By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — While some students aren’t overly excited to say goodbye to summer vacation and hello to the academic year, that isn’t the case with scholars at Cornerstone Christian Academy (CCA).
THOUGH SIDING still needs to be put on the addition, at left, the new classrooms are ready to go as Cornerstone Christian Academy’s first day of school in its new facility is Thursday. Since its inception in the fall of 2006, CCA has leased space from the Family Christian Center on Route 1. This is the first time that the Academy has housed its own school. The Academy’s new home is located at 180 Houlton Road in Presque Isle.
When the first day of school arrives tomorrow — Thursday, Sept. 20 — students will be in their new school for the first time since the facility opened in the fall of 2006.
“I started attending Cornerstone when I was in the third grade,” said Macey Currier, 14, now a freshman. “I’m so excited about having our own school. It gives me the opportunity to tell people that as a Christian school we’ve grown, and it makes me proud to know we can have our own building. I’m really happy that we were able to do this.
CREWS FROM A&L CONSTRUCTION of Presque Isle spent much of the winter working on the new addition at Cornerstone Christian Academy, now located at 180 Houlton Road in the former Jehovah’s Witness building. The addition includes classrooms, bathroom facilities and storage space.
“With our own building, we’ll have more freedom to do things,” she said. “For example, we’ll be able to put up posters and signs, and we’ll be able to utilize all of the building, not just certain rooms. I’m really looking forward to going back.”
Located at 180 Houlton Road in Presque Isle, the academy occupies the former Jehovah’s Witness building. Since its inception, CCA has leased space from the Family Christian Center on Route 1. Back in December, crews began working on a new addition that includes classrooms, bathroom facilities and storage space.
“The existing square footage is about 4,200 feet,” said Troy Heald, chair of the fundraising and promotion committee, “and the new addition is roughly 6,800 square feet, so we have 11,000 square feet, which is great. We have plenty of room to work with.”
The academy features seven classrooms — one for pre-K, one for kindergarten, a combined first- and second-grade classroom, a third-grade room, as well as rooms for science, English and history.
“Fourth grade and up will be rotating — depending on the subject — in those three rooms,” Heald said, noting that students will also have music and physical education classes.
Officials said the academy will utilize the original structure for various activities.
“For example, we’ll use the chapel area as a ‘great room,’” said Andy Yaeger, chair of the board of directors for CCA. “It will be chapel for us, but there are also times when you need to have a wide open room for kids to do things and we’ll use it for those times, as well.”
Heald said the new building is proof that the academy isn’t a “flash in the pan.”
“The fact that we have come to this point — after six full years — and to do it so quickly is proof that the school is a good option and is here to stay,” he said. “The fact that we have our own facility now brings a real sense of comfort.
“With your own facility, you can do your own thing and you’re not impeding on anybody else,” said Heald. “It’s a real exciting time for us, and I’m excited about what the future’s going to bring, as well.”
EAGER TO START the 2012-13 academic year in the new Cornerstone Christian Academy facility are teachers and staff members, from left, front row: Bethany Pytlak, Learning Enrichment and Activity Program director; Marcy Heald, pre-K; Allison Bull, kindergarten; Beth Wipperman, grade 1 and 2; Laurie Blackstone, grade 3 and 4; and Sonya Tardie-Bubar, middle and high school math. Back row: Bonnee McLaughlin, secretary and music teacher; Nicole McLaughlin, middle/high school science; Cynthia Huston, middle/high school history; Cheryl Bonville, middle/high school Biblical studies; Erica Whitaker, middle/high school English/language arts; and Angela Wardwell, interim principal.
When CCA first opened there were 21 students enrolled. That number has grown to 46 students, and Heald said the facility can accommodate up to 90 children.
“I think enrollment continues to increase based on how the school continues to perform. People have seen how the school has had good results with the students … students are excelling. Also when you have a new school, there’s a question of, ‘Is this going to work? Is this going to be long-term or is this something that people want to try and it’s not going to fly?’” said Heald. “Here we are entering our seventh year and we have our own school facility and I think that has shown people that this is a viable option.
“It’s all about having school choice,” he said. “Private education is not going to work for everybody and we know that. We’re not trying to compete with SAD 1 or any other school; we are just trying to provide a viable option for people. Some people like this environment for their students, some want a smaller teacher-to-student ratio, others want the faith-based curriculum, but having that positive, viable option for people is key.”
Cornerstone is a non-denominational, independent Christian school.
“While we were at the Family Christian Center, people still thought we were part of the church program,” said Heald, “and that was a hurdle for some people. I suspect that once people see that we’re free-standing, our attendance will experience some growth.”
A private investor — who wishes to remain anonymous — bought the building for the school.
“We didn’t have the assets to put collateral up for a loan, so a private investor whose passionate about seeing this school option succeed, said, ‘Let me purchase the building and land, and we’ll get it started,’” said Heald. “The school then began raising money for the building project and the investor continued to help with the building process, as well.
“When it’s all said and done, the building will be owned by this investor solely for the school’s use and we’ll continue to pay a monthly lease,” he said, “and when the school is capable, we’ll work toward the goal of purchasing the building back.”
The Houlton Road site provides a great location for the academy.
“The availability was there and we knew we could be in that site without major issues like zoning,” said Heald. “It’s on 12 acres, so that was attractive. As the school grows, the goal is to get into extra-curricular activities such as athletics, so there’s plenty of room there for growth. Also the visibility was a plus. It might be a little bit more out of town than what some people had hoped, but I think the positives outweigh the negatives.”
The Vineyard Christian School in Lewiston donated much of the contents of the new building.
“Jay Levesque, who was the head of the Vineyard Christian School and is a County native, offered to come up on different occasions and share with us his knowledge which he did several times,” said Heald. “As we were going along our process, their school decided to close and they donated their entire curriculum, all of their desks, chairs, lockers, computer and science lab equipment, and other school equipment to Cornerstone.
“A lot of what we’ll be using … although used … is certainly going to be much newer than what we had available to us,” he said. “It’s amazing stuff. It’s unfortunate that they had to close, but it was so nice that they were willing to donate the material to us. That was a huge blessing.”
LENDING A HELPING HAND — and arms — during Monday’s move at Cornerstone Christian Academy is parent volunteer Dale Shannon.
While there’s still some cosmetic work to be done on the outside of the building, Heald said everything will be ready to go this Thursday.
“On Thursday students will be coming in, the classrooms will be set up and the teachers will be ready to go,” he said. “It will be an exciting day.”
What brought Cornerstone to where it is today? It started with the desire and dedication of local families who wanted an alternative choice available to their children in the pre-school through eighth-grade environment.
This desire, along with good counsel and assistance from individuals at Greater Houlton Christian Academy, turned into Cornerstone Christian Academy in 2005. That first year, there were no students, no staff and no facilities, all of which are quite vital if you want to have a school. Over the next year, plans were developed, staff was lined up, and through the generosity of the church family at Family Christian Center on Route 1, facilities were made available and Cornerstone was moving forward still unsure how it would all unfold.
MOVING DAY — Helpers moved Cornerstone Christian Academy’s furnishings from its former location at the Family Christian Center on Route 1 to its new facility, 180 Houlton Road in Presque Isle, Monday. Assisting with the move are, from left: Gary Blackstone, whose wife teaches at the school; Jaye Ellis, board member and parent, and volunteer Matt Cox. The first day of school at Cornerstone’s new building is Thursday, Sept. 20.
The first year, 2006-07, started with 21 students. Teachers at that time were volunteer and aided the students through a video curriculum. The second year, the staff began to be paid (although still very much a ministry work), and the teaching began to be more structured classroom teaching and less video-based. The third year, our student population grew even more and we were at 29 students. But the real change was the shift to 100 percent traditional classroom learning with teachers using school curriculum and doing all the teaching of the students. This was a real positive change as it proved to those involved with Cornerstone — and those outside the school — that we were beginning to be established as a real viable choice for individuals in central Aroostook County.
Here we are today in year seven of Cornerstone, and we are ready to move into our own facility! After having leased space for the past six years, it will be so exciting to know we have our own location without depending on others. Our student population is the largest it has ever been at 46 students, and we are starting to offer high school classes for students in the ninth grade. Future plans include offering all of the high school grades within the next several years.
We have a staff made up of full- and part-time teachers who focus on individual areas of expertise, such as math, history and English/Language Arts. We have a strong pre-K and kindergarten program and even have a successful after-school care program called Learning Enrichment and Activity Program (LEAP!), which benefits those families who need care for their children after school hours.
We are supported without government funding through tuition, school sponsorships and annual giving, fundraisers, and many gifts. We are so blessed to be at this point in our history and truly thank any and all of the individuals who have played a role in Cornerstone. Thank you!
Troy Heald is the chair of the fundraising and promotion committee at Cornerstone Christian Academy.
