Mt. Pisgah Christian School in the Owens community offers a unique approach to education that conjures up visions of the one-room schoolhouse of days gone by.

Founded in 1995 by the Rev. Juaken Dumas, pastor of the school’s affiliate, Mt. Pisgah Bapstist Church, the K4-12th grade school enrolls about 35 students per year. K4 and kindergarten meet separately, but students in the first through 12th grades share a single classroom.

“The combining of grades works out very well,” Ron Portell, the school’s principal said.

The setup works thanks to the school’s innovative curriculum choice — ACE PACES, or Accelerated Christian Education Packets of Accelerated Christian Education. The self-paced program allows students to work through subjects at their own pace.

Students’ desks line the perimeter of the 2,400-square-foot classroom, which is staffed by three accredited teachers. If they have a question about the material, they simply raise a small white flag signaling to one of the teachers they need help.

“The curriculum is perfect for the way our school is organized,” Portell said. “It allows kids who are behind the chance to catch up and gives students who are more advanced the opportunity to work ahead.”

The school has been active in community college dual enrollment programs since the option became available. Already flexible thanks to their four-day school week, many of the high school students enrolled at Mt. Pisgah also attend area colleges such as Calhoun Community College.

High school senior Savannah Hallmark has attended the Christian school since kindergarten. She already has one and a half years of college credit under her belt thanks to the dual enrollment program. She plans on pursuing a degree in nursing and has been offered several scholarships, including the chance to compete for a full ride at Martin Methodist in Pulaski, Tennessee.

“We have seen our students go into the Marine Corps, four-year colleges and get their master’s degrees,” Portell said. “Our students have the same opportunities that public school students have. There isn’t much we don’t offer.”

“We have problems like everyone else, but we want our children to be in an environment where God is first, where they can carry a Bible and read it and at the same time get a good education,” he added.

The school has a boys basketball team and a cheerleading squad. When they have enough girls enrolled, they have a volleyball program as well. They close out the school year with an awards banquet for all grades, a senior banquet that replaces prom and a school trip for juniors and seniors.

Portell estimates that about 95 percent of the families with school-age children who attend Mt. Pisgah Baptist send their children to the Christian school. Tuition is significantly less than most private schools because the church funds the majority of the school’s expenses, including teacher salaries.