LCA Stories

We are excited to announce the launch of a new podcast led by Mr. Joel Simpson, LCA Alum ('08) and 6th-8th Spiritual Life Director. The weekly podcast will feature topics that affect the lives of middle school students in many different ways. The first episode, "Parenting a Social Media Generation," features Brian Ebel, LCA Parent and Senior Pastor at St. Luke Church. Check it out here. 

LCA is pleased to announce, after an extensive search, our new Elementary Principal is Mr. Thad Highbaugh. He is currently serving as Elementary Principal at Merwin Elementary in Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior to joining Merwin Elementary, Mr. Highbaugh served as the Dean of Students for Mariemont Elementary, also in Cincinnati. He previously served as a coach at LCA from 2010-2012, assisting with the Junior High and Varsity Football, Varsity Baseball, and Varsity Girls Basketball programs while attending the University of Kentucky. Read More Here

We are excited to announce that our new Elementary Assistant Principal is Emily Lavender. Emily is not new to our school. She graduated from LCA in 2011 and taught science in 6th grade before serving in the Scott County Public School System as a classroom teacher and Professional Learning Community (PLC) Team Lead. She is a strong proponent of professional development and mentoring and has led a variety of training events at her school and in her district. She looks forward to sharing her experience and skills with our team. Read More Here

Mrs. Ashley Ford has been at LCA for 14 years and currently teaches second grade. She graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education and went on to earn a Master's in Special Education from Georgetown College. Read More Here

Lexington Christian Academy is pleased to announce Amy Cornell has accepted the position of College Counselor in our high school. Mrs. Cornell has more than ten years of experience in collegiate advising, financial aid, and enrollment activities. Most recently, Mrs. Cornell served as an executive recruiter for Enrollment Builders, which provides enrollment strategies and marketing services for non-profit, higher education institutions across the United States. Read More Here

We are excited to announce that Mrs. Lea Clark is our new 6th-8th Grade Assistant Principal. She has served 16 years as a teacher at LCA, and we are blessed to have her join our leadership team. Read More Here

It is with great pleasure and excitement that LCA announces that Mrs. Melinda Pettigrew is our new Preschool-Elementary Assistant Principal. We are extremely blessed to have Mrs. Pettigrew join our leadership team. She has been part of our LCA family since 2012 as a parent, and then, as a teacher. Read More Here

Mr. Nathaniel Cheeks graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor's Degree in Interpersonal Communications. He went on to obtain a Master's Degree in Theological Studies from Asbury Seminary. He and his wife, Brandi, have a daughter Miley (8th grade) and a son, Malachi (4 months). In his free time, Mr. Cheeks enjoys disc golf, basketball, Ultimate Frisbee, running, and biking. Read More Here

LCA is excited to welcome Diana W. Clark as the new Director of Development. We look forward to having Diana share her experience, leadership, and creativity as we move forward into an amazing future for our school! Read More Here

Established in 2018, the LCA Teacher Endowment Fund was created to support teachers and educators who commit their time, energy, and abilities to provide exceptional Christian educational experiences for our students. Congratulations to this year's recipients: Danielle Smith (Preschool/Elementary); Patti Smith (6th Grade Academy/Junior High); and Robyn Iler (High School).

The LCA Junior High Beta Club inducted 61 seventh grade students on Friday morning, March 12, 2021. The ceremony was led by student leaders: Ava Harrison, Avery Leach, Ethan Ratliff, Josh Brand, Luke Wood, and Chloe Carroll. Read More Here

Lexington Christian Academy announced today that is has hired Zac Barnhart as the Elementary Spiritual Life Director. In partnership with the principal, as well as the school’s other spiritual life directors, this individual is responsible for providing leadership and direction to the elementary spiritual life programs, including chapel, outreach, and missions. In addition, the SLD promotes a school-wide discipleship culture by ministering to the student body and employees of the campus and LCA as a whole. Read More Here

National School Counseling Week 2021, “School Counselors: All in for All Students,” sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), will be celebrated from Feb. 1–5, 2021, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems and how students are different as a result of what school counselors do. LCA is proud to recognize it's five amazing counselors and all that they do to impact the success of our students. Read More Here

Aaron Merz has been teaching at LCA for 21 years and currently teaches AP Economics and Economics to high school seniors as well as AP Psychology to juniors and seniors. If you visit Mr. Merz's classroom, you will notice that the walls are lined with senior photo collages from every graduating class since he's been at LCA. Read More Here

Melinda Pettigrew has been at LCA for seven years and currently teaches fifth grade language arts, social studies and Bible. She and her husband, Bryan, chose LCA for their own children to attend junior high and high school when they moved here from Texas. Read More Here

At the LCA Board Meeting on September 21, 2020, the Board of Directors offically named Dr. Cassondra Koett as our high school principal. Dr. Koett has been a successful educator at LCA for more than 10 years, and she brings a wealth of teaching and administrative experience to her new role. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Koett!

Mr. David Redish is a long-time LCA veteran and currently serves our school as the sophomore Bible teacher. He has been an educator for 30 years, with 26 of those being at LCA. Read More Here

We are happy to welcome Kathy Picarazzi as the new receptionist for the high school office.  Kathy attended the University of Pikeville and spent 17 years as the human resources manager at Eastern State Hospital before taking time off to be a stay-at-home wife and mother.  She and her husband, David, have two children, Jamie (10th grade at LCA) and Eva (7th grade at LCA). They attend Wellington Church in Lexington. Kathy enjoys tennis, reading, and spending quality time with family. 

When asked why she's excited to work at LCA, Kathy said, "I have been a parent at LCA for 13 years and have volunteered for many years in various capacities. I am excited to serve the high school students and their families."

LCA has been blessed with the addition of two full-time nurses to ensure the health and well-being of our campuses. We are excited to have Leslie Whitaker at the Immanuel Campus and Nikki Gehring at the Rose Campus. 

Nurse Whitaker has more than 20 years of experience that ranges from ICU, surgical, and outpatient nursing; and most recently, a clinical supervisor.  She also holds a certification in Pediatric Advance Life Support.

Nurse Gehring has a wide range of community health and school health nursing. She previously worked for the UK College of Nursing and the Lexngton-Fayette County Health Department. 

The campuses have isolation rooms (or clinics) which will be used for any individual exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 (or other illnesses) during the school day. Students are encouraged to visit the office and see the campus nurse, in the event he/she feels ill at any time. 

If you haven't met Josh Robinson, LCA's 6th-8th Grade Spiritual Life Director, you'll want to check out this LCA Spotlight. Learn more about Josh and how his faith journey led him to LCA. We are thankful for Josh and his service to the 6th grade and junior high students. View Interview Here 

If you haven't met Justan Borth, our High School Spiritual Life Director, you'll want to check out this LCA Spotlight interview! Learn how the Lord led Justan to LCA and hear about some highlights from his first months here. We are thankful for Justan's energy and love for the Lord that he brings to our high school students! View Interview Here 

Mrs. Michelle Sapp has taught at LCA for the past 12 years and currently teaches history in our 6th Grade Academy. When asked why she chooses to teach at LCA, she said "I choose to work at LCA because I feel like God called me here. I want to fulfill His plan for my life." Read More Here

Mr. Daniel Wesley was recently named Outstanding Graduate Music Student during Campbellsville University's Virtual Honors and Awards Day. Mr. Wesley is the high school chorus director and is also chair of the Fine Arts Department. Congratulations on this outstanding accomplishment!

Cassondra Koett earned a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California USC Rossier School of Education, which was conferred in a special virtual graduation ceremony last week. Dr. Koett teaches high school English and is also chair of the English Department. Congratulations on this outstanding accomplishment! 

Mrs. Jacquelyn Gawel is in her fourth year teaching Spanish to 1st-5th grade students at LCA. Find out what's been the hardest part of teaching virtually and what she'll always remember about this time. Read More Here

Coach Pete Akatsa has taught junior high PE for the past 21 years at LCA. When not teaching, he loves to travel and hike. Find out which mountain he has climbed and why he loves teaching at LCA. Read More Here

Mrs. Arianne Johnson has been at LCA for 19 years and currently teaches 2nd-5th grade music and directs the elementary chorus.  She is married to Tyler, an LCA alum, and they have two children who attend LCA. Emme is a sophomore and Riley is a fifth grader. When not teaching, Arianne loves sewing and being creative and playing the piano. Read More Here

Mrs.  Kathy Burroughs joined LCA in August 2011 and currently teaches PK 4 (preschool). She is married to Mark Burroughs, who teaches 7th grade geography at LCA. Kathy has two daughters, Morgan Hubbard (LCA Class of 2018) who is a sophomore at Transylvania University and Lindsey Hubbard a senior at LCA. Kathy loves the outdoors and enjoys hiking, camping, fishing and kayaking. She also loves to play tennis and go to the beach when she can. Read More Here