There are many traditions at Prestonwood Christian Academy, and “Lifers” are one of them. If you have attended Prestonwood from Kindergarten through Senior year, you fall under the lifer category.

This tradition might seem silly to you, but it is held in high regard. By the time Senior year rolls around, there are only a handful of students who can call themselves Lifers.

Senior Lifer Troop O’Neal says, “it might seem weird going to one school for 13 years, but it really has been very beneficial.”

Summer of Senior year means college applications, which means recommendation letters. Letters of recommendation are more likely to come from teachers who know you and your personality well.

Senior Abram DeArmas, who is also a Lifer says, “it is special to be a lifer because you have the opportunity to form relationships with teachers that will last for a long time.”

It is comforting to be a lifer during the college applications process, because you have a wide variety of teachers to choose, who have watched you develop as a person, as well as a student.

Some of my friends who attend public school find it hard to wrap their heads around the fact that I have gone to the same private school for the entirety of my education. There are moments where I wondered what my life would have been like if I did go to public school, but I am immediately reminded of all the opportunities I have been given in all different areas at PCA.

Senior Karson Wrona says, “I don’t wish I went to public school because I like the environment here and the small number of people.”

As a Lifer, I have been able to cultivate friendships that I made in Kindergarten all the way to my Senior year of highschool, received an education from the most remarkable teachers, and most interesting of all, I have experienced all of the different eras of PCA. It makes me wonder if college will be a difficult transition since I have been with the same group of people my whole life. Comfort surrounds the word “Lifer” and losing that sense of comfort is scary. However, I am grateful to have been able to form lifelong friendships, learn life lessons, and ultimately grow up with this amazing, God-centered community.