Sam Cupp and his family moved to the Malvern area in 1979, and that’s when he first heard about CFS. “To us, it was just three letters that named a school. We had four children who attended public school in our district.” In 1993, Cupp was transferred to Toronto for five years. When they returned to the area again in 1998, his youngest son, Kevin, enrolled in public school again. It was the end of middle school for Kevin and a hard time to transition to a new school.
“We decided to explore other educational options for him where he might feel more comfortable and excel. We did our homework … visited independent schools on and around the Main Line. We wanted our search to be thorough because there was a lot at stake. CFS was on our list.”
The Cupps came to the school for an interview, and got a feel for the spirit of the place. They particularly liked the small student-to-teacher ratio. “Within weeks, Kevin knew his teachers at CFS; they knew him. They drew him out and he thrived. He was happy at school and at home. He made friendships he still treasures, and he learned.
I remember sitting at Kevin’s graduation thinking, ‘Look at all these successful kids … going off to college, going off to live their lives.’ The ceremony was dignified and intimate, more like a family gathering than a spectacle. And in that chapel I understood something I had felt for four years but never articulated. It wasn’t just the teachers and friends and Kevin’s success. It was the spirit of CFS. Christian values inform the way the teachers teach, the students learn, the coaches coach. There is nothing ‘preachy’ about this, but it is real and deep. CFS has a soul.
Kevin graduated from college in 3 ½ years. He works at Vanguard … a successful, happy adult. And if you ask him how it all happened, you’ll get a three-letter response.