School of the Ozarks hosted 2025 Classical Christian Educators Conference

POINT LOOKOUT, MO. — School of the Ozarks hosted the annual Classical Christian Educators (CCE) Conference, Nourishing the Christian Imagination, at College of the Ozarks on March 7-8, 2025. The CCE Conference is an opportunity for educators to come together to be enriched in their practices.

“What started as just a gathering of two or three schools to encourage our teachers has grown into a conference of over 200 attendees from all over the nation,” said Dr. Brad Dolloff, dean of School of the Ozarks.

The CCE Conference consisted of three plenary talks by College of the Ozarks faculty: Dr. Joseph Western, assistant professor of history; Dr. Bradley Pardue, professor of history and dean of institutional effectiveness; and Dr. David Parrish, associate professor of history. They highlighted storytelling, reforming education, and nurturing the Christian imagination in teaching.

The conference had 50 workshops for the attendees to strengthen their confidence and knowledge of pedagogy and instruction to impact students. The goal is to develop greater understanding, purpose, and creativity in students’ learning and for them to know how to apply their knowledge outside of the classroom.

“It is nice to hear our mission, our vision, and our goal, but sometimes it can be really disheartening not to be able to take something back to your students that you know you can use right away, that supports that mission, vision, and goal,” said Jenni Carey, curriculum director and lead teacher at School of the Ozarks. “Having a way to teach a lesson and integrate practices all together is what we want to give to people.”

Under a classical Christian model, schools integrate a liberal arts curriculum with a Christian worldview. Rooted in the Trivium – grammar, logic, and rhetoric – it seeks to cultivate individuals who think critically and communicate clearly all while emphasizing Christlike character and the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty. 

“We are offering an education that most of us did not receive, most of the people here ─ we need training, and we need to be around other people who are doing the same thing, people you can share your questions and concerns with, who can offer insight,” said Dr. Brian Polk, director of the Center for Classical Christian Education. “It is an iron-sharpens-iron type event. It is invaluable.”

Kressa Phillips, C of O alumna and founder of Krescent Studios, covered the event with photography and videography. Click here to see her work and learn more about the conference: https://youtube/CCEConference2025.

For more information, contact Public Relations Director, Valorie Coleman, at (417) 690-2212

About College of the Ozarks

College of the Ozarks is a private, Christian, liberal arts college, located in Point Lookout, Missouri, on a 1,000-acre campus. Christian values, hard work, and fiscal responsibility comprise the fundamental building blocks of the “Hard Work U.” experience. The College earns numerous accolades yearly, including No. 2 Best Performers on Social Mobility-Regional Colleges in the Midwest and No. 4 Best Regional College in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report for 2024-2025 and No. 3 Best Bang for the Buck by Washington Monthly, 2024. To achieve its vision, the College pursues academic, vocational, Christian, patriotic, and cultural goals. These goals are mirrored in School of the Ozarks, a laboratory school that completes the K-college model.

The Keeter Center — the College’s award-winning lodge, restaurant, and conference facility — earns awards consistently, including the TripAdvisor Best of the Best Award 2024 and the Readers’ Choice Awards 2024 from ConventionSouth magazine. The Keeter Center features historic lodging, fine dining, and meeting rooms. With more than 350 student workers, it is the largest workstation on campus.