History
Hero
Orangewood is a unique, Christ-first community with more than 1,700 alumni spread across the world and leading today in their workplaces and homes.
Serving as a ministry of Orangewood Church, Orangewood Christian School launched in 1980 serving 18 students in grades 1st through 6th, and led by two teachers. Two years later, the school grew to 60 students, Kindergarten through 7th grade. In May 1988, Orangewood graduated its first senior class. In 2006, Orangewood opened a second campus which allowed it to expand its classrooms, athletics and fine arts facilities, and the number of students it can serve. Today, Orangewood Christian serves 970 students led by more than 143 administration, faculty, and staff.
Mascot: Ram
Drawing from Genesis 22:13, Isaac seemed doomed to die as a sacrifice to God, and while Abraham expected God to raise Isaac back to life, God instead provided a ram in Isaac’s place. In this way, Abraham received Isaac back from the dead, as Abraham had already determined to give him up.
Isaac was, in a sense, saved from death and raised into a new life, while God sent something else to die in his place. This foreshadowed the death of Jesus, the lamb of God, dying in the place of each human in payment of their sins.
Orangewood’s mascot and OCS colors serve as reminders of Jesus’ death for our sins and the promise of eternal life for all who believe in Him.
Working with church and school leaders, Orangewood’s first freshman class was tasked with selecting the school’s colors and mascot. The students believed that these critical elements of school life should reflect the Gospel and align with Orangewood’s mission of equipping students to transform the world for Christ. After several weeks, the students presented their recommendations, all of which remain to this day.
Red signifies the blood of Christ poured out as a sacrifice for our sins.
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that you were redeemed, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish or spot.
- 1 Peter 1:18-19
Gold signifies the streets of heaven in the New Jerusalem as pure gold.
And the street of the city was of pure gold.
- Revelation 21:21