New Christian school to open
By Diana Royal Staff Writer

Thanks to the dedication of teachers and parents and to the kindness of one local citizen, a new Christian school will open its doors for the 2007-2008 school year.

The idea for the school was born back in January when Burkehaven Christian School announced that it would be closing. A group of parents were quick to say they'd take the reins, and now their hopes are becoming reality.

Joe Woods, who serves as the school board president, announced this week that the board was working on closing a deal for the old Kimberly Clark office building located off the bypass on Woodland Road. A local citizen, who wished to remain anonymous, purchased the prop- erty and offered to lease the 7,500-square foot building and 5.7 acres to the school. "This is all God's work," he said, adding that the building was in excellent condition and that the biggest concerns were getting it inspected by the fire marshal and making sure it meets all regulations.

According to Woods, the new school will be called Faith Christian Academy, a name chosen by a majority of parents whose children will attend the school. "The decision to use the word faith was based upon the fact that we trusted God to provide us with a school, a staff and finances out of nothing but faith," Woods said, "and He continues to do just that. The fact that we were only informed of the need for a new Christian school in mid-January makes this feat nothing short of miraculous. We believe that God wants to use us to show our community that He is alive, well and still in charge in this present day."

The school will continue to offer instruction for grades K-4 through eighth, and by the 2008-2009 school year, they hope to begin adding high school classes.

Woods said registration should begin within the next few weeks, and application packets for the principal position as well as teacher positions will be available at that time. Many Burkehaven teachers have agreed to come on board with the new school, and Woods expressed his gratitude for their help, as well as the help of parents.

"The amount of effort that has been poured into the tasks associated with startup of the school has been mind boggling," he said. "The parents of the new students have gone out of their way to volunteer to contribute time, money and talents to see this school come to fruition … It's not just 'our' school - it's 'our community's' school. We pray that we will not only produce fine Christian young adults, but that we will help raise the next generation of hard-working citizens to invest their lives back into our area."

Those wishing to offer assistance to the new school may send contributions to Faith Christian Academy, P.O. Box 947, Waynesboro, GA 30830.

Registration dates will be published in a later edition of The True Citizen.