How the Hope Scholarship changes the game for Kanawha Valley private schools

County and state public school officials have expressed concern about the Hope Scholarship's impact on public school funding, but private school administrators in Kanawha County assert that their educational choices give families a way to expand their communities and reinforce their values.

Here are several examples of private school choices that offer education for kindergarten through fifth grade. Some also offer nursery classes and/or middle and high school options.

ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Montessori

ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Montessori is in its 15th year, currently serving students from toddler age through sixth grade. The school’s walls are filled with artwork by its 97 students, who are grouped into multi-age classrooms.

Missy McGovern, director of learning, said this structure builds stronger learning relationships and classroom culture.

"The dynamic of having the age span is that you have natural leaders, and kids can learn from each other," she said. "You have a mini-community within the classroom."

The school also is home to the only two Wilson Reading System-certified teachers in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, which school officials say makes them better able to help struggling readers and kids with dyslexia.

McGovern shared learning milestones about her own children — a 4-year-old in the primary class and a 6-year-old in the lower elementary class.

"He would come home with big facts about how the moon doesn't make its own light. It's actually the sun reflecting," she said of her youngest child. "And it was surprising to hear such big facts out of a little mouth."

Anna Japhet, director of operations, described the daily structure, which includes a three-hour morning work cycle where students complete most lessons independently. During this time, they manage their workload using journals and are expected to track their progress. The school also emphasizes practical life skills — like cleaning up after themselves.

"They really understand how to take something out, work on it and put it away," she said. "The practical life that they do in the younger grades transfers beautifully into home contributions and just their ownership of our family as a community."

Cross Lanes Christian School

Founded in 1973, Cross Lanes Christian School is a K–12 school affiliated with Cross Lanes Bible Church. Its founding came during Kanawha County's school textbook conflicts. 

"Back in what some people refer to as the textbook controversy, where the textbooks in public schools started to veer away from traditional conservatism, and God became unwelcome in the schools," Riley said, "a group of people at the church decided we needed a Christian school."

Today, the school sits on a 42-acre campus with five buildings. Although affiliated with one church, its students represent more than 70 Christian congregations.

The school offers many athletic teams, various extracurricular activities and academic programs, including Advanced Placement courses and dual-credit opportunities through Marshall University and West Virginia State University — allowing students to graduate with up to 24 college credits.

Students attend daily Bible classes and weekly chapel services. Each academic subject is taught with a Christian worldview, and the school is accredited by the American Association of Christian Schools.

Also unique for a private school is CLCS's use of school buses, which transport students from miles around to school.

Mike Cumberledge, who has taught at the school since 1980, initially joined because of its modern facilities — at a time when "a lot of Christian schools were run out of church basements." Over time, his family became deeply woven into the school’s culture. His three sons graduated from the school, and three of his grandsons now attend. He has coached, driven a school bus, and still teaches chemistry and Bible classes.

"I've tried to make it a good place to be," Cumberledge said. "You know, we all realize we're not always the greatest in the world, but we try to be as good as we can with what God has given us."

Islamic Association of W.Va. Elementary School

Officials at the Islamic Association of West Virginia Elementary School in South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä said it's the only Islamic school in the state. It blends Montessori learning with religious-based education.

Founded by Kiran Faridi, a scholar from Pakistan who moved to West Virginia in 2009, the school was born from a desire to preserve Islamic values in her own household. Faridi has a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and a master's degree in education leadership from Harvard University. 

Initially homeschooling her daughter, Faridi recognized a broader need among local Muslim families for a values-aligned education. She consulted with the Islamic Association of West Virginia and used her education and community outreach experience to establish a primary school for children ages 3–6.

The school has gradually expanded to accommodate its oldest students, who are in sixth grade. Next year, it will serve students through seventh grade. The school employs 12 trained teachers with experience in Montessori and public school environments and is dual-accredited. 

"Our idea was not just to give them Islamic education, but to also prepare them to be a responsible citizen, someone who can be a productive part of the society," Faridi said. She added that the school environment allows families to maintain consistent values between home and school, rather than navigating two different worlds.

The school follows standard Montessori principles — like multi-age classrooms and hands-on learning tools — but adds instruction in Arabic and Islamic studies. Faridi said learning is tailored to each student's abilities and interests, with a self-guided classroom environment that fosters intrinsic motivation and peer learning.

To deepen their Arabic literacy, students use Montessori tools, like handheld tiles to create letters and words, and put on an annual play in both English and Arabic.

The student body is already diverse, Faridi noted, which is why students do not need to be Muslim to attend. At their recent Culture Appreciation Celebration, students represented their heritage from 10 different parts of the world, including West Virginia.

"God made you different, made you into tribes and nations, so that you can learn you can know each other. So we don't think that this is a problem," she said. "There is something to learn from each other."

Sacred Heart Elementary

Serving students from nursery age — about 2 years old — through fifth grade, Sacred Heart Elementary emphasizes both academic learning and Catholic values — although only 33% of its students identify as Catholic. Instruction includes religious education focused on kindness, respect and love.

All Catholic schools in West Virginia are overseen by the Diocese of Wheeling-ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, based in Wheeling.

Principal Niki Kurten said the school environment is joyful and community driven. One of her favorite parts of the day is hearing the kindergarteners singing from down the hall.

"They just sing their little hearts out," she said. "Sometimes, I catch a song, and I open my door really wide because it's just the best way to start your day."

Kurten emphasized that the staff "loves to celebrate the arts" and create opportunities for students to showcase their talents. One example she shared was an art show where the choir sang and young gymnasts showcased their tumbling skills.

Students can take advantage of the strings program — where they can learn from professional musicians how to play violin, cello or viola — a choir program and open mic nights.

Students who have different interests can join the church's basketball league or the robotics program, which is in its second year.

With 324 students and 26 teachers, the school also keeps class sizes small, typically capping them at 18 students. Increased enrollment has led the school to plan for additional classrooms in the next few years.

When asked recently by a reporter about a memorable lesson or educational experience, fourth-grade students from one of Theresa O’Leary's theology classes recalled a living-history museum project where they dressed as different Catholic saints and how funny it was to go to church dressed that way.

O'Leary said, "At the core, we teach the Catholic faith, but we also teach things about being a good person, being kind to one another, respect."

The fourth-graders concurred, saying they felt they learned more about the Catholic faith in class than during church services, and that their education focuses on ideas such as love, hope and how to be a good person.

Most of the students who go to this school go on to attend ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Catholic High School, located around the corner from Sacred Heart in downtown ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä.

Hope's local impact

Each of these schools offers its own scholarship options, but administrators say the Hope Scholarship has made a clear difference in access and affordability.

At Cross Lanes Christian, enrollment increased from 286 to at least 307 students because of the scholarship. Riley said the school now has the most Hope recipients in the state and has developed academic support programs to ensure new students stay on track.

"The Hope Scholarship has made our school affordable for so many families, which is just fantastic," Kurten said.

She emphasized that "money should never be an issue" when it comes to choosing the right school, and the scholarship has brought the school within reach for more families. This year, 185 of Sacred Heart’s students received Hope funding.

Kurten added, "It's hard to say exactly how many are here just because of Hope," but she believes the impact is undeniable.

At ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Montessori, Japhet and McGovern said they've seen improvements not only in enrollment but in student retention.

"Before, that kindergarten year was the cutoff where families would then go to public [school]," Japhet said. "We've noticed in the last few years, with the Hope Scholarship, that there's been a huge uptick in families staying."