Almost every Thursday, Collegedale Academy students and faculty congregate in groups of about fifteen to grow closer as a family and advance their relationships with God. Meeting in their faculty member’s classroom, students receive the opportunity to interact with their group by coming to know one another as a kind of family.

With each group unique to itself, there are mixed results and feelings toward the Faculty Families. In one group, a relaxed sensation vibrates beneath the murmur of conversation. “I look forward to the chill kind of atmosphere,” sophomore Carly Steinbacher said, “It’s very open and comfortable to talk about anything, even if we’re not really talkative yet.”

Contrary to this nonchalant aura comes a more up-tight intensity. “It’s a really twisted up group meaning no one really knows each other and it’s hard to do much,” freshman Daniel Tanksley said. Despite the up’s and down’s, most groups seem to be able to accomplish something in their time together. “Every day we pull topics out of a hat and discuss random ones,” senior Clayton Neil said.

Sets of different stages and situations challenge the groups and also set them apart in a whole new level of unique. Where one group excels, another shrivels, and vice versa. “You can really trust the people in your group once you get to know them,” junior Megan Thompson said. Other clusters don’t enjoy this bond. “It’s pretty quiet right now,” Steinbacher said, “We’re working on getting better about that.”

“We enjoy talking about sports, the military and God’s will. I enjoy most when Baldwin tells us stories,” Neil said. In every classroom, very different conversations ensue. “We do open Friday questions and just ask about anything we are confused or curious about,” Steinbacher said.

“We don’t have anything specific; we just kind of get together and get to know each other,” Thompson said, “It is a time to feel safe from everything that is going on in school.”

The attitudes from each group sound from very different corners. “We have our glitches, but overall it is good,” Steinbacher said.

“At first I thought it was a waste of time, but now I value it,” Thompson said.

“I think the families have awesome potential, but it seems unlikely that my group will accomplish that,” Tanksley said.

Even so, with both good and bad, the overall level of satisfaction remains rather high. With these smaller opportunities come larger ones, and Collegedale Academy is able to step forward as a school. Almost every Thursday students meet, and in meeting they greet their school, and with greeting their school, they see their world. The steps are smooth for some, and rough for others, but all climb toward the ultimate goal: unity within.