Inaugural pro-life award recognizes Ohio Christian school’s dedication to the sanctity of life

A Christian school in Ohio has received a new pro-life award for integrating pro-life values into its curriculum.

Calvary Christian School in Bellefontaine, Ohio, about 45 miles northwest of Columbus, won the Mike and Peggy Hartshorn Dignity of Life Award from the Ohio Christian Education Network. The award, named for two state pro-life leaders, recognized the school’s “outstanding efforts to promote a culture of life through intentional pro-life education and student engagement.”

“We cannot assume that young people growing up in a Christian community will form a pro-life ethic on their own,” said Troy McIntosh, executive director of the Christian education network, in a release. “Calvary Christian School has made the dignity of human life a central part of its mission, and their efforts this past year have set an example for schools across Ohio.”

The school, which enrolls about 500 students, will receive a plaque, a digital award seal, and a $1,000 cash award to support future pro-life projects. 

Head of school Ryan Hyde told The Lion Calvary’s effort is about “following our values and being obedient to God’s Word, which is clearly pro-life.” 

“This isn’t a political involvement and it’s not about us trying to emphasize conservative values,” he said. “We are pro-life because God is pro-life.” 

Hyde, who has led the school for eight years and taught there for eight years before that, said students volunteer at a local pregnancy center, New Path. The school is also hosting a gala for the center, and students in its high school government club have participated in the March for Life at the Statehouse. 

Additionally, speakers from New Path have come to chapel, and the school is considering pro-life materials for its health curriculum in the upcoming school year. 

“We want our students to get involved with pro-life type of work,” Hyde said. “We’re looking into some curriculum aligning to a biblical worldview and what God’s Word says about the sanctity of human life.” 

Hyde said the school has experienced little pushback from its stance. Enrollment is expected to grow from 480 to as many as 540 this fall. 

The school, like many Christian schools in Ohio, benefits from the state’s EdChoice Scholarship Program, which offers grants of up to $8,100 per student. The program is universal, meaning all students qualify, although higher-income families receive reduced amounts. 

Hyde said nearly 80% of his students receive the full scholarship amount, meaning their families earn less than 450% of the federal poverty level, or about $140,400 for a family of four. 

When asked what he would say to other Christian schools seeking to become more active in the pro-life cause, Hyde emphasized the calling to be set apart. 

“As Christians, and as Christian schools, we are called to be obedient to God’s Word and to his will, and you’re not going to get conflicting stories in Scripture of whether or not God values human life and the sanctity of human life,” he said. 

“So if Scripture is clear, then it’s our job to be obedient to that and to do what we can to align our worldview and actions with that belief. That means having a pro-life ethic and emphasis in our schools. 

“That means we can’t worry about the political ramifications of are we going to offend somebody because of our involvement with a pro-life group? Because again, it’s not a political issue. This is an issue of obedience following God’s Word, and that should surprise nobody.”