Last summer, 11-year-old Anna Joy Setran announced to her mother that she and her friend, Anah, wanted to start a club – they wanted to “make projects” to help others. According to her mother, Holly, the girls pulled together their friends from Clapham School and from their neighborhood to form “The Gift Givers Club.” Their first project, a garage sale, brought in $2,000, which the girls donated to an orphanage in India.

This focus on developing a “heart of service” is precisely what drew Holly Setran and her family to Clapham School in Wheaton. “The emphasis at Clapham School is not just on learning, for learning’s sake,” said Setran. “The students are challenged to take what they learn, and make a difference in the world for God, through a life of service.”

Clapham School, housed at College Church in Wheaton, is a classical Christian School whose students are exposed to the study of Western Civilization and to the great works of literature, art and music. The school currently serves grades Pre-kindergarten through 7, with plans to continue to add classes through 12th grade. Beginning in 3rd grade, students participate in the study of Latin, moving on to logic and eventually rhetoric, according to Doug Reynolds, Head of School. Distinctly Christian, and academically challenging, the curriculum follows a model established by Charlotte Mason in the late 1800’s that centers around the desire to affirm that children are created in God’s image and that knowledge is a reflection of God’s truth. She also espoused the philosophy that children should be guided to joyfully discover knowledge in nature, literature, art, music, mathematics, history and science, and to seek after a love of live-long learning.

“At Clapham, we strive to advance a Christian Worldview and to equip students to become life-long learners through this joyful discovery, while understanding that it is God’s truth that leads to life,” said Reynolds.

“Practically, we believe that a Christian Worldview is far more than simply hiring Christian teachers or having a Bible class each morning, although we obviously do both,” said Reynolds. “It means to understand that God's handiwork runs through each subject, from art and music to math and science, and to teach the students accordingly.”

“Furthermore, because we believe that children are created in God's image, the traditional ‘teacher directed’ classroom needs to be modified to a ‘teacher facilitated’ classroom where students take responsibility and ownership for their own learning,” said Reynolds. “This enables a truly classical classroom to thrive by taking advantage of the Socratic method of dialogue even at early ages.”

“We want our students to be able to live their lives out of a grateful heart,” said Reynolds. “This leads to a life of service.”

Each class at Clapham participates in their own unique service experiences, and the entire school will combine efforts on several projects each year. Instead of “room moms,” Clapham has a “service mom” in each class, who coordinates service components.

One of the major service efforts is an ongoing outreach to World Relief ESL (English as a Second Language) participants who attend classes at College Church. Clapham students reach out to the children as well as adults who are learning to speak English by regularly sharing refreshments, playing games, reading, and extending friendship.

“It is really fun to see the smiles on the faces of the refugee children and the Clapham students as they spend time with each other,” said Setran, who served as the service mom coordinator last year. “It is important that our children understand that Wheaton is not the world,” she said. “There are needs out there and ways that you can use what God has given you to help.”

Clapham students have visited residents of nursing homes, served at homeless shelters, volunteered at “Feed My Starving Children” in Aurora, and, like Anna Joy and Anah, have found their own path to service.

This classical Christian education model has drawn students from numerous towns in the western suburbs of Chicago. Now, in its fourth year, Clapham School has seen its enrollment more than triple, and, with the 2009-2010 school year, has expanded its grade levels to include middle school.

“During a time when schools are cutting staff and academic standards are declining, we are blessed to be able to add faculty members to our staff and provide an educational environment in which our students can thrive,” said Reynolds.

Clapham School took its name from the “Clapham Saints,” who lived in an area of southwest London, known as “Clapham.” These individuals met for fellowship and worship in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Their devotion to the faith and how it intersected with the world helped change countless lives in London and beyond, according to Reynolds.

“It is our desire to send our students out into the world to change lives in this generation,” said Reynolds. “In fact, they are already doing it.”