Christian school selects Lowell site for future building

Administrators at Providence Classical Christian Academy announced a Lowell location for their future campus Friday.

Concept documents show a semi-circle of buildings -- grade-level classrooms, a math and science building, gym, baseball and softball field, tennis courts and a track.

"The idea is to create a college-like setting," said Jason Ross, headmaster.

Currently the school is split between two campuses leased from churches in Rogers. Construction is unlikely to start soon, but having a home has been a longtime goal for the school, Ross said.

School administrators signed the deed Friday giving the school ownership of 66 acres off Spring Creek Road. The school purchased 61.4 acres for a little more than $1 million and the remaining 4.62 acres were donated by Glenn Jones and the Jones Family Trust. A fundraising effort to pay off the land and start buildings launched last summer.

Construction will come in phases.

Administrators plan to pay for the land and improvements to the grounds before building a 12-classroom building with a student union for grades 10-12, Ross said.

School administrators were issued a conditional use permit for the facilities on Oct. 19, said Kris Sullivan, Lowell planning director. All schools must request the permit, she said.

The land, at 1501 LaDell Ave. in Lowell, is bordered on the north by LaDell Avenue, on the east by Spring Creek Road and the south by Puppy Creek Road.

The future school grounds are near a northern bypass of Springdale planned by the Arkansas Highway Transportation Department. Residents have been active in the planning process and were supportive of the idea of a private school, Sullivan said.

"The school could be a good anchor for development," she said.

Providence is a regional school, said Tom Guthrie, chairman of the school's board. About 60 percent of the students come from Benton County and 40 percent come from Washington County.

"This new campus will allow our school to provide expanded academic and student opportunities for current and future Patriots for many generations to come," Guthrie said in an email sent Thursday.

The location will make for easy access for parents, Ross said. With the first campus building slated for only three grades the school may have three campuses before it has one.

Staggered start times give parents 10 minutes to drive between schools now. Upper grades meet at the Rogers First Church of the Nazarene, 4911 W. Pleasant Grove Road, and kindergarten through sixth grades meet at Emmanuel Baptist, 2555 S. 26th St. in Rogers. Both churches have been great partners, Ross and Guthrie said. Building a campus has been part of the board's vision since the school was launched, Guthrie said.

Sports facilities also will have a draw, said Austin Bivens, athletic director for Providence.

The school makes a good host, but some games are too large, he said. Three of the games on this year's schedule could have been played at home, but they ended up on the road because the school doesn't have large enough facilities to host the bigger teams.

"Having our own facilities will open up opportunities to play home games at home instead of on the road," he said.

A field for baseball and softball games is one of the early things that could be built on the property, he said. There are students on the baseball team who are being scouted by major league baseball teams, Bivens said. A field wouldn't have a high cost and would be a draw to the school, he said.

Growth is what moved the school toward purchasing land, Ross said. A consultant told administrators the time was right to consider building and a fundraising campaign kicked off last summer.

Attendance increased 73 percent between 2011 and 2014, Ross said. The money for construction will come through private donations and not through a tuition increase, Ross said.

Providence launched in 2004 with 39 students, Ross said. Current attendance is about 470.

It started in a small church, then moved to First Nazarene of Rogers in 2008 and added classes at Emmanuel Baptist in 2010.

Providence is unique in its approach to classes, using what school administrators call the university model. Students take classes at the school and are expected to study or complete projects independently.

Younger grades attend school two days a week and parent co-teachers tutor them on days they aren't in the school building. Teachers assume more of a coaching role for older students, Ross said.

The school's Christian aspect isn't limited to worship periods but is embedded in the curriculum, Ross said. The curriculum is based in classical instruction and Latin or Spanish is offered beginning in kindergarten.

A permanent building will attract more students, Guthrie said.

School officials will start with improvements to the land, Ross said. An entrance with trees and birdhouses to attract local wildlife is planned off Spring Creek Road. The school plans to ask the city to name the entrance road "Veterans" in honor of Jones who advocates locally for veterans, Ross said.

It may be 15 or 20 years before the project is finished, Ross said. Donations toward the building and student growth make it difficult to predict when the campus will be complete.

"You just want a home of your own," he said.

NW News on 01/09/2016