Hundreds of Grand Rapids Christian Elementary School students equipped with small shovels broke ground last week for their new elementary school at 1501 Fisk SE in Ottawa Hills. Grand Rapids Christian Schools (GRCS) plans to close four existing elementary schools and consolidate the preschool through fourth grades in the $11.5 million, 74,000-square-foot facility.
The new school replaces the original Ottawa Hills High School building. School leaders expect enrollment of some 625 students. Fundraising efforts allowed the school to increase its tuition assistance program by $500,000 per year through 2020.
"If Grand Rapids Christian Schools is going to remain viable in the city of Grand Rapids, we needed to raise tuition assistance and that will result in ethnic and socioeconomic diversity because of the number of new families that will attend a core city school," says Superintendant Tom DeJonge. "Often, private parochial schools look to move outside the city, perhaps because they're following their constituency to the suburbs. This is our commitment to the city."
Plans for the 28 classrooms and two common areas include $150,000 in technology: integrated projectors, interactive white boards, audio enhancement via speakers in the ceilings and wireless Internet access. Plus there will be a computer lab attached to a central media center.
Designers incorporated several architectural elements salvaged from the original high school, including decorative facade tiles, decorative entryways, marble bathroom partitions, outdoor lampposts and a fish pond. A working fireplace, also from the kindergarten room, will become part of the new media center.
The $2 million purchase of the property includes the adjoining 4.5-acre Pontiac Park, which will be restored.
To-date GRCS has raised $13 million of the $14 million needed for the property purchase and completion of the school.
Source: Thomas DeJonge, Grand Rapids Christian Schools
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.