LCA History

20 Years at Lighthouse Christian Academy

Written by Dorothy Dobson who at 68 years old felt God was calling her to start a Christian School.

An experienced teacher, Dorothy had retired several years earlier but when she began to plan for this school with her daughter, Marnie Spencelayh, age was no barrier to her enthusiasm. At 88 years, she is still looking for adventure!

Lighthouse started as a dream – a vision of a school in the Western Community based on the Biblical teaching that God created the world and He has a plan for each person in it. The school opened in September, 1987 with 10 students from kindergarten to Grade 7 and 2 teachers. We met in a little Anglican church hall with the added blessing of being permitted to use St. John’s church as our chapel.

Fortunately, the number of students kept gradually increasing so it wasn’t long before we were hiring more teachers. The next step was adding more grades as students voiced their desire to continue at Lighthouse. My daughter Marnie replaced me as the principal of the school after 6 years.

After 8 years in St. John’s hall, the number of students had grown so much that we had to move to a larger facility. It was an exciting day when our present elementary school building was ready for use and we moved everything from Glencairn Lane to Parkdale Drive. Another building was soon added to accommodate the High School which now went up to Grade 12. Our first senior class graduated in 2000.

As in any organization, conflict is inevitable but God has ways of making it clear that He is in charge and His plan was for the school to continue. Just as the doors seemed to be closing, He lit a fire in the hearts of a few parents and teachers who gave their time to see that our school would stay open with kindergarten to grade 9. Today, it is strong and thriving, with the enrolment growing as well as grades and staff.

We are delighted to report that a lot of lessons have been learned over the years and Lighthouse is again on its way towards having a graduating class in 2010. We are excited about what God has in store for us in the future. Our desire is still the same – that each student will not only learn the academic subjects, but will begin to find God’s plan for his or her life.