There is something new on the horizon in education for George County.
New Horizons Academy is a new school with the motto “Soaring to New Heights with God and Education.” The school is nearing the completion of its second year of operation, and its leader foresees a bright future.
The name is fitting for the school as its mission is to set an atmosphere where heaven and earth meet guiding students to be successful spiritually, academically, and emotionally. The school’s leader is Nicole Scott, a trained and experienced educator, who dreamed the idea and acted on it. Currently, she wears many hats running the gamut from director and instructor to janitor.
Scott has 12 years of experience teaching at the elementary level and has a master’s degree in education and is nationally board certified. New Horizons opened in the fall of 2022 with 22 students aged kindergarten through sixth grade. This school year, it has 33. Next school year, the total is expected to be about 50. There are a few middle school and high school-aged students who are children of teachers and staff. Plans are underway to develop a curriculum for the upper grades to be in place when needed. The process to acquire accreditation is also about to begin.
New Horizons Academy operates out of Mercy Ministries Church on Highway 26 but is not affiliated with the church. However, Scott and her husband Joshua serve as associate pastors under Rev. Jamie Cochran. Before that role, they served 11 years as youth pastors.
All teachers have certified educational credentials. The school uses the Abekah teaching curriculum designed to incorporate Christianity with education. It follows the George County School District calendar because some children have siblings in the public school system. It starts in August and ends in May with holiday observances and school breaks throughout the year.
Students attend classes Monday through Thursday from 7:45 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. They bring lunches from home which can be heated in microwaves in the kitchen that adjoins the fellowship hall. The morning starts with an assembly in the fellowship hall. Before dismissing to classes and reading groups, students recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. The pledge is followed by scripture and prayer.
An example of the scripture based on the alphabet is “A is for ‘All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.’ B is for ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.’ C is for ‘Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” The alphabet and scriptures are taught from A to Z with the last one being “Zion heard, and was glad.” By the end of the year, all ages, even the kindergartners, know the 26 base scripture verses.
Some grades are combined. For example, this school year kindergarteners and first graders are paired in the same room, second and third grades are together, and fifth and sixth grades are joined. This year there are no fourth graders. Next year Scott expects to have third grade to itself because of the number of students in that level. “Some grades might only have one or two students in that grade so we pair them with another grade,” she said. “Next year we will have 16 third graders; so, they will be in in a classroom to themselves.”
Tuition runs $3,600 per year which can be paid on a 12-month plan at $300 per month. “It’s comparable to Faith Academy and Antioch Christian Academy,” Scott said. More information can be found on the school’s website.
“We’re growing fast. This church is not built for a school. We need to build. We are praying for land, and we are praying for investors. We want to eventually offer arts, music, drama, and athletic adventures,” Scott said. Currently, the school uses the wide-open green spaces around the church for outdoor playtime. The campus has swings, a soccer goal, and a basketball goal. “And you’ll easily see our children playing kickball or tag on the front lawn. Children know how to play with very little equipment,” Scott said.
Scott began to ponder the idea of a private Christian-based school a few years ago. She found encouragement from her friends, church family, husband, and even her school principal. Multiple times she was reminded by those friends of the Bible verse that states “for such a time as this” from Esther 4:14.
“I feel like I’m standing on a ledge looking at a big school in the distance and not sure how to get there. God says to me, ‘One step at a time. I’m building a bridge,’” Scott said.
