Town Talk: A conversation with Lorraine Hewitt and Mary Anna Ouakil, Dominion Ridge Academy

In this Town Talk, we’ll have a conversation with Lorraine Hewitt and Mary Anna Ouakil from Dominion Ridge Academy. Dominion Ridge Academy, formerly Front Royal Christian School, is a Pre-K through 12th-grade school in Front Royal, Virginia.

As a result of input from its stakeholders, the school board made the decision to change the name to better reflect its vision and approach to Christian education. The school’s mission and vision continue to be the same, focusing on building the dignity of every child and the new name better reflects that approach.

Lorraine Hewitt, the Superintendent, shared, “We are created in God’s image and with that, we are told to accept our dignity and take dominion of our lives. Thus, Dominion in our new name represents the direction given to us by God. Ridge is added because even though life has peaks and valleys, we train our students to holistically tackle each ridge. And, of course, the school is also located in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.” Hewitt added, “Academy was chosen because we have raised our educational standard and approach that reaches every child gifted to special needs.”

The way Dominion Ridge Academy achieves its mission and strives daily towards its vision is through its unique approach to the classroom, a groundbreaking approach that allows the teachers at Dominion Ridge to understand each individual child. This approach provides social-emotional learning in the classroom where the faculty at Dominion Ridge intentionally focus on the education of the whole child. Simply put, the faculty and staff at Dominion Ridge know their students as individuals and care as much about how they learn as what they learn.

“The name Dominion Ridge Academy better embraces who we are and where we are going,” Hewitt added. “We are reminded that Saul’s name was changed to Paul, Abram to Abraham, and Simon to Peter. The changes took place as God was ready to move them closer to the purpose he had for their lives.”

From special needs to gifted, Dominion Ridge is committed to the spiritual, moral, and intellectual development of its students and mediates a sense of competence, confidence, and belonging. Dominion Ridge provides the 21st-century learner exceptional and challenging educational experiences, including college preparatory courses with a dual enrollment program with LFCC, Regent University, and other universities, as well as performing arts, life skills, and athletics. For more information, call the school at 540-635-6799 or visit .dominionridgeacademy.com.