ENGAGE
ENGAGE
At Valley Christian, we desire our students to engage within their community, their state, their country, and their world. As our world continues to shrink with global technology and communication advances, Christians must learn how to navigate and interact with people of differing backgrounds, cultures, and experiences.
ENGAGE gives students a transformative educational experience on a local, national, and global scale.
Purpose
The ENGAGE program is designed to do exactly what it says: engage within our community, our state, our country, and the world. All VCS students are required to participate in an ENGAGE opportunity each year. Students must participate in either ENGAGE Arizona (EAZ), ENGAGE US (EUS), or ENGAGE Global (EGL) opportunities. All EUS and EGL trips have a cost (typically ranging from around $2,000 up to $5,000) whereas EAZ is entirely free. Learn more about VCS policies and ENGAGE by viewing the handbook linked below.
VCS Spring Service Break
Past ENGAGE Experiences
FAQs
When will Spring Break be for K-8?
Spring Break for VCS K-8 students will take place March 8-12, 2027. This will be during week two of Spring Service Break for the high school campus.
Are other schools doing this or something similar?
Yes! Scottsdale Christian Academy closes their high school campus for a week, and they complete all their local, national, and international trips during that week then they are all off the following week. There is a school in Colorado that does something similar in providing a practicum where students take trips or engage in a learning or serving opportunity over the course of two weeks.
Can all grades go on any ENGAGE trip?
All ENGAGE trips are available for any of our high school students. With that being said, most long-haul trips do not include Freshmen or most Sophomores. This is due primarily to 1) preference given to upperclassmen, 2) the need for spiritual and emotional maturity, and 3) parents not allowing their Freshman/Sophomore to apply.
Any student can apply for any of the trips, but our recommendation for Freshmen/Sophomores is to apply for trips they will have a strong chance of being approved for which would include any of our ENGAGE Arizona, ENGAGE U.S., and shorter (distance) ENGAGE Global trips (e.g. – Mexico, Dominican Republic, or Honduras).
Does this count as school hours?
Yes! We will be counting EAZ, EUS, and EGL efforts/days as school days. We will not be adding days at the end of the school year because of these trips. For EAZ, we will be taking attendance, and students will be required to submit a brief summary of lessons learned throughout the week.
What are some examples of what EAZ would look like?
We desperately need to show our students that being the hands and feet of Christ involves so much more than serving at a local rescue mission. For example, taking a number of students on a Fine Arts mini-tour to minister to schools around the Valley would be a great way to serve Arizona, or taking a group of students to one of our neighboring school districts to assist a school in reading or ESL opportunities, or picking a few local churches and finding out what needs they may have.
Can my student do additional community service on their own?
Yes! We receive a number of requests throughout the year from non-profits, churches, and businesses that require assistance. We would love to have VCS students continue to serve their community throughout the year. However, these acts of service will not equate to receiving a grade, as they are not a requirement.
Does the school-wide Fall Initiative and Spring EAZ/EUS/EGL count for a grade?
Yes! Because we are no longer requiring students to perform 20 hours of Christian Service each year, the Fall Initiative and Spring EAZ/EUS/EGL will count for 5% of your student’s Bible grade for each semester.