Warrior News

Dear Parents and Families of RCS,

And just like that, 25% of 2025 is now behind us.  Spring break is nearly upon us, and then the sprint to the end of the year.  This week, I was drawn to a short but powerful verse in the Old Testament from the book of Micah: “He has showed you, O man, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).  At this time, Israel was in a spot.  Their sins were only overshadowed by their excuses and justifications for their actions.  Prior to this verse, the prophet was asking, “What sacrifices can we offer to make it all better?”  Not because they wanted to be better, but rather to find the most expedient way possible to shortcut the atonement process.  They were desperately in need of a heart change, and God’s response gave them a simple three-step process to follow.  First, to act justly.  Our world would say “follow the law so you don’t get in trouble.”  God’s perspective is “follow the law from your heart, because it is the right thing to do.”  Don’t obey to get something; obey to draw closer to your Heavenly Father.  The second step, which was more outwardly focused, was to love mercy.  Within the phrase “love mercy” is the Hebrew word hesed, which means “loyal love”.  This is that complete, sold-out, heartfelt love for God and others, putting them before ourselves.  Both justice and mercy are foundational parts of God’s character – why wouldn’t He then expect us to live by both?  The ultimate expectation, when we conduct ourselves justly and love loyally, is to walk humbly with our God.  Walking in humility shows a dependence on God rather than ourselves.  This helps us maintain the proper perspective on the world around us.  When the world sees these traits in you, they see into the heart of the Father, and there is no better perspective than that.

Thank you to all who helped make our Spring Book Fair a huge success!  The final tally, including tax, was over $8,000.  From the proceeds, we will be providing Amazon gift cards for teachers to use in their classrooms.  We appreciate all you do in partnering with us to make RCS such an amazing place!

Share your heart and home this summer! Host a student from Spain or France (ages 13-17) in your home for 3-4 weeks. Learn about their culture while they learn about living in an American family, just by being part of what you regularly do. We offer a range of programs to accommodate your family’s work or non-work schedule. Families receive stipends to help out with expenses. We can help work out transportation or vacation concerns. This will be a treasured memory for your family! Contact Debbie Hardy 804 909-3190 or debbiehardy2003@yahoo.com To see the available students-  https://secure.smore.com/n/2y7xr.

In our next installment of “Why RCS?”, here are five more good reasons for your friends and family members to be a part of Warrior Nation:

• Challenging academic curriculum that is Biblically integrated in all courses K-12.
• Academic rigor through Dual Enrollment classes, including a partnership with Liberty University to provide students access to over 180 Dual Enrollment college level courses.
• Community Service graduation requirement for all students allows them to serve their community and represent Christ.
• Partnership with OptimumEd, a college and career planning service for students and parents that provides access to all aspects of the college planning and choice process.
• 33-acre campus in the heart of Chesterfield County with full athletic facilities on campus and sports options (boys and girls) in all three sports seasons.

May the Lord bless you this coming week as we prepare to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.

Blessings,

Bill Sharp, M.Ed.
Head of School
 

Dear Parents and Families of RCS,

In James 5:16, it says, “Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”  I love the three-part sequence of this verse.  First, the confession of sins leads to healing, reconciliation, and accountability within the community.  It fosters humility and strengthens our relationships, ultimately leading to spiritual growth.  Once we hear the needs of our brothers and sisters, we can then pray for them – and as a result, healing takes place.  In a world of much uncertainty, division, and chaos, healing through Christ is the only hope we have, not only to survive but to thrive as kingdom bearers in a lost and dying world.  The second half of the scripture serves as a reminder of why we do it:  our effective, fervent prayers can accomplish more than we are physically able to do in our own strength.  We read in Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  This battle is done and won through prayer!  So, I would ask and encourage you to set aside time each day to lift our Warrior family in prayer, specifically for:

• Mr. Hauser and his recovery
• School growth and increased kingdom impact for the Richmond area
• Strength for teachers, administrators, and students to finish the year well
• Continued blessing of fully staffed positions and wisdom as we seek to fill vacancies
• Anything else you have on your heart for RCS

On Tuesday, the Elementary team hosted the Spring 2025 STEAM Night, which was a huge success!  The evening was filled with creativity, inspiration, and collaboration.  A huge THANK YOU shout-out from Mrs. McClain to everyone who made this event unforgettable – we are looking forward to next year’s event!

Speaking of events, we were blessed to have nearly 200 attendees at Grandparents' Day, where families had the chance to shadow our students through a fun-filled program that began with an amazing musical performance by our elementary students.  To view this link, go to https://youtube.com/live/62zw0LgaJZk?feature=share. 

Share your heart and home this summer! Host a student from Spain or France (ages 13-17) in your home for 3–4 weeks. Learn about their culture while they learn about living in an American family, just by being part of what you regularly do. We offer a range of programs to accommodate your family’s work and non-work schedules. Families receive stipends to help out with expenses. We can help work out transportation or vacation concerns. This will be a treasured memory for your family! Contact Debbie Hardy at 804-909-3190 or debbiehardy2003@yahoo.com to see the available students:  https://secure.smore.com/n/2y7xr.

Why RCS?  Here are five reasons to share with families who are looking for a safe, God-centered school:

• 74 years of experience in Educating Hearts and Minds for Christ.
• Regular Discipleship group student meetings to discuss student matters and make connections with staff members.
• Spiritual Emphasis Weeks, held each semester, provide students with an opportunity to draw closer to God.
• Chapel services in elementary and secondary divisions (6th - 12th grades, led by student praise band).
• All staff members have a personal testimony of salvation through Christ.

There will be more to come, so stay tuned!  We are blessed to partner with you in Educating Hearts and Minds For Christ!

Blessings,

Bill Sharp, M.Ed.
Head of School