I have waited 2 months to go into detail of what happened at our Catholic school hoping that I…read morewould get some resolve from the meeting today but no. I feel no better now than the day Maggie told me what happened and my heart broke for her. I would like to say that I have never felt so disappointed and let down in my life. The principal was also in on the meeting. the smug look on his face and nonchalant attitude assures me that I did the right thing pulling Maggie out of Saint John Neumann Catholic School. The whole incident seems to have been blown off as the "joke" the 2 girls played it off be. Well my friends here is the true story: 2 girls from Maggie's class wrote mean notes during aftercare and signed them with my daughter's name, sealed them in a box and gave them to a 3rd grader. Things like you "are ugly, you are a hobo, your hair is ugly" etc Each individual note all signed with "maggie D". The 3rd grade teacher pulled Maggie aside and accused her of writing the notes without getting all of her facts straight. (The day this incident happened Maggie wasn't even in aftercare.) she didn't compare handwriting only took the word of 2 students over maggie. When Maggie said she new nothing about it the teacher asked one of the note writers who said, "yes Maggie you wrote them and told me to give them to The 3rd grade girl". Maggie said no i didn't. And the teacher tells her girl 1 is a good student and why would she lie? Same day school ends for Thanksgiving break. Maggie comes home and tells me everything. She asked me what the teacher meant when she said girl 1 was a good student and wouldn't lie? What does that mean about me? Sadly i couldn't answer that. Sad & weepy all weekend she doesn't go out to play only laying around watching tv. I contact teacher and by monday no response. After school monday Maggie says the kids said it was just a joke. If it were a joke why would bully #1 lie to teacher in front of maggie insisting she gave the notes??? There was even a student witness who knew it was done intentionally to get Maggie in trouble. I contact vice principal and she assures me this will be taken care of. The kids were to go home and tell their parents and then the vice principal would follow up making sure they told them everything. When i see parents at christmas program neither one apologizes for their kids behaviors acting like nothing happened. At that point i knew they didn't even know. I finally call both moms new years eve and sure enough neither one knew of what their daughters really did. School bully rules show several points the 2 girls broke including passing notes, lying, falsely accusing a student of something and list goes on. Both parents were shocked to find out what happened and both tell me school never told them anything other than it was a joke. at the meeting today I felt like i was talking to the couch. The look on principal's face and his attitude made me feel like anything I was saying didn't matter. Principal apologized to me, but it didn't seem sincere. They would not tell me what punishment was given but from talking to parents I am sure there was none. I know when Maggie lost 10 points last year for something minor I had to sign a paper. Certainly with something like this the parents would know if a punishment was given. At least both parents did apologize to me after I told them what the kids really did to both Maggie and 3rd grader. I appreciate that. And they seemed sincere. More than I can say about the school. I sent my daughter to a Catholic school to get the best education for her like I had for 12 years. But things have changed. It's more about money than the kids. The religion is taught from the books but not how to live it. From August til December was a miserable time for my daughter and sadly I paid $600 + a month to let people, including a teach treat her badly. Maybe today won't be a waste of time for other students in the future. Maybe the school will start taking bullying more seriously and not sweep it under the rug like other things. At least I know I fought for her and have tried to improve things for others.

First of all, it is concerning and a red flag when prior posts that might reflect negatively are…read moreremoved. Because an institution touts itself as being excellent isn't necessarily a fact. Yes, considering what is available in this area, this might be an option for Christian education. But CAK is lacking in several areas. The teacher turn over rate is high. Therefore consistency in programs is not there. The school has grown, which is not necessarily a good thing. Administration needs to be more careful in monitoring the growth. What is being sacrificed in order to bring in revenue? Our expectations for this school were high as we just had an excellent experience (in another state). The atmosphere was TRULY happy and joyful. Lots of high-fives, hugs, and esprit on the entire campus. It was palpable.. From both faculty and students. And top-notch programs where students were achieving academically, spiritually, and emotionally. Sadly, for the rate of tuition, CAK is average.

This school is amazing! Compared to all the other schools I've been to this place is the Bomb!…read moreTeachers are nice and make class very interesting, and it keeps my classmates and I engaged in the topic(s)

My kids have attended Berean for the last 13 years and my youngest is in kindergarten so we will be…read morehere for another 12! I can't stress enough how much we LOVE Berean teachers and staff!!! The teachers are loving and truly care for these students! They are here teaching because they love kids and it shows. We have been blessed with wonderful teachers for each of our 4 kids that have encouraged them spiritually as well as academically! The teachers are very instrumental in their lives, especially my freshman and senior's life. Thank you Berean staff for loving the kids like you do and teaching them sound, practical Biblical principles to carry with them through life!

Beyond exceptional and kind people. I am so thankful to have met them and they are always…read morerespectful and considerate when I have a question. Highly recommend

From the owner: The mission of Grace Covenant Baptist Academy is to partner with families in providing a superior…read moreChristian education, consistent with Biblical principles, within a secure, loving environment, recognizing God as the source of all life and truth, and leading students to discover their individual gifts for spiritual, social, emotional and intellectual development, thereby equipping students for the pursuit of excellence and integrity under the Lordship of Christ.

I felt welcomed. At first I didn't think I'd like being greeted at the door but having a member of…read morethe church walk me through the process and taking time to introduce me to people was great. I haven't experienced that at a church before. I left the first time feeling like I was a part of the church.

City Hills Church has a huge youth ministry for middle school and high school students every…read moreWednesday. The entire church goes above every mountain and hills, to provide games, food and a safe environment through praise and worship each week for their youth ministry. The best and friendly youth ministry and programs on this planet.

I have had both of my children attend Garden Path School, each beginning at around 2 years old. One…read morecurrently attends, and the other has "graduated" to kindergarten. I could not have asked for a better experience for our family. Angela is incredibly gifted at meeting each child's specific needs, and working with the child as well as the family to ensure that the children are in a safe and enriching environment. My children have flourished academically, socially and emotionally. The curriculum is creative and flexible, with a good leaning towards STEM and problem solving. One of the things that I love most about GP is that children of all ages are in the same classroom, creating an intricate social structure. There is also strong communication with parents and many opportunities to connect with other families. I can't say enough how much I love Garden Path School and what a blessing it has been for our family!

I found Angela through a friend and was surprised how much she knew about teaching pre-k children…read moreand what goes into each lesson. I was looking to give my daughter a great start in her development and could not be happier with Angela's school. It's a very personal and hands on teaching style that my daughter loves. I actually have a hard time getting her to go home some days because she is having so much fun with her friends. My wife and I both work, and it's hard to leave my child's upbringing partially in the hands of other folks. It was really important to me to find a school where my daughter would be learning, but also feel loved by the teaching staff. I personally think Garden Path is the best pre-k school you will find, probably in the entire state of Illinois. I love that's it's also home based so my daughter feels like she is in a safe and comfortable environment every day. Many of the big volume day cares near me are trying techniques to make the building look like a home inside with cabinets and furniture, but those still feel like a school. Garden Path is an actual home, that hides a pretty awesome school inside! My personal fave: They use tadpoles software everyday and I get to see videos and pictures of what the kids are learning and what field trips they may have gone on! My daughter loves it there and it's the next best thing to being able to have my wife or I stay home and raise her during the critical early years. Thanks Angela!

OK, so writing a review for a church is a pretty pointless exercise, right? Normally, you either…read morelike the service and feel the presence of God...or you don't. You either like the music or think it's too loud. You like a casual setting or you feel comfortable with a more formal approach. With that being said, I'll say that Providence Church has these characteristics: 1. Medium-sized...usually around 150-200 folks in any service. 2. Casual. It's not unusual to see shorts in the summer time, and jeans are pretty much the norm. 3. Rocking. The worship band features several talented musicians, and they play their instruments well. Expect a lead guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums, though occasionally you'll see a mandolin mixed in, or even an acoustic set. 4. Kid/Youth/Young Adult-Friendly: There are no Sunday School classes for adults, but very specific programs down both hallways for your kids, from "crawling" to "high school" age. 5. Reformed+Evangelical. The sermons are very bible-focused. A typical sermon series takes a book of the bible and works through it week-by-week from start to finish. In my memory, we've had sermons on Genesis, Ruth, John, and (as of this writing) Romans. 6. As mentioned in #4 above, there are no Sunday School classes. Adults (and some youth) meet in "Life Groups" in member homes. Bryan Parris is the coordinator for this, and can normally be found in the atrium on Sunday mornings if you have questions. So, if you're looking for a medium-sized church that's very scripturally focused, make a visit to Providence Church on Lovell Road. Service times are 9:30 and 11:15 except on holiday (Easter+Christmas) Sundays.

I never thought I'd be writing a review like this after spending thousands in donations on top of…read morenormal tuition. The school does not live up to its marketing pitch. However, most of ESK's flaws will not be readily apparent to those visiting. You'll likely assume that your kids are in a small class and teachers are working with them. But, if you read no further than here, I suggest that you consider what ESK is actually teaching (the actual core curriculum) and compare it to national, local, or other private school standards. It falls drastically short - particularly in reading, history, and science. They don't even have textbooks or teach basic phonics in the lower grades. Problems: 1) While they hang their hat on the student/teacher ratio, the additional teaching assistant more often just allows the teacher to slack off. This surprised us because, like most people, we thought that more teachers would mean more attention. However, that didn't happen. 2) Instead of the usual schoolwork, a lot of class time is spent on projects designed to continuously impress the parents. Regularly, you'll get something like a laminated book with a storyline about how mom and dad are awesome. But, at the expense of this, there's not much time for the true nuts-and-bolts of teaching your kid. Among other things, ESK skips over phonics and does not even have textbooks to send home (just copies of worksheets). Since ESK doesn't conduct tests or assign grades, parents may not notice deficiencies until it's too late. It's a "participation trophy" philosophy that is, in the end, harmful to kids' academic success. The fuzzy standards also help teachers do whatever they want in teaching. This is particularly true for one 1st grade teacher who favors studying butterflies and outdoors over reading and writing. Likewise, in Kindergarten, our child went many weeks without doing reading assignments because the teacher just didn't send anything home. In second grade, the teacher had a love for Civil Rights, politics, and Black history. Again, fine material for older kids or college, but not for 2.5 months of class time in second grade. The peculiar history lessons also created confusion since there was no clear timeline or context (as one would have with most American history textbooks). 3) Schools should be apolitical. As a middle of the road guy, I'm bothered by right or left political indoctrination of my elementary school kids. In this instance, ESK has a decidedly liberal political agenda and incorporates it into the curriculum. They also teach inappropriate content at a young age. We had enough when our 7 year old child was assigned a book entitled, Maya Angelou: Journey of the Heart by Jayne Pettit. On pages 16-18 of this book, there is a graphic description of a young Maya Angelou being molested by her mother's boyfriend. 4) If you plan on earning money to pay the $15,000 tuition, be prepared to take a lot of time off for the various activities during the school day. Very little, if anything, is scheduled for after school. 5) The new headmaster is an ineffective leader. He previously led a NC charter school ranked average by that state. Moreover, unlike the former headmaster, he lacks charisma and was unable to handle routine issues. 6) If you are a Christian, you'll be disappointed by the fact that ESK seems to shy away from embracing the religious aspects that could offend someone. During the holidays, there was always an email practically apologizing to non-Christian students for having Christmas and Easter events. Overall: There are much better options in Knoxville. ESK puts on a good front. But, it is woefully deficient in how it prepares children for later academic success.

Wow! What a great school. We have been so impressed. I love seeing pictures and videos of what goes…read moreon during the day through the parent-teacher app. Our daughter started JK4 with a basic knowledge of some sight words and what sounds letters make. Within 3 weeks of class, she was reading... and FAST! She also tells me certain arithmetic facts and wants me to quiz her. She's made great friends here, and I love that she gets to play outside often. The teacher incorporate outside activities into the lessons. I appreciate that her weekly schedule includes P.E., library, art, music, and two foreign languages. I also like that the cafeteria food is farm-to-table. Parents are encouraged to participate and visit. The students attend chapel every day, and I love when my daughter tells me what she prayed about. I have no complaints about ESK.