When internationally-renowned pianist Huntley Brown and his orchestra presented its annual fundraising concert for Covenant Christian School on Saturday, this spectacular evening of music was a perfect occasion to mark the 40th anniversary of the private faith-based Aurora school.
Alumni were recognized at a special pre-concert reception, as well as later in front of an audience of 800 in the auditorium at West Aurora High School. And the school’s founder, the Rev. Dan Haas, a leading ecumenical pastor in the Fox Valley who also created the Aurora Prayer Coalition for victims of violence, was honored for his decades of service with Christian Covenant, the community and the Chicago area.
But even though the history of this preschool-through-eighth-grade school was celebrated with song and dance, the future of Covenant Christian was also very much in the spotlight, as a couple of significant firsts were made public at the concert.
During an “Aurora Strong” segment that paid tribute to the city of Aurora’s police, fire and 911 departments, Christian Covenant officials announced the school would begin offering $500 tuition scholarships to all the families of first responders.
In even more far-reaching news that evening, Gene Crume, president of Judson University, announced a unique partnership between the four-year evangelical college in Elgin and the Aurora elementary school that he hopes “will be a win/win for both institutions,” as well as a blueprint for all faith-based schools looking to grow in an increasingly secular society.
First, and perhaps foremost, this partnership gives these Aurora students a strong financial incentive to continue their educations at the liberal arts college which offers over 60 majors.
“Imagine every one of these young people on this stage right now,” said Crume, turning left to look directly at the 100-member youth choir, “when they graduate from Covenant, they have a scholarship waiting for them at Judson University.”
While there have been other “pathway” programs for academically-talented middle-schoolers to attend colleges, Crume said, as far as he knows this is the first such scholarship opportunity that includes “every single student from preschool on up,” no matter what their academic scores.
The announcement produced an audible gasp from the audience, followed by a hearty round of applause. But this component of the partnership, he quickly added, was only the “most tangible way for people to understand” what it is all about.
The new alliance not only allows the two schools to share financial resources, Crume noted, staffs from both places will begin collaborating closely through professional training and development that will include hands-on classroom work with student teachers at Judson.
Making the partnership even more workable is the fact these schools share common curriculum interests. Both put a strong emphasis on music and the arts. And several years ago Judson began the RISE (Road to Independent Living, Spiritual Formation and Employment) for students with intellectual disabilities, just as Covenant, likewise, is expanding programs for children with special needs.
Both schools, of course, have a commitment to instilling strong Christian values in young people, which, noted Crume, seems even more important in the wake of the recent college admissions scandal, where in the rush to “get in to fit in,” people are “willing to do dishonorable things.”
Faith-based schools, he added, are looking for ways to grow as the country faces declining birth rates, millennial parents are saddled with more college debt, have more educational options for their children and are less likely to identify as “Christian” than previous generations.
Plus, with more local students going out of state to further their education, Crume said, there is an immediate need for Illinois universities to build and maintain a strong student pool in order to remain viable.
Many colleges don’t have ways to reach out to minority groups, noted Covenant Principal Phil Lundquist. But because his small private school is located in the state’s second largest city and has such a diverse student population, it can help Judson “expand its footprint in Illinois.”
The recently-announced partnership is already producing a buzz in the community, added Lundquist. And he expects a significant bump in enrollment, which already is projected to increase next year from its current 105 students.
Forming this alliance is a natural, said Crume, as there already exists a strong bond between the two schools through Huntley Brown. The acclaimed gospel musician, who travels with the Billy Graham Association, not only lives in Aurora and sits on the board of directors for Covenant Christian, he is an artist in residence at Judson.
“It really does all come down to relationships,” noted Crume, who described this new partnership as one that “will evolve and define itself” as time goes on.
The next step, he added, is for the faculties to visit each campus, and for the staff to sit down together and begin sharing ideas.
“The history of Judson University and Covenant Christian School are now intertwined,” he said. “We will be sharing history as we do life together and education together.”
