To engage and educate young people to know and be transformed by Christ through the ways they think, act, learn, serve, and work together for God’s Kingdom.
Teaching Truth, Training Minds, Transforming Lives
We envision Christ-followers engaged in making an impact on the world for God’s Kingdom.
Biblical Worldview, Integrity, Inquiry for Wisdom, Service to Community, Compassion
We believe that the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are the inspired Word of God, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of humanity, and the divine final authority for all Christian faith and life. II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:21
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14
We believe that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. Further, He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where at the right hand of the Father, He now is our High Priest and Advocate. John 1:1; Luke 1:35; I Corinthians 15:3,4
We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and to convict and regenerate the sinner and indwell, guide, instruct, and empower the believer for godly living and service. John 15:26; 16:8
We believe that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ provides the only ground for justification and salvation for all who believe, and only such as receive Jesus Christ are born of the Holy Spirit and thus become believers. John 3:3; John 1:12
We believe that humanity was created in the image of God but fell into sin and is, therefore, lost and only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can salvation and spiritual life be received. Genesis 1:27; Romans 5:12
We believe that water baptism for the believer and the Lord’s Supper for the believer (communion) are ordinances to be observed by the church. They are, however, not to be regarded as means of salvation.
Matthew 28:19; I Corinthians 11:23
We believe the church is composed of all such persons, who through saving faith on Jesus Christ, have been born anew by the Holy Spirit and are united in the Body of Christ of which He is the head. I Corinthians 12:12-14
We believe in the personal and imminent coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and that this blessed hope has a vital bearing on the personal life and service of the believer. I Thessalonians 4:12-18
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead: of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord and of the impenitent to judgment and everlasting conscious punishment. I Corinthians 15:51-54
We set ourselves apart by dedicating ourselves to fostering the growth of students' faith, character, and academic achievements, all under the guidance of biblical teachings and the warmth of a caring community.
Our commitment to nurturing intellectual growth results in a culture where students consistently achieve their highest potential.
We prioritize individualized advancement, nurturing a passion for knowledge, and equipping students with the necessary skills to excel intellectually, spiritually, and socially.
We believe in the power of partnership with parents to foster a strong academic foundation, instill biblical values, and nurture the social and emotional well-being of our students.
We foster a Christ-honoring community by cultivating an atmosphere of love, acceptance, and respect, where students are encouraged to grow in their faith, serve one another, and pursue excellence in all areas of their lives.
"I HAVE NO GREATER JOY THAN TO HEAR MY CHILDREN WALK IN TRUTH."
-3 JOHN 4
mRS. tONYA sNYDER
Head of School
What joy there is in being a part of a Christian school! When a school is able to recognize God as central to everything in our lives—including and particularly education—the school community becomes the blessing it was designed to be. The Christian school is able to partner with parents as they approach instruction, discipline, conflict-resolution, and daily life from a biblical perspective. Our nation’s public schools are simply no longer equipped to do that. We welcome you to The Cornerstone Christian School!
Most essentially, Cornerstone recognizes the biblical mandate for parents to educate their children…to train them up in the way of the Lord (Deuteronomy 11:19). For this reason, Cornerstone works closely with each child’s parents to understand each student’s individual needs and strengths. Ongoing, open communication between school and home are essential for maximum learning to take place.
Secondly, it’s important for us to understand that all instructors in the world teach from a particular worldview. Every human being on the planet has a view of the world and what s/he believes is important to know and understand. At Cornerstone, we specifically teach from a biblical worldview. For instance, we know that God’s fingerprints are intentionally left throughout all of Creation for the express purpose of discovering Him as our loving Creator, which is the study of science. We know that throughout all of history, God is intentionally revealing to mankind His plan of redemption through Jesus Christ; this is the study of history and the social studies. Additionally, our students need to know how to study and use the written and spoken word with expertise, because God clearly has a high value of words; after all, He refers to Himself as the Word (John 1:1). There is no greater privilege than to be able to boldly and enthusiastically recognize and highlight God and His eternal truths through all of our instruction.
In the same way, we are able to work with parents as they train their children to do all things as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23-24), to be kind to others, to consider others more highly than we consider ourselves, and more. Likewise, we are able to jointly approach conflict-resolution, which occurs in every arena of life, from a biblical perspective. Consistency of goals and expectations between home and school makes the learning process far more effective and valuable. Learning how to think critically from a biblical worldview is absolutely necessary for our students to be able to make an impact on the world as Christian leaders.
It’s just not realistic for us to expect the public schools to approach instruction in this way at this point in time. Our society at large no longer believes that God is intimately interested in each of our lives or that each of us is accountable to Him. Admittedly, the sacrifices associated with choosing Christian education are numerous, but the sacrifices are worth far more than their face value. The opportunity to instruct and learn “the whole truth and nothing but the truth” is worth vastly more than the 35 years of sacrifices made by Cornerstone parents, teachers, and administrators since 1981.
It is with great joy that we are able to partner with Cornerstone families to instruct our children to walk in truth!
Sincerely in Christ,
Tonya D. Snyder
Head of School
tsnyder@contactccs.org
“I pray we will be so diligent that we will never see the end of the vision until we all get to heaven and rejoice over the souls who have been saved around the world because of The Cornerstone Christian School.”
— Gladie McLain, 1990
The Cornerstone Christian School (CCS) was born in prayer. Over a number of years, God laid a burden upon individual hearts and then upon the hearts of members of a Bible study group. They shared the earnest conviction that their children should have a Christian education. Then on September 18, 1980, the Church of the Nazarene formed a Christian school search committee.
It was with much excitement and joy over God's faithfulness that the school opened on September 1, 1981, with 56 children in Grades K-6. Grade 7 was added in 1982; Grade 8 in 1983; Grade 9 in 1984; Grade 10 in 1987; Grade 11 in 1988; and Grade 12 in 1989. The commencement of the first graduating class of 1990 marked the completion its vision for a K-12 Christian school in the Greater Hartford area. In 2006, the vision was further expanded when Cornerstone added its first Pre-K program. Today Cornerstone serves families with students in Pre-K3 through Grade 12.
Cornerstone paved the way for Christian schools in Connecticut to be approved by the State Board of Education. CCS successfully petitioned the Connecticut State Board of Education to recognize ACSI as an approved accrediting agency. In June 1988, Cornerstone's K-8 program received its first ACSI accreditation and was recognized by the state as an approved school. In June 2012, Cornerstone's expanded program received its K-12 accreditation by ACSI, making it at that time the only K-12 school with this Christian-based distinction in the state. In June of 2015, Cornerstone received additional accreditation by the Middle States Association - Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS).
God's provision has been evident over the years and continues to lead us into the future. As second generation students now walk the halls of Cornerstone, it is clear that God is fulfilling His promise to sustain the school's mission.
