Living Word Academy:
May 16, 2014 awards dinner at Living Word Academy
Living Word Academy is a Christian day school located on the Tohono O’odham Reservation in Sells, Arizona. Sells is a village struggling with drugs and gangs, and Living Word Academy serves as a light, providing a godly foundation for young people. The caring teachers, Christ-centered environment, and quality education at Living Word Academy are impacting not only the students but also their families and the greater community.
The school was started in 1978 by Carol Conway, the wife of a local Nazarene pastor. In 1999, WGM accepted responsibility of the academy, making it part of the American Indian Field’s strategy of increasing missionary presence on the reservations.
Today, the school provides an education for students in 1st through 12th grade. Each year as many as 30 students enroll in the school. The majority of the students are Native Americans, but all come from the surrounding community. The school uses Accelerated Christian Education curriculum, a self-paced curriculum that is individualized for each student.
FACILITIES
Living Word Academy operates out of three trailers in Sells that have been placed on rented land in the community. The school is located next to an Assembly of God church, which graciously allows the school to use its basketball court for gym classes and recess and its facilities for other school functions.
SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM
In order to send their children to Living Word Academy, parents pay tuition of $60 a month per child, with a discount of $10 for each additional child up to four children. However, this fee does not cover all of the school’s expenses, so missionaries and the school help raise funds to cover the remaining costs.
The academy also has a sponsorship program in which sponsors give any amount per month to help cover the additional costs for an individual child. Sponsors receive letters from their students throughout the year.
The school was started in 1978 by Carol Conway, the wife of a local Nazarene pastor. In 1999, WGM accepted responsibility of the academy, making it part of the American Indian Field’s strategy of increasing missionary presence on the reservations.
Today, the school provides an education for students in 1st through 12th grade. Each year as many as 30 students enroll in the school. The majority of the students are Native Americans, but all come from the surrounding community. The school uses Accelerated Christian Education curriculum, a self-paced curriculum that is individualized for each student.
FACILITIES
Living Word Academy operates out of three trailers in Sells that have been placed on rented land in the community. The school is located next to an Assembly of God church, which graciously allows the school to use its basketball court for gym classes and recess and its facilities for other school functions.
SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM
In order to send their children to Living Word Academy, parents pay tuition of $60 a month per child, with a discount of $10 for each additional child up to four children. However, this fee does not cover all of the school’s expenses, so missionaries and the school help raise funds to cover the remaining costs.
The academy also has a sponsorship program in which sponsors give any amount per month to help cover the additional costs for an individual child. Sponsors receive letters from their students throughout the year.
