What about Bob?

My biography (also available on the Shannon Forest website):

Robert “Bob” Patrick Collins, Jr. has served as President of Shannon Forest Christian School since spring 2010. A graduate of Mars Hill College, Bob earned his undergraduate degree in Biblical Studies, Biblical Languages while attending on an academics-based athletics scholarship for soccer. The first male Collins to graduate from both high school and college since the family’s migration from Ireland to America in the 1890s, Bob went on to earn a master’s degree from Clemson University in History, with an emphasis in U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East.

During his senior year at Mars Hill, Bob served as an ordained student pastor and added “husband” to his schedule, marrying his college sweetheart, Millie. Two years later the couple was blessed with the birth of their daughter, Lyndsay. 

 Me and Millie enjoying an Atlanta Braves baseball game.

The son of a naval man, Bob enlisted in the armed services upon graduation from college, joining the Army in 1985. He attended Clemson at the Army’s behest, and during his six years on active duty, served in Intelligence, working with both the FBI and CIA. At age 27, Bob served on Army Staff at the Pentagon during the first Gulf War, becoming the youngest officer to hold such a position.  

Bob resigned from active duty in order to spend more time with his wife and growing daughter, and followed God’s call into education. Deeply passionate about young people, he spent six years teaching AP History and Government and Economics to Upstate high school students, and also taught as an adjunct faculty member at both Clemson and Southern Wesleyan Universities. Bob left education in 1996 to join the corporate world and went on to work for Resurgent Capital Services, an international company with offices located in Greenville. While working with Resurgent, Bob had great success serving as Vice President of Operations, and established five additional business lines for the company.

In 2004, Bob left Resurgent and began serving full-time with Serving in Mission (SIM) as a missionary in Ecuador with his family. While there, he operated a coffee house as part of his university ministry, using coffee as a means to connect with and love on young students in the area. 

Lyndsay, Millie and me in front of one of Ecuador's many volcanoes.

After completing his time in Ecuador, Bob and family relocated to Mexico City, Mexico, where he worked as Chief Operating Officer for Sherman Financial, parent company to Resurgent. In October 2009, while conversing with God during a run in the city, Bob felt the Lord drawing him back to education. Hesitant at first, he responded much like Moses, thinking ‘I can’t; surely there is someone else.’ But even when we can’t, the Lord can, and at the start of 2010, the Collins clan moved back to the states, settling in Greenville, SC to be near Millie’s mother and father.

While attending Shannon Forest Presbyterian Church, Bob was approached about heading SFCS. Realizing that God had used every step of his journey to direct him to this moment, he accepted the position, and continues to be an invaluable addition to the school. 

You may already know that Bob loves to run and work out (he can often be seen working with our Crusader Cross Country team), and that he loves soccer and is fluent in Spanish. But there are many things you may not know just yet. For example, Bob is actually tri-lingual, speaking Arabic in addition to English and Spanish. He owns an adorable black Labrador, named Baxter, who was adopted during his time in Ecuador. He loves fishing (his largest catch is a 42 lb. redfish), has fly-fished in six countries, and even dreams about sushi. He loves photography and is an avid outdoor enthusiast. 

 Enjoying some fly-fishing in Ecuador.

He has participated in four marathons and a triathlon.  He loves to bird-watch and even has a favorite bird (the kingfisher). A testament to his mother, he loves reading and has even kept a record of every single book he’s read since high school (the total currently stands at 916, and counting). He is a devoted father to his only daughter, who is currently serving on a two-year mission in Bolivia, working in university ministries. He is a founding member of “Water of Life”, a water-based ministry serving Guatemala, Honduras, Africa, and more. He finds great inspiration from Psalm 54:4, “Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my soul.” 

 Me and Baxter.

This fall, Bob will be adding “faculty member” to his resume once more, teaching economics to our seniors, in addition to his administrative duties.

What's the point?

I am sure that you have asked yourself at some point, "does all this effort to send my child to a private, Christian school really pay off?" Or perhaps at some point you have tried to explain your decision to friends, family or neighbors who ask, "so, why do you send your child to a private, Christian school?" We ask these same questions here at SFCS: why do parents choose to send their children to Shannon Forest? More importantly, why should parents choose to send their children to Shannon Forest? It is these types of questions which allow us to continually evaluate and better our school, and ultimately our students.

Obviously, we talk about standardized test and SAT scores. Clearly, we examine college acceptance rates and trends. But even as important as these indicators are, they are not the most important measurements of true student success. Our mission at SFCS states that we will "equip and challenge students to influence culture and society for Jesus Christ." Ultimately, we are concerned about more than academic preparation; we are concerned with the type of person we graduate. Can we, in partnership with parents and the local church, equip and challenge young students to influence culture and society for Jesus Christ?

Recently, I have come across local and national articles discussing the efforts that both public and private secular schools are taking to prepare their students to graduate as "nice", "good", or even "moral" people. This may sound like the same vision as SFCS upon first glance, but upon closer examination, one realizes that is not the same at all. The recurring theme in the efforts of these other schools is a belief that the key to success is the production of moral, virtuous students. Again, this idea looks an awful lot like the mission of our school, but in truth, it is merely a cheap counterfeit. The essential difference between our mission and theirs is that they are attempting to produce virtuous young adults through a worldview that says ‘there is no God’, ‘there is no absolute truth’, and subsequently, no real right or wrong. They have no authority on which to base their efforts and in the end it is merely secular humanism.

Further investigation shows that by and large this approach fails. Check any longitudinal study, any Gallup Poll, any Barna Group Study and you will find a continual degradation of values. Of course, this makes sense when you take into account the fact that no one ever seems to be able to agree upon their values. Best case scenario, this approach will produce a "moralistic, therapeutic deist", as introduced in Soul Searching:"The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers" by Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton. So, what makes SFCS any different? Godly men and women, skilled in their craft, who daily have the opportunity to speak unique Biblical truth into the lives of our students. Does it make a difference? I believe so, and so do the majority of our graduates. In fact, over 90% of our recent graduates have said that SFCS not only prepared them for college, but also prepared them spiritually for life. 

If you really want to answer the question, 'why do you send your child to a private, Christian School?' then I recommend two actions: firstly, get involved with our school and see firsthand the reasons why we do what we do. Secondly, check out this informative study conducted by a Canadian research group on American schools, private secular versus private Christian. 

 

This study, the largest of its kind, clearly shows the differences between the stated goals and actual results of the various types of schools available in the United States. I am convinced that if you take the time to complete both steps one and two, you will know without a doubt why you choose to send your child to SFCS.

What about blog?

Well, I have decided to do something that I said I would never do: blog. That whole "never say never" thing sure shows up a lot. So, why a blog? The compelling reason is because we really desire to have a school by design, and we talk a lot about how to accomplish this goal. This blog will hopefully provide insight into the thoughts and motivations behind this design. I will not attempt to cover everything that happens at Shannon Forest. Instead, topics will range from the vision for the school, trends in education and society, any and everything about impacting our students, the latest read, and maybe even some lessons on running. So, stay tuned. There's plenty more to come.