Today we’d like to introduce you to Ike Thomas.
Grace Classical Christian Academy is a very special place. If you need confirmation of just how special it is, ask the headmaster, the staff, the parents, or more importantly, ask the students. Grace Classical Christian Academy is not a sports-centered institution, not a prep school or a trade school. GCCA is a blessing! It’s a place of higher learning where students are taught to be all that God calls them to be; it is the trivium that meets at one educational point for each student. Truly Grace Classical Christian Academy has evolved from a vision to a reality due to the insight and efforts of Ike Thomas.
Ike has always called Granbury his hometown. In his youth, he grew up on the north side of Granbury on his family’s dairy farm where he and his brothers always had before school and after school chores. It was here that Ike and his brothers learned about hard work and responsibility.
He attended Texas Tech in the fall of 1969 on a football scholarship. When he returned to his hometown following his first semester, Granbury, as well as his family’s livelihood, was permanently changed. The formation of the Brazos River Dam had created Lake Granbury, and the Thomas Dairy was now at the bottom of that lake. In spite of the obstacles that presented, the Thomas Family met those challenges and changed the direction of their business model by developing lakefront properties and starting a turf grass farm, Thomas Bros. Grass. Ike continued his education at Texas Tech majoring in Business Finance with a minor in Real Estate. He married Trisha McLaughlin of Lubbock; they made their home in Granbury. As difficult as the loss of the dairy farm was to the Thomas Family, it forever changed the way Ike thought. His critical thinking often meant the difference between failure and success. Thomas Bros. Grass became a leader in the turf grass market striving for dependability and excellent customer service. In 1999, Thomas Bros. Grass sold to Turfgrass America and Thomas Bros. Grass ceased operations for a while. In 2011 the Thomases reentered the turfgrass industry in Tennessee and now are reestablishing here in Texas as well.
The family continued to invest in local housing developments in the Granbury and surrounding areas. Once again, Ike’s innovative thinking resulted in sound business decisions even as the real estate market took a nosedive in the 1980s and developments such as Chaparral, Laguna Tres and Lantana, were developed, just to name a few.
His passions run very deep. And education is one of those passions. Ike ran for the Granbury ISD before having children of his own. By serving on the Board, Ike felt that he could better the lives of children in his community. He proudly served for 12 years, one year as school board president. At about that same time, a turning point occurred in Ike’s life when he attended a men’s Christian conference with a good friend. At that epiphany, Ike saw the world in a different way. He began to read and study the Bible, and began giving all areas of his life to Christ. By surrendering all to Christ, Ike’s perspective of the world was forever and profoundly changed. Christ called Ike to action in all areas of his life, but education was still foremost, where data results proved decline in students’ performance continued to be an issue.
Ike eventually found what he believed to be the answer in the classical Christian model of education. A primary goal of this model is to teach students how to think. The classical education model develops a large knowledge base in the seven liberal arts. By being well versed and having a large data base in mathematics, philosophy, literature, physical sciences, language, history and literature, one can be a “critical thinker”, flexible and free to make decisions that are not dependent upon thoughts or actions of others, institutions or government. Formal classes in logic and Latin are a part of the curriculum. the curriculum is organized chronologically in history which helps students see how politics, science, social issues, art and literature are all interrelated. The classical model is time-tested and proven; students consistently achieve higher test scores on standardized tests than their peers in the modern programs.
He traveled to many Classical schools, including Coram Deo (Latin, “in the presence of God”), in Flower Mound. With each visit, he has always left the schools with high impressions of the students. Each student was intelligent, well rounded, well mannered, thoughtful and eloquent in his or her speech. Through prayer, Ike was called to found a classical school. Ike retained the founding headmaster of Coram Deo to train the start-up team; he obtained the school’s non-profit status and became a member of the Classical Christian Schools. In August 2012, Grace Classical Christian Academy opened its doors.
Each year the enrollment of GCCA increases. In 2014, Bruce Williams, a founding board member and the Headmaster at The Oaks, in Spokane, Washington, for 18 years became the Headmaster for Grace Classical. Bruce received a B.A. in History and Education from Washington State University and has completed graduate work at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. Bruce is thankful for the opportunity to work in the classical Christian education arena in Granbury, Texas, and for the Lord’s sure promise in Ezekiel 36:36, “Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it.”
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Started a Classical Christian School much earlier.
Contact Info:
- Address: 603 Meander Rd.
Granbury, TX 76049 - Website: http://www.graceclassical.com
- Phone: 682-936-4566
- Email: info@graceclassical.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/graceclassical/
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