Rockford Christian School

Rory took "paws-on" leadership to a whole new level, touring campus to check out the incredible progress being made by our cleaning team and construction crew. From commandeering floor scrubbers to inspecting framed-out walls, Rory gave us a behind-the-scenes look at how our unified campus is being prepared for the upcoming school year.

Seeing the physical transformation taking shape firsthand makes it clear that our campus unification layout isn't just about moving boxes...it is about designing an environment where our students build relationships, find mentorship, and grow spiritually across every grade level.

Rory can't cross this finish line alone! To help turn these freshly framed construction zones and scrubbed hallways into thriving classrooms, we need our entire community to rally around the 1401 Challenge to support the "Built to Multiply" campaign. Whatever amount you feel led to give, your participation multiplies our mission. Go to https://tinyurl.com/1401Challenge to join Rory in making Rockford Christian history today!

🚨 We are thrilled to share a major institutional milestone for our school community: Rockford Christian has officially been accepted as a candidate school with the Council on Educational Standards and Accountability! CESA is an organization that holds Christian schools accountable to superlative academic standards, institutional best practices, and rigorous operational integrity. Becoming a candidate school means that we are benchmarking ourselves against some of the finest independent Christian schools in the world, ensuring we continue to offer an excellent educational experience for our students and families.

Putting this achievement into perspective, there are only 104 CESA schools across the entire world (72 member schools and 32 candidate schools). This recognition marks a significant chapter of growth for Rockford Christian. Thanks to the steady, intentional dedication of our leadership, faculty, staff, and board, we have elevated our programs, governance, and operations to meet the rigorous benchmarks required to qualify for this status.

To learn more about the standards we are committed to, you can explore the CESA framework at https://www.cesaschools.org/cesa-standards.

Over the last two weeks, our campus has been an incredible whirlwind of action during our community moving days! As our campus unification progresses, the sheer amount of love and energy poured into these hallways has been nothing short of inspiring. To everyone who carried boxes, pushed flatbeds, coordinated rooms, or lifted our team up in prayer: THANK YOU! You are the heartbeat of our Royal Lion community, and your fingerprints are all over this historic next chapter of God's story at Rockford Christian!

The school year might be over, but our excitement for a unified campus is heating up! We know the final weeks of school are a beautiful blur of graduations and vacation packing. Because we’ve heard from many who would like to participate in the 1401 Challenge but simply missed the initial window, we are keeping the 1401 Challenge running through Tuesday, June 30th! This capital campaign isn't just about buildings - it's about creating a singularhome at 1401 N. Bell School Road where older students can naturally mentor, lead, and inspire our younger learners every single day. If you missed the deadline last week, the door is still wide open! Visit https://tinyurl.com/1401Challenge to join the challenge today!

If you listened to 88.3 WFEN's "Up with Cori and John" over the last couple of mornings, you might have recognized a very familiar voice on the airwaves. Our Head of Spiritual Life, Heath Tibbetts, stepped up to the microphone to help co-host the morning show! We love seeing our staff bring wisdom, encouragement, and a bit of the Royal Lion spirit out into the wider community. Thank you, Mr. Tibbetts, for representing Rockford Christian so well, even before most of us are fully awake. 🥱☕️

WFEN family, you may have noticed that John is out of town this week, which means I needed someone brave enough to jump into the morning show with me before most normal humans are fully awake. 😜

A huge THANK YOU to Heath Tibbetts, Head of Spiritual Life over at Rockford Christian Schools — or as I know him, my friend Nikki’s husband 😆— for graciously stepping in with me the past two mornings on Up with Cori and John!

He has done an amazing job, brought such great wisdom and encouragement, and I truly could not be more grateful. And good news… he’ll be back with me again tomorrow morning! 🎙️🙌

And speaking of special guests… I have a VERY special surprise guest joining me this Friday for Attitude of Gratitude.

Any guesses who it might be? 👀

Hint: Father’s Day is this weekend. 💙

These rising 4th graders are keeping their skills sharp over the summer! Led by 4th-grade teacher Mrs. Bartel, our summer book club students dove into the classic "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing". They had a great time discussing Peter, Fudge, and all of their hilarious adventures! Gathering together like this over the break is a fantastic way for our students to stay connected with friends and classmates and build reading confidence as they prepare to move into 4th grade.

We love celebrating the unique paths and creative achievements of our graduates, and today we are proud to highlight Rockford Christian alum Sophie Riley '18. Already well-known as a gifted and accomplished visual artist, Sophie has officially added "published author" to her creative resume with the recent release of her very first novel.

Sitting down to write a book is no small feat. Turning a completely blank page into a fully realized, published story takes an immense amount of quiet dedication, discipline, and artistic vision. It is incredibly exciting to watch Sophie expand her creative boundaries into the world of writing, blending her eye for visual art with a passion for written storytelling.

Bringing a major creative project like this to life from start to finish is a massive personal and professional milestone, and we can't wait to see where her artistic journey takes her next!

Rockford Christian is seeking talented faculty and staff who are called to educate, mentor, and inspire the next generation. Whether you're guiding students through scientific discovery, helping them develop new language skills, or serving in another vital role, you'll be part of a mission that reaches far beyond academics.

Why Rockford Christian?
✨ Partner with families in the education and discipleship of their children.
✨ Be part of a supportive, Christ-centered culture that feels like family.
✨ Grow professionally and spiritually within a community that invests in you.

If you’re ready to inspire the next generation of leaders, we'd love to connect with you. Apply today at https://www.rockfordchristian.org/about-us/careers, or reach out to [email protected].

As a Film Production graduate of UW-Milwaukee, RC alum Lucca Marcello '21 was recently recognized for his incredible role in preserving a piece of world history. Combining his film skills with his knowledge of Portuguese, Lucca took on the massive task of archiving nearly two decades of university research by Professor Simone Ferro (UWM Dance emerita) and Professor Meredith Watts (UWM Political Science emeritus) on the bumba-meu-boi cultural tradition in Brazil.

Not only did he organize tens of thousands of historical assets for an archival collection at the University of Florida’s Latin American and Caribbean Collection, but he also developed both a feature-length documentary as well as individual edited videos to educate about and preserve this tradition. Professor Ferro says, “Lucca’s presence within this ambitious project has been anchored in collaborative rigor, artistic discernment, and a profound respect for the communities represented – qualities that have strengthened both the scholarly integrity and the future public life of this singular archive.”

Seeing our alumni take the gifts, work ethic, and servant hearts they cultivated here at RC out into the world to accomplish meaningful, impactful work is an incredible reflection of our mission. Well done, Lucca! 📽

https://uwm.edu/latin-american-caribbean-studies/film-and-portuguese-student-expands-reach-of-uwm-faculty-research-on-brazil/

Film and Portuguese Student Expands Reach of UWM Faculty Research on Brazil For most of 2025, UWM student Lucca Marcello (Film Production major, Portuguese minor) worked closely with UWM researchers to steward their 18 years of fieldwork materials on Brazilian folk heritage for the next generation of scholars. The result is a …

"For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." - Ephesians 2:10

Throughout our 65-year history, we have seen God's tremendous provision. The 1401 Challenge isn't about a single brick or a piece of physical infrastructure; it’s about the legacy we are unlocking. It is about creating spaces of belonging where a high school student can mentor an elementary child, where middle schoolers find identity in a positive culture, and where our top-tier faculty are equipped and supported to do what they do best. To achieve this deeply impactful future, it takes the collective commitment of our entire RC family. If Rockford Christian has touched your family, shaped your child, or inspired your faith, please join our efforts as we expand our impact today, tomorrow, and for generations to come.

Let’s rally together to cross this finish line by midnight TONIGHT, and watch our mission be multiplied for more. Visit https://tinyurl.com/1401Challenge to give today!