Expectations for TKA Residential Students
The King’s Academy maintains high expectations for the daily lives of residential students. Living within a residence hall with numerous other students is different from what some may have experienced while living at home. Some seem to find a great deal of comfort and satisfaction in the rules and are able to live their lives freely in Christ at TKA similar to the way they lived at home. Residential students’ personal lifestyles can be reflected through the environment that they choose to create for themselves. The ways individuals maintain their rooms, develop relationships with their roommates, dress, and schedule their daily activities give evidence of their personal values.
Resident Life Organization
The Dean of Students provides administrative leadership to the area of resident life. Directors and assistants administer two living centers. Student resident assistant positions are intended to provide opportunities for the development of leadership skills for a few select resident students.
Activities
Each student is expected to develop skills in the wise use of leisure time. A variety of activities are planned year-round to facilitate the development of these skills.
Weekends are busy times for residential students. Local communities offer a variety of shopping malls, movie theaters, festivals and plays. Students can also enjoy the natural beauty of the Smoky Mountains. Off-campus activities offered include white water rafting, horseback rides, hay rides, cookouts, bowling, ice skating, hiking, and attending various sporting events. Students may socialize at designated times in the student center and the lobby of the girls’ living center. Girls are not allowed in the boys’ living center, including the lobby.
Students whose grades are sub-standard, students who are on supervision status, and students who are on restriction may be excluded from or required to participate in selected student activities.
Many activities are centered on the athletic department’s sports schedule. Attendance at all home football games as well as games in the nearby area may be required of residential students. Attendance at all Friday night basketball home games may also be required. Weekday home games may be optional. All home sports events are offered to TKA students for free admission.
Spiritual Development
Residential students are encouraged to have a time of personal devotions. Some students may wish to become involved in group Bible studies led by peers. The group will determine the times for these Bible studies. Staff-led devotions or Bible studies are sometimes held in lieu of or in addition to off-campus services.
Each residential student is required to attend Sunday morning services and Sunday School classes, if available. Sunday evening worship services may be attended at a local church or held on campus. Attendance at mid-week prayer services is optional.
Roommates
The living center staff considers the age, background, interests and mutual roommate requests in determining roommate assignments.
The close friendship that a person develops with a roommate can last a lifetime. One of the greatest influences on a residential student’s attitude is the quality of the relationship with his or her roommate. At the beginning of the school year when a residential student is making adjustments to a new school, a new community, a new church, new friends, a new daily schedule, and a new roommate, the changes may seem overwhelming. The stresses of adjustment are often the root cause of roommate incompatibility. Often, over time and through open communication a resolution can be reached and harmony in the relationship established.
Request for a roommate change will be considered after a three-week trial period. All room change requests are made to the residence hall director.
A student’s outward appearance makes a statement about him/herself. Students should keep their appearance neat, attractive, and modest. Guidelines have been established for residential students in different social settings. At no time can students wear clothing that advertises or promotes any product, person, or image considered offensive by academy standards.
In dressing for church on Sunday morning, girls should wear pants suits, dresses or skirts with blouses or sweaters. Boys should wear a collared shirt with dress pants and dress shoes. Shirts and blouses should be tucked. No jeans, T-shirts, or sweatshirts should be worn on Sunday morning.
For Sunday evening church, nice (not torn or ragged) jeans may be worn. Nice athletic shoes are acceptable. Boys should wear shirts with collars, sweaters or dressy sweatshirts. T-shirts should not be worn on Sunday evening.
In afternoons and evenings, appropriate casual attire is allowed in dorm lobbies and elsewhere on campus. For girls, shorts should not be shorter than mid-thigh length. Halter-tops or bare midriffs are not permitted. Tank tops with spaghetti straps may only be worn with a shirt, sweater, or jacket as a cover-up. Bathing suits should be one piece or modest two piece (no string bikinis or French-cut bathing suits). Cover-ups must be worn to and from the pool.
For boys, shirts must be worn. Immodestly tight, torn or ragged clothing is not appropriate. Swimming shorts and casual shorts must be modest (e.g., “Spandex” shorts may be worn only underneath other clothing). Boys may not wear earrings at any time. Boys may not dye hair.
Students may not cut or dye either their own or another student’s hair. Girls may not have their hair dyed professionally while in residence at the academy without written permission from parents.
Students may not get tattoos while enrolled at the academy.
Residential students should consult the dress code for proper attire that can be worn at school. Students generally should not wear hats or caps in an indoors public area.
The academy staff has the authority to interpret and administer these guidelines.
Residential Hall Rooms
Rooms are predominately double occupancy, with some single occupancy rooms available for an additional charge.
Students will need to bring:
- linens (2 sheet sets for a single twin bed, 2 pillow cases, and 6 towels and washcloths are recommended)
- a pillow
- bedspread
- extra blanket
- trash can
- laundry bag and detergent (Laundry facilities are provided in each dorm.)
- personal toiletry items
Curtains are optional as each room is provided with shades or blinds. Rugs may be brought to help make the room more personable. No pets are allowed. Nothing is to be posted on doors. Students are expected to maintain their rooms in a clean and orderly fashion.
Students are cautioned not to bring too many personal items because space is limited.
No furnishings may be disassembled or removed without permission from resident life staff and maintenance staff.
Curtain Sizes:
- Atchley Dorm (girls) – double window – 80″W and 63″L
- Stewart Dorm (boys) – single window – 51″W and 67″L
Study Time
All students will be expected to commit at least 1 1/2 hours daily to study time. A structured setting will be provided for resident students. Students who have demonstrated superior academic achievement may have a less structured study environment.
All students should be on time and bring adequate schoolwork to study time. Phone calls are not to be made or received during study time.
Food Service
The Ashe Cafeteria serves three meals per day, seven days per week for residential students at The King’s Academy. The one exception to this is on Saturday when a brunch is served late in the morning in the place of breakfast and lunch. The serving line remains open for thirty minutes. When leaving the cafeteria each student is to carry his or her tray to the dishwasher window. All paper products should be removed from the tray and placed in the trash cans. Food items, utensils, cafeteria supplies and equipment are not to be taken from the cafeteria. Students are expected to be properly dressed and shoes and a shirt must be worn to each meal. Tank tops, hats or caps are not to be worn in the cafeteria. Sunday lunches, and special meals as announced, require appropriate Sunday dress.
Students may lose cafeteria privileges for failure to comply with staff requests regarding proper attire or because of improper behavior in the cafeteria.
In addition to regular meal service seven days each week, the cafeteria offers special occasion meals as well.
