Carolina Christian School in Locust, North Carolina, has leveraged a gift to the school to boost school spirit and increase scholarship revenue. The senior class of 2015 gifted the school with a spirit rock, which sits in a prominent position along the school’s driveway. For $25, families can sign up to paint the rock to celebrate a child’s birthday or special achievement. A couple of dates are reserved for school-wide occasions, but everything else fills up quickly.
Money raised in rock painting is one of the revenue streams for the Isaac Anders Oxford Memorial Fund, which provides scholarships to students with financial need who display some of the characteristics seen in Isaac: determination, commitment to strong work ethic, academic achievement, and Christ-like compassion. Isaac, a student at the school, had been battling cancer for eight years when he passed away in 2016, the summer prior to his senior year.
Last year the spirit rock raised $1,350 toward the Isaac Anders Oxford Memorial Fund. “We currently have people signed up as far out as May of 2018,” said head of school Erica Stroup. “And students love it! They are always so excited to drive down the school driveway on Tuesdays and Fridays to see who has painted it the night before.”