‘We’re pioneering to restore education to the place it’s supposed to be in our country. We believe that first, God is interested in the individual, and second, God intends everyone to be a good reader.?
? Pastor Louis Dubost, quoted in the Aug. 9, 1973 Oxford Leader prior to the opening of
Oxford Christian Academy

It was the end of an era when an Oxford institution closed its doors May 31, but hope remains it will one day rise again.
‘Our community has lost a gem,? said local attorney Lee Knauf, referring to the closing of Oxford Christian Academy (OCA) on Pontiac Street after 33 years of educating the minds and illuminating the spirits of its students.
Knauf, a 1979 graduate of OCA, said the academy was ‘the proverbial one-room schoolhouse.?
‘As a senior, I knew every kindergarterner by name,? he said. ‘All the little kids looked up to and learned from the big kids. All the big kids took care of the little kids.?
On February 5, members of the First Baptist Church of Oxford, which established the school in September 1973, voted to close it at the end of this school year.
Insufficient enrollment resulted in the school consistently operating in a deficit.
‘I’m saddened by (the closing), but due to the financial instability of the school, I think it’s a wise decision,? said Don Brantley, a 1986 OCA graduate and superintendent of the Oxford Village DPW.
Back in its heyday in the 1980s, OCA boasted an enrollment of 150 to 180 students in grades K-12. This past year the school had a total of 33 students attending pre-kindergarten through 7th grade.
OCA stopped offering high school grades in 2001.
Listening to OCA’s graduates, one gets a sense of just how special it was to be a part of the little community that learned and prayed together.
‘It’s been a central figure in our lives ever since I was a child,? said Meg (Beardsley) Knauf, who graduated OCA in 1983.
Knauf began attending OCA in the third grade, the same year the school opened. It was through the church and OCA that she met her husband Bruce, a 1985 graduate.
‘We’ve known each other all our lives. Basically, since the time we were in the nursery together,? she said.
All three of Knauf’s children were students at OCA, where she also worked as a secretary this past year.
‘My oldest thought he would graduate from the same school we did,? she said.
Knauf said she will always cherish ‘the community we had and the friendships we still maintain.?
‘My children are good friends with my high school friends? children,? she said. ‘It’s neat to see the influence my high school friends have on my children.?
OCA teacher Gilbert Quon said the bonds forged among students were strong and deep.
‘This class I had this year, they’re so close because they grew up together,? said Quon, who’s taught at the school since 1990. ‘They’ll hate to not see each other next year. It will be a real adjustment for a lot of them.?
Don Brantley said his high school years at OCA ‘were probably my best years as far as creating lasting friendships.?
One of Brantley’s longtime friends, Nathan Grove, a 1986 graduate, agreed. ‘With our smaller class sizes, I’ve got friends who are four and five years older and three to four years younger,? Grove said.
The education students received, both academically and morally, is what set OCA apart and defined it.
Comprised primarily of students from blue-collar families, OCA consistently scored ‘way above? its peers in public school, according to Lee Knauf.
‘It was never a prep school,? he said. ‘We had all kinds of kids ? a perfect cross-section just like anywhere else. And they all outperformed the public school system.?
Knauf recalled a foster care student from Hadley coming to the school in 10th grade, not knowing how to read. ‘By senior year, he was reading 210 words a minute,? he said.
Grove said sending his two kids to OCA for kindergarten gave ‘them a head start.?
His son Jonah is in the first grade at Clear Lake Elementary, reading at a third grade level and exhibiting leadership skills. ‘He’s a leader in the class,? Grove said. ‘Other kids look to him.?
‘I thought it was a top quality education,? said Brantley, who also sent his sons to OCA. ‘The smaller classes led to more one-on-one instruction.?
But just as man cannot live by bread alone, so OCA fed the soul as well as the mind.
OCA taught students from a ‘Christian world view? as opposed to the ‘secular humanistic world view? of public schools, according to Lee Knauf.
This Bible-based education ‘helped keep me from going off a cliff morally,? Knauf said.
‘My children are good friends with my high school friends? children,? she said. ‘It’s neat to see the influence my high school friends have on my children.?
OCA teacher Gilbert Quon said the bonds forged among students were strong and deep.
‘This class I had this year, they’re so close because they grew up together,? said Quon, who’s taught at the school since 1990. ‘They’ll hate to not see each other next year. It will be a real adjustment for a lot of them.?
Don Brantley said his high school years at OCA ‘were probably my best years as far as creating lasting friendships.?
One of Brantley’s longtime friends, Nathan Grove, a 1986 graduate, agreed. ‘With our smaller class sizes, I’ve got friends who are four and five years older and three to four years younger,? Grove said.
The education students received, both academically and morally, is what set OCA apart and defined it.
Comprised primarily of students from blue-collar families, OCA consistently scored ‘way above? its peers in public school, according to Lee Knauf.
‘It was never a prep school,? he said. ‘We had all kinds of kids ? a perfect cross-section just like anywhere else. And they all outperformed the public school system.?
Knauf recalled a foster care student from Hadley coming to the school in 10th grade, not knowing how to read. ‘By senior year, he was reading 210 words a minute,? he said.
Grove said sending his two kids to OCA for kindergarten gave ‘them a head start.?
His son Jonah is in the first grade at Clear Lake Elementary, reading at a third grade level and exhibiting leadership skills. ‘He’s a leader in the class,? Grove said. ‘Other kids look to him.?
‘I thought it was a top quality education,? said Brantley, who also sent his sons to OCA. ‘The smaller classes led to more one-on-one instruction.?
But just as man cannot live by bread alone, so OCA fed the soul as well as the mind.
OCA taught students from a ‘Christian world view? as opposed to the ‘secular humanistic world view? of public schools, according to Lee Knauf.
This Bible-based education ‘helped keep me from going off a cliff morally,? Knauf said.
Knauf spoke highly of former school administrator John Young, who used to ask students, ‘Why do you do what you do?? He forced students to examine whether their actions were to ‘glorify God or serve yourself.?
‘To the extent I’m any good now, I give a lot of credit to that ministry,? Knauf said. ‘OCA helped form my morals and gave me a desire to please God with my life.?
That’s why Meg Knauf chose to send her kids to OCA. ‘I wanted an education for them that’s based on the Bible,? she said. ‘As a Christian and a Christian parent that is my foundation. That’s my guideline for life and that what I want my children to learn.?
‘They will not get that from public school education,? she explained. ‘They will get information that conflicts with everything we teach at home and we teach here in the school.?
Despite being a small school, OCA was always big on athletics, baseball, soccer and particularly basketball. Nicknamed the ‘Warriors,? the school’s boys varsity basketball team won two Michigan Athletic Association of Christian Schools state championships in 1985 and 1993, not to mention a host of conference championships.
‘I had some tremendous years with really good athletes,? recalled Joe Bullen, who coached the basketball team from 1973 to 1997. ‘On the floor, these kids really had their act together. They made it a pleasure to coach.?
Brantley, Grove and Lee Knauf all played basketball for Bullen. Five times OCA basketball teams had the honor of playing at the Silverdome and four times at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
‘We never lost at the Palace,? Bullen noted.
Being a small school gave OCA students more of a chance to participate in athletics, according to Bullen.
‘If they were in a larger school, they’d never have the opportunity to play sports,? he said. ‘Very few would have the opportunity to play if they were going to Oxford High School or Lake Orion High School.?
But his players weren’t just good athletes, they were well-rounded young men who participated in other facets of school life. Some eventually became men of God.
‘It’s a most pleasurable thing to know that 16 of the boys who played for me over the years are now pastors and assistant pastors,? Bullen said with pride. In fact, three of the players from his 1993 state championship team are pastors.
Although OCA’s closing has been a heart-rending, bittersweet experience for those who learned there, taught there and hoped their children would one day graduate from there, hope springs eternal that the school shall someday reopen its doors.
‘As Oxford continues to grow, I think the need or at least the want for private Christian education is definitely there,? Grove said. ‘I just hope our church would be able to provide that again.?
Bullen is confident that if the base is there, First Baptist’s Senior Pastor Jim Kester ‘has the vision and foundation to re-establish the school.?
‘It very well could reopen,? Bullen said.

Knauf said she will always cherish ‘the community we had and the friendships we still maintain.?
‘My children are good friends with my high school friends? children,? she said. ‘It’s neat to see the influence my high school friends have on my children.?
OCA teacher Gilbert Quon said the bonds forged among students were strong and deep.
‘This class I had this year, they’re so close because they grew up together,? said Quon, who’s taught at the school since 1990. ‘They’ll hate to not see each other next year. It will be a real adjustment for a lot of them.?
Don Brantley said his high school years at OCA ‘were probably my best years as far as creating lasting friendships.?
One of Brantley’s longtime friends, Nathan Grove, a 1986 graduate, agreed. ‘With our smaller class sizes, I’ve got friends who are four and five years older and three to four years younger,? Grove said.
The education students received, both academically and morally, is what set OCA apart and defined it.
Comprised primarily of students from blue-collar families, OCA consistently scored ‘way above? its peers in public school, according to Lee Knauf.
‘It was never a prep school,? he said. ‘We had all kinds of kids ? a perfect cross-section just like anywhere else. And they all outperformed the public school system.?
Knauf recalled a foster care student from Hadley coming to the school in 10th grade, not knowing how to read. ‘By senior year, he was reading 210 words a minute,? he said.
Grove said sending his two kids to OCA for kindergarten gave ‘them a head start.?
His son Jonah is in the first grade at Clear Lake Elementary, reading at a third grade level and exhibiting leadership skills. ‘He’s a leader in the class,? Grove said. ‘Other kids look to him.?
‘I thought it was a top quality education,? said Brantley, who also sent his sons to OCA. ‘The smaller classes led to more one-on-one instruction.?
But just as man cannot live by bread alone, so OCA fed the soul as well as the mind.
OCA taught students from a ‘Christian world view? as opposed to the ‘secular humanistic world view? of public schools, according to Lee Knauf.
This Bible-based education ‘helped keep me from going off a cliff morally,? Knauf said.
Knauf spoke highly of former school administrator John Young, who used to ask students, ‘Why do you do what you do?? He forced students to examine whether their actions were to ‘glorify God or serve yourself.?
‘To the extent I’m any good now, I give a lot of credit to that ministry,? Knauf said. ‘OCA helped form my morals and gave me a desire to please God with my life.?
That’s why Meg Knauf chose to send her kids to OCA. ‘I wanted an education for them that’s based on the Bible,? she said. ‘As a Christian and a Christian parent that is my foundation. That’s my guideline for life and that what I want my children to learn.?
‘They will not get that from public school education,? she explained. ‘They will get information that conflicts with everything we teach at home and we teach here in the school.?
Despite being a small school, OCA was always big on athletics, baseball, soccer and particularly basketball. Nicknamed the ‘Warriors,? the school’s boys varsity basketball team won two Michigan Athletic Association of Christian Schools state championships in 1985 and 1993, not to mention a host of conference championships.
‘I had some tremendous years with really good athletes,? recalled Joe Bullen, who coached the basketball team from 1973 to 1997. ‘On the floor, these kids really had their act together. They made it a pleasure to coach.?
Brantley, Grove and Lee Knauf all played basketball for Bullen. Five times OCA basketball teams had the honor of playing at the Silverdome and four times at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
‘We never lost at the Palace,? Bullen noted.
Being a small school gave OCA students more of a chance to participate in athletics, according to Bullen.
‘If they were in a larger school, they’d never have the opportunity to play sports,? he said. ‘Very few would have the opportunity to play if they were going to Oxford High School or Lake Orion High School.?
But his players weren’t just good athletes, they were well-rounded young men who participated in other facets of school life. Some eventually became men of God.
‘It’s a most pleasurable thing to know that 16 of the boys who played for me over the years are now pastors and assistant pastors,? Bullen said with pride. In fact, three of the players from his 1993 state championship team are pastors.
Although OCA’s closing has been a heart-rending, bittersweet experience for those who learned there, taught there and hoped their children would one day graduate from there, hope springs eternal that the school shall someday reopen its doors.
‘As Oxford continues to grow, I think the need or at least the want for private Christian education is definitely there,? Grove said. ‘I just hope our church would be able to provide that again.?
Bullen is confident that if the base is there, First Baptist’s Senior Pastor Jim Kester ‘has the vision and foundation to re-establish the school.?
‘It very well could reopen,? Bullen said.

Knauf said she will always cherish ‘the community we had and the friendships we still maintain.?
‘My children are good friends with my high school friends? children,? she said. ‘It’s neat to see the influence my high school friends have on my children.?
OCA teacher Gilbert Quon said the bonds forged among students were strong and deep.
‘This class I had this year, they’re so close because they grew up together,? said Quon, who’s taught at the school since 1990. ‘They’ll hate to not see each other next year. It will be a real adjustment for a lot of them.?
Don Brantley said his high school years at OCA ‘were probably my best years as far as creating lasting friendships.?
One of Brantley’s longtime friends, Nathan Grove, a 1986 graduate, agreed. ‘With our smaller class sizes, I’ve got friends who are four and five years older and three to four years younger,? Grove said.
The education students received, both academically and morally, is what set OCA apart and defined it.
Comprised primarily of students from blue-collar families, OCA consistently scored ‘way above? its peers in public school, according to Lee Knauf.
‘It was never a prep school,? he said. ‘We had all kinds of kids ? a perfect cross-section just like anywhere else. And they all outperformed the public school system.?
Knauf recalled a foster care student from Hadley coming to the school in 10th grade, not knowing how to read. ‘By senior year, he was reading 210 words a minute,? he said.
Grove said sending his two kids to OCA for kindergarten gave ‘them a head start.?
His son Jonah is in the first grade at Clear Lake Elementary, reading at a third grade level and exhibiting leadership skills. ‘He’s a leader in the class,? Grove said. ‘Other kids look to him.?
‘I thought it was a top quality education,? said Brantley, who also sent his sons to OCA. ‘The smaller classes led to more one-on-one instruction.?
But just as man cannot live by bread alone, so OCA fed the soul as well as the mind.
OCA taught students from a ‘Christian world view? as opposed to the ‘secular humanistic world view? of public schools, according to Lee Knauf.
This Bible-based education ‘helped keep me from going off a cliff morally,? Knauf said.
Knauf spoke highly of former school administrator John Young, who used to ask students, ‘Why do you do what you do?? He forced students to examine whether their actions were to ‘glorify God or serve yourself.?
‘To the extent I’m any good now, I give a lot of credit to that ministry,? Knauf said. ‘OCA helped form my morals and gave me a desire to please God with my life.?
That’s why Meg Knauf chose to send her kids to OCA. ‘I wanted an education for them that’s based on the Bible,? she said. ‘As a Christian and a Christian parent that is my foundation. That’s my guideline for life and that what I want my children to learn.?
‘They will not get that from public school education,? she explained. ‘They will get information that conflicts with everything we teach at home and we teach here in the school.?
Despite being a small school, OCA was always big on athletics, baseball, soccer and particularly basketball. Nicknamed the ‘Warriors,? the school’s boys varsity basketball team won two Michigan Athletic Association of Christian Schools state championships in 1985 and 1993, not to mention a host of conference championships.
‘I had some tremendous years with really good athletes,? recalled Joe Bullen, who coached the basketball team from 1973 to 1997. ‘On the floor, these kids really had their act together. They made it a pleasure to coach.?
Brantley, Grove and Lee Knauf all played basketball for Bullen. Five times OCA basketball teams had the honor of playing at the Silverdome and four times at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
‘We never lost at the Palace,? Bullen noted.
Being a small school gave OCA students more of a chance to participate in athletics, according to Bullen.
‘If they were in a larger school, they’d never have the opportunity to play sports,? he said. ‘Very few would have the opportunity to play if they were going to Oxford High School or Lake Orion High School.?
But his players weren’t just good athletes, they were well-rounded young men who participated in other facets of school life. Some eventually became men of God.
‘It’s a most pleasurable thing to know that 16 of the boys who played for me over the years are now pastors and assistant pastors,? Bullen said with pride. In fact, three of the players from his 1993 state championship team are pastors.
Although OCA’s closing has been a heart-rending, bittersweet experience for those who learned there, taught there and hoped their children would one day graduate from there, hope springs eternal that the school shall someday reopen its doors.
‘As Oxford continues to grow, I think the need or at least the want for private Christian education is definitely there,? Grove said. ‘I just hope our church would be able to provide that again.?
Bullen is confident that if the base is there, First Baptist’s Senior Pastor Jim Kester ‘has the vision and foundation to re-establish the school.?
‘It very well could reopen,? Bullen said.

dents received, both academically and morally, is what set OCA apart and defined it.
Comprised primarily of students from blue-collar families, OCA consistenly scored ‘way above? its peers in public school, according to Lee Knauf.
‘It was never a prep school,? he said. ‘We had all kinds of kids ? a perfect cross-section just like anywhere else. And they all outperformed the public school system.?
Knauf recalled a foster care student from Hadley coming to the school in 10th grade, not knowing how to read.
‘By senior year, he was reading 210 words a minute,? he said.
Grove said sending his two kids to OCA for kindergarten gave ‘them a head start.?
His son Jonah is in the first grade at Clear Lake Elementary, reading at a third grade level and exhibiting leadership skills.
‘He’s a leader in the class,? Grove said. ‘Other kids look to him.?
‘I though it was a top quality education,? said Brantley, who also sent his sons to OCA. ‘The smaller classes led to more one-on-one instruction.?
But just as man cannot live by bread alone, so OCA fed the soul as well as the mind.
‘To the extent I’m any good now, I give a lot of credit to that ministry,? said Lee Knauf.
OCA taught students from a ‘Christian world view? as opposed to the ‘secular humanistic world view? of public schools.
This Bible-based education ‘helped keep me from going off a cliff morally,? Knauf said.
Knauf spoke highly of former school administrator John Young, who used to ask students, ‘Why do you do what you do?? He forced students to examine whether their actions were to ‘glorify God or serve yourself.?
‘To the extent I’m any good now, I give a lot of credit to that ministry,? Knauf said. ‘OCA helped form my morals and gave me a desire to please God with my life.?
That’s why Meg Knauf chose to send her kids to OCA. ‘I wanted an education for them that’s based on the Bible,? she said. ‘As a Christian and a Christian parent that is my foundation. That’s my guideline for life and that what I want my children to learn.?
‘They will not get that from public school education,? she explained. ‘They will get information that conflicts with everything we teach at home and we teach here in the school.?
Despite being a small school, OCA was always big on athletics, baseball, soccer and particularly basketball. Nicknamed the ‘Warriors,? the school’s boys varsity basketball team won two Michigan Athletic Association of Christian Schools state championships in 1985 and 1993, not to mention a host of conference championships.
‘I had some tremendous years with really good athletes,? recalled Joe Bullen, who coached the basketball team from 1973 to 1997. ‘On the floor, these kids really had their act together. They made it a pleasure to coach.?
Brantley, Grove and Lee Knauf all played basketball for Bullen. Five times OCA basketball teams had the honor of playing at the Silverdome and four times at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
‘We never lost at the Palace,? Bullen noted.
Being a small school gave OCA students more of a chance to participate in athletics, according to Bullen.
‘If they were in a larger school, they’d never have the opportunity to play sports,? he said. ‘Very few would have the opportunity to play if they were going to Oxford High School or Lake Orion High School.?
But his players weren’t just good athletes, they were well-rounded young men who participated in other facets of school life. Some eventually became men of God.
‘It’s a most pleasurable thing to know that 16 of the boys who played for me over the years are now pastors and assistant pastors,? Bullen said with pride. In fact, three of the players from his 1993 state championship team are pastors.
Although OCA’s closing has been a heart-rending, bittersweet experience for those who learned there, taught there and hoped their children would one day graduate from there, hope springs eternal that the school shall someday reopen its doors.
‘As Oxford continues to grow, I think the need or at least the want for private Christian education is definitely there,? Grove said. ‘I just hope our church would be able to provide that again.?
Bullen is confident that if the base is there, First Baptist’s Senior Pastor Jim Kester ‘has the vision and foundation to re-establish the school.?
‘It very well could reopen,? Bullen said.