Meet the Hammond Family
February 04, 2020
Meet the Hammond Family who attend the Valley Christian Schools (Valley Christian High School, Valley Christian Jr. High and Valley Christian Elementary).
Ethan, the oldest, is a Junior, Elise is a Freshman, Daniel is in 6th grade and Lauren is in 4th grade. Their mom, Nicole is a single mom and chose the Valley Christian Schools for many reasons but mostly for community. She goes on to talk about each of her children so you can get to know this family.
Ethan was excited to attend VCHS as a freshman. He has been involved in the amazing football program with Coach Sundberg and the VC Ambassadors for the past 3 years and will continue in his senior year. During his sophomore year, Ethan joined the track team. Ethan competed in the throwing events and has hopes to make it to state this year and will also continue track in his senior year. He has a 3.9 and has been able to do AP classes and dual enrollment to challenge him academically. His favorite subjects are science and math. He plans to attend college after graduation. Ethan says, “At Valley the teachers and coaches genuinely care about my success as a student and athlete, but most of all my character as a person. I’ve made lifelong friends and I’m grateful that I have the opportunity to be here.”
Elise was able to be part of the inaugural year of Valley Christian Junior High last year. With outstanding teachers and many new friends that she made there, it made a firm foundation for her transition to the high school. She is involved in the stellar choir program, enjoys performing under the direction of the talented Mrs. Heim and is looking forward to the choir tour to California. Elise has a 3.5 GPA and is able to take honors English to sharpener her love for writing and reading. Her favorite class is Bible with Mr. Pitts. Her brother is passing on the encouragement to join the track team and train for the throwing events along with him. Elise says, “I’m thankful that I can be a part of Valley. It’s helping me grow academically and strengthen my relationships.”
Daniel is in 6th grade and proud to be one of the ‘seniors’ during this first year of Valley Christian Elementary. He is a bright student and has straight A’s. He has been afforded the chance to advance to 8th grade math this year. History is his favorite subject and he enjoys learning about different cultures. Soccer is his sport of choice, but he hopes to start the football program next year in junior high and continue throughout his high school years. Daniel says, “I feel comfortable at Valley Elementary. I like that my teachers are nice and caring. My friends are the best! I like that my school has kindergarten all the way to high school, so I can continue with my friends throughout school. My principal Mr. Fryar is the best too! He takes the time to get to know me.”
Lauren is in 4th grade and happy to be at Valley Christian Elementary this first year as well. Art is her passion. She has a natural talent for painting and drawing. Computer is her favorite class and looks forward to learning not only about the parts of the computer, but the cool things computers can do to create items digitally. Lauren says, “I’m glad I go to Valley Elementary. We have lots of fun at school! It’s really fun during Spirit Team Fun Day and Spirit Week for Homecoming. Mr. Fryar is great principal and he is funny! My teacher Mrs. Freibott is nice and helps me learn new things.”
From Nicole, “As a parent I chose Valley Christian Schools not only for their excellence in education, but the community. The school shares my faith and is able to complement our relationship we have with religion as a family. This is evident in the administration, teachers and staff as they are examples on living life as role models. As a child I was the oldest of four kids and had the opportunity to attend a private Christian school growing up. Unfortunately, when I graduated 8th grade my parents couldn’t afford to continue sending me to Christian high school, so I went to the public school near where I lived. There weren’t any programs like The Arizona Leadership Foundation that could fill in the gap to make school choice financially within reach. When I became a parent, I wanted to pass on the legacy of having my children also attend a private Christian school of my choice and give them an even more of a solid foundation all the way from kindergarten through high school. As a single mom of four children living on one income, Christian school choice would not be an option without scholarships. I learned about the Arizona Leadership Foundation (ALF) from the business office at Valley Christian. The people who are giving to ALF have a direct positive impact on my children. The scholarships my children receive make it possible for me to afford the educational expenses of attending the private school of choice. I want to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to the Arizona Leadership Foundation and the people who donate to ALF.”
Valley Christian Schools offers students in Kindergarten through 12th Grade big school opportunities in a small school environment. Established in 1982, Valley Christian provides 700+ 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 our classrooms across our three East Valley campuses. Valley Christian is ranked as one of the Top 50 Christian high schools in the U.S. and as one of the Top 125 Places to Work in Arizona. Valley Christian Schools is accredited by both Association of Christian Schools International and AdvancED.
