ECRS is an independent, parent organized and run, K-12 school with approximately 250 students, 15 full-time teaching staff, and several part-time teaching staff. The school has an active and comprehensive Learning Assistance and Special Education department. All teachers are certified under the Teacher Regulation Branch of British Columbia. The school is a Group 1 school, as defined by the Independent School Act.
Parents run the school via a seven-person Board of Directors drawn from and elected by the school society's membership. In the 2018-2019 school year, tuition rates per family were $554 per month. Also, as a Group 1 school, we receive funding from tax dollars. This funding is 50% of the per-student cost incurred by the local public school district, School District 54. Capital costs are not funded via tax dollars, so they must be raised by donations or increased fees.
Membership in the Canadian Reformed School Association of Smithers is open to members in good standing of the Canadian Reformed Church of Smithers, Canadian Reformed Church of Houston, Faith United Reformed Church in Telkwa, and Bethel United Reformed Church in Smithers.
Children of parents who do not belong to any of those four churches may be admitted on a case-by-case basis by the school board. To be eligible, the parents must desire a Biblical education according to the Reformed faith. That faith is summarized in the Three Forms of Unity. If they are admitted, the parents will be non-voting members. If you are interested in more information, please contact the school office.
All staff must be members in good standing of one of the four local Canadian or United Reformed churches mentioned above. Parents formed the school association back in the 1960s because they believed that nothing in life is neutral. Every aspect of life is affected by one's worldview/faith. Therefore the educational environment also had to be as consistent as possible with the truth of Scripture as understood by the parents.
God grants children to parents and parents in turn, promise at the child's baptism that they will raise these children, God's covenant children, to know and fear Him. With this covenantal responsibility in mind, ECRS is a covenantal school committed to matching instruction as closely as possible to parents' faith. The school vision statement captures the intent of the school society.
The idea of functioning as prophet priest and kings is taken from the Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 12. Basically parents believe that life is an integrated whole and that it is to be lived to God's glory. We do not claim perfection in that but we do strive to take seriously the call to live for God's glory in love. This commitment to do things in a spirit of love and obedience to God is based on what Jesus identified in Matthew 22:37:40, as the two greatest commandments. This means that we endeavour to make the school culture and climate be one in which all students, staff, parents and visitors feels safe, accepted and respected.
In all our classes, we try to integrate God's word in a responsible way in what we teach and how we teach it. Every decision and action is ideally tied back to the vision statement to ensure that we remain focussed on achieving that goal. On May 12, 1965, members of the Smithers Canadian Reformed Church founded the Canadian Reformed School Society of Smithers. They began by organizing a Friday night school that started in November of the same year. Planning and fundraising also began, with the purpose of establishing a full-time school. Plans got a large boost when a family from the church donated a piece of land for the school. On September 27, 1969 the Ebenezer Canadian Reformed School officially opened its doors with 58 students and two teachers and has operated ever since. In 1971 the school grew to include children from parents who were members of the Houston Canadian Reformed church. By 1974 an addition was being planned and there were 102 students, five full-time teachers and one part-time teacher. In 1987 a Learning Assistance program was started.
In 2002 in response to developments in unity discussions between the Canadian and United Reformed churches the school society membership approved a change to the constitution to allow members of the United Reformed Church to be members of the school society. As of 2018-2019 just over 15% of the students are members of the URC. Over the years there have been several additions the most recent being in 2009, 2011 and 2015. As of the 2018-2019 school year there are 248 students.
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