The Knowledge Review covered 'The Most Leading School in Arizona, Across the Globe, here The Most Leading School in Arizona.

1. 2021 | VOL-09 | ISSUE-03
Casas
Christian School
Cultivating Smart, Industrious and Spiritually Fulfilled Individuals
www.theknowledgereview.com
THE
MOST
LEADING
SCHOOL
IN
ARIZONA
History and Techniques
of Gamifying Education
Effect of Online Learning
ducation ersonilized
issecting the ech

4. EDITOR’S
NOTE
L
earning and education is of prime importance in
Arizona. The economy is strongly supported by
graduates from local colleges and universities.
Globally competitive education is highly valued in the
state, and it strives to give better opportunities to its
brightest students. In this perspective, Arizona has
introduced many programs, which would help in
keeping the students engaged during the summer
breaks. This proves that the authorities in Arizona are
very serious about educating the youth.
Time and again, Arizona has proven that it provides a
rich environment for students to learn, grow, and excel
in their endeavours. Many leading institutions are
working with utmost dedication to strengthen
educational standards and create a challenging and
stimulating educational environment. They are also
offering discounted educational services to ensure the
betterment of not only the students, but the teachers
as well. The concerned authorities of the state are also
emphasizing on improving parental and community
involvement in the schools, while ensuring the
generation of tax revenue for educational purpose.
Arizona is committed towards enhancing educational
activities, while providing the students with better
THE PIONEER OF
QUALITY EDUCATION
IN ARIZONA

5. career opportunities and quality of life. With high-
quality education, it aims to provide the students with
lasting experiences and excellent learning options. The
prominent schools of the state are devoted towards the
overall development of the students.
With the objective of transforming the youth into the
leaders of tomorrow, these schools always come up
with innovative teaching-learning procedures. They
give the students every opportunity to explore
themselves and unleash their potential. These schools
also offer an array of extra-curricular activities so that
the students can grow not only as professionals, but
also as better human beings.
These leading schools possess all the credentials to
offer top-notch education facilities. With well-qualified
teachers, career-focused and personalized approach,
and excellent infrastructural facilities, they are building
a bright career pathway for every student.
One such exceptional school, which is giving wings to
the students’ careers is Casas Christian School. It
provides a rich academic and spiritual experience that
lays a foundation for a lifetime of excellence while also
creating an environment where each student can excel
in an engaging, appropriately modified, Christ-centered
climate. It is a K-8, dually accredited school with almost
five decades of rich experience.
Hence, in this issue of The Knowledge Review, we
recognize the tireless efforts of the school. Accordingly,
we present to you this special edition, which focuses on
the impressive journey of Casas Christian School, its
celebrated journey, major achievements, and its future
plans.
So, let’s explore this renowned school by flipping
through the pages. Have a great read! T R
Ananda Kamal Das
ananda@insightssuccess.com
Ananda Kamal Das

6. CONTENTS
08
asas hri ian chool
Cultivating Smart, Industrious, and Spiritually Fulfilled Individuals
Article
24
ducation
ersonilized
History and Techniques
of Gamifying Education
CXO
20
issecting the ech
Effect of Online Learning

7. Editor-in-Chief Sumita Sarkar
Senior Editor
Managing Editor
Anish Miller
Art & Design Head
Art & Design Assistant
Visualiser
Co-designer
Priyanka Rajage
Rahul Shinde
David King
Paul Belin
Business Development Executive
Business Development Manager
Marketing Manager
Chris Green
Phill Miller
Mary D'souza
Digital Marketing Manager
Technical Consultants
Technical Head
Assistant Technical Head
Alina Sege
Amar, David, Robert
Jacob Smile
Prachi Mokashi
SME-SMO Executives
Marketing Manager
Digital
Circulation Manager
Research Analyst
Tanaji
Eric Smith
Atul, Gemson
Amol Wadekar
Assisting Editor
Contributing Writer Nidhi, Vinayak
Aditya Umale
Quality Control Darshan Parmar
Abhishaj Sajeev
September, 2021

10. Casas
Christian School

11. Cultivating Smart, Industrious, and
Spiritually Fulfilled Individuals
C O V E R S T O R Y

12. C
hildren are God's apostles, they say. Their rightful
education is one of the most important duties of not
only their parents, but also of the community as a
whole. Since the majority of a child's day is spent at school,
it is important to consider the influence a school has on his
or her life. The school environment has a great impact on
how a child develops.
Throughout centuries, a Christian education has enabled
students to not only learn about the world around them, but
also cultivate a deep and lasting relationship with God. The
values, morals and perspectives inculcated in a Christian
school helps children grow into perseverant and well-
educated students with sufficient proficiencies and strong
moral fibers. This is the promise of a good Christian
education which the Arizona-based Casas Christian
School has successfully delivered since its inception.
While most educational institutions still follow an outdated,
mostly ineffective learning model, Casas Christian School
in Oro Valley, Arizona, is revolutionizing how students
learn and believes that in doing so they point them to God
in a more profound way. But along with a strong faith-
based education, Casas also offers a rigorous academic
training whilst catering to mental and emotional well-being,
physical proficiency and scientific training, aided by the
integration of latest technological tools and devices.
Why CCS?
Established in 1970, Casas Christian School (CCS) is
unique as a readiness program that is also a missional
school. Most programs take a curricular-driven approach to
learning. Since it believes that all students are fearfully and
wonderfully made individuals, Casas Christian School's
philosophy is that you cannot believe that and still articulate
to students the idea that where they actually are at in life,
does not matter. Because 'missional schools' are unique in
themselves – anyone can enroll even if they have different
belief systems.
Hence, it becomes more vital to create environments where
anyone and everyone can belong even if they do not all
believe the same way. The school takes a student-centered
approach that really does allow its learners to grow despite
where they fall in their learning continuum.
At Casas, the educators and accompanying staff strive to
provide a rich academic and spiritual experience that lays a
foundation for a lifetime of excellence while also creating
At Casas, we strive
to provide a rich
academic and
spiritual experience
that lays a foundation
for a lifetime of
excellence while also
creating an
environment where
each student can
excel in an engaging,
Christ-centered
climate
The Most Leading
School in Arizona

14. an environment where each student can excel in an
engaging, Christ-centered climate. The school is passionate
about relational, readiness-focused, and relevant learning
experiences that provide a strong foundation and built-in
support for all learners.
The Student-centered Approach
As mentioned above, Casas really does emphasize on taking
a ‘whole child approach’. Academically, the school has
created a category of its own called ‘Student Instructional
Support’, and the teachers are part of this instructional
makeup at CCS.
Where many programs struggle with teacher-student ratio,
CCS classrooms often have two qualified educators pouring
into the individual needs of those students. Whether they
are multiple years ahead of the grade level norms, the
institute simply says, “You’re fearfully and wonderfully

15. Casas Christian School hopes to
continue being an instructional model
that other programs study from and
provide best educational practices to
their programs as well

16. The Steadfast Leader of CCS
Prior to coming to Casas, Mr. Kempf was Head of School at
an International School in Southern China for over a
decade, and during that time his readiness philosophy and
missional objectives were really honed. Now, as principal
of CCS, his role uniquely still allows him to be the first
touch base for all new families, allowing them some crucial
time to communicate with the leader of the school from the
very beginning.
He loves this aspect of his job, and certainly, this is a large
component to the school’s growth over his time as
principal. Despite his age, the CCS community seems to
connect to his relational leadership style and
approachability.
Professionally, Mr. Kempf was recently named to the ACSI
Regional Commission where he will now use his expertise
to support other Christian schools in the Southern Arizona
region. Mr. Kempf’s passion for creating an environment
where Christians learn to love God and love other people
well. It is contagious and it is something that he hopes most
to see his students grow in for the future.
Due to the
potency of our
instructional
program, we see
our school being a
model for other
institutions to
follow
made, so what’s next for you”. If they may be multiple
grade levels approaching the grade level norms, it simply
says, “Ok, you're fearfully and wonderfully made, so what's
the next growth goal for you?”
This approach allows students to be known, valued and
appreciated while also ensuring growth! Removing labels
from children goes such a long way in allowing them to
love learning again while also creating a really special
culture at Casas. Spiritually, where sometimes in Christian
schools, aspects of faith are regulated to only certain times
of day, CCS takes a cross-curricular approach to faith
integration.
Elaborating on how faith integration takes place in a fruitful
manner, the Principal of CCS – Josh Kempf, said “We do
not want our students to believe that things of God only
exist in the Bible class, or in a chapel. We do not believe
there is a ‘sacred’and ‘secular’so, we integrate faith
intentionally and strategically across our day in a
collaborative manner.”

17. “Casas believes teaching its students to ‘love well’- the
very best articulation of what God calls us to do,” noted
Mr. Kempf. “Preparing them with service opportunities,
missions experiences all while creating a culture of grace
and compassion prepares the students in all ways for their
next steps in the world,” he added.
Standing apart
There are only five per cent of Christian schools in the
country that allow people of all kinds to enroll, regardless
of faith background or religious affiliation, Casas Christian

18. School being one of them. So, Casas naturally stands out in
this regard naturally.
There is also no other program calling themselves a
‘readiness level’ program, boldly striving to broaden the
reach of the educational experience for students while
removing many of the grade level aspects that either hold
them back or restrict growth for learners. Casas Christian
School hopes to continue being an instructional model that
other programs study from and provide best educational
practices to their programs as well.
One of the most impactful aspects of student life at Casas is
‘Warrior Week’. A chance to collaborate with other students
and faculty, focus on school spirit and class unity, this fun
week of competition is one of the highlights in the CCS
school culture each year.
The Challenges of Today
Due to the sustained growth over the past five years, the
challenge that Casas now faces is one of space restrictions.
The school leadership is once again evaluating the
feasibility of adding a high school which would provide the
kindergarten through high school continuum which the
community desires.
Because of the uniqueness of its readiness philosophy, CCS
knew that protecting its in-person model of classrooms will
be essential. To accomplish the same, the CCS team created
grade-level bubbles within their entire program with
multiple new sanitization processes. This allowed them to
successfully remain in person for the duration of this school
year.

19. The Trendsetters in Holistic Education
Casas Christian School achieved accreditations through not
only the Association of Christian Schools International, but
also through . This is done by CCS in order
AdvancedEd
that the families of students have the confidence that after
leaving the school, their children’s accomplishments will be
recognized everywhere whether they remain in a private,
faith-based program or not.
Casas has also been voted as the ‘Best Private School in
Tucson’ for three consecutive years (i.e., in all the years
they have been nominated).
“Due to the potency of our instructional program, we see
our school being a model for other institutions to follow,”
said the principal, Mr. Joshua Kempf.
Additionally, the school envisions continued growth as
more and more families understand the beauty that is the
fact that a missional Christian school, focused on readiness,
can offer to the community. Casas Christian School also
hopes to be able to add a high school in the future.
We do not believe
there is a 'sacred' and
'secular', so we integrate
faith intentionally and
strategically across our
day in a collaborative
manner

20. is recognized as
Sumita Sarkar
Editor-in-Chief
by The Knowledge Review for instilling values, morals, and
perspectives in its students with an exceptional educational
experience while enabling them to cultivate a strong and spiritual
relationship with God
Casas
Christian School
THE
SCHOOL
IN Arizona
MOST
LEADING

22. Mrs. Samiksha
Rakesh Khatri
Corporate and Social Trainer,
Social Activist, Edupreneur,
Principal, Crayons
International School
Effectof
Online
Learning
20 | September 2021

23. O
nline learning is a learning and teaching method
for students in a completely virtual environment.
Online learning (also known as eLearning), which
was invented and introduced in the 1990s and used for
remote learning, is the most widespread in higher education
and allows students from other regions to interact online
with academic institutions and other students. It is a means
to allow you to study flexibly and strive to earn a degree or
qualification at your own pace. Online learning means an
internet-based learning environment that connects students
from different backgrounds with different perspectives.
Higher education institutions use learning management
systems (LMS) to facilitate online learning. Online learning
can be asynchronous learning (students do not have to be
online at the same time, and discussion threads and emails
can be leveraged to complete the curriculum) or
synchronous learning (students are online at the same time).
A learning system that is based on formal education, but
assisted by electronic resources, is known as E-learning.
Classes can take place both inside and outside the
classroom, but the use of computers and the Internet forms
a major component of E-learning. E-learning may be called
the transfer of skills and knowledge in network
responsiveness and the provision of training is done to
multiple recipients simultaneously or at different times.
Previously, this system was not accepted seriously as it was
expected to lack the human factor needed for learning.
However, with the rapid advancement of technology and
the development of learning systems, it is now accepted by
the public.
The introduction of computers laid the foundation for such
a revolution, and over time, smartphones, tablets, etc. have
fallen into disrepair, and these devices now occupy an
important position for classroom learning. Books are
gradually being replaced by electronic teaching materials
such as optical discs and pen drives. Knowledge can also be
shared over the internet which is accessible 24 hours a day,
from anywhere. Description: E-learning has proven to be
the best tool in the enterprise sector. This is especially true
when multinational companies offer educational programs
to professionals around the world, where employees can sit
in conference rooms or acquire important skills through
seminars.
Dissecting the Tech
It is conducted for employees of the same or different
organizations under one roof. Schools using e-learning
techniques are one step ahead of schools still using
traditional approaches to learning. Presenting the concept of
non-electronic education through books and lectures is
equally important, but the importance and effectiveness of
technology-based learning cannot be understated or
completely ignored. We believe that the human brain can
easily remember and relate what we see and hear through
videos. Visual material was also found to be maintained for
a longer period of time in the brain, in addition to attracting
student attention. A variety of disciplines including
agriculture, health care, education, services, business and
government are adapting to the concept of e-learning that
helps the country develop.
Five Benefits of Online Learning:
1. Cost Savings
The most obvious benefit of online learning is economics.
Half-day classical education is a one-hour online learning
process. E-learning increases productivity. In 2019, US
education costs reached $83 billion! Of that amount, $ 29.6
billion was spent on travel, educational facilities, in-house
educational development, and equipment. Online learning
can save a lot of money in hiring instructors, booking
facilities, printing, traveling, and more.
2. Increased Convenience and Flexibility
The average full-time employee has only 1% of their time
devoted to learning. Employees are often busy and
struggling to fit continuing education to their tight schedule.
In a study of 204 employees, 93 employees showed that
time constraints contributed to the inability or
unwillingness to complete the course in one attempt.
Another 56 people contributed to the disruption. The
average full-time employee only has 1% of their time
devoted to learning. That's equivalent to another 24 minutes
in a week! Online learning allows employees to learn on a
personal schedule that works best for them. It also ends in
much shorter time than face-to-face learning.
3. Increase employee knowledge
Online learning allows people to absorb more information,
allowing them to learn at their own style and pace. If you
www.theknowledgereview.com | 21

24. need more time on a particular topic, you can do it slowly
and as many times over as needed. As you can imagine,
these aspects of online learning help maintain knowledge.
WR Hambrecht + Co found that online learning increases
the retention rate of learning materials up to 2560%!
Learners actually apply what they have learned.
4. Income increase
American Society for Training and Development (2011)
conducted a questionnaire survey of 2,500 companies and
found that 218 of companies have a comprehensive
education program, which is higher than 24%. More
research confirms that learners actually apply what they
have learned. Of the 204 employees surveyed, 87% said
they put their newly acquired skills and knowledge into
practice at work. This leads to tangible benefits such as
increased sales, process improvements, and customer
satisfaction.
5. Ease of Content Updates
In today's world, information and knowledge are changing
rapidly. In the case of printing, the only way to respond to
these changes is to reprint the document. Then it costs
quite a bit (not to mention the poor tree). Updating your
online courses not only allows you to respond to these
changes without breaking your bank, but also simplifies
the process. The best part is that changes to online content
will be immediately available to all learners.
Five Disadvantages of Online Learning :
1. Need self-discipline and time management skills
41% of 204 employees found their motivation impaired to
participate in online learning. Why? I agree that self-
discipline and time management are always important in
connection with learning, but online learning requires less
instructor guidance than traditional learning. In general,
online learning also removes scheduled meeting times and
deadlines. As a result, employees must sit in the driver's
seat in connection with ongoing education. Face-to-face
interactions are essential to bring data to life.
2. Reduced social interactions
Imagine a traditional classroom with lively group
discussions and students raising their hands to ask
instructors. Of course, these moments don't happen
naturally in online learning. For some individuals, these
face-to-face interactions are essential to bring the material
to life. Nevertheless, it can bring a lot of social interaction
to online learning through competition, scheduled Q&A
sessions with teachers, and discussion channels.
3. Not suitable for all topics
What do you want to learn through online learning in
government guidelines on how to fly and treat chemicals?
Our choice and we imagine your choice, the latter. It is safe
to say that you do not want to be a passenger on a plane
with a pilot who has never boarded a plane in a flight
simulator. Complex subjects that require a physical
environment, surgical techniques and practices are
recommended for direct visits. But in an environment with
high turnover, more repetitive items are naturally benefitted
by online learning.
4. Lack of practice-based learning
E-learning is no substitute for knowledge gained from
practical experience. Online learning is often theory-based
and lacks practice-based learning. It means theoretical
knowledge and facts, theory, reasoning, but is based on
practical knowledge and practical efforts and tasks. For
example, online learning is a great tool to learn aspects of
football theory, such as the history and rules of the game.
However, it cannot be used to provide practical knowledge,
such as how to actually play a game. These skills must be
acquired on site. Therefore, it is important to keep in mind
that online learning cannot exchange the knowledge gained
through hands-on experience.
5. Reliance on technology
The employment of the younger generation and the
widespread adoption of technology have made eLearning
more popular. However, not everyone incorporates
technology into their daily work. A 2016 survey found that
26% of adults had no computer knowledge. Therefore, it is
important to assess whether employees are computer savvy
and whether they have appropriate settings for online
learning. Do your employees have convenient access to
electronic devices or the Internet? If the course has video or
audio, will the speakers work? If accessing online learning
becomes a burden, sync can crash.
22 | September 2021

26. Education Personalized
Techniques
History and
studying is hardly remembered, which is making studies
nothing but a burden.
The Ancient Fact
Earlier, learning and the ability to implement were more
important than scoring and competing with others. One of
the oldest Indian education systems – the Vedic education
had four main books composed (not written). Just for
information, these four books are older than their written
scripts because earlier students used to recite every piece of
information, and nothing was in the written format.
The first one was ‘Rig Veda’ which was full of information
and so it was hard to remember, due to which as a solution
the second book was composed and named as ‘Sam Veda.’
ike every regular day of online classes, students
Lwere staring at their phone’s screen with their
minds somewhere else and eyes constantly visiting
the clock as the teacher explained some new concept that
was too boring for them to pay mind to and was bouncing
off their heads. Some of the students were worried about the
upcoming exams and the pressure of scoring the passing
marks as they could not understand any topic, and some
were waiting to exit their zoom class so that they could go
and play.
Due to the lack of communication in this new education
system, the enthusiasm for learning is decaying. Education
has become nothing but a competition of passing and
scoring better than others. The very core reason for
Gamifying
Education
of
24 | September 2021

27. www.theknowledgereview.com | 25

28. It consisted of a musical flow full of rhyming hymns. The
intention of composing it was to help students learn and
understand better by making the education interesting. This
is one of the oldest solution examples of gamification for
making education interesting.
Gamification of education is a method of making education
interesting, entertaining, and easy to understand. It replaces
the boring teaching method of the teacher with the
enjoyable methods of playing games, which fascinates the
students to study and delight in their classes.
The History
If we search more about the exciting history of
gamification, we will come across the Russian educator and
scientist called Dmitri Mendeleev, who is also well known
for the credit of being the first scientist to publish the
Periodic Table of Elements.
But many people don’t know that he was also one of the
first scientists who used the gamification method to carry
out his educational work. Yes, he was a very good card
player. He used the same talent of cards game to list his
elements with some information about it on these cards and
organize them on their table accordingly.
With this method, he was able to grasp information, connect
the elements, categorize them, and work faster on
developing the Periodic Table. After he published his
Periodic Table, other scientists happened to fill in the gaps,
which expanded and updated the table.
The scientist with such great achievements was an average
student in his school days, but gamification helped him out,
and he was able to perform on the next level that made him
a historical figure in scientific history. The addition of
gamification aims to help students in studying and increase
their interest and motivation in the process. With such an
example, we can easily boil down to the conclusion that
gamification is highly beneficial for learning progress.
Strides of Gamifying
Assess your students and try to identify their trouble points
according to which you can design the best gamification
strategy. For example, if your students are not able to
understand a math problem, you can explain it again by
using video, or game activity, or a story like an explanation.
Do experiments and survey students’ performance to
determine which strategy has maximum effects of engaging
students and resulting in their better retention. The best
experiment example can be role-playing games (RPGs),
where the students assume themselves as their favourite
characters and complete the task accordingly. After
finishing, they win a reward.
Set small learning goals for them and add behavioural goals
in it as well. Plan your approach in a way that students
engage with studies and also tune out with their classmates,
for example – by planning the group activities to do science
projects.
Enhance your scoring method, don’t create an environment
of winner and loser, it may encourage and fire up some, but
it can discourage many. By announcing the failures of some
students in front of others, you might end up bursting their
confidence. Instead, try giving prizes to every individual
based on their improvement in performance.
Explain to your students what you are trying to do, about
your plans, goals, why it is important and how they are
supposed to follow the new plan. Take their feedback about
is the new way of learning helping them, or do they have
any suggestions, try to become a teacher with whom your
students can open up.
Inherent Gains from the Implementation
Such change in the academic environment will naturally
save students from depression drifting away from
education. Gamification helps students to improve focus
and engagement in their academics and have better
retention. They develop skills like expressing questions and
answers more accurately.
Also, they enjoy their subjects comfortably without the
stress of failure. They learn to accept their failures as a part
of the learning process and build stronger confidence. Also,
they learn not to judge their mate’s performance and instead
try to help them in their studies. They cheerfully complete
their homework. Such change in the academic environment
will naturally save students from depression drifting away
from education.
- Nidhi Arya
26 | September 2021