35 Years of Faith & Family: The Jackie Lacy Story

For Jackie Lacy, Jesse Remington High School has been much more than a school. It has been a place where her family found community, where her children were shaped in their faith, and where she has had the privilege of serving in several different roles over the years.

Today, Jackie serves as JRHS’s Finance Manager. But her connection to the school began more than two decades ago, when her family first heard about JRHS through dear friends, the Shillabers.

At the time, the Lacy family was relatively new to Christian education. They were increasingly seeing the value of providing their children with an educational environment that aligned with the Christian values they were seeking to instill at home. JRHS quickly became that place for their family.

A Lasting Impact

Looking back on her children's years at JRHS, Jackie is especially grateful for the relationships they developed—relationships that have continued long after graduation. Her children remain connected with former classmates, their families, faculty, and staff. Those friendships have become a lasting part of their lives and a meaningful reminder of the community they experienced at JRHS.

Jackie is also grateful for the opportunities her children had to serve through mission trips in the United States and overseas. Those experiences helped cultivate a heart for serving others and gave them opportunities to put their faith into action.

Just as importantly, Jackie saw her children develop a strong work ethic and learn to weave their relationship with the Lord into their everyday lives.

A Journey of Service

Over the years, Jackie has served the school as a parent, a Board member, and now as a member of the administrative staff. Through each season, one conviction has remained constant: JRHS is a ministry she believes in.

Jackie understands that the teenage years can be challenging. Students are navigating peer pressure and a constant stream of messages from the world around them—messages that can often conflict with what they are being taught through Scripture and at home.

She appreciates that students have the opportunity to grow within a Christian community, surrounded by people who care about them and intentionally invest in their lives. The beautiful JRHS campus is important, but it is the people who make the greatest difference: teachers, staff, families, and supporters who are willing to pour into the lives of young people.

Having experienced JRHS from so many different perspectives, Jackie has also developed a deep appreciation for what it takes to sustain a small Christian school. "It takes mission-aligned people with various gifts all working together," she says. "Where one person is weak, another is strong."

She has seen firsthand that JRHS could not fulfill its mission without the many people who believe in the school and faithfully support its work. That shared commitment is particularly evident in the generosity of the JRHS community.

Faith and Provision

Jackie has witnessed God's provision for JRHS in many different ways throughout her years of involvement. The school relies on the generosity of the Financial Partners. Tuition covers about half of the school's financial needs, making these Partners of the community essential for providing the education and rich experiences.

As a former Board member, Jackie remembers approving budgets and trusting God to provide financial support at levels greater than the school had experienced in previous years. And time after time, she watched God provide.

Now, as Finance Manager, Jackie has an even closer view of that provision. She sees the ways God moves in people's hearts and brings individuals and families alongside JRHS to help sustain its mission.

Her own journey to the Finance Manager role is another story of God's timing. For more than a decade, Jackie had prayed about the possibility of working at JRHS. After spending 31 years in the corporate world, she unexpectedly learned that her position was being moved offshore and that her job was ending. Not long afterward, the Finance Manager position became available, creating an opportunity for Jackie to enter a new season of life: semi-retirement combined with the chance to use her education and professional experience to serve a ministry she had loved for many years.

Looking Toward the Next 35 Years

As JRHS celebrates 35 years, Jackie hopes the school will continue passing on the values that have made such an impact on her family and countless others. Her hope is that future generations of students will become lifelong learners who love the Lord and recognize the gifts and talents God has given them.