Stories of Impact

When you’ve grown up in these mountains, you don’t just leave Red Bird behind. It follows you—in the way you raise your kids, the way you talk about home, the way you feel when you come back and somebody still knows your name. That’s the story of Red Bird Christian School alumna and dorm parent, Kayla Couch.

All 14 of Mrs. Chasley’s K-1 students were fully focused Tuesday morning to hear the fascinating story of Rudy, a red pig. Arlinda Lewis, a Red Bird Christian School substitute teacher and former K-1 aide, organized the visit by well-known author Catherine Ritch Guess, to read her widely-published children’s book, Rudy the Red Pig.

There were new faces in the halls and classrooms of the Lawson Building (K-12 building) and the Schaeffer Building (Pre-K classroom space) on Wednesday as the 2026-27 school year opened for Red Bird Christian School (RBCS). By the second day of class Principal Jennifer Wilder reported to the Red Bird Mission Board of Directors that 47 new students were now at RBCS. Most are coming as a result of the action taken by the board to make RBCS tuition free.

Red Bird Christian School (RBCS) kicked off the 2026-27 academic year Thursday as teachers reported to finalize classroom and curriculum preparations. Principal Jennifer Wilder met with staff Thursday morning to introduce new staff, new partnerships, and her vision for the upcoming year. Mrs. Wilder said, “We have a wonderful staff. All of our positions are full.”

Patty Vance, Red Bird Mission School Alumna and Red Bird Christian School Elementary Teacher, goes beyond the expected to give our students opportunities leading to excellence in careers and life after graduation. One of her passions is involving our students in the 4-H Communications Competition because she knows successful people need to be effective communicators. Following is her Facebook post reporting the outcomes at this year’s 4-H Communications State Championships.

From June 15-18, the folks at Rural Up hosted their STEM Explorer Camp, and let me tell you, it has been something truly special for our community.

Seventy-five (75) people came out to the Red Bird Farmers Market Opening Day today to buy homegrown eggs, kohlrabi, cabbage, green onions, kale, new potatoes, cauliflower, cucumbers, and more from seven market vendors.

The vision of providing opportunities for training and working from community that Red Bird leadership began to put on paper six years ago is taking a huge step forward with this week’s public announcement of a major grant award. Red Bird Mission, Inc., has been awarded $1.9 million by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) for the Red Bird Mission Connected Campus Initiative that will bring reliable, high-speed internet to its campus in Clay County, Kentucky.

For a lot of elders in our hills, “going to the garden” used to be as normal as breathing. They were raised on beans, corn, and tomatoes they grew themselves.

Red Bird was in a similar mode since last week celebrating commencements across the campus that draw our families and community together to mark the accomplishments of our children and youth during the 105 years of education at the Red Bird Mission.

After discussing for years the dilemma requiring every student pay tuition between $100 and $610 to offset the annual education cost of approximately $7,000 per student at Red Bird Christian School (RBCS), the Red Bird Mission Board of Directors took action yesterday to eliminate the tuition requirement beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.

Last Friday, the Red Bird Christian School (RBCS) Appalachian Studies and Ag Science classes made a trip to the Sheep Shearing Days at the Museum of Appalachia in Clinton, Tennessee.

Storytelling is an art that is perfected with time, and most Appalachians have been entertained by Jack Tales for generations. Joel Brashear has been telling stories for over 20 years, and Thursday he captured the attention of students that filled the Red Bird Christian School (RBCS) Chapel.

Easter is a time for hope and Wednesday’s chapel services at Red Bird Christian School sent students home for Easter break with the message of hope.

Not everyone in the Class of 2026 at Red Bird Christian School (RBCS) was able to make the week-long Senior Class Trip to Gulf Shores in October, but a day-trip to the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area in Tennessee last Friday included them. The class travelled as a group to Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, Dolly Parton’s Pirates Voyage Dinner and Show, and Wonderworks, an indoor experiential attraction that was also educational.

Normally, a line seen backed up at God’s Storehouse represents food coming from another community for hunger relief, but Tuesday night’s line was all about the Red Bird GA families providing hunger relief by growing food in the community for their community.

The colorful logo depicting green mountains, a rainbow and the name of the organization, Mission of Hope, on the side of the box truck just warms the heart when it pulls onto the Red Bird Mission Queendale Campus. And, the love from the volunteers bringing needed items to the families in these Appalachian Mountains personifies hope.

Saturday in Madisonville felt like one of those moments where everything lines up and you just know you're looking at something that matters.

Students in Grades 4 and 5 at Red Bird Christian School created thumbprint art recently as part of their art class to share this message: YOU are "Thumb-body" special to Jesus and to our Red Bird Family!

As I completed one stop, I saw the person for the next stop coming down the hill to meet me. He was happy to get a meal, but also didn't want me to continue up his driveway that was still covered in ice.