September 11, 2025 • 20 mins
We explore Cornerstone Christian Academy with Advancement Director Annette Hill, discovering how this 42-year-old institution is shaping the future leaders of Shelby County through faith-based education and community involvement.
- Cornerstone Christian Academy is a non-denominational pre-K through 12th grade school with approximately 330 students
- The school offers a unique Greek language program instead of traditional foreign languages, benefiting students pursuing ministry, missions, archaeology, and medical fields
- New flexible scheduling allows secondary students more choices, including specialized courses in pre-law and forensics
- 90% of graduates remain in Shelby County, contributing to the local community as leaders
- The Fall Festival on September 12th (6-9pm) will feature vendors, games, hay rides, a senior cake decorating competition, and more
- Half of the festival proceeds support the Cornerstone Fund while the other half helps fund the senior class trip
- The school focuses on developing character, moral compass, and values alongside academic excellence
For more information about Cornerstone Christian Academy or to inquire about enrollment, call 502-633-4070.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
Welcome to Kentucky Hidden Wonders.
I'm Jeanette Marson and I'mMason Warren.
Together, we're uncovering thesecrets, stories and hidden gems
of Shelby County.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Kentucky From unforgettable places to
off-the-beaten-path adventures.
Join us as we explore Kentuckytreasures and Shelby County's
best-kept secrets.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Hi everyone.
Our guest today is Annette Hilland I'm going to let her tell
you her title.
But she is with CornerstoneChristian Academy right here in
Shelby County and, annette, weare so happy to have you Give us
your title one more time.
I know it had advancement in it.
You are advancing all things,but what is it exactly?
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Hello, I am so honored to be here.
Thank you both for inviting meto share a little bit of my
story.
My official title isAdvancement Director for
Cornerstone Christian Academy.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
That was it that was it.
I knew you were advancing allthings, so what is what?
Speaker 3 (01:21):
does that entail?
What is that?
You know, it's probably one ofthe most misunderstood words and
positions in any academicenvironment Well, any nonprofit
environment and it encompasses alot of different things.
But basically, advancement,overseas fundraising is always a
big big thing.
Relationships in the community,communications, marketing In
(01:45):
our case, often admissions isunder the umbrella and it's just
about being an ambassador foryour school and managing the
messaging at all levels.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
That's wonderful.
Well, Cornerstone ChristianAcademy, I know there's
wonderful students and you allare doing wonderful things.
Talk a little bit about theschool and the mission and just
let our listeners know a littlebit more about the academy.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
This is a school that's been around a long time.
This year we are graduating our42nd class and it's a strong
class.
It's a dynamic class, it's aclass that is full of movers and
shakers, and many of theparents are highly involved in
our community and have beendedicated to Cornerstone for a
long, long time.
We are super, super excitedabout the changes that are going
(02:40):
on at Cornerstone ChristianAcademy.
You know, sometimes a smallschool starts and it stays a
small school for a long, longtime.
But our board of directorschose several years ago that
they wanted to grow, they wantedto offer more to families, and
so we are in the process offulfilling that mission that we
were charged with.
Now are you elementary throughhigh school?
(03:02):
Yes, ma'am, in fact we arepre-K through 12th grade.
Oh, that's wonderful.
Okay, and we've been averagingabout 330 students a year, which
we kind of made an uptick aboutthree years ago, and it's
exciting to see it grow, in factsome years.
We have a space problem whichalways adds to creative moving
(03:28):
kids around.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Now are you a certain denomination, or can anybody
enroll, or how does that work?
Speaker 3 (03:36):
I love that we are a non-denominational school.
We ask that families agree withour statement of faith and that
they have a personalrelationship with Jesus Christ.
Sometimes we know that if afamily is of one faith and a
school is of another, the childcan become confused, and we
never want that for any student.
(03:56):
We want to partner with thefamilies and walk along and
allow the child to flourish in aholistic environment that
matches the shared values of theparents.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Gotcha Wonderful.
So what are some classes thatyou offer at Cornerstone
Christian Academy that might beof interest to parents, maybe in
speaking more high school level?
I mean, do they have foreignlanguages?
Do you still have the arts andall of those kind of
(04:29):
opportunities?
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Our secondary campus is going through an evolution
right now.
We have a brand new dean ofstudents and he and our head of
school, mr Hill, have cometogether with a new flex
schedule that's allowing ourstudents some choices, more
choices than they've ever hadthis year.
We've got some new classes.
(04:51):
We're offering a pre-law class,we're offering a forensic class
.
Matt Maxwell and Dr Barber aretwo master teachers and they
manage all of our math and oursciences, and they manage all of
our math and our sciences andwe're graduating students that
are ready to go into college tostudy engineering, all kinds of
(05:11):
medical fields.
It's really, really exciting.
Yes, to answer your question,we do offer foreign language,
but it's an unusual language.
We offer Greek.
Oh wow, that is unusual.
It aligns with our mission asfar as being a Bible-based
worldview school and we havefound that our students just
(05:35):
flourish.
In fact, our Greek 2 studentscame in and had to take a Greek
1 exam the first week and 97% ofthem passed with flying colors.
Oh, that's wonderful so itsticks and because a lot of our
kids go into fields where Greekwill be handy and help, we found
(05:55):
it to be beneficial.
So we're new in the program butit's flourishing and the kids
love it.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
So what are those fields?
I'm just curious where Greek isof use.
Oh, I was so interested in thatquestion, I'm glad you asked it
.
So what are those fields?
Speaker 1 (06:05):
I'm just curious where Greek is of use.
Oh, I was so interested in thatquestion.
I'm glad you asked it.
Yes, do tell Ms Annette, I'mconcerned, I can't.
You can do it, I know you can.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Well, they could always travel to Greece, there's
that Well first of all andforemost, many of our students
choose to go to the missionfield, and Not necessarily as a
career, but as just an offeringthat they choose to do through
their church or whatever.
Some of them will be pastors,and that will be essential in
(06:36):
understanding the Word of God,really understanding what does a
word mean?
I think so often God's Word canbe misunderstood, and so it
just equips them.
I think there are words, youknow, we talk about Latin, we
talk about some of these wordsthat are core to understanding
medical terminology and thosekind of things, and so, although
(06:58):
I'm not an expert in Greek andI'm not an expert per se as to
best use, we just find that it'sbeen very, very beneficial in
the core of understanding thatGod's Word matters.
And I think at Cornerstone it isabout mastering subjects, it's
about uncovering profound truthsand building a foundation for
(07:20):
lifelong success.
And you know collegeexpectations have changed,
requirements have changed andit's kind of funny to me.
You know, back when I was incollege, you know French,
spanish, you know those were thelanguages that everybody had to
graduate with and you had tohave two years to get into the
college of your choice or theuniversity of your choice, and
(07:41):
today not so much and thatreally allows for students to
explore all kinds of avenues,and we love that.
With small classes we can dothat, sure.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
I just thought of another job that would be great
with Greek, the Greek languagearchaeology, absolutely.
You know, I found this documentnot document parchment in the
desert, and now I can read it.
So ooh that would be a greatjob.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
We have things like we have a full lab, so we have
chemistry and biology.
We have apologetics, which isthe understanding of God's Word.
It's another Bible class.
Our students have to have Bibleevery year.
They're there and I thinksometimes when we again, it's
just part of understanding God'sWord.
How do we defend what webelieve and why do we believe it
(08:31):
?
It doesn't do us any good tojust have it memorized if we
don't use it.
And that's our heart's desireis that our students not only
learn, but they can apply it anduse it for the rest of their
lives.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Gotcha.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Anything else you'd like to add about the school
itself before we move on toanother.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Change gears a little bit.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Before we change gears just a little bit.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
I think education is such an interesting field.
I have been involved ineducation for 25 years in my
career and then I was a child ofeducators and it's always
(09:22):
changing.
And I think when we sit downaround the table at Cornerstone
we talk about to me that theyare a beautifully knit community
group, that they want theirfamilies to stay, they want
their family's children to stay,and when we every class that we
graduate, we look and say howwill you impact Shelby County?
(09:44):
Because we know that 90% ofthose students will stay in town
.
They'll stay in the area, andhow exciting will it be to see
what the future holds for eachof them as they give back to
this precious place we callShelby County.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
Absolutely, and I think our whole county is full
of leaders.
In fact, deputy Judge John Parkand he'll be so excited I
mentioned his name in thepodcast has started using a
hashtag of Shelby Leeds, shelbyCounty, leeds.
So, yes, I think, whether it'stourism or education, there's a
(10:21):
whole county full of leaders andI'm so glad that you have
leadership as a priority at youracademy as well.
That's amazing.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Well, we are blessed that our kids many of them go
through the Young LeadersProgram here.
Oh, right.
Yeah, and we're just so blessedto be invited into these spaces
and give our kids theseofferings, whether it be through
county, through Rotary, throughKiwanis, whatever that looks
like.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
We're grateful.
Well, you've got some specialevents coming up.
I know you said fundraising isdefinitely a part of your job
description, so tell us a littlebit about some of the things
that the community could maybebe involved with, whether it's
an open house or a festival, orjust give us a variety of
(11:07):
different things where communitycan be involved.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
September 12th is a Friday night and it's just weeks
away, and one of our favoriteevents is our fall festival and
we've done this every year forquite some time and it's an
evening when community friendscome, all of our families come.
We will have anywhere fromthree to four plus hundred
(11:33):
guests wander through our hallsand it's a fun night of just
community.
We have vendors.
This year we have somewherebetween 22 and 25 vendors and
you have all kinds of thingsthat you can browse and sell for
and even though September isway ahead of the holiday I don't
know about y'all, but I'mthinking about the holiday and
it's a great time to pick up afew Christmas items.
(11:55):
One of my favorite vendors isPackard Customs Creation and
they're going to be there withtheir woodwork and they do all
kinds of custom clothing andlasering just all kinds of
really beautiful gifts.
There'll be dinner.
We're having walking tacos.
That's what we're having andWalmart's been very gracious.
(12:21):
Dano's has been very graciousto us and blessed us with
generous donations.
We have got games for kids.
We have hatchet throws, apumpkin golf, a bull lasso.
We've got an obstacle courseset up in the soccer field.
That'll be huge.
We've got a photo booth, allkinds of options, but I think
(12:41):
we're bringing something newthis year.
Our seniors are going to dosomething called have a cake war
and, as we all know, right now,cooking shows are kind of the
thing, and so we have gotseniors that will be in teams
and they will have pre-madecakes and we will give them a
period of time whether it be 30or 45 minutes and they will
(13:03):
compete to decorate their cakes.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
Oh, that's fun.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
And then our guests can vote and we'll see who we
crown in the senior class.
So is there a charge for thefestival?
Like to attend?
Not to attend but toparticipate?
There is.
So if you want to be part ofthe activities, if you want to
play games we have a fire pitwith s'mores and all those kind
(13:27):
of things you can purchasetickets when you arrive.
We'll have three or fourdifferent stations where tickets
can be purchased so that lineswon't be long and lengthy and
laborious.
And we have hay rides.
We have great hay rides.
We sit on about 35 acres ofland oh wow.
And so we have two differenttractors running all evening
(13:47):
that are fun to participate inPumpkin painting, face painting.
Our eighth graders have a boothat these and I think one of the
neat things about the way thisfundraiser is designed is that
half of the money goes to whatwe call our Cornerstone Fund,
and the Cornerstone Fund is ayearly fund that we fill and use
(14:09):
throughout the year.
It helps families, it allows usto increase programs.
It's just that kind of thatgeneral fund that really helps
the student experiencesignificantly.
Secondly, the seniors get theother half of it and they raise
money all four years for thisspectacular senior trip they go
(14:29):
on at the end of their highschool career and again it
aligns with Shelby County values, community matters, and these
kids go away and just reallycherish and talk about their
experiences and they solidifytheir relationship and we know
that for years to come thesekids are going to be really good
friends.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
I'm really curious where do they get to go on their
senior trip?
They choose oh wow.
I remember my senior trip andthey took us out to the wilds of
North Carolina.
It was wild, and then afterthat everybody went to New York
City.
I was very disappointed.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
I think ours was New York City as well.
Well, that's very fancy.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
In Oregon, where I graduated, we didn't do anything
like that.
I think we had a serviceproject for our final event of
the year.
The last couple of yearsthey've gone.
They basically go to a beachsomewhere, rent a huge house and
the beach changes, yeah, butWell, that sounds wonderful.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
Kentuckians love the beach.
Yes, yes, we do, yes, we do.
It sounds better than the wildNot too far away either
Definitely.
That's well, I love thefestival.
Not too far away either?
Definitely Well, I love thefestival.
I love the festival idea.
People are crazy over fall andso September 12th, and then what
time does that start?
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Starts at 6.
Usually we wrap up at 9.
And of course it will bedecorated for harvest and lots
of pumpkins and there'll be asilent auction.
There'll be all kinds ofdesserts and all kinds of
harvest food, which isabsolutely delightful, so all
kinds of things.
We have a hatchet throw.
You ever thrown a hatchet,mason?
Speaker 2 (16:09):
I can't say that I have Swing by.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
Okay, I think.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
I will.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Was that a pun?
Speaker 2 (16:15):
I might, so we'll see .
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Swing by.
That is wonderful.
Anything else you'd like to addabout your wonderful academy?
I am still impressed with theGreek language and all that you
could do with that.
Definitely so if thoselistening would like your child
to learn Greek you know whichschool.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
That is an option indeed, I think one of the
privileges of being a littlesmaller.
And every educational systemhas incredible value.
I've worked both public andprivate schools and get to shape
(16:55):
their character.
We instill their moral compass,we nurture solid values and we
equip them to overcomechallenges ahead.
And due to our size, we canfocus on these things intently.
And what a privilege to be ableto partner with parents, and
the longer I'm here, the more Irealize I need a chart to
(17:19):
understand you all.
You are all related at so manydifferent levels and I will be
meeting a parent for the firsttime and they will say, oh, I
was related to so-and-so andso-and-so and so-and-so and you
know the judge executive and youknow the mayor and you know
so-and-so and I'm related and Ithink that's one of the most
beautiful things of thiscommunity.
I have often said that this isa community of promise and hope
(17:44):
and Cornerstone ChristianAcademy is working hard to be a
valuable partner in thiscommunity and make a difference
in any way we can.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
That's very, very good, Wonderful.
I'm so glad you're on Now.
You are such a beautiful personinside and out and you have
such a wonderful speaking voice.
Tell our listeners just quicklya little bit of your background
I know you said you were abroadcaster and just a little
bit, Just let us get to know youjust a little bit before we
leave.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
My career has been a crazy potpourri of all kinds of
unnecessary things.
I was privileged to have abachelor's and a master's degree
and to work in five differentindustries.
I started my career in publicrelations and broadcasting and
some of those kind of things andwove my way through banking and
(18:32):
landed in education, just as amom, as a young mom, and became
very passionate aboutfundraising and worked with
foundations and had theprivilege to end up being a
school superintendent at onetime in Oregon and that was such
an incredible honor.
And my pathway there wasthrough business and fundraising
(18:56):
and development and marketingand I was incredibly, incredibly
privileged to be able toinfluence the next generation
and I've done so for about 25years now and had a quick step
over into the university realmand I am just privileged beyond
measure to be selected to helpshape the next generation, to be
(19:19):
strong leaders and to beimpactful citizens.
And that's what we want for allof our kids All right.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Well, so one more time when?
Where is the festival September?
Speaker 3 (19:31):
12th.
The festival is at CornerstoneChristian Academy.
September 12th.
Doors will open at 6 pm.
Tickets are sold at the doorand we would love to have you
join us.
And if you have any questionsabout Cornerstone Christian
Academy, please feel free togive me a call.
I can be reached at502-633-4070.
(19:52):
And, again, we would love tohave you stop by.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Perfect Well we've got it on our calendar and I'm
sure it'll be a good event.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
So thank you for being here.
Appreciate your time.
Thank you both.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Kentucky Hidden Wonders is a Shelby KY Tourism
production.
Your hosts are Janet Marson andMason Warren.
To learn more about Shelby KYTourism and to start planning a
visit, head to visitshelbykycom.
Welcome to Kentucky Hidden Wonders.
I'm Jeanette Marson and I'mMason Warren.
Together, we're uncovering thesecrets, stories and hidden gems
of Shelby County.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Kentucky From unforgettable places to
off-the-beaten-path adventures.
Join us as we explore Kentuckytreasures and Shelby County's
best-kept secrets.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Hi everyone.
Our guest today is Annette Hilland I'm going to let her tell
you her title.
But she is with CornerstoneChristian Academy right here in
Shelby County and, annette, weare so happy to have you Give us
your title one more time.
I know it had advancement in it.
You are advancing all things,but what is it exactly?
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Hello, I am so honored to be here.
Thank you both for inviting meto share a little bit of my
story.
My official title isAdvancement Director for
Cornerstone Christian Academy.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
That was it that was it.
I knew you were advancing allthings, so what is what?
Speaker 3 (01:21):
does that entail?
What is that?
You know, it's probably one ofthe most misunderstood words and
positions in any academicenvironment Well, any nonprofit
environment and it encompasses alot of different things.
But basically, advancement,overseas fundraising is always a
big big thing.
Relationships in the community,communications, marketing In
(01:45):
our case, often admissions isunder the umbrella and it's just
about being an ambassador foryour school and managing the
messaging at all levels.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
That's wonderful.
Well, Cornerstone ChristianAcademy, I know there's
wonderful students and you allare doing wonderful things.
Talk a little bit about theschool and the mission and just
let our listeners know a littlebit more about the academy.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
This is a school that's been around a long time.
This year we are graduating our42nd class and it's a strong
class.
It's a dynamic class, it's aclass that is full of movers and
shakers, and many of theparents are highly involved in
our community and have beendedicated to Cornerstone for a
long, long time.
We are super, super excitedabout the changes that are going
(02:40):
on at Cornerstone ChristianAcademy.
You know, sometimes a smallschool starts and it stays a
small school for a long, longtime.
But our board of directorschose several years ago that
they wanted to grow, they wantedto offer more to families, and
so we are in the process offulfilling that mission that we
were charged with.
Now are you elementary throughhigh school?
(03:02):
Yes, ma'am, in fact we arepre-K through 12th grade.
Oh, that's wonderful.
Okay, and we've been averagingabout 330 students a year, which
we kind of made an uptick aboutthree years ago, and it's
exciting to see it grow, in factsome years.
We have a space problem whichalways adds to creative moving
(03:28):
kids around.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
Now are you a certain denomination, or can anybody
enroll, or how does that work?
Speaker 3 (03:36):
I love that we are a non-denominational school.
We ask that families agree withour statement of faith and that
they have a personalrelationship with Jesus Christ.
Sometimes we know that if afamily is of one faith and a
school is of another, the childcan become confused, and we
never want that for any student.
(03:56):
We want to partner with thefamilies and walk along and
allow the child to flourish in aholistic environment that
matches the shared values of theparents.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Gotcha Wonderful.
So what are some classes thatyou offer at Cornerstone
Christian Academy that might beof interest to parents, maybe in
speaking more high school level?
I mean, do they have foreignlanguages?
Do you still have the arts andall of those kind of
(04:29):
opportunities?
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Our secondary campus is going through an evolution
right now.
We have a brand new dean ofstudents and he and our head of
school, mr Hill, have cometogether with a new flex
schedule that's allowing ourstudents some choices, more
choices than they've ever hadthis year.
We've got some new classes.
(04:51):
We're offering a pre-law class,we're offering a forensic class
.
Matt Maxwell and Dr Barber aretwo master teachers and they
manage all of our math and oursciences, and they manage all of
our math and our sciences andwe're graduating students that
are ready to go into college tostudy engineering, all kinds of
(05:11):
medical fields.
It's really, really exciting.
Yes, to answer your question,we do offer foreign language,
but it's an unusual language.
We offer Greek.
Oh wow, that is unusual.
It aligns with our mission asfar as being a Bible-based
worldview school and we havefound that our students just
(05:35):
flourish.
In fact, our Greek 2 studentscame in and had to take a Greek
1 exam the first week and 97% ofthem passed with flying colors.
Oh, that's wonderful so itsticks and because a lot of our
kids go into fields where Greekwill be handy and help, we found
(05:55):
it to be beneficial.
So we're new in the program butit's flourishing and the kids
love it.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
So what are those fields?
I'm just curious where Greek isof use.
Oh, I was so interested in thatquestion, I'm glad you asked it
.
So what are those fields?
Speaker 1 (06:05):
I'm just curious where Greek is of use.
Oh, I was so interested in thatquestion.
I'm glad you asked it.
Yes, do tell Ms Annette, I'mconcerned, I can't.
You can do it, I know you can.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Well, they could always travel to Greece, there's
that Well first of all andforemost, many of our students
choose to go to the missionfield, and Not necessarily as a
career, but as just an offeringthat they choose to do through
their church or whatever.
Some of them will be pastors,and that will be essential in
(06:36):
understanding the Word of God,really understanding what does a
word mean?
I think so often God's Word canbe misunderstood, and so it
just equips them.
I think there are words, youknow, we talk about Latin, we
talk about some of these wordsthat are core to understanding
medical terminology and thosekind of things, and so, although
(06:58):
I'm not an expert in Greek andI'm not an expert per se as to
best use, we just find that it'sbeen very, very beneficial in
the core of understanding thatGod's Word matters.
And I think at Cornerstone it isabout mastering subjects, it's
about uncovering profound truthsand building a foundation for
(07:20):
lifelong success.
And you know collegeexpectations have changed,
requirements have changed andit's kind of funny to me.
You know, back when I was incollege, you know French,
spanish, you know those were thelanguages that everybody had to
graduate with and you had tohave two years to get into the
college of your choice or theuniversity of your choice, and
(07:41):
today not so much and thatreally allows for students to
explore all kinds of avenues,and we love that.
With small classes we can dothat, sure.
Speaker 1 (07:53):
I just thought of another job that would be great
with Greek, the Greek languagearchaeology, absolutely.
You know, I found this documentnot document parchment in the
desert, and now I can read it.
So ooh that would be a greatjob.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
We have things like we have a full lab, so we have
chemistry and biology.
We have apologetics, which isthe understanding of God's Word.
It's another Bible class.
Our students have to have Bibleevery year.
They're there and I thinksometimes when we again, it's
just part of understanding God'sWord.
How do we defend what webelieve and why do we believe it
(08:31):
?
It doesn't do us any good tojust have it memorized if we
don't use it.
And that's our heart's desireis that our students not only
learn, but they can apply it anduse it for the rest of their
lives.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Gotcha.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Anything else you'd like to add about the school
itself before we move on toanother.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Change gears a little bit.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Before we change gears just a little bit.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
I think education is such an interesting field.
I have been involved ineducation for 25 years in my
career and then I was a child ofeducators and it's always
(09:22):
changing.
And I think when we sit downaround the table at Cornerstone
we talk about to me that theyare a beautifully knit community
group, that they want theirfamilies to stay, they want
their family's children to stay,and when we every class that we
graduate, we look and say howwill you impact Shelby County?
(09:44):
Because we know that 90% ofthose students will stay in town
.
They'll stay in the area, andhow exciting will it be to see
what the future holds for eachof them as they give back to
this precious place we callShelby County.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
Absolutely, and I think our whole county is full
of leaders.
In fact, deputy Judge John Parkand he'll be so excited I
mentioned his name in thepodcast has started using a
hashtag of Shelby Leeds, shelbyCounty, leeds.
So, yes, I think, whether it'stourism or education, there's a
(10:21):
whole county full of leaders andI'm so glad that you have
leadership as a priority at youracademy as well.
That's amazing.
Speaker 3 (10:29):
Well, we are blessed that our kids many of them go
through the Young LeadersProgram here.
Oh, right.
Yeah, and we're just so blessedto be invited into these spaces
and give our kids theseofferings, whether it be through
county, through Rotary, throughKiwanis, whatever that looks
like.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
We're grateful.
Well, you've got some specialevents coming up.
I know you said fundraising isdefinitely a part of your job
description, so tell us a littlebit about some of the things
that the community could maybebe involved with, whether it's
an open house or a festival, orjust give us a variety of
(11:07):
different things where communitycan be involved.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
September 12th is a Friday night and it's just weeks
away, and one of our favoriteevents is our fall festival and
we've done this every year forquite some time and it's an
evening when community friendscome, all of our families come.
We will have anywhere fromthree to four plus hundred
(11:33):
guests wander through our hallsand it's a fun night of just
community.
We have vendors.
This year we have somewherebetween 22 and 25 vendors and
you have all kinds of thingsthat you can browse and sell for
and even though September isway ahead of the holiday I don't
know about y'all, but I'mthinking about the holiday and
it's a great time to pick up afew Christmas items.
(11:55):
One of my favorite vendors isPackard Customs Creation and
they're going to be there withtheir woodwork and they do all
kinds of custom clothing andlasering just all kinds of
really beautiful gifts.
There'll be dinner.
We're having walking tacos.
That's what we're having andWalmart's been very gracious.
(12:21):
Dano's has been very graciousto us and blessed us with
generous donations.
We have got games for kids.
We have hatchet throws, apumpkin golf, a bull lasso.
We've got an obstacle courseset up in the soccer field.
That'll be huge.
We've got a photo booth, allkinds of options, but I think
(12:41):
we're bringing something newthis year.
Our seniors are going to dosomething called have a cake war
and, as we all know, right now,cooking shows are kind of the
thing, and so we have gotseniors that will be in teams
and they will have pre-madecakes and we will give them a
period of time whether it be 30or 45 minutes and they will
(13:03):
compete to decorate their cakes.
Speaker 1 (13:05):
Oh, that's fun.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
And then our guests can vote and we'll see who we
crown in the senior class.
So is there a charge for thefestival?
Like to attend?
Not to attend but toparticipate?
There is.
So if you want to be part ofthe activities, if you want to
play games we have a fire pitwith s'mores and all those kind
(13:27):
of things you can purchasetickets when you arrive.
We'll have three or fourdifferent stations where tickets
can be purchased so that lineswon't be long and lengthy and
laborious.
And we have hay rides.
We have great hay rides.
We sit on about 35 acres ofland oh wow.
And so we have two differenttractors running all evening
(13:47):
that are fun to participate inPumpkin painting, face painting.
Our eighth graders have a boothat these and I think one of the
neat things about the way thisfundraiser is designed is that
half of the money goes to whatwe call our Cornerstone Fund,
and the Cornerstone Fund is ayearly fund that we fill and use
(14:09):
throughout the year.
It helps families, it allows usto increase programs.
It's just that kind of thatgeneral fund that really helps
the student experiencesignificantly.
Secondly, the seniors get theother half of it and they raise
money all four years for thisspectacular senior trip they go
(14:29):
on at the end of their highschool career and again it
aligns with Shelby County values, community matters, and these
kids go away and just reallycherish and talk about their
experiences and they solidifytheir relationship and we know
that for years to come thesekids are going to be really good
friends.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
I'm really curious where do they get to go on their
senior trip?
They choose oh wow.
I remember my senior trip andthey took us out to the wilds of
North Carolina.
It was wild, and then afterthat everybody went to New York
City.
I was very disappointed.
Speaker 2 (15:04):
I think ours was New York City as well.
Well, that's very fancy.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
In Oregon, where I graduated, we didn't do anything
like that.
I think we had a serviceproject for our final event of
the year.
The last couple of yearsthey've gone.
They basically go to a beachsomewhere, rent a huge house and
the beach changes, yeah, butWell, that sounds wonderful.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
Kentuckians love the beach.
Yes, yes, we do, yes, we do.
It sounds better than the wildNot too far away either
Definitely.
That's well, I love thefestival.
Not too far away either?
Definitely Well, I love thefestival.
I love the festival idea.
People are crazy over fall andso September 12th, and then what
time does that start?
Speaker 3 (15:49):
Starts at 6.
Usually we wrap up at 9.
And of course it will bedecorated for harvest and lots
of pumpkins and there'll be asilent auction.
There'll be all kinds ofdesserts and all kinds of
harvest food, which isabsolutely delightful, so all
kinds of things.
We have a hatchet throw.
You ever thrown a hatchet,mason?
Speaker 2 (16:09):
I can't say that I have Swing by.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
Okay, I think.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
I will.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Was that a pun?
Speaker 2 (16:15):
I might, so we'll see .
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Swing by.
That is wonderful.
Anything else you'd like to addabout your wonderful academy?
I am still impressed with theGreek language and all that you
could do with that.
Definitely so if thoselistening would like your child
to learn Greek you know whichschool.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
That is an option indeed, I think one of the
privileges of being a littlesmaller.
And every educational systemhas incredible value.
I've worked both public andprivate schools and get to shape
(16:55):
their character.
We instill their moral compass,we nurture solid values and we
equip them to overcomechallenges ahead.
And due to our size, we canfocus on these things intently.
And what a privilege to be ableto partner with parents, and
the longer I'm here, the more Irealize I need a chart to
(17:19):
understand you all.
You are all related at so manydifferent levels and I will be
meeting a parent for the firsttime and they will say, oh, I
was related to so-and-so andso-and-so and so-and-so and you
know the judge executive and youknow the mayor and you know
so-and-so and I'm related and Ithink that's one of the most
beautiful things of thiscommunity.
I have often said that this isa community of promise and hope
(17:44):
and Cornerstone ChristianAcademy is working hard to be a
valuable partner in thiscommunity and make a difference
in any way we can.
Speaker 1 (17:48):
That's very, very good, Wonderful.
I'm so glad you're on Now.
You are such a beautiful personinside and out and you have
such a wonderful speaking voice.
Tell our listeners just quicklya little bit of your background
I know you said you were abroadcaster and just a little
bit, Just let us get to know youjust a little bit before we
leave.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
My career has been a crazy potpourri of all kinds of
unnecessary things.
I was privileged to have abachelor's and a master's degree
and to work in five differentindustries.
I started my career in publicrelations and broadcasting and
some of those kind of things andwove my way through banking and
(18:32):
landed in education, just as amom, as a young mom, and became
very passionate aboutfundraising and worked with
foundations and had theprivilege to end up being a
school superintendent at onetime in Oregon and that was such
an incredible honor.
And my pathway there wasthrough business and fundraising
(18:56):
and development and marketingand I was incredibly, incredibly
privileged to be able toinfluence the next generation
and I've done so for about 25years now and had a quick step
over into the university realmand I am just privileged beyond
measure to be selected to helpshape the next generation, to be
(19:19):
strong leaders and to beimpactful citizens.
And that's what we want for allof our kids All right.
Speaker 2 (19:26):
Well, so one more time when?
Where is the festival September?
Speaker 3 (19:31):
12th.
The festival is at CornerstoneChristian Academy.
September 12th.
Doors will open at 6 pm.
Tickets are sold at the doorand we would love to have you
join us.
And if you have any questionsabout Cornerstone Christian
Academy, please feel free togive me a call.
I can be reached at502-633-4070.
(19:52):
And, again, we would love tohave you stop by.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Perfect Well we've got it on our calendar and I'm
sure it'll be a good event.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
So thank you for being here.
Appreciate your time.
Thank you both.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
Kentucky Hidden Wonders is a Shelby KY Tourism
production.
Your hosts are Janet Marson andMason Warren.
To learn more about Shelby KYTourism and to start planning a
visit, head to visitshelbykycom.
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