Chattanooga Christian School
Chattanooga Christian School is a private, college preparatory Christian school in Chattanooga, Tennessee. With an average enrollment over 1000 students, it is the largest private school in Hamilton County, Tennessee.[3]
Chattanooga Christian School | |
---|---|
Address | |
3354 Charger Drive , 37409 United States | |
Coordinates | 35.014°N 85.322°W |
Information | |
School type | Private, coeducational, college preparatory |
Denomination | Nondenominational |
Established | 1970 |
CEEB code | 431231 |
President | Chad Dirkse |
Faculty | 157[1] |
Grades | Pre-K-12 |
Enrollment | 1154 (as of 2012-13) |
Average class size | 115 |
Student to teacher ratio | 18[1] |
Campus | 40 acres (160,000 m2), urban[1] |
School colour(s) | Navy Blue and gold |
Athletics | TSSAA AA[2] |
Athletics conference | Appalachian Athletic Conference |
Mascot | Chargers |
Accreditation | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools |
Endowment | $10 million[1] |
Affiliations | Christian Schools International |
Website | Chattanooga Christian School |
History
Organized on February 4, 1970 by a group of parents as Lookout Mountain Christian School Association, the school was incorporated as a Georgia non-profit Corporation on June 30, 1972. In 1978, as the school grew and expanded to encompass more grade levels, a decision was made to move the school from Lookout Mountain to Chattanooga at its present location and change the name to Chattanooga Christian School, Inc. The move to the present campus was made in 1982. The school grew dramatically over the next thirty years. Chattanooga Christian School, is a Christian, interdenominational, co-educational, day school. It is a parent-directed school, working through an elected administrative Board of Directors, and accepts students in kindergarten through twelfth grades. Chattanooga Christian School is a member of Christian Schools International and is accredited by The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Today the K-12 campus on Charger Drive encompasses over 40 acres of land, multiple buildings, and over 1,100 students. It is the largest private school in Hamilton County, Tennessee. The purpose of Chattanooga Christian School is to provide a quality educational program from a Biblical perspective, for children of Christian families, designed to prepare students to influence culture and society for Christ.
Campus
In 1982, the school moved to its present location, the site formerly of Ed Wright Chevrolet on South Broad Street.[4] The initial 10-acre (40,000 m2) site was expanded by additional purchases over the years to encompass 40 acres (160,000 m2) and 6 buildings. The section of Broad Street in front of the school was renamed Charger Drive in early 2003.[5]
List of buildings and fields
- Lower School Building
- Second and Third Grade Building (6 classrooms, 3 for each grade, made to make room for the changes in the Lower School layout)
- Middle School Building
- High School Building
- Auditorium and Gallery (connected to the High School building)
- Elementary School Gymnasium (connected to the Elementary School, called the "Salter Gym")
- Middle School Gymnasium (called the "Varsity Gym")
- High School Gymnasium (called the "Plastic Gym", connected to the High School building, and is used as a cafeteria for High Schoolers)
- Cafeteria (used only by Lower and Middle School students)
- Industrial Arts Building (where industrial arts, or "shop" is held, includes an Auto CAD lab)
- One Baseball Field
- One Softball Field
- Two Soccer Fields (One of which was formerly the football field, and is encircled by a track, and has a small extra field used for Physical Education and Middle School football practice.)
- One Football Field (formerly a soccer field)
- One Multi-Purpose Field (used for Middle School football practice, as well as for the annual Field Day for the Lower School)
Extracurricular activities
Athletics
Chattanooga Christian School fields teams in interscholastic competition in baseball, basketball, cheering, cross country, football,[6] golf, soccer, softball, strength & conditioning, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling.
The athletic programs are growing steadily every year. A new multi-sport athletic facility was fully completed for the 2015-2016 school year called "The Powerhouse"
Theater department
Chattanooga Christian High School has a large and well-organized theater department. They put on a christian family-friendly musical every fall and spring semester, the fall being the middle school musical and spring being high school. In the past they have done The Music Man, Bye Bye Birdie, Mary Poppins, The King and I, Beauty and the Beast and among other Broadway shows but most recently Meet Me In St. Louis (nominated for seven Spotlight Awards in Nashville, TN, including Best Musical). Also, the middle school has done many musicals, including Annie Jr., Seussical Jr., Once Upon a Mattress, The Lion King Jr. and most recently Peter Pan Jr. The school also offers intensive theater summer programs one being a Regular Musical Theater Camp for younger children and the other being an Advanced Musical Theater Camp for older middle and high school students this program is not only limited to Chattanooga Christian students. Most recently the camps produced Lion King Kids and Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr. The high school theater classes have started to produce spring plays most recently being, Peter and the Starcatcher. These shows are often directed and choreographed by Mary Catherine Schimpf, under the music direction of Kara Funke, with the help of Jamison Shimmel and Heath Austin.
Notable alumni
- Andrew Dorn, distance runner
- Ashley Harkleroad, tennis player
- Patrick Hall, distance runner
References
- "Chattanooga Christian School - School Overview". Peterson's. 2008-03-04.
- "Member Schools: Chattanooga Christian School". Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association. Archived from the original on 2011-07-28.
- Cooke, Christina and Dave Flessner (2006-12-18). "Private school growth faith-based". Chattanooga Times Free Press.
- "Chattanooga Christian School Celebrates 25 Years At Current Location". The Chattanoogan. 2007-05-10. Archived from the original on 2011-08-07. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
- "Street Name At CCS Will Be Charger Drive". The Chattanoogan. 2003-02-04. Archived from the original on 2003-02-18. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
- "Chattanooga Christian School To Begin Football Program". The Chattanoogan. 2006-04-15. Archived from the original on 2006-04-18. Retrieved 2008-10-26.