Video Podcasts

Learn how AACS is meeting challenges, working toward growth opportunities, and creating new initiatives for our school.

Latest Episode

Radical Hospitality

The idea of community and hospitality is central to the gospel message. As parents, how we respond to volatility within the larger community impacts how our children see the world. We want to be a place where our students can see adults having consequential conversations that lead to a better understanding, love, and respect for each other. Over the next several months, we invite our Annapolis Area Christian School parents to listen to each other, ask questions, and converse together. Dates and times will be posted in the Parent Portal.

Episode #4

Episode #4 AACS Head of School Chad Dirkse talks with Educational Support Program Director Carolyn Beall:

  • What does the AACS Educational Support Program encompass?
  • Why do we value and work so hard to provide an educational support program?
  • Describe a typical day for our educational support staff.
  • What does educational support look like in the classroom?
  • How do we support an academically diverse student body?
  • How do we address the challenges that naturally arise when a school values and supports students with different educational needs? 

Episode #3

Episode #3 Culture of Learning at the Lower Schools with AACS Head of School Chad Dirkse, Severn Lower School Principal Karl Graustein and Annapolis Lower School Principal Elizabeth Williams:

  • What are you passionate about and what do you love about your school?
  • How do we work to understand students so we can best meet their educational needs?
  • What role do parents play in our school and in how we work with our students?
  • What role does community building play in the education of a student?
  • What areas are you laser-focused on and where are there opportunities for growth?

Episode #2

Episode #2 Culture of Learning at the Middle School with AACS Head of School Chad Dirkse and Middle School Principal Ben Peddicord:

  • What are the themes that frame each grade in the Middle School?
  • How does AACS Middle School prepare students to lead in a complicated world?
  • How do students see the level of importance AACS places on the building relationships with and among students?
  • How is Middle School preparing students to be bearers of God's image?
  • How are AACS students prepared for challenging high school curriculum?

Episode #1

Episode #1 Culture of Learning at the Upper School with AACS Head of School Chad Dirkse and Upper School Principal Dave Intlekofer:

  • How do students experience our commitment to spiritual formation?
  • How are we ensuring instructional excellence across subjects?
  • What does faculty development look like?
  • How do we build community within our student population?
AACS is committed to an experience for each student that includes three indispensable priorities:
  • Spiritual formation and discipleship that equips students to know the love of Jesus Christ in ways that surpass knowledge so they can be filled up with the fullness of God.
  • Challenging curricular and co-curricular programs that stretch students and allow them to grow through their successes and their failures.
  • Daily school encounters where students are safe, connected, and feel a strong sense of belonging.