, the show moved to the auditorium in 2008 to accommodate the growing audiences. Recent productions include:

• Arsenic and Old Lace and Memorandum (Fall 2007)
• The Crucible and The Ugly Duckling (Fall 2008)
• The Seven and The Miracle Worker (Fall 2009)
• A Murder for Love and The Dining Room (Fall 2010)

High School Musical

The High School musical is indisputably the largest stage production at the school. Originally alternating with plays, 2009 saw a rise in talent and the growth of DC Players into the year's high school play, which cleared the way for an annual musical. Productions principally feature high school actors (sometimes middle school actors fill child roles), with high school crew members, directed by a team of teachers. Past productions include:

• Nicholas Nickleby (the final spring play) (spring 2007)
• The Music Man (spring 2008)
• Annie (spring 2009)
• Fiddler on the Roof (spring 2010)
• Beauty and the Beast (spring 2011)

References

1. ^ http://www.dccs.org/, Accessed 5/21/2008
2. ^ http://www.dccs.org/, Accessed 2/21/2009
3. ^ http://dccs.org, High School curriculum accessed 2/21/10

Coordinates: 39°59′57″N 75°23′01″W / 39.999158°N 75.38371°W / 39.999158; -75.38371