A brand new home for a new school year

It has taken a near miracle, but Harvest Christian School will open on schedule (or very close to it) this fall.

That didn’t seem possible when school officials discovered last spring that the lease on the property on Webster Street would not be extended by property owner First Baptist Church.

Prospects for a September opener looked even bleaker when a promising deal for a new school site on Cader Lane fell through.

“We were knocked down, but not out,” says school executive director Colton Irving. “I have a vision for this school and I have never lost sight of that vision.”

However, that vision blurred a little when the Cader Lane project disappeared. It was about that time that Irving began to inquire about space for lease in the LabCon building on Lakeville Highway at the South McDowell Extension.

He met with building owner Jim Derryberry and two days later, the school had a signed lease. “He was great,” Irving says. “He worked with us and wrote the lease out himself.”

The lease was for an open 12,000-square-foot space on the second floor of the LabCon building, with an additional 3,000-square-foot out room. It took someone with Irving’s vision to see a school in the open building.

But with less than a month to go before the scheduled start of classes, a school is taking shape. Steel framework is in place, outlining classes large enough to house 40 students each, while the school holds class size to 25.

Professional builders John Olson and Jim Picchi have donated both their skills and the skills of their crews to move things along and everyone has pitched in to help.

“We usually have a crew working from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., and then another crew comes in and works almost to midnight,” Irving says.

Even with labor and a lot of the materials donated, a new school takes money and school supporters have been working to raise the needed capital.

“Our goal for phase one is $150,000,” Irving says. “Our overall goal is $350,000. So far we’ve raised $100,000 in three weeks.”

At a time when it seems building, particularly to the rigid codes for schools, is difficult to impossible, Irving said construction of the new Harvest Christian School has been relatively problem free, largely because of the cooperation of city and fire officials.

“I can’t say enough about how great Kim Jordan and others in the planning and building departments at the city have been,” says Irving. “The fire department has also worked with us and let us know what the requirements are.”

Irving says having classrooms on the second floor is no problem. “The eighth-graders think it is cool to have an elevator in their school,” he says.

While students can enter the school by using the main entrance to the building and riding the elevator, the plans call for the main schoolroom entrance to be via a stairway being constructed on the northern side of the building.

There will be no playground when students begin classes in September, but there is a long linear “back yard” on the north side of the building that is already being cleared for a playground that will eventually include climbing toys, slides, swings and more for the young children and a basketball court and turf area for the older students.

Looking through the ribs of what will be his office, Irving says confidently, “We are going to be ready. We’ll start classes Sept. 8 and, if not, on Sept. 15 for sure.”

Christian Harvest School is a private Christian faith-based school that is not affiliated with any church or denomination.

“We have a great mix of kids and families,” says Irving. “We have Baptists, Presbyterians, Catholics. We have families from 27 different churches.”

Harvest Christian School began in August 2005 with 27 students from 15 families in grades kindergarten through fifth. Three teachers taught multi-grade classes with the support of two administration staff members.

Irving and principal Jon Wraith will welcome to their new home in September 143 students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade, nine teachers and four administrative staff members.

(Contact John Jackson at acsports@arguscourier.com)