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Ashley Griner First Baptist's first graduate
On Tuesday evening, June 2, Virginia Ashley Griner and the First Baptist Christian School both celebrated milestones in their lives.
For Griner, and her parents, Lynn and Ginny Griner, it was the heartfelt pride in earning a high school diploma.
For the Apalachicola school, it was the honor of graduating the first student in its 25-year history.
Griner spoke at the ceremony, and received scholarships, both from Apalachicola Masonic Lodge #76, and from the school, towards continuing her education at Gulf Coast Community College.
"We're excited that she's the first graduate, especially since it's our anniversary," said Carline Kembro, principal of the school, housed in the church building at 46 Ninth Street.
Following the ceremony, Griner and her family celebrated her graduation with a reception hosted by Fellowship Baptist Church and First Baptist Church and attended by a wonderful gathering of family and friends.
The school began in 1984, and now has an enrollment of 60 students, from pre-Kindergarten through the 12th grade.
The school started out by adding one additional grade each year, but that growth was not always steady, Kembro said. "We had a preschool for many years, and then first and second grades," she said. "Several years we didn't advance, and then we grew, as student numbers increased."
In 2006, the school added a ninth grade, and Griner continued on as the first high schooler. A rising senior is expected to graduate next spring, and four rising juniors will graduate in 2011.
The school meets all state requirements but is not itself accredited, instead operating as a master DVD school under the auspices of its parent school, Pensacola Christian Academy, which is accredited by the Florida Association of Christian Colleges and Schools.
As a Beka Academy, the Pensacola program offers on DVDs a curriculum to homeschoolers and private Christian schools throughout the world, named for the cofounder of the Pensacola academy, Beka Horton.
To augment and tailor the lessons as on-site proctors, Kembro taught Griner math and science, and tutored her in keyboarding. Richie White taught her language arts, history, and Spanish.
"It operates a lot the same as homeschooling and one the same lines as a virtual school," Kembro said.
As a private school, students do not take the FCAT tests, but are assessed by the Stanford Achievement Test series, the Stanford 10, through the 11th grade. Tuition for the high school is $250 a month.
It has been by design, Kembro explained, to keep the Christian school small, especially at the higher grades. "We're really strict about taking transfer students at higher levels. It's hard to make that transition," she said.
