About VHS
Valley Home Scholars' Board
Current Board Members
| Brenda Hogan | brenda@valleyhomescholars.org |
| Jenny Hurd | jenny@valleyhomescholars.org |
| Liz Smith | liz@valleyhomescholars.org |
| Alisa Pfaff | alisa@valleyhomescholars.org |
| Janeen Graham | janeen@valleyhomescholars.org |
Advisor to the Board
| Diane Smith | diane@valleyhomescholars.org |
Statement of Purpose
VHS exists to encourage and support homeschooling in the Spokane area and to provide, when possible, resources to meet various homeschooling needs. We have been in existence since May of 1987.
We are a Christian homeschool support group that promotes Christian family values. We are non-denominational and have members representing a wide variety of area churches. VHS does not represent or support any church, nor do we desire to take the place of the local church.
We extend a welcome to all homeschoolers, regardless of religious beliefs, but we do require that all member families cooperate with us to provide a Christian environment for our children at all Valley Home Scholar activities. In practical terms, this means that we expect all members of VHS to treat each other with dignity, courtesy, and respect-regardless of differences in religion, race, curriculum, homeschool style, etc.
Valley Home Scholars also strongly affirms parents' God-given responsibility to shape their own children's education in their own way; therefore, VHS does not promote or endorse any particular curriculum.
In addition, Valley Home Scholars, as a family-oriented organization, will endorse and promote events that we believe are pro-life, pro-family, and pro-homeschooling.
Statement of Faith
We Believe
The Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God and constitutes His completed and final revelation to man. The Bible, in its original autograph, is without error in whole and in part, including theological concepts as well as geographical and historical detail.
God has existed from all eternity in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ was God come in human flesh being fully God and fully man, except without sin.
All men are in violation of God's righteous requirements and His holy character both by nature and act, and are therefore under His wrath and just condemnation.
The central purpose of the coming of Jesus Christ was to pay the penalty for man's sin through His substitutionary death on the cross, the successful accomplishment of which was attested to by his subsequent visible, bodily resurrection.
Salvation is offered as a gift, free to the sinner. This gift must be responded to in individual faith, not trusting in any personal works whatsoever, but in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ alone.
God's Plan of Salvation
God loves you: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
Man is separated from God by sin: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) "For the wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23)
The death of Jesus Christ in our place is God's only provision for man's sin: "He (Jesus Christ) was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification." (Romans 4:25)
We must personally receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord: "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." (John 1:12)
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast." (Ephesians 2:8,9)
Activity Disclaimer
As a Christian home school group, we do not directly sponsor activities, classes, etc. that violate what we feel are basic Christian principles. However, when VHS ventures out into the secular realm either for field trips or Imax or any other outside activity not under our direct control, we make no claims of suitability for your family.
Of course, Valley Home Scholars only offers activities that we believe would be acceptable to most members of our group. Our intention is not to offend anyone and certainly not to do anything that would dishonor the Lord, but in a group as large and diverse as VHS, it would be impossible for any one person to be the "conscience" of the entire organization.
In addition, VHS does not take responsibility for the safety of your children during any VHS activity or during transportation to or from any VHS activity. We are not a school; we are a group of individual parents who voluntarily get together to provide educational opportunities for our children and as such, each family is responsible for the safety of its own children at all times.
We will continue to provide the activities and attempt to give you enough objective information to help you make good decisions for your children.
VHS Promotional Flyer
It's suitable for printing and distributing to friends and potential members. Get it here. Most of the information on the flyer is already available on the web site, but, like a good book, sometimes you just want to hold it in your hand.
History of Valley Home Scholars
The year 1987 marked the 200th anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution. It also marked the year of the official “birth” of Valley Home Scholars.
The idea of a Valley support group was conceived when several of the founding member families became acquainted while participating in an area-wide Homeschool Choir. Washington State “legalized” a parent’s right to home educate in 1985, so many parents who had previously been homeschooling rather clandestinely felt more at ease to seek out other families and began to form support groups. Although there were a few support groups in the larger Spokane area, only one specifically Christian group met. So, the desire was that a Christian support group be formed that would serve the Valley area.
It was decided that the group would meet once a month after studying a pre-determined common topic. Our very first meeting was in September 1987 with the learning topic of the U.S. Constitution, in honor of its bicentennial. The students gave individual reports on what they had learned; afterward, the families spent time in fellowship and getting to know each other better. As word spread regarding our group and the idea of homeschooling became more accepted, VHS began to grow.
It became apparent that we would need an official name, so a contest was held for the students to come up with a name. Valley Home Scholars was the winning submission of Christopher Smith (son of Lee and Diane) and his prize was a $5 gift certificate to a local bookstore.
The survival and success of any group is dependent upon the willingness of its participants to make it happen. Most families were eager to see the group successful and contributed time and resources to make it so, whether volunteering to produce a newsletter, secure a meeting place, organize a field trip, contact a guest speaker or keep members informed of the ever-changing political/social landscape.
Although the group was still relatively small and close-knit, it was evident to one member in particular of the need for a newsletter to keep the membership informed and in communication between monthly meetings. That member was Kelly Walkup, who published the first issue of the Acorn in August 1990.
It also became apparent the group had need of structured leadership, so a board was formed; the next obstacle to overcome was the need to become a corporation. After research and with the help of a member dad who was an attorney, Valley Home Scholars became a tax free corporation in 1996.
Another “first” for VHS was the celebration of its first graduating class. In June 1993, a ceremony was held to honor our five new graduates.
Currently, there are three of the founding member families who still call themselves Valley Home Scholars: Lee and Diane Smith, Bruce and Brenda Hogan, Dan Sr. and Sue Wilson.
Over the last 20 years the face of homeschooling has changed significantly, but the mission of Valley Home Scholars as envisioned by its founding member families has remained the same—to support and encourage homeschooling families in the Valley and surrounding area.