Have you ever wondered where our school’s name came from? Probably not. It has been over 50 years since The King’s Academy was established, and the name is simply ingrained in our minds. Many people often pass over the actual significance of the designation which we have assigned to this establishment. However, if you take the time to research The King’s Academy’s history and origins, one can notice how a simple title can accurately represents the school’s values, morals, and motives.
In 1970, Mr. Nelson Loveland, Dr. Kye Harris, Mr. W.H. Vimont, and their group of friends created our school, calling it “King’s Academy”. Even then, the founders wanted to highlight the importance of Christ being a part of the educational system. When advertised, Bible truth was emphasized as being part of the school’s program. Surprisingly, at this point in time, The King’s Academy had no “The” in its title. This can seem quite odd to our generation, as students, faculty, and parents frequently refer to the school as “TKA”, not “KA”. The abbreviation is found on almost everything, from jackets, to water bottles, to backpacks, and now, to face masks. Last year’s 50th anniversary was even publicized as “TKA50”. So, what happened, and why did the name change?
While quite unusual and unexpected, the school’s name was changed from “King’s Academy” to “The King’s Academy” in 1978, in order to avoid any confusion with an ownership by a Mr. King. One of the staff’s current Bible teachers, Mr. Jeffery Gentry, recalled that in his first years teaching and directing, people would call and ask, “May I speak to Mr. King?”. Therefore, the name was mainly changed to emphasize that Christ was the King of The King’s Academy. In addition, the motto, “Where Christ is King”, also began to be utilized for this same reason. Mrs. Ashlei Furtado, an alumni and current teacher at The King’s Academy, mentioned in an interview that students were required to call the school by its full title. There was no “TKA” or “King’s Academy”, it was only “The King’s Academy”. This requirement proved to be effective in stressing the meaning and value of the school’s name.
Although the rules regarding our school’s title have loosened up, no matter what we call it, we know what it stands for. When people hear the words, “The King’s Academy”, “TKA”, or “King’s”, most of the time, they are aware of its Christian background and standards. A title, after all, is what creates a first impression on outside sources, so I am certainly glad that its founders took the time to design a good one.
