A Conversation With ... Cindy Evans

Title: Superintendent

Education: Bachelor’s in education, Baptist Bible College; master’s in education, Drury University; and doctor of education, University of North Texas

On choosing to work in education: “Helping someone understand something … that’s a joy you can’t replicate with money.”

Tell us about New Covenant Academy.

It was founded in 1979 with 22 students at Word of God Tabernacle (in Springfield). By 1982, there were 88 students, and a board of directors was established to run the school. In 1988, we came to our current campus (on Cox Road), when it was Rolling Hills Baptist Church, and the property was purchased in 1995.

In the beginning, it was K through sixth or K through eighth. We had our first graduates in 1981, and then again in 1985, and we’ve had graduates continuously since 1991. We now have 435 students. Our mission is to provide a Christian education for college-bound young people. We approach every subject from a biblical perspective.

How long have you been at New Covenant, and what’s your role?

I’ve been here for a year and a half. I was teaching (at Baptist Bible College) before that. I was there for 15 years. My job is to support all fiscal matters, public relations, curriculum development and faculty and staff supervision.

With a growing number of private schools in the area, how would you describe the competition?

It’s not a matter of competition, it’s a matter of excellence. I don’t view other private Christian schools as competition, because we each have our own strengths. We work with all kinds of other schools, including Lutheran and Catholic schools. It’s just not that type of spirit … we focus on excellence in teaching and technology to provide the best education we can.

New Covenant is in the midst of its third expansion, a $750,000 project that will add 6,600 square feet for choir, band and weight-lifting activities. What goals for growth are you pursuing?

We have a strategic plan and have identified several goals. No. 1, we want to have 1,000 students. No. 2, we are working for a new gymnasium, and in tandem with that, we’re raising money for technology, and we have ideas for changing our learning process. No. 3, we want to build a new high school and convert all of our current space for elementary (students).

What’s the timeline on these goals?

We lack about $80,000 in fundraising to finish our current expansion project. ... We hope to have the new gym and technology (upgrades) complete in three years, and then we’ll pursue the high school. We can probably grow by about 50 students (with current facilities).

What are your revenue sources?

Eighty percent is tuition-funded, and 20 percent is from development and fundraisers that we have each year, and also from donors. Tuition now is about $4,000 a year, but we do have scholarship programs.

How does New Covenant gauge work-force and higher education needs to update curriculum?

We have a board of associates comprised of community leaders, and we meet twice a year … to keep abreast of what community leaders and businesses need. Also, there’s a lot of research (about) skills needed for the 21st century.

We have to keep up with technology and tools to make sure our classes reflect changes in culture.

Tell us about some newer programs.

We’ve had a Spanish curriculum for grades seven through 12, but next year, we’ll add Spanish for kindergarten through sixth grade, because we know that students learn languages easier before the age of 12. Next year, we’re also starting a leadership curriculum for fifth grade and up.

Why did you choose a career in education?

If you’ve ever had the experience of helping someone learn something, and you see the joy they have, you’re hooked. Helping someone understand something they didn’t know earlier – that’s a joy you can’t replicate with money.

Tell us about your family and your hobbies.

I’ve been married for 24 years in June to Kirk, who’s chief financial officer at 3-D Corporate Solutions LLC in Monett. Our son, Kyle, is a freshman at Drury. He wants to go to Berklee School of Music in Boston and be a jazz performer. Our daughter, Natalie, is a sophomore at New Covenant, and she wants to go to Pepperdine.

We love to travel and visit historical sites and college campuses. We also follow politics … and talk about them as a family.

Interview by Features Editor Maria Hoover. You can e-mail her with suggestions for future installments of this feature at mhoover@sbj.net.[[In-content Ad]]