The Lions Scholar program (LSP) at Prestonwood Christian Academy equips and develops students to enter prestigious universities to attain positions of influence in leadership, academics and places of cultural impact for the purpose of engaging the culture for Christ. The most influential institution in America, if not the world, is the educational institution. In order for evangelical Christians to continually be involved in areas of leadership and influence, they must engage the mind.

LSP is designed to provide intensive training through a Christian worldview as it connects with various disciplines such as philosophy, literature, science, mathematics, politics, law, art, theater and the humanities. This program can essentially be summed up by the phrase "scholastic discipleship." The heart of LSP is to disciple students from a Christian perspective in the area of academics. Graduating LSP students have gained admission at such schools as Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Georgetown, NYU, Wake Forest, Michigan, Columbia, Northwestern, Boston College, etc.

For Upper School LSP students (grades 9-12), the focus on great books and significant literature is the emphasis and curriculum of the program. A great book is a work which helped to shape society, which not only had great significance for first-generation readers, but also for countless readers in succeeding years. In most cases, it is a masterpiece of writing which often helped to shape a genre of literature to come. A great book can be on any field (i.e. theology, philosophy, history, fiction, poetry, political science or science).

The Middle School LSP program (grades 5-8) is structured around texts by Christian authors. This process prepares students for Upper School LSP, which as previously stated emphasizes great books and significant literature.

LSP classes are not intended for memorizing information found in textbooks written by another author. In LSP you dig into the classic works of western literature and Christianity. You learn by reading thoroughly and deeply in preparation for class. You learn by discussing the texts with other students, led by the director of LSP who asks rather than tells, who prods you to think carefully rather than give you "the answer" (but don't worry—we do have answers).

You may request more specific information on LSP from Steve Lee, Lions Scholar Director, at
972-820-6407 or slee@prestonwoodchristian.org.


Lions Scholar Program Forms

Application/Re-Enrollment Deadline: September 1
All applications and re-enrollment forms are due September 1 of each school year. Please return them to the Upper School of Prestonwood Christian Academy, Attn. Steve Lee.

Click on one of the following forms to display and print. (Adobe Reader is required):

LSP Application
Lions Scholar - Application Form

LSP Re-enrollment Form
Lions Scholar - Re-enrollment Form

Updated: 08/06/08

Participation Requirements

Middle School (Grades 5-8)

New to PCA

• Have and maintain “A”s in core classes: History, Math, Science and English
• Score in the 90th percentile in both Total Reading and Total Mathematics on admissions test.

Returning to PCA

• Have and maintain “A”s in core classes: History, Math, Science and English
• Score in the 90th percentile in at least two of the three Stanford test categories of language arts, reading and mathematics

Upper School (Grades 9-12)

New to PCA

• Have and maintain a grade point average of 3.5 or better
• Score in the 90th percentile in both Total Reading and Total Mathematics on admissions test
• Participate in the Student Leadership Institute (requires acceptance)
• Participate in the Distinguished Achievement Program

Returning to PCA

• Have and maintain a grade point average of 3.5 or better
• Achieve the following score on their “selection index” on their PSAT taken in the fall at PCA:
  • Grade 9: 135
  • Grade 10: 150
  • Grade 11: 165
• Participate in the Student Leadership Institute (requires acceptance)
• Participate in the Distinguished Achievement Program
  

Students in grades 5-6:

• Attend monthly meetings (six total) with the LSP staff
• Read through Children Demand A Verdict by Josh McDowell
• Pay a non-refundable processing fee of $50 (billed through the Business Office)
  

Student in grades 7-8:

• Attend weekly meetings with LSP staff
• Read through and write book reviews on books such as More Than A Carpenter by Josh McDowell, and Know Why You Believe by Paul Little
• Pay a non-refundable processing fee of $50 (billed through the Business Office)
  

Students in grades 9-12 must meet the following requirements to graduate with Lions Scholar honors:

• Attend weekly meetings with the Lions Scholar director
• Choose a specified FOCUS track (i.e., Politics/Law/Economics, Theology/Philosophy, Science/Math, Literature/Fine Arts, etc.)
• Write a FOCUS paper during Freshman, Sophomore and Junior years
• Write a Senior thesis
• Attend two summer study programs: academic in nature and at least a week long (does not include test prep or church trips)
• Participate in Student Leadership Institute
• Participate in the Distinguished Achievement Program
• Read through two books and write book reviews, or complete exercises from such books as Plato’s Dialogues, Descartes’ Meditations and W.L. Craig’s Hard Questions, Real Answers
  (books determined each year)
• Must have participated in the Lions Scholar Program both junior and senior years and receive a minimum grade of “B”
• LSP for Upper School students counts as an honors credit class which is averaged into the students GPA.
• Pay a non-refundable processing fee of $100 (billed through the Business Office)
• Must have a 3.5 GPA or higher at graduation.