Covenant Fund Stories - How Our Teachers Are Impacted By Your Generous Giving

The Covenant Fund Generously supports me as I serve our awesome students.

By: Kimberly Hicks, Kay Lee, and Erica Pifer, Perimeter School Teachers

The Perimeter School Covenant Fund not only allows more families to experience the joys of our school but it also supports our greatest priorities - our students, covenant families, and teachers. Your donations strengthen the Perimeter School family by providing need-based scholarships, professional development, technology and curricula enhancements, and capital improvements. We are thankful to have 100% participation from our families in years past. It is a way for each family to come together and support our covenant community. Every gift counts - regardless of size!

We are excited to highlight how three Perimeter School teachers, Kimberly Hicks, Kay Lee, and Erica Pifer, have been impacted by your generous giving.

What do you teach? How many years have you been at Perimeter School?

KIMBERLY HICKS: I am currently teaching grade 7 history for the second year, but previously, I taught for 8 years in lower elementary (grades 1and 2).

KAY LEE: I teach grade 6 language arts. I have been a teacher at Perimeter School for 12 years. I began in kindergarten, moved to grade 5 1:17, and landed in grade 6.

ERICA PIFER: I came on board 11 years ago and began teaching pre-first. For the past 5 years, I have been teaching grade 5 1:17.

What led you to perimeter school?

KIMBERLY HICKS: Prior to our oldest son’s birth, I taught for several years in a nearby public school. What I saw and experienced there convinced Philip and me that we wanted a Christ-centered education for our sons. As members of Perimeter Church, we were familiar with the school and loved the philosophy and covenant aspects. When our youngest son entered pre-first, I was ready to begin teaching again and never considered anywhere else. Our sons are the beneficiaries of a Perimeter School education, and I wanted to pay it forward.

KAY LEE: I knew I wanted to teach here when my oldest child entered Perimeter School 20 years ago. Our family experienced the beauty of this covenant community. There is nothing like it!

ERICA PIFER: My journey at Perimeter School began 21 years ago when the first of my five children started in first grade. All my children have attended Perimeter School.

What do you enjoy most about teaching at Perimeter School?

KIMBERLY HICKS: I love sharing history through the lens of a biblical worldview.

KAY LEE: I enjoy the families in our school as well as the fellowship with the teachers. Perimeter School is an authentic, life-giving community that has greatly impacted my family and me as an educator.

ERICA PIFER: I thought that I loved Perimeter School before, but after joining the faculty and getting to see what goes on behind the scenes, I love it even more. This truly is a special place!

How have you and your students benefited from the Covenant Fund?

KIMBERLY HICKS: This year, I received a new laptop courtesy of the Covenant Fund! Not only has it positively impacted the students’ experiences in history, but it has eliminated several minor frustrations … for instance, the battery lasts ALL DAY LONG! (The previous laptop barely made it through a full class period.)

The ThinkPad has some awesome features:

A stylus writes directly in Word documents so I can fill in blanks with the students while they are taking notes. It also allows me to mark up a PowerPoint presentation to draw students’ attention to specific information while teaching.
The higher resolution enhances the video experience. I often use videos to introduce a topic, especially when I plan to have my students read a primary source document. Since I teach about ancient civilizations, the language is often awkward and difficult to understand.
The screen rotates 360 degrees to make writing with the stylus easier.
The touch screen makes everything more convenient! I can quickly zoom in on an area of a map or enlarge a section of notes, which was especially helpful when the classroom was twice the size as normal.

COVID teaching has been HARD at times! I am very grateful to the Covenant Fund for making this year a little easier!

KAY LEE: I am grateful for Covenant Fund support as I am working to complete my M.Ed in Reading. At first, I questioned my desire to finish a higher-level degree at age 55 but received positive encouragement from the leadership here. Already, I have used the diagnostic tools I am learning in graduate school to discern where my students are struggling. I am attending Northeastern State University of Oklahoma online, and my advisor, Dr. Massey, has been thrilled to hear about the literature that we are using in our middle school language arts classes. In fact, Dr. Massey sent my students pictures of the statue of Billy and the dogs from Where the Red Fern Grows that sits very close to her office window in Tahlequah, OK.

Reading is the KEY to learning. Reading opens new worlds that provide perspective as students build vocabulary and speak and write with knowledge and understanding. Perimeter School encourages the reading of good literature, expository text, and Scripture.

the Covenant Fund generously supports me as a teacher as I continue to learn how to best serve our awesome students and families in reading.

Thank you, Covenant Fund!

ERICA PIFER: Seven years ago, thanks to the Covenant Fund, I was able to receive extensive training in the Orton-Gillingham approach that is required to effectively teach our amazing dyslexic learners. Every day, I get to see how our students are growing in their abilities and confidence. It is truly a blessing and a gift to get to share my knowledge with these precious students and their families.

Currently, the Covenant Fund is helping me to further my studies as I seek my M.Ed. in Reading Instruction from the University of West Georgia. I am just finishing my first semester, and already, I have been able to apply much of what I have learned with my students and have been able to share this knowledge with my colleagues. The Covenant Fund is enabling me to become the strongest, most well-educated teacher that I can be, and for this, I am very grateful!

These are just a few of the many ways that God has used the Covenant Fund to bless our covenant family! Funds raised at this weekend’s Perimeter School Benefit will not only go toward making covenant education accessible for the believing families of this generation but will replenish the Covenant Fund after this COVID season, ensuring we are able to meet continued expenses related to scholarships, technology, and teacher training and benevolence. Click here to learn more.

Even if you cannot attend the Benefit, you can still bid on the amazing auction items or donate directly to the Covenant Fund. Every gift counts and can be used to bless our covenant community!