EDMOND — Fairview Baptist Church opened its doors to students for the first time Aug. 20 as it joined with Christian Heritage Academy in Del City to become the site for Christian Heritage Academy North.
The church, on the corner of Sooner Road and Danforth, is on the original location of the “Old Jack School” established immediately after the Land Run of 1889.
“Until 1931, the facilities on this corner had a dual purpose,” said Paul Blair, pastor of Fairview Baptist Church. “They served as a classroom to educate our youth from Monday through Friday and then as a Sunday School and community church on Sundays.
“We are thrilled to come full circle and return to that calling and work hand in hand with Christian Heritage Academy,” Blair said. “Our desire is to make sure what our children are taught at school is consistent with what they are taught at home and in church.”
Classes for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first and second grades are being offered for the 2008-09 school year with plans to add one additional grade each successive year.
“Christian Heritage Academy is thankful to have the opportunity to partner with Fairview Baptist Church in pursuing the mission of CHA,” Laura Garner, principal of the school said.
After 35 years of ministry in south Oklahoma City and Del City, the expansion of CHA by the establishment of CHA North is the fulfillment of a long-term vision.
“About a year and a half ago, Ralph Bullard, a friend and former headmaster at Christian Heritage Academy in Del City came to see me and said he wanted me to pray about using our church as the North campus,” Blair said. “What he didn’t understand was that I had been praying already for an opportunity to use our church to educate children.
“I believe that CHA will be a blessing to numerous families in the Edmond area who desire the type of Christian education that CHA provides.”
At this time there are 19 students at CHA with facilities for 50 students.
There is one class for each level of prekindergarten and kindergarten with seven students in the former and eight students in the latter. One first grade student shares the classroom with three second graders.
Donna Alexander teachers the prekindergarten students while Garner teaches the kindergartners and Tana Mehlhaff teaches the first- and second-graders.
In addition to the regular classes, Alexander teaches physical education on Mondays, Mehlhaff teaches music on Tuesdays, students attend Chapel on Wednesdays, Jean England teaches art on Thursday and Friday is called SOS, Special of Specials where community members come in and teach special activities to the students.
“Dan Davis brought his home schooled daughters, Sarah and Jennifer, to come for two weeks and teach the children how to make piñatas,” Garner said.
In chapel the students study “Character First!,” and the teachers instill in them a sense of character that will carry them through life.
“This week they are learning about wisdom,” Garner said. “They are learning that wisdom is making right choices.”
The school uses the Principle Approach Methodology.
“The Principle Approach is America’s historic Christian method of Biblical reasoning which makes the truths of God’s word the basis of every subject in the school curriculum,” Garner said. “The Bible is our textbook, and our teachers pull scripture from the Bible as they study and research to teach the students to think, reason, record and relate.”
The teacher becomes the living curriculum, Garner said, as they teach the children to become living producers.
Second-grader Mattison Bullard said the theme of the week was J.O.Y.
“It means Jesus first, others in between and yourself last,” Mattison said.
Instead of following one set curriculum, teachers are allowed to choose from a variety where the teacher becomes a master teacher and the students learn and grow and become master learners.
Garner is in her 17th year with Christian Heritage Academy. Her son, Ryan is a senior at the University of Central Oklahoma while her 10th-grade daughter, Sarah, is a student at CHA. Her husband, Cliff works at Tinker Field.
“My first-grade teacher inspired me, loved me and helped me fall in love with school,” Garner said. “I always knew I wanted to teach.”
In addition to the classrooms, the facilities include an on-site cafeteria, a playground and gymnasium.
Half-day or full-day pre-kindergarten and kindergarten classes are offered for students while first- and second-grade classes will be offered full day.
For more information about the school or enrollment, contact Christian Heritage Academy at 672-1787 or go to www.cha.org.
For a pictorial history of the church, go to: http://fairviewbaptistedmond.org/fairviewhistory.htm.
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Fairview Baptist Church, Christian Heritage Academy open CHA North
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