What Sets Us Apart?
Growing spiritually
We exist to help students grow in their love for Jesus. While spiritual growth can’t be measured and quantified with numbers, we do see it happening every day. It starts with our commitment to making Christ the center of all we do—not just the subject of a single Bible class. And it continues through our focus on the Bible as the sole guide for our beliefs and behavior as Protestant Christians. We invite you to visit our campus and experience how our teachers and staff model their love for God and nurture it in our students.
Growing academically
Our goal is to develop Christians with wisdom, not just knowledge. So we’ve structured our academic program to put God first and we find that, like Adventist schools of all sizes across the country, this results in students who grow academically at a higher rate than their peers in other schools (see the next paragraph). It really is true that when we “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33) To learn more about the specific results of our school, schedule an Education Success Consult with our principal.
Students in Adventist schools outperform. In a three-year study of 51,000+ students in Adventist schools (kindergarten through high school), researchers documented that they outperformed the national average. At all grade levels. In schools of all sizes. And in all subjects.
Students in Adventist schools overachieve. Additionally, researchers compared student performance on standardized tests with what would be predicted based on their Cognitive Abilities Test scores, and found they performed above what would be predicted.
Students in Adventist schools gain even more with time. One of the most dramatic findings is that students who transferred to Adventist schools saw a marked improvement in test scores. Furthermore, the longer students are in Adventist schools, the better their achievements and abilities.
Growing physically
Making healthy choices is a way of honoring our bodies as the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). And plenty of research documents the importance of healthy bodies in developing healthy brains. So we include learning about taking care of our bodies with daily exercise, good sleep, healthy eating, and more. To see how we integrate wise lifestyle choices into our curricula, come visit our campus.
Growing socially
Loving and serving others is part of God’s plan for each of us and something we practice daily. As we interact with each other here at school and as we practice service in our community, we are guided by Paul’s words, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:2) While we are not perfect, we are constantly aiming to be more Christ-like with each other and to serve our community. Come see how this influences our students with a visit to our campus.
Arlene A., parentAll four of my children went to our SDA school in Clearlake. They started in the Little Red School House (which later burnt down). The teachers I remember were Mrs. Howland, Mrs. Lots, and Beverly Peterson, and Mrs. Watson. We had 42 children at one time before our school building was built.
Our teachers were so dedicated! One year our son was having a hard time reading. Mrs. Howland came early in the morning to help him and stayed after school and came again after dinner.”
What We Believe
The Clearlake SDA Christian School is part of the Seventh-day Adventist school system, the largest international Protestant educational organization in the world.
- We believe that God’s love, the basis of creation and redemption, is the foundation of true education.
- We believe the work of true education is to train students to be thinkers, and not mere reflectors of other people’s thoughts.
- We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God which enables us to know and communicate with Jesus personally and how to live a life of holiness and service.
- We believe the purpose of Christian education is to prepare students for this life and for eternity in Heaven with Jesus.
A Clearlake Seventh-day Adventist Church MemberIt’s the best school! Thank the Lord this school was built to teach children of Him.”
The Adventist Advantage
Adventists know education. Your child will benefit from the insights that we have in excellence and resilience in education. We’ve been teaching children in Clearlake since 1947. And we’re one of the 800+ schools of the Seventh-day Adventist educational system that has been operating since 1872. Christian education is a vital part of our mission from preschools to universities.
Adventists excel at education. You can be confident your child will receive the foundation needed to achieve his or her dreams. 85% of students from Adventist schools go on to college (compared to 66% of public school students). And more than 80% complete their college degrees (compared to 14% from public schools). In addition, a three-year research project with 51,000+ students (kindergarten through high school) documented multiple advantages of Adventist education.
- Students in Adventist schools outperform. In comparisons with students in both public and private schools, researchers documented that Adventist students outperformed the national average, in all grades, in schools of all sizes, and in all subjects. Some schools were one-room classrooms and many were single-grade classrooms.
- Students in Adventist schools overachieve. Additionally, researchers compared student performance on standardized tests with what would be predicted based on their Cognitive Abilities Test scores, and found they performed above what would be predicted.
- Students in Adventist schools gain even more with time. One of the most dramatic findings is that students who transferred to Adventist schools saw a marked improvement in test scores. Furthermore, the longer students are in Adventist schools, the better their achievements and abilities.
Adventists educate the whole child. A multi focus on the spiritual development, mental information and understanding, physical maturation, and social interaction are emphasized through music, art, daily physical education, experiential learning projects and community service to nurture our students spiritually, academically, physically and socially.
Adventists education for eternity. As Protestant Christians, we believe a personal relationship with God is the key to a happy, healthy life here on earth and for eternity. While this is harder to quantify, it is the focus of everything we do, the reason we exist.
History
In the fall of 1943 the Landstrom family started a church school in their home. Mrs. Cornelia Landstrom was the teacher and Betty Landstrom was one of the two students in this new school. On July 19 1947 it was voted that the school be “commenced in the coming year, as there were six children who were desirous of receiving a Christian Education.” An abandoned one-room school building located in Morgan Valley was moved onto two lots, one purchased and another donated, which were large enough to provide play area for the children. On May 10, 1948 the church Board Meeting was held in the “Little Red Schoolhouse.”
Clearlake SDA Christian School has provided the children of Clearlake and surrounding communities with a Christian education-incorporating Seventh-day Adventist beliefs and values into the curriculum and spiritual development for 80 years.
As the church grew there were more children who were enrolled in the school, and it was time to enlarge the facilities. “What is now known as the Multipurpose Building was constructed, and the upper grades were accommodated in that structure, while the “Little Red Schoolhouse” as it is called, served the lower grades. The enrollment had increased to the point where it was necessary to employ two teachers. There were 42 students enrolled at that time, an all-time high. Four and a half acres of ground were purchased for a church and school complex, and a two room school was completed in 1971 for a total cost of $40,000.00.
According to the Clear Lake Observer-American of Thursday, December 16, 1971 Clara Howland was “seated at her desk as principal of the new Clearlake Highlands Seventh-day Adventist school,” with Beverly Peterson-Dishman as the second teacher which was located at15150 Davis Street, Clearlake, CA. Ms. Peterson remembers that they moved into the new school in the middle of the year.
Mrs. Suzanne Aikin, teacher and principal from 1995-2009 remembers that the school was originally called Clearlake Adventist School, and was located on the church property at 14490 Uhl Street in “The Little Red Schoolhouse,” then moved to what is now the Sabbath School rooms. Later the school name was changed to Clara Howland School, and a new school was built at 15150 Davis Street, Clearlake. In 1995 the name of the school was changed to Clearlake SDA Christian School.
Our current Principal-Teacher is Julie Wallewein has lead out in our school since 2022.
“Oh, the memories of the four years”, writes Wayne Curtis, ” I spent in this school house! The building was moved behind the church from Cache Creek. I guess it is about 10-12 miles from town. There were windows on only the one side. There was a small room in the back of the building with an exit. Outside the door was a tree. When I got into trouble, I recall Mrs. Howland taking me out to that tree and letting me select which branch I would get my hide tanned with.
Off to the right was a baseball field. One day Terry was taking a few practice swings with the baseball bat and Linda was not watching where she was walking and got clobbered in the head. She was out cold for a few minutes, but survived OK.
I notice that on the picture there is a misprint, “Clear Lake HEIGHTLANDS”. It only took me 53 years to catch that one! Mrs. Howland’s husband, Elmer, was one of the foremost bird authorities in the area. I recall him taking us to Lower Lake early one morning and showing us a Sand Hill Crane. He also pointed out my first Wood duck.
Mrs. Howland was my teacher for four years. We three Curtis boys came to the Seventh-day Adventist School from Burns Valley school in 1956. Our parents were not Christians at the time, but mom (Mary Sparkman Curtis) had been baptized in the church as a teenager, but had drifted away during the war. Our parents decided to try us at the Adventist school that year. We asked them if we could go to Sabbath School with our schoolmates. They not only said yes, but came with us. There were baptized in the Lakeport church in August 1956 by Pastor Frank Steunenberg. I was 10 years old when we left Clearlake, but the roots have kept me anchored in the Lord ever since.
