Christian Can Prosper In A Public High School

One of the hardest things I’ve done in life was to drive my son to freshman football practice at Coeur d’Alene High School four years ago.

Sure, I was worried that he might get hurt. He was a head shorter and many pounds lighter than several other boys who turned out. About 70 kids showed up for that first practice in the last year before the high school split.

I had more than football on my mind, however.

I thought I was betraying my son by putting him back in public school after three rewarding years at a small private school. As an evangelical Christian, I thought I was feeding him to the lions. I feared he would be brainwashed by secular values and emerge in four years as a punk rocker.

Now, I find those fears of August 1993 amusing.

Although my son acquired a taste for Nirvana, which disturbs his mother, he prospered at Coeur d’Alene High. He participated not only in two sports but also in student government and a host of other extracurricular activities. In the process, he and my family got more involved in the community than we would have if he had gone to a private high school.

My wife and I got to know his classmates and their families while we froze together in football bleachers and baseball stands from Bonners Ferry to Orofino, chaperoned dances and attended Parent Advisory Council meetings. We realized his teachers were quality professionals who cared for their students. We were amazed at his counselor’s hard work to attract scholarships that will make it possible for our son to attend a small private college near Portland.

Only once was our son given homework that his mother and I considered inappropriate - a reading assignment that was too racy for a sophomore. When we called to complain, his instructor readily obliged us by assigning him another book.

Today, I’m convinced that the middle school years spent at Lighthouse Academy prepared my son for a successful high school career. And the four years enrolled at Coeur d’Alene High paved the way for Linfield College. I’m also convinced that young evangelicals will receive a good education and won’t be “ruined” by public schools - if their parents provide a solid home and are involved in their schooling.

My son graduated from public high school with his faith intact and stronger for the experience.

Christians are to be in the world but not of it.

, DataTimes MEMO: D.F. Oliveria’s “Hot Potatoes” runs Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can comment on the items by calling (800) 344-6718 or (208) 765-7125 or by sending e-mail to daveo@spokesman.com.