School HistoryA long path of dedication in shaping a better future
2006
Rev. Stephen Tong waited quite a long time to establish this school. He had been pioneering efforts to encourage people to study theology and understand the cultural mandate. In 2003, he announced the establishment of Calvin Christian School (SKC). Around 2006, he appointed Rev. Ivan Kristiono (then Evangelist Ivan Kristiono) to prepare prospective teachers who would teach. Within a year, Rev. Ivan Kristiono guided and prepared dozens of prospective teachers. Finally, in 2008, Calvin Christian School was established with a very humble beginning.
2008
17 Daring Families
Starting a school is no easy feat. There's always a tendency for parents to enroll their children in schools with a proven track record. So, it's safe to say that starting SKC was a "mission impossible". There are countless well-known and favorite private schools in Jakarta. Public schools are even free, and some of them are favorites. So who would look at a school that was more like a "tutorial center" when it first started, occupying the 2nd floor of the RMCI Cultural Building? But thanks to God's great favor upon SKC, God sent seventeen "daring families", parents and children to be pioneers. Together with fourteen teachers at that time, SKC literally started from scratch. Pastor Ivan Kristiono said, "The school had to borrow money from the church to buy lecture chairs." Why lecture chairs? So they didn't have to buy desks. The school's funds were still zero. Even buying lecture chairs had to be borrowed from the church. Imagining the leap of faith taken by these seventeen families, it is nothing but God's grace upon SKC.
2009
Doesn't this remind us of God's provision for the Israelites by sending manna during their 40 years of wandering in the desert? For forty years, until they reached the land inhabited by people, until they reached the border of the land of Canaan. After that, God no longer sent manna. After the first three years, God sent children to enroll in the fourth grade, but in the fourth year, not a single child registered for the fourth grade. However, of course, after three years, Kristen Calvin Elementary School already had one class of children who had moved up from third to fourth grade. God's blessings were sufficient, even in barren land. God's blessings upon Kristen Calvin Elementary School are truly great.
God's blessings in the establishment of Kristen Calvin High School were also immense. Even before there were any graduates from the junior high school level, Kristen Calvin High School was able to accept 40 students in its first batch. After the elementary and high schools were established, SKC moved from the 2nd floor of the Cultural Building and occupied the 2nd floor of the Calvin Tower. Many beautiful memories are often shared by the teachers, one of which is about the togetherness among the elementary, junior high, and high school students due to occupying the same floor.
In the Middle of the Desert, God Sent Manna
SKC began with 17 seventh-grade students in 2008. In 2009, both elementary and high school levels were initiated. The elementary school was started directly with first and fourth grades. Opening a fourth-grade class was certainly not as easy as opening a first-grade class. Parents typically enroll their children in first grade after completing kindergarten. Many foundations only establish kindergartens, so when children graduate from kindergarten, parents have to find an elementary school from a different foundation. However, fourth grade is a continuation of third grade. Opening a fourth-grade class means that there must be at least a dozen parents who decide to transfer their children to Kristen Calvin Elementary School. Strangely enough, in the first three years, God provided enough children to open one fourth-grade class each.
2010
Achievements of The First Generation
Pioneering teachers were not pedagogy experts. They all struggled to learn how to teach. Some even cried, unable to cope with the "activeness" of the first generation of SMP Kristen Calvin students. However, that's how God blessed SKC. It turned out that the activeness of this first generation was due to their extraordinary intelligence and curiosity. They were so active in asking questions during lessons. One of the students from the first generation of SMP Kristen Calvin managed to win a bronze medal in the National Science Olympiad at that time. Truly, this was purely God's blessing for SKC. In 2010, SKC also moved from the 2nd floor and occupied the 3rd and 4th floors of Menara Calvin. The 3rd floor was occupied by SD Kristen Calvin, while the 4th floor was occupied by SMP and SMA Kristen Calvin.
2011
The Graduation of the First Junior High School
Graduating the first batch involved a significant amount of work. Both teachers and students struggled and were tested. These struggles certainly bore sweet fruit with the graduation of the first batch of SMP Kristen Calvin. In this year, SKC also began occupying floors 3, 4, 11, 12, and 13 of Menara Calvin.
2012
Accreditation, First Batch Graduation of Elementary and High School, and State Universities
There were many reasons to be grateful in 2012. Starting from the A accreditation received by SMP Kristen Calvin, the first graduation of elementary and high school students of Kristen Calvin School, and the acceptance of the first batch of Kristen Calvin High School graduates into state universities.
Establishing a school is one thing. However, establishing a school that is able to send its students to state universities in Indonesia is a completely different matter, considering the very limited quota of seats in state universities.
Through hard work and God's grace, four students from the first batch of Kristen Calvin High School managed to enter the University of Indonesia. This event marked the "tradition" of Kristen Calvin High School alumni entering state universities.
Until the 2020/2021 academic year, God has continued to add to the number of Kristen Calvin High School alumni who have successfully entered state universities.
2013
Accreditation of Elementary and High Schools
In 2013, Calvin Christians Elementary and High Schools successfully obtained an A rating from the National Accreditation Board for Schools and Madrasahs (BANSM).
2014
Purchase of Land for the Calvin Christian School Building
The Calvin Christian School (SKC) sought to provide a better school building for students to learn and develop. Consequently, in 2014, a piece of land in the Sunter area was purchased to house the new school building. Additionally, starting in 2014, SKC began utilizing the 5th and 10th floors of Calvin Tower to meet the growing space requirements due to the increasing student population.
2015-2017
Architectural Design of the SKC Building and Reaccreditation
In 2015, Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong completed the initial architectural design for the Calvin Christian School building. In the same year, some of the alumni of Calvin Christian High School had already obtained their bachelor's degrees. In 2016, Calvin Christian Junior High School once again achieved an A rating in the accreditation process. Meanwhile, Calvin Christian Elementary and High Schools successfully maintained their A ratings in 2017.
2018
Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Calvin Christian School
In 2018, Calvin Christian School held a thanksgiving celebration to commemorate its 10th year of establishment. As part of the celebration, the senior high school students of Calvin Christian School composed, prepared, and performed an original musical drama entitled “Song of the Silk Road.” During this event, the school also expressed its appreciation to the teachers who had been teaching and serving for 10 years.
2019-2023
A Challenging School Building Construction
The journey of Sekolah Kristen Calvin (SKC) did not stop after 10 years. Starting in 2019, SKC initiated the construction process of a new school building in Sunter. However, this journey was fraught with obstacles. Firstly, SKC faced permit-related issues. Secondly, the COVID-19 pandemic that swept the world in 2020 also impacted the construction process. The groundbreaking ceremony itself had to be conducted amidst the pandemic. Despite numerous challenges, SKC did not lose heart. With God's help, the school building construction continued. On October 15, 2022, SKC held a topping-off ceremony, marking the completion of the building's highest floor.
2023
Inauguration of the New Building and Starting a New Chapter
On June 9, 2023, SKC held the Closing Service for the 2022/2023 academic year at the new Calvin Christian School building. This moment marks the beginning of a new chapter for SKC.
In July 2023, SKC officially moved all school activities from the Reformed Millennium Center Indonesia (RMCI) complex in Kemayoran to the Calvin Christian School building in Sunter.
The inauguration of the Calvin Christian School building took place on October 21, 2023, coinciding with SKC's 15th anniversary. This inauguration was the pinnacle moment of SKC's long journey over the past 15 years.
New Building, New Spirit
The new SKC building features more comprehensive and modern facilities. This allows SKC to provide higher quality education for its students. With a renewed spirit in the new building, SKC continues to commit to fulfilling its cultural mandate in the field of education. Soli Deo Gloria!