Newest Board Members

Dr. Richard Jamara, Associate Professor of Optometry, The New England College of Optometry, Boston, MA

SSCA is delighted to welcome Dr. Richard Jamara to the community as its newest board member.

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phil 4:13. This verse hangs in Dr. Jamara’s office where he can be open about his faith, but is definitely set apart because of it.

“If you go through life at the workplace and no one knows you’re a Christian then that would be unfortunate. However, you can live your faith in the workplace.” This is Dr. Jamara’s desire for his family as well. That is one of the reasons why he and his wife, Barbara, chose SSCA for their sons. When selecting a school for their sons, the Jamara’s chose SSCA because the teachers encouraged and modeled principles they taught at home. The Jamara’s know that the world can be spiritually challenging in many ways and they wanted their sons to continue growing in their faith. In addition to the spiritual life at SSCA, the Jamara’s were also pleased with the academics. All three of their sons testify to being well prepared for college.

Dr. Jamara accepted the invitation to join SSCA’s Board because, as a parent of alumni, he is eager to give back to SSCA and hopes to be a part of influencing other families who are deciding which school their children should attend. As a Board Member for the SSCA community, Dr. Jamara is specifically focusing on student development in order to support the teachers who support the students’ spiritual and academic growth.

Dr. Jamara grew up in Worcester and received his education at UMASS Amherst, the Eye Institute in Detroit, MI, and the New England College of Optometry, Boston MA. Dr. Jamara practiced optometry for fifteen years specializing in low vision rehabilitation. In 1995 he became Associate Professor of Optometry at the New England College of Optometry, one of 19 optometry schools in the country.

The New England College of Optometry has been the educational and intellectual center of optometry in New England since 1894. The College serves as a leader in optometric instruction and research and continues to spread its influence throughout the world.

With an enrollment of over 400 students, the student body is the most diverse of any college of optometry in the world. (www.neco.edu)

High school students interested in optometry can best prepare by taking biology and the sciences. AP Biology at SSCA is an excellent foundation for pre-med and optometric studies. There are 1200 optometrists in MA. Sixty-five percent are women. In order to prepare for the field, students need to attend four years of college, and four years of optometry school where they become licensed doctors of optometry. There is an option to do a fifth year of residency.

An optometrist performs eye exams, evaluations and therapeutic treatments, compared to an ophthalmologist who performs eye surgery and must complete medical school and a three year residency.

Dr. Jamara and his wife attend The First Baptist Church in Weymouth. Dr. Jamara is a member of many committees and organizations including the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind and the Massachusetts Society of Optometry. SSCA is grateful for the wisdom and leadership that Dr. Jamara will bring to the community.

Welcome to SSCA!

Dr. Walter Kim, Minister of Adult Education, Park Street Church, Boston, MA

Piercing gray skies, the white steeple of Park Street church stands at the Tremont Street corner of the Boston Commons. Devoted to evangelical scholarship and international missions, Park Street Church continues to minister to Boston and the entire world. The mind is invaluable and the Christian mind is one of the mission fields that Park Street does not want to ignore. That is why it values thinking about faith and the life and mind of being a Christian.

Countless students populate the Boston area and hundreds of them attend the Park Street Church. Education is vital and "having a distinctly Christian worldview is not natural", states Dr. Walter Kim, minister of Adult Education at Park Street Church. "There seems to be a disconnect between what is learned on Sundays and what occupies the way of thinking the rest of the week." As a member of Park Street's staff, Dr. Kim along with other staff members serves to bridge this gap.

For three years after graduating from Northwestern University, Walter Kim served with Campus Crusade for Christ and ministered to the students at Yale University. Because the Christian mind is as valuable as the Christian body and soul, Mr. Kim went on to study God's word in greater depth at Regent in Vancouver, Canada, where he pursued a Master's of Divinity degree and pastored a church.

Nearing the end of his degree program, Dr. Kim applied to Ph.D. programs with the intention to teach in secular universities. He deeply understood the need for Christian influence in higher education. His invitation to Harvard's Ph.D program of Near Eastern Languages brought Dr. Kim and his wife to Boston about ten years ago.

This past November, Dr. Kim agreed to join South Shore Christian Academy as a member of the board. "Christian schools are a place where the shaping of the mind and a Christian worldview takes place. This is a vital part of the kingdom of God," explains Kim.

As a board member, Dr. Kim is committed to prayer for South Shore Christian Academy. He serves to provide counsel that is faithful to God and the vision of the school. He desires to help SSCA flourish so that the students will flourish and thrive.

Dr. Kim and his wife have been married for thirteen years. They have two children, Nathan, age 5 and Naomi, age 3. In addition to ministering in adult education, the Kim's are also committed to the people with disabilities at Park Street, "the entire body of Christ benefits from what people with disabilities teach us of what it means to be human and redeemed."

The community at South Shore Christian Academy is blessed and privileged to have Walter Kim join its board. We are humbled by this recent addition. Welcome!