Isn’t it funny what God delivers, even when you don’t know you’ve been looking for it?
That’s how we found Sequatchie Valley Preparatory Academy, tucked up into the gentle hills of east Tennessee
two years ago.
We were on spring break
vacation at the time with our then 11-yr old daughter Natalie, who had just discovered her love of horses and riding.
We were met at the door of Sequatchie Valley B&B by Chris Young, co-owner with his wife Tammy, two enormous Mastiff
“puppies”, and beautiful, gentle horses all ready to ride. It was love at first sight for Natalie!
Natalie returned to SVB&B a few months later for a week of summer horse camp, and we could barely tear her away!
She talked about returning the next summer – for the next 11 months! Summer 2009 finally rolled
around, and she was able to attend summer camp for 2 weeks. We never imagined that she would return a mere
2 months later to attend school at SVPA full time!
Natalie was a well rounded and well adjusted middle school
student making good decisions and good grades in the second largest school district of North Carolina when she was given
the opportunity of a lifetime to study at SVPA. After prayerful consideration, we decided to let our little
girl go over 400 miles away to school – the first time she’d ever been away that far or that long by herself!
What we got in return a few short months later was a slimmer, more self-possessed, independent and confident
young lady who was doing better than average in her school work, and who didn’t have to be bribed to do her homework
~ even on break! Not only does she enjoy going to school more, she also enjoys and appreciates the hard
work and satisfaction of a job well done as she cares for and works with the horses, cows and other animals at SVPA.
Natalie plans to be a large animal veterinarian, and her studies at SVPA are geared to that academic
goal. Tammy, Chris and the staff at SVPA provide a strong Christian atmosphere along with a robust academic
model that prepares the students for a meaningful and productive life. Natalie would have never had the
opportunities in public school that she has been blessed to participate in at SVPA ~ two weeks in Washington, DC (during the
2010 Grass Roots March, no less), a weekly Bible study program in Chattanooga, participation in state-level speech and student
congress activities, and a 3-week mission trip to a Honduran orphanage where they participated in horsemanship and discipleship
training with the children.
God willing, Natalie will be able to return to SVPA for a few more years where
her scholarly and Godly pursuits can be completed in a little corner of heaven, called SVPA.
