CHILLICOTHE— When Valerie Jones started at the Ross County Christian Academy in 2021, the school had just begun a new project to expand and welcome more students.
Now, five years later, the project is done and Jones is leaving the school, having spread the word to hundreds of students in the area.
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The Brookeside project was officially completed in 2024 and gave the school a space to teach children in pre-kindergarten to fifth grade. Jones said the goal of the school has always been to help provide a quality Christian education option to families in the area. As the first big project she oversaw, the expansion helped do exactly that by allowing the school to educate more students,
“We definitely want to serve as many families as we can,” said Jones.
In addition to the expansion project, Jones has worked with educators to help improve the school through new programs and partnerships. Each new program brought into the school aims to educate students and help them develop a servant leadership mindset that they will take with them throughout their lives as they continue to grow their faith.
“We have helped kids know what God’s purpose is for them in life,” said Jones.
She says none of this growth would be possible without the hard work of the staff at the school and the support of multiple local churches.
“We’ve done a lot of work together,” said Jones of the collaboration between the school and local churches.
After she leaves RCCA at the end of this school year, Jones will start her new position as the Teach for the Kingdom director with the Ohio Christian Education Network and Joshua Cooper will become the new superintendent. In her new role, Jones will still be connected to the school as she will be working to help Christian educators across the region. As she continues to walk down the path God has shown her for her own life, Jones said she is looking forward to seeing the continued growth of RCCA and its students.
“I’m excited to see what the Lord has planned for him here,” said Jones of Cooper.
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: RCCA superintendent says goodbye to years of memories
Reporting by Shelby Reeves, Chillicothe Gazette / Chillicothe Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
