New leader at Plaza Heights Christian Academy

It would be difficult to find a Blue Springs educator more excited about the upcoming school year than Chuck Lawson, newly named administrator of Plaza Heights Christian Academy.

“This is an exciting time in the life of myself and wife (Brenda),” says the Nebraska native, who is counting the days until the school begins its 14th academic year on Aug. 15 as a fully accredited school recommended by the Association of Christian Schools International.

“It’s an exciting time to be at the school,” says Chuck, who moved to Blue Springs on June 30 and began his new job two days later. Exciting, he says, in that ACSI has come in and said, “We give (Plaza Heights) our stamp (of approval). You have quality teachers, you have quality test results, students are learning and they are learning from a biblical perspective.”

Chuck say he is the perfect fit for the Blue Springs school, whose first administrator, Mike Hart, resigned earlier this year to go with his family into the mission field in the Philippines.

With 22 years of experience in education, Chuck says his background as an educator and pastor will enable him to lead in a Christian school ministry that stresses a biblical worldview learning environment.

“That’s my objective,” says Chuck, who believes his services as youth pastor, pastor and principal provide) “a knowledge base that – at this point in time – God can really use. “And,” he adds, “I think that is a lot of the draw of why I even looked at the position.”

The father of two adult sons, Chuck says he derives his motivation each day knowing he is not going to work. Instead, “I’m going to a ministry ... with kids, and faculty and parents that you can touch and say, ‘What are we here for?’”

“We are here for these kids,” he replies. “We are here for their learning, and whatever we can do to strengthen that is what we are going to do. And the exciting thing,” he continues, “is that I can do it with a biblical foundation that (Plaza Heights) is God’s school and that His Word is ‘a lamp unto their feet and a light unto our path,’ And that is what motivates me.”

Chuck is coming from Marietta, Ga., where he served four years as principal at Dominion Christian School. He also was principal at Hinckley (Ill.) Big Rock High School and Aurora (Ill.) Christian School. Before that, he was administrator of Platte Valley Christian Academy in North Platte, Neb.

Chuck doesn’t recall any words of wisdom from his predecessor – just these words of encouragement: “I believe you are the right person for the job and I am going to be continually praying for you and the school.’”

Says Chuck: “(That) showed (Hart’s) heart and I told him likewise: ‘Listen, you laid a great foundation and your work will continue’” what is already being done: to constantly improve things and make them better for the children’s education.

Chuck, though, might not be where he is today had it not been for a serious health issue that surfaced late last year. Things were going well at Dominion Christian School, he recalls, until “God began working in my heart through some health issues.” So to find out the medical problem, Chuck underwent some tests before going to Nebraska to spend Christmas.

Upon returning to Georgia in early January, doctors informed him he had prostate cancer, which they eradicated with surgery.

“Since that time,” he thankfully proclaims, “I have had two blood-work tests, and it’s clear. The prostate cancer is gone. They got everything.”

Says Chuck: “Knowing that, I said, ‘God, you are not through with me.’ And I thought, ‘where best can I serve God than using the gifts and the abilities that I believe he has gifted me with.’”

Chuck will tell you it’s nice being a school principal, but he believes that through his cancer God opened a door for him to become an administrator.

“Through the whole process of the cancer and God working through my life, (Brenda and I) recognized the importance of being around family ... so (Blue Springs) was a great location for us.”

There is so much Chuck wants to instill in the students when they meet for the first time in an assembly in the sanctuary of Plaza Heights Baptist Church, which houses the academy.

“I’ll tell them that to have real success comes by knowing God and knowing the Word because that points to the father.”

He also wants them to know that if they are going to be taught, they have to know that God not only loves them but He also has a plan for their lives and desires a relationship with each of them.

“I want these kids to know that our faith is real,” he continues, “that when (students) face situations, whether it’s with a family member or an acquaintance, that they can trust the God who is behind the word.”

Looking back on his bout with cancer, Chuck believes 2011 was an exciting time for himself and his wife as they walked through things they had not anticipated. Upon reflecting on a God who knows and loves his children, Chuck says he was reminded of a biblical passage in Daniel that proclaims “people who know God will do great things.”

“I am happy to be in a Christian school; I am happy to be in one that has been established and is around, and I just believe God is going to do great things.”

To which the students at Plaza Heights Christian Academy proclaim, “Amen!”