Hilton Head Christian school hopes students sign on from around the globe

A new school based on Hilton Head Island will make Christian education more accessible to students across the globe, said the Rev. Jamie Osborne, headmaster.

St. Mark's Academy -- a diploma-granting online middle and high school -- expects to serve about 2,000 students from nearly all 50 states and several foreign countries when it opens in September.Theschool is preparing its application for accreditation by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools.

Osborne, a Hilton Head Island resident, said the school offers an affordable alternative for parents and students looking for a Christian school.

"The expense of running a brick-and-mortar Christian school is significant," Osborne said. "Online allows for a greatly reduced price."

Tuition at St. Mark's Academy is $795 per semester.

Samantha Neville, a mother of five who lives in Port Royal Plantation, said her daughter likely will attend St. Mark's this fall.

Until last year, Neville home-schooled her children. But as theygrew older, she became less comfortable teaching the academic material. Last year, she enrolled her daughter in the state's virtual school and her son at Hilton Head Christian Academy.

"I got to a point where I really needed someone else's help," Neville said. "Especially with ... algebra. That was the killer for me."

She and her daughter are excited about St. Mark's faith-based curriculum, which was missing from the public virtual school.

"We are Christians and I have always used a Christian curriculum," Neville said. "(St. Mark's) is everything that a home-school mother needs. They're still going to be here at home, but it's a lot better than doing everything ourselves."

A key feature of St. Mark's is 24-hour, seven-day-a-week access to "e-instructors" who are just a mouse click away,Osborne said.

"Online education is highly individualized," he said. "It's an any time, any place, any pace."

St. Mark's Academy is a non-denominational school but is affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia. The curriculum requires students to complete a Bible course and take leadership classes with a Christian emphasis.

St. Mark's Academy has a staff of about 12 on Hilton Head Island, including guidance counselors and admissions officers, at its two offices on Mathews Drive and the Village at Wexford.