FOUNDERS
David and Kelsey Parrish both hold Bachelor’s degrees in education, and met during their time teaching at Highlands School. Over the course of their careers, they saw that public school was growing away from what they wanted for the future of their students and for their own children. Kelsey left the school system to stay home and homeschool her boys, and David left to become the youth and young adult pastor at Community Bible Church, Highlands.
Kelsey’s background in dual language and bilingual education led her to dream of her children being in a bilingual school. Macon County has no resources for young children at the peak of their language learning abilities. Their love for the Hispanic community and culture along with their love of Christ and desire to raise children in His name have led them to found the first Christian bilingual microschool in Macon County.
The Parrish Family
Mission
To partner with parents to raise up world leaders for the Kingdom through Christ-centered, dual language immersive, intercultural, experience-based education at their home away from home.
Values
Biblical Character building
An intentional school Community that reaches in and out into Macon County & beyond.
Authentic immersion in Hispanic Cultures from around the world, while connecting to our Southern Appalachian home.
Our Staff
Kelsey Parrish | Director, Bridging Teacher
Kelsey is originally from Franklin, NC. She has her BA in K-12 Spanish Education, which she received from WCU after studying abroad at the Universidad de Cantabria, Spain. She has experience teaching as an English teacher in a Christian bilingual school in the Dominican Republic, as well as years teaching ESL and Spanish as a World Language. This school was born out of her dream to bring bilingualism to her boys, her love for traveling the world, and the heart of Jesus within her that reaches out to the Sojourner.
Ina is from Carolina, Puerto Rico, where she has spent the past 10 years working at the Christian school her mother founded as a K-3 teacher. Ina has her BA in Teaching, and before that obtained her Masters in Social Work, spending many invaluable years as a Family Counselor and advocate for children. She looks forward to moving to Western NC as her daughters prepare to attend college in Sylva.
Ina Cristina Bultron | Lead Teacher K-1
Alondra graduated with her BA degree in Accounting with a minor in graphic design from Mexico, but has since sought out a teaching career while she works towards her EC License. She loves children and wants to teach them because she believes they are the “light of Christ".” Alondra was born in the U.S., but identifies most with her Mexican heritage, as she spent most of her life there.
Alondra Flores | Lead Teacher of los Corderitos (2-3)
Nathaly graduates this year from FHS, where she has spent the past 2 years in Early Chilhood Education classes and completing an internship with MPP for experience in the Pre-K Classroom. She plans to become a lead teacher one day, and loves children for their honesty and pure love for those around them. Nathaly is originally from Mexico, and now lives in Franklin, NC with her siblings.
Nathaly Vasquez | EC Teacher’s Assistant
Karla Diaz | Lead Teacher of las Ranitas (3-4)
Karla was raised primarily in Highlands, NC, and Mexico- graduating from Highlands School with Mr. and Mrs. Parrish as some of her former teachers. She recently graduated from SCC with her Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education and is looking forward to the start of her career.
What We Believe
God
We believe that there is one God, eternally existing in three persons (Romans 8, Ephesians 1:13-14).
People
We believe that every person has worth as a creation of God, but that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We believe that salvation is a free gift of God, and we are saved by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 6:23). We believe that forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life are available to those who trust in Christ as Savior and Lord (John 3:16). We believe that those accepting Christ should repent of sin, confess their faith, and be baptized into Him (Romans 10:9, Acts 2:38).
Jesus
We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1), His virgin birth (Matthew 1:18),His sinless life (2 Corinthians 5:21), His miracles (Acts 10:38), His vicarious death as the only sacrifice for the sin of the world (1 John 2:2), His bodily resurrection from the dead (Luke 24:39), His ascension to the right hand of God as our intercessor (Hebrews 4:14), and His future return in glory: first, to rapture His church (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18), and second, to establish the Kingdom of God upon the earth (Revelation 20:6).
The Bible
We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and the final authority in life and doctrine (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105).
The Holy Spirit
We believe that God gives His Holy Spirit to dwell in the lives of “born again” believers as a guarantee of our inheritance and salvation through Jesus (Acts 2:38, 2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:14).We believe in the process of spiritual development (sanctification) wrought in a believer’s life by the Holy Spirit. The growth involves daily dying to sin and living unto righteousness (Romans 6:1-23), finds expression in a holy life (Hebrews 12:24) and will be culminated at the return of Christ (1 John 3:2).
The Church
We believe that the church is the body of Christ on earth, empowered by the Holy Spirit to continue the tasks of reaching the lost and discipling the saved, helping them to become fully devoted followers of Christ. (Ephesians 4:1-16, Matthew 28:19-20) We believe that every member of the body is a minister; the Elders and staff are to help equip the members for their ministry. (1 Peter 2:5, Ephesians 4:11-12) We believe in divine healing for the spirit, mind, and body; and that this healing is accomplished in the redemptive work of Christ on the cross and appropriated in the believer’s life through prayer. (Isaiah 53:5, Matthew 8:17, 1 Peter 2:24, James 5:13-15) We believe that Jesus Christ will one day return and that all those who have been saved will be with the Lord forever in eternity. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)