August Spotlight – Meet Maddie from Valley Christian High School
August 30, 2021
Meet Maddie Phillips, a freshman at Valley Christian High School in Chandler, AZ. Maddie was homeschooled through 7th grade, but beginning in 8th grade, Maddie and her family decided she should attend Valley Christian High School. She likes attending chapel with the students her age while singing, worshiping and listening to speakers who she noted are “very down to earth”. In her free time, Maddie likes reading, writing, drawing and photography.
Maddie has two brothers with Autism and is interested in working with special needs children as a profession, perhaps becoming a teacher. Her mom, Lisa told us that Maddie is very helpful with her brothers and most importantly patient. Maddie explained, “I would always sit in on their speech and occupational therapy and would help get my brothers to cooperate and that has always made me think that I might like to do something like that someday.”
The family is very appreciative of the scholarship from Arizona Leadership Foundation as they stated they could not afford to send Maddie to a private school. Her dad, Jeff works two jobs and is currently a Ph.D. student studying the New Testament. Lisa works part-time for PS Academy (another Arizona Leadership partner school) where she is a funding specialist. Lisa uses her own experience with having special needs children to help guide other families through the process – for parents, it can be overwhelming with the special needs of their children, trying to find a school where their child will thrive, then navigating through the STO (School Tuition Organization) or ESA (Empowerment Scholarship Account) process to pay for tuition. Lisa guides parents through the process and reminds them of application deadlines. Lisa told us, “As a mom of two boys with Autism, I totally get the challenges and can relate to the families I help, having gone through the STO and ESA process myself. I have had many families tell me how much they feel supported through this process and what a difference it makes for them.” In addition to this role at PS Academy, Lisa homeschools the family’s younger son and manages care for the older two boys.
“Thank you so much for the scholarship! I am so glad that my parents don’t have to worry about my tuition. I am enjoying my school and growing a lot.” ~ Maddie
About Valley Christian Schools:
Valley Christian Schools offers students in kindergarten through 12th Grade big school opportunities in a small school environment. Established in 1982, VCS provides 900-plus students a distinctly Christian education with excellent academics, championship athletics, award-winning fine arts and a supporting community that encourages spiritual growth and the success of our students in and out of the classroom across our three East Valley campuses. Valley Christian is ranked as one of the Top 50 Christian high schools in the U.S., the #1 Christian High School in Arizona, and as one of the Top 125 Places to Work in Arizona. For more information visit, www.valleychristianaz.org.
