Repairing the Ruins 2026, Atlanta
It’s July 1, but I’m thinking back to May, when everyone always asks me, “Are you ready for some downtime this summer?” I always smile, nod politely, and say, “Yes,” but privately I’m thinking, “NO!”
For one, what’s a school without any students in it?
And two, summer is actually one of our busiest seasons! We’re purchasing supplies, organizing curriculum, training teachers, moving classrooms, attending conferences, planning, preparing, and praying for the fall—and it always comes right down to the line. By the time students return, much of the legwork that makes a school year successful has already been done.
The ACS team just returned from the Repairing the Ruins Conference in Atlanta, hosted by the Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS). We are a member of the ACCS and intend to pursue accreditation with them in the future.
Here are my 3 takeaways from the conference:
I’m proud of the ACS team. We have a solid, professional, unified faculty and staff.
This conference brings classical Christian educators from around the world together in one place, and I would put our faculty up there with the best of them. Not only do we have unity in the Lord, but we also returned with stronger relationships and a deeper level of trust than we had before the conference. We have a strong team, and I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else.
I’m more convinced now than ever that Classical Christian education is an antidote to much of what ails American culture.
Culture is everything. Healthy culture produces healthy families, churches, schools, businesses, and nations. An education that pursues the truth, goodness, and beauty of God forms people of wisdom and virtue, and those people, in turn, create healthy culture. We need to think beyond our own generation. It’s Christ or chaos.
ACS is clearly not running in the same direction as the rest of the world—and this is a good thing.
We spent a fair amount of time talking about technology and AI in schools. The pros and cons. One of the most common critiques classical schools receive is, “Aren’t you afraid your students will be left behind in the age of technology?” To which we reply, the fear of being left behind is only relevant if we’re going to the same place. At ACS, our students are not conduits for future economic productivity. Our students are image-bearers of the living God who require spiritual and intellectual formation before putting their hands to the plow.
I’m glad to be back. As I write this, there are 42 days, 21 hours, and 30 minutes until school starts. I can’t wait!
Toward a life lived in Christ,
Chris Breiland, Head of School