FOUR YEARS! It seemed like a never-ending, far reaching, distant and unattainable dream. Opening our new upper school and gymnasiums has been as surreal as surreal can be. The moment has been a little lost in my mental exhaustion but seeing students in our gym last night was definitely a milestone moment of shock and awe.
When I started my job as Executive Director at Cornerstone Classical Academy, I was at the lowest point of my life. Our Founder, Lindsay who is a former youth group kid of mine, loved me back to a good mental place. She believed in me and has hyped me for four years. She has defended me, promoted me and has been the best partner in all the good that I could ever have. She allowed me to lead with no question, she trusted my judgement and together we prayed this school to where it is today. No question that our success is only because of FAITH and the God of the universe ordained it.
We are normal, local, non-classically trained ladies who love Jesus more than anything and believe in miracles. We believe we are born for such a time as this…we will work and fight for the next generation until death. Are we more exhausted than we have ever been…YES!! Are we going to sit back and enjoy the accomplishment of our school…NO! We are already hustling to build the first charter school in Nassau County in the Wildlight Community! We will go where God opens doors!! We are fighting to save our country!
Four years ago, we kicked off the fundraising campaign for our gym. Our family gave the first donation to the gym campaign, the Spartan 300 and set reoccurring monthly giving. We accidentally and miraculously gave enough to qualify to name a room in our new building. My bestie Carrie pulled the donation records so we could contact those who qualified, and I’ll never forget her face telling me my family was on the list. I was shocked because it's been a struggle raising five children. It showed me the power of small, consistent, monthly giving.
I was so honored to name the Cornerstone Gym lobby after my wonderful father, Stan Smith. To know him was to love him. He was taken too soon from us, but his legacy of faith, family and love of basketball will live on forever at Cornerstone. He met my mom because he joined the Baptist church basketball league and became a member of the youth group. Our family found faith and has a generational blessing because of basketball. That is the reason I am so passionate about athletics. It changed our family forever! I can only imagine the athletes that will have a blessed future because of what we have built at Cornerstone. May God always bless and use our facilities for His glory.
We also hosted a blood drive in our cafeteria gym to give back to our community. So many Cornerstone families showed up and because of their donation, saved lives! Many of my friends and family gave blood for the first time, pushing past their fears. It was so beautiful to see! My great nephew Jack who is fighting cancer, felt good enough to come to the basketball game. I know God will use my nephew Britt's families suffering to bless so many through awareness and research. God always uses our pain for His grand purpose if we allow Him.
The other amazing thing that I sit here and reflect on is the most incredible team God has assembled at Cornerstone. I arrived and it was just our principal and myself that first summer. It was spooky in that big building. Slowly but surely, God started calling the right team together. I truly believe my Admin team, Facility team and teachers are the best there is. The love they show for our school and the care they give it is the most beautiful thing of all. Working at CCA is not a job for us, it is truly a calling.
Dream Team doesn’t even begin to describe how we all work together. I will be forever grateful to each one of them for their commitment and dedication. It would have been so much easier to go to a built school with all the necessary classrooms and facilities. I will never forget last night at our first event in our incredible new gym watching the concession stand run, watching players and cheerleaders on the court, the stands filled with students of all ages and our Spartan fans cheering!
Our miracle school is built, but the miracles will keep coming to Cornerstone because we dedicated this school to the Lord. It is written in the foundation of both buildings "JESUS IS LORD!" Our school is built on the Chief Cornerstone, Jesus Christ and he will always receive the praise and the glory for our success!
“…A tested stone, a precious cornerstone a sure foundation, the one who believes will be UNSHAKEABLE!” Isaiah 28:16
