School History and Governance
Imago Dei Academy, which means “image of God” in Latin, began in 2008 as the vision of a small group of teachers and parents who are passionately dedicated to Christian education. Their vision grew into the reality of Imago Dei Academy, a school committed to partnering with parents, and dedicated to providing an excellent education -a classical Christian education -to the families of the Tularosa Basin. We encourage our students to love learning, think clearly, communicate eloquently, and engage in a lifelong pursuit of wisdom.
Imago Dei Academy is an independent, non-denominational, board-administered classical Christian School.
Imago Dei Academy is managed by the Board of Directors of said Association (hereafter referred to as the School Board) and its appointed Head of School.
Philosophy of Education
While most Christian schools agree on certain fundamentals, it is imperative that parents scrutinize the beliefs on which a school is founded prior to enrolling their children. We believe that parents must be clear on the philosophical elements that distinguish our approach to education.
We believe:
All education is discipleship. There is no neutral truth. To disciple is “to teach; to train or bring up; to convert to doctrines or principles.” (Webster, N. 7928).
- The Bible clearly instructs parents to “bring children up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” The Church’s commission is essentially to spread the Gospel and train believers
- {Matt.28:78-20). The State has been directed to enforce God’s laws and protect the innocent
- (Romans 73). The Church trains parents and the State protects families. The Family raises and educates children (Eph.6:7-4). Therefore, we seek to teach and discipline in a manner consistent with the Bible.
- God’s character is revealed not only in His Word, but also in every facet of creation. Therefore, we teach that all knowledge is interrelated and can instruct us about God Himself.
- All truth is God’s truth. God created everything we can observe, test, understand, and experience, and He is in control of it. As a result, all academic content is viewed from the perspective that it all comes from God, with the educational process centered on both the living and written Word.
- Each child is God’s image-bearer and that” … the life of the covenant child should ever increasingly become a true inflection of the life of Christ that is born within the heart” (Berkhof & Van Til, 7990, p. 87). Each student deserves the opportunity to manifest the image of God in his or her life. One of the commitments of Imago Dei Academy is to employ a process of education that draws out that which inherently resides within each student (Cox, 2007).
- Nurture and enhancement of the imago Dei qualities helps diminish learner frustration and promotes learning. As a result, we endeavor to draw out” … imago Dei qualities like love, dignity, trust, security, authority,jurisdiction, self-discipline, dominion, worship, morality, creativity, eternity seeking, competence, destiny/purpose, and excellence” (Cox, 2000, p. 74) in each student by placing Scripture at the core of all learning.
- Biblical principles should be integrated into every subject taught at our school. Our staff is committed not only to academic excellence, but also to teaching students how to apply the truths of God’s Word to every aspect of life.