Be Wholehearted! A Message from the Head of School, Tom Argersinger
Today I’ll be sharing some exciting updates about what God is doing at CCS, and revealing some big upgrades for Fall 2026 in question and answer format.
Before I get started I want to extend a very special welcome to all of the new families coming to CCS this fall – a number of whom are CCS alums! I think you’ll agree that you’ve joined or (rejoined) the CCS family at a very exciting time!
I also want to invite you to save the date for our 50th Anniversary weekend and gala happening February 18th-20th, 2028! More information to come!
Every year a spiritual theme is prayerfully chosen by myself and Jeff Collier, our Spiritual Formation Program Director, to guide us through the year with a renewed focus on God and the Shalom Community He’s building here.
Q: What’s the theme for 2026-27?
Our 2026-27 Theme is Be Wholehearted based on the following scripture:
Joshua 1:2-7- 2 “Moses, my servant, is dead. Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites. 3 I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads, just as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will be from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great river, the Euphrates River—all the land of the Hittites—and west to the Mediterranean Sea. 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you. 6 “Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their ancestors to give them as an inheritance. 7 Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go.
Isaiah 38:3-6- 3 He said, “Please, Lord, remember how I have walked before you faithfully and wholeheartedly, and have done what pleases you.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah: 5 “Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Look, I am going to add fifteen years to your life.’”6 “And I will rescue you and this city from the grasp of the king of Assyria; I will defend this city.”
Matt 22:36-39 The Great Commandment 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.
This is a front line ministry, treading on ground that Satan, the enemy of our souls, will fight to retain. Intercessory prayer is the engine that runs this ministry. Please commit to pray for us this year!
I’ve stated publicly that the goal of CCS is to be an “extraordinary school”. But what does that mean? I would say it is a call to “To keep on innovating and improving in every area of the school, in service to the LORD and the people we serve. This concept is already embedded in our Mission Statement, which talks about raising up young visionary leaders who will answer the call of God no matter what. To help prepare our graduates for this, in everything we should do our best, while trusting God to move us forward.
Q: What’s the latest on the Campus Expansion Project?
The CEP process of gathering data and insights is complete. We are transitioning to the new CIT group.
What is the CIT?
The Campus Improvement Team
Reps from Mad Dog Construction, Moore-Bass Consulting, Hoy Starke Architects + HOS + Board CIT Liaison + Facilities Director
The CIT’s first deliverable: The first comprehensive Master Campus Plan (MCP) since the birth of CCS in 1977.
Q: Running a ministry organization is complicated, especially in the 21st c. How does the leadership of CCS plan for the future? On our knees.
We break down our forthcoming Strategic Vision (late FAll 2026) into planning windows:
Near Term, 3 years (2029)
Phase 1, 5 years (2031)
Phase 2, 10 years (2036)
Horizon, CCS at 100! (2077)
All budget, hiring, campus, personnel, and curriculum decisions will be made by our leadership team in alignment with this collaborative Strategic Vision.
Q: What are the major summer projects we’re working on?
1. A new home for Bethesda!
2. Flipping the Main Office space!
3. A new, private Nurse’s Office – no more cots in the hallway!
4. A 3rd Kindergarten space for our new K class, added for 2026-2027!
5. New carpeting and paint in the Secondary Building!
6. Adjusting the Secondary schedule to allow for Junior and Senior students to spend more time with their peers during the school day.
7. New Primary Playground: Install set for early Fall 2026
Q: Where are we on the Security updates?
Perimeter Fence: Fall 2026
Gymnasium/Athletic fields: TBA
New cameras at King’s Crossing and elsewhere: Fall 2026, once the Security Fence install is complete
Zero Eyes update to include early warning of potential security situations occurring nearby.
Q: When will we see movement on the New Secondary space?
In Tallahassee these days, the process of preparing to build is quite a long time, if you do it well.
2031 is the target date for moving into a new secondary space.
We will have a clearer idea of what that will look like this winter once the Master Campus Plan is complete.
Q: What are the next steps regarding other issues raised at the State of the School meeting that took place in May 2026?
Uniforms: Expect to receive a survey in Fall 2026
Baseball team: a feasibility study is in progress – we hope to have a decision in Fall 2026
A Creative Arts Vision Team will be convened in Fall 2026, led by the Creative Arts Director and me.
Q: Have we tightened up the Admissions process?
We’ve made it better. Shout out to Mrs. Debbie Leonard, our Admissions Director, for leading her team to help ensure we are building a community of wholehearted families who want what CCS has to offer…And the word’s getting out.
Q: Is the Bethesda Special Ed Extension Cohort growing?
YES! People in the Tallahassee metro area are responding to the success of this unique program. We hope to open a second section in 2027-28, serving both our Secondary and Elementary Schools
Q: What’s happening on the Academic front?
Launch of the IBMY (grades 6th-10th) via a three year Integration process
Year 1: CORPs (staff and faculty) Training
Year 2: Selected Implementation
Year 3: Full Implementation
Look for more on the IBMY, as well as Forge Leadership (see below), on the initial segment of a new CCS Media series: The Explainer, scheduled for later this summer
Q: Do we have a full complement of CORPs (Admin & Support Staff + Faculty) members on board for the Fall?
YES! I would say that this is the finest overall CORPs since I came to CCS in 1993.
And we have a great new cohort of super-talented new CORPs members who will begin their work at CCS with our New CORPS Boot Camp Friday, July 31st. Let’s be in prayer for them. All Glory to God!
Q: What’s new on the communication front?
Parent Square app rollout in Jan 2027: choosing interface for school updates; spending up pickup process.
Clever: Internal single password system for CORPs
Quarterly small group conversations with the Head of School + Board-Parent Liaison at Ology.
Monthly Parent Prayer times with the Head of School in our Conference Room 8:05-8:20am on Wednesdays.
Taproot Marketing Agency and FRAME production/film company will begin their discovery phase work in preparation to re-introduce CCS to the Tallahassee community, culminating with the 50th Anniversary Gala in Feb 2028. We’re super excited about this strategic partnership.
Q: There are some big changes on the Leadership front at CCS. What’s going on?
In honor of the 20th year of Leadership as a core program at CCS, our veteran Leadership Director, Jeff Collier and his team are introducing FORGE LEADERSHIP, an upgraded leadership development program that allows more student choice while retaining the core values of the program, including its selfless service/missions focus and the goal of building resilience in young emerging leaders.
Q: You may have heard that CCS is going to launch an Advancement Office this fall. What will that look like?
Becoming extraordinary at anything takes a lot of resources. CCS is not exempt from this reality.
We are blessed to live in a state where over 60% of our tuition is publicly funded. We also provide financial aid for qualifying families above the State/Step Up scholarship program, up to 95%+ of tuition.
The Charger Advancement Office will work on providing more and easier ways for people to give generously to the work God is doing at CCS.
Planned giving, annual fund, and eventually a capital campaign.
We are a 501 © (3) tax-exempt organization.
I want to invite you to check out the 4th season of our Gospel-Centered Education Podcast by visiting myccs.org/podcast. We will have a packed 4th season, starting September 2026, and will explore a variety of subjects ranging from “The Church’s Perspective on Christian Education”, Pastor Justin Wester, to “The Credibility of a Christian Worldview” with Mr. Billy Hutchenson of the Colson Fellows Program. We will interview our alumni, one of whom is a character artist in California.
In addition we will feature CCS parent Dr. Sonia Cabell who will discuss with us the importance of content rich English and Language arts in Primary grades.
We will also revisit CCS’s AI Global Principles with Tallahassee State College’s, Dr. Angela Long who is back for another episode!
In closing, thank you for your ongoing support and prayers for the ministry of CCS.
I am looking forward to seeing all of you soon!
For CCS and the Kingdom,
Tom