Fifty Years of God's Faithfulness

CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Celebrating Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness INTRODUCTION Chad Dirkse

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT Dr. Paul Gilchrist and David Stanton

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COMMON THEMES throughout the years

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SMALL BEGINNINGS 1970 - 1983

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TIMELINE fifty years at a glance

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A PLACE TO GROW 1984 - 2009

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LEADING AND SERVING 2010 - 2020

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A SPECIAL THANKS to those who built CCS

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SINCE 1970 Preparing students to lead and serve with distinction while representing Christ and seeking his Kingdom in all areas of the home, church, society, and culture.

Chad Dirkse President Years of Service 2009 - Present

In Leviticus 25, God provides Israel with the design of the Year of Jubilee, a cel‑ ebration year that followed seven cycles of seven years and included multiple generations. The Jubilee Year affirmed God’s lordship over all things and provided a foretaste of his redeeming work to come in the person and work of King Jesus.

Practically, the Jubilee Year was the embodiment of the trust the Israelites could have that God was keeping and would continue to keep his Covenant promises.

Like the Israelites, we are excited to celebrate 50 years of God’s faithfulness to Chattanooga Christian School (CCS).

By being intentional to look back over the past 50 years, we are able to see the individual moments and the divinely ordered patterns of God’s astounding provision for CCS. During the best and most challenging of times, God’s steadfast love has established the foundation on which thousands of students and families have been able to learn and grow. Like the Israelites, multiple generations can celebrate what God has done in and through the people and programs at CCS. We’ve defined the seasons of CCS not by seven seasons of seven years, but by eras named “Small Beginnings,” “A Place to Grow,” and “Leading and Serving.”

As we researched board minutes, perused yearbooks, examined By looking back over artifacts, and interviewed more than 40 people, we quickly recognized the past 50 years, we four common, key themes that held are able to see the together the unique aspects of each moments and of the three seasons. We identified those four themes as commitments patterns of God’s to be distinctively Christian, to be a astounding provision. serving community, to be innovative, and to be diverse and inclusive.

We hope your journey through this book reminds you of the treasured moments in times past, encourages you as you learn more about what is happening today, and uplifts you in the opportunities that lie ahead.

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Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

By Dr. Paul Gilchrist & David Stanton Dr. Paul Gilchrist served as the Chairman of the initial Steering Committee for Lookout Mountain Christian School, and David Stanton served as a beloved teacher and coach. Together these men represent nearly 60 years of service to the establishment and growth of our school–spanning from 1970 to 2018. To them, and to all the following testimony contributors, we are deeply grateful.

The primary movers in starting Lookout Mountain Christian Mountain, and resumed classes in the newly renamed Carter School (LMCS, later CCS) were Presbyterians, from the Reformed Hall in the fall of 1964. Most of the Covenant College fac‑ Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod (RPCES), and part of the ulty, staff, and students were from the RPCES which had a Covenant College community. strong tradition of encourag‑ Covenant College came into ing churches to have Christian being as a result of the struggles schools for their members The faculty, staff, and alumni were of the Bible Presbyterian Church and the Christian community dedicated in their desire to help (BPC) in the mid 1950s. When the they served. Consequently, the BPC split, the BCP, Columbus faculty, staff, and alumni were any parents in the area interested Synod established a seminary in unified and dedicated in their in Christian schooling.

St. Louis, MO. Former president desire to help any parents in of Highland College, Dr. Robert G. the Lookout Mountain area Rayburn, was invited to bring Highland College to St. Louis and interested in Christian schooling for their children. Members form Covenant College and Seminary. The BPC, Columbus Synod of the College soon established Lookout Mountain Christian became the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, General Synod, and School (later CCS), and a close relationship between the then in 1965 merged with the Reformed Presbyterian Church in College and CCS remains to this day.

North America, General Synod, an old denomination with 200+ year roots in Another community that greatly the Scottish Covenanters. Together contributed to the establish‑ they formed the Reformed Presbyterian ment and growth of LMCS was a Church, Evangelical Synod (RPCES) spiritually revived, local com‑ which later joined the Presbyterian munity on Lookout Mountain. In Church in America (PCA) in 1982. the early ‘70s, Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church (LMPC), the original dwelling place of LMCS, In the early 1960s, as Covenant College and Seminary grew, the underwent a spiritual awakening that board decided to look elsewhere for brought fresh energy and joy to many. a new campus for the college. They In part for this reason, LMCS received selected the vacant, old Lookout special attention from some LMPC Mountain Hotel—the Castle in leaders. With their support, the school the Clouds—as their new location, was able to continue its growth to the “Castle in the Clouds” circa 1963, future home to Covenant College school it is today. purchased the property, moved whose members boldly pursued the idea of a Christian school that would serve the community. the College south to Lookout

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CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | Fifty years of God’s Faithfulness

TO BE DISTINCTIVELY CHRISTIAN

TO BE A SERVING COMMUNITY

From the earliest discussions that led to the opening of Lookout Mountain Christian School (later CCS), this institution has committed itself to schooling that is based in the Word of God as interpreted in the Reformed Standards. CCS has always believed that distinc‑ tively Christian schooling should be clearly recognizable in every aspect of the school experience.

Dedicated Christian faculty serve as living curriculum as they build relationships with students within the daily teaching and learning practices that form the curricular and co-cur‑ ricular programs of the school.

In the summer of 2010, during the demolition of several old walls to build larger Lower School classrooms, we discovered a hidden gem. On the wooden wall studs, the volunteers who converted a car dealership to a school facility had signed their names, marking the gift of labor they provided in service to their children and thousands of parents and students who would come after them. This pioneering work of building and sustaining a distinctively Christian school has been undergirded by the ongoing, generous service of CCS families and friends who have given abundantly of their time, talents, and treasures.

The school has always consid‑ ered its main focus to prepare students to represent Christ and seek his Kingdom as members of families, churches, neigh‑ borhoods, communities, and workplaces. One of the beautiful things about looking back over 50 years of God’s faithfulness to CCS is the opportunity we have to see the impact of his amazing grace throughout multiple generations. It is the redeeming grace of God in Jesus Christ that frees us to celebrate our successes and grow as we recognize and learn from our mistakes.

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The first CCS Constitution established the basis for the serving community that CCS would become by stating at the beginning, “Believing that it is our duty and privilege as Christian parents to provide Christian education for our children, and believing that this can best be accomplished by concerted action, we...adopt the following articles of association.” That concerted action of humble service and selfless sacrifice is a blessing that shaped the heart of CCS into the future.

Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

TO BE INNOVATIVE

TO BE DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE

The Board minutes from March 5, 1970 provide a framework for school innovation: “Because we believe that Christian education to be relevant for each generation must be innovative, we therefore recommend that Lookout Mountain Christian School be established as a laboratory school with innovative programs: 1) that implement a Christian view of the student as a unique individual, and 2) that implement a Christian view of God’s creation and His providence. These innovative programs will be carefully and continuously supervised and evaluated.”

From the early days, CCS has demonstrated a commitment to provide access to high-quality, Christian schooling to the broadest population of students possible.

The foresight of this statement is astounding, particularly as we look back on the development of CCS through the last 50 years and look forward at the dynamically changing world that is ahead. Through each season, CCS has dedicated itself to create, develop, and implement new opportunities aligned with its mission. To be innovative and anchored in a biblical view of the learner as well as God’s creation and providence requires us to hold fast to revealed Truth while we open ourselves to appropriate and necessary change.

The challenging academic culture at Chattanooga Christian School includes programs that serve high performing students, students who require learning support services beyond what can be provided in a typical classroom, and every student in between. Structures that provide financial assistance for families who would otherwise be unable to access a CCS education because of the cost have been in place in different forms through every season of CCS. And, not wanting to be aligned with Christian schools in the Southeast that started in response to desegregation, the founders of CCS emphasized cultivating a school community that is diverse in terms of race and ethnicity. That emphasis continues today.

As we highlight these priorities, we acknowledge the opportunity for significant growth. By God’s grace we will continue to seek ways to align the aspiration of this priority more closely with what is actual.

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CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | Small Beginnings

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Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

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CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | Small Beginnings

SMALL BEGINNINGS | 1970 - 1983 Scripture is full of commands to remember God’s faithfulness and mercy. Often what was to be remembered was a specific act that would serve as a compass, holding the people of God on course even in the fiercest storm. Remembering in this way allows history to be less of a rearview mirror and more a part of the windshield that provides ongoing vision and direction for the present and future.

The sacrifices that were made during those early, fragile moments, when it was often unclear whether the school could even continue, pay dividends more than 50 years later. The heartfelt commitment to a distinct, Christian school identity remains a substantial part of the core structure around which every part of CCS is built.

The bold step to move down Lookout Mountain and establish our current home in a car dealership demonstrated foresight and stewardship that remains directly connected to our financial health and sustainability today.

The courage and resilience of the people who risked much to step out in faith inspires us as we stand on their shoulders to build on what they so beautifully established.

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1970 - 1983

Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

Joel Belz Board Member & Principal Years of Service 1970 - 1977 When Covenant College in 1964 relocated its campus from St. Louis to Lookout Mountain, a major concern for the faculty and staff was the lack of a high-quality, Christian school for their own children. Could we start our own school? The philosophical commitment was there—but not the resources or facilities to launch even a modest program. The challenge was acute on the high school level, where the public system was still in turmoil from the recent trauma of racial integration. No way did we want to be identified with the “white flight” movement.

By 1970, though, a hardy band of parents and others with deep convictions and adventuresome hearts were ready to move on—and for the right reasons. A board of seven visionaries began holding regular meetings, most of which went late into the night. The Board persuaded Jack Fennema to By 1970, a hardy come as the school’s first principal. And they forged an band of parents agreement with Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church (LMPC) to use some of their handsome educational with deep space. Most importantly, they found several families convictions and ready to enroll almost two dozen of their youngsters adventuresome in the school’s 7th, 8th, and 9th grade classes.

It was a small beginning—but big enough.

hearts were ready to move.

The repetition of last names under class photos in the 1975 yearbook shows how a few committed families were willing to step out in faith and trust the early vision of CCS. CLASS OF ‘78 (top): J. Williams, R. Krabbendam, G. Fernow, J. Miladin, R. Frye, J. Slenker, J. Cummer, S. Barker CLASS OF ‘77 (middle): K. Hamilton, D. Slenker, Ca. Chapman, Ce. Chapman, P. MacGregor, W. Williams, D. Nuermberger, L. Gilchrist, C. Miladin, L. Voskuil, M. Ford, S. Duble, D. Krabbendam CLASS OF ‘76 (bottom): L. Nuermberger, J. Slenker, K. Hamm, C. Freeman, D. McCamy, M. Duble, G. Raymer, S. Gilchrist, P. Halvorsen CLASS OF ‘75 (right): G. Gruner, T. Voskuil, D. Duble, A. Hickey, J. MacGregor, J. Patton

Small Beginnings

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CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | Small Beginnings

1970 - 1983

Dr. Paul Gilchrist

American children, but desegregation was high on the public agenda. From our Christian perspective, we wanted open enrollment when so many churches were opting for “Christian schools” for whites only in order to avoid the public schools. We stood by our position.

Steering Committee Chair & First Board Chair Years of Service 1970 - 1984 It was the fall of 1969, and my wife, Barbara, and I were wondering about the future education of our son, Stephen, in his last year at the elementary school on Lookout Mountain. What were our options for Jr. High and Sr. High in the area? We started talking with others who undoubtedly were having the same concerns.

The public school system in North Georgia was not the right environment. Chattanooga, TN, was already overcrowded and not open to more students from outside. This left the possibilities of going north of Chattanooga to county schools or to very good but expensive private schools in the city.

In early 1970, we had a meeting of all interested parents and organized the Lookout Mountain Christian School (LMCS) Board of Directors.

I was elected president, but really felt inadequate, except that we had an outstanding group of people who worked as a team and were a tremendous help.

Three major issues had to be considered: finances, location, and personnel. We wanted to keep a low registration fee and monthly support for the sake of our students, and if possible, subsidize tuition for low-income families. Location was a big concern, and we settled on a contract with LMPC. Things seemed to be going well, but as the fall of 1970 and the school year approached, we realized we just did not have sufficient funds. So we decided to fill in with part-time teachers from among our families, working with a curriculum that could be filled by such measures.

Several families—mainly from the Covenant College community— considered all options, including starting a Christian school on Lookout Mountain. But, what kind? We definitely needed the secondary level. It needed to be solidly founded on biblical principles, so a parent-controlled school based on Deuteronomy 6:1-9 seemed the best possibility for several families concerned.

We decided to start with 7th-9th grade, seeking to add a grade each year thereafter. We were greatly encouraged when Mrs. Geraldine Steensma and Prof. Nelle A. VanderArk, Several families coming from the rich heritage of Christian education in the Dutch community of considered starting Grand Rapids, MI, agreed to give counsel a Christian school on and guidance in this venture. There was Lookout Mountain. another factor that was emerging— namely, the issue in the public arena of But, what kind? “separate but equal” schools for African-

We were pleased to have our son Stephen in 7th grade, Kathie Young, daughter of Covenant College’s Dr. John Young, in the 9th grade, and several others, not only from the Covenant College community, but from the Lookout Mountain community as well. All of us from those early years never dreamed what the Lord had in store for the school. To God alone be the glory!

Because we believe that Christian Education to be relevant for each generation must be innovative, we therefore recommend that Lookout Mountain Christian School be established as a laboratory school with innovative program: 1. that implement a Christian view of the student as a unique individual, and 2. that implement a Christian view of God’s creation and His providence. These innovative programs will be carefully and continuously supervised and evalated.

Minutes from the March 5, 1970 Board meeting reveal the Board’s early commitment to the Education Committee’s proposal regarding the type of school LMCS ought to be.

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Enrolling their children Martha, Lois, Danny, and Steve at LMCS, Dr. Paul and Barbara Gilchrist were some of the “hearty and adventuresome” parents of whom Mr. Belz wrote.

Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

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KATHLEEN (YOUNG) MINOR, Class of 1974

My earliest recollection of LMCS was when my father, John M. L. Young, and several other Covenant College personnel began to discuss the need of a Christian school in the Chattanooga area. My dad was not new to starting Christian schools. He’d grown up on the mission field, and as a missionary himself in the 1950s, had helped start a Christian academy in Japan.

While our parents worked tirelessly to open the school, my friends and I wondered why we couldn’t just attend the public schools in the area. I remember asking my dad about this, and he explained that he believed Christian education to be the third leg of a three-legged stool. The home, church, and Christian school were the three institutions needed in raising a child.

Teaching should be from a Christian perspective—with the Word of God as the foundation. Subjects should be looked at through a biblical lens and discipline administered in a loving, biblical way with forgiveness and restoration.

The teachers knew us and shared their love and the love of Christ with us consistently. The small class sizes made us feel more like a family, and we did not all have the same skin color—for which I am thankful. As we learned to embrace our differences, we learned that we were all created in the image of God Wand loved deeply by our creator.

There are so many memories: taking typing classes without typewriters, students preparing hot lunches which were provided once a week, and being one of the first distance learning schools.

But the memory which means the most to me is that of our founders, our parents, who were passionate about Christian education and who were willing to make the sacrifices necessary to open LMCS in the fall of 1970.

Kathie Young (right) and Paula Nuermberger (left) at Covenant College.

The first graduating class of LMCS in 1974. Left to right: Libby Moore, Kathie Young, Bill Mynaugh, Beccy Hamm, Paula Nuermberger.

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LIBBY (MOORE) BUCK, Class of 1974

The Lord, before the foundation of this world, knew that Libby Moore, 14 years of age, was in drastic need of a small Christian school with godly teachers who cared about each individual student. God hand-picked those teachers to show me my worth in God’s eyes.

LMCS gave me the opportunity to grow into a Christian high schooler with all the turmoil that surrounds the high school years. Praise God from whom all blessings flow for Jack Fennema and Joel Belz for making that happen.

The first yearbook, printed in 1975, was dedicated to “three very different but special men,” Jack Fennema (top), Sander DeHaan (left), and Joel Belz (right), with the following note from the yearbook staff: “All of them served as principals, teachers, and friends to us. By dedicating this to them we express our gratefulness for their endeavors.”

Small Beginnings

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1970 - 1983

CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | Small Beginnings

Jack Fennema Principal & Teacher This small building across from Covenant College and behind the Reformed Presbyterian (RP) Church on Lookout Mountain was one of the homes of LMCS in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Years of Service 1970 - 1979 The early years were difficult, but God was faithful. That really says it all. The first-year goal was 85 students and three fulltime teachers; the reality was 23 students in grades 7-9 and one full-time teaching-principal: me. Part-time faculty that first year were Diane Belz for science, Jerry Moore for math, Nancy Fennema for art, and John Canfield for orchestra, in which all students participated. Fifteen of the students had a parent working at Covenant College. This was both good and bad.

On the positive side it reflected the school’s mantra to provide education from a Reformed Christian perspective, but it also meant a lack of financial resources for such a venture. At least one Board member took out a second mortgage so that salaries could be paid on time, and they always were. The other unique feature of the school was that it was racially integrated from the beginning during an era of white-flight academies in the South. But as secondary students were not willing to drive up the mountain for school, student recruitment from Chattanooga was a problem from the beginning.

Students pose on the stairs of the RP building for the 1975 yearbook. LMCS opened its doors in 1970 with 23 students enrolled in grades 7-9; by 1975, there were 38 students in grades 7-12.

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For its first two years the school met at the Look‑ The other out Mountain Presby‑ unique feature terian Church. The first of the school morning saw 23 students and one teacher at the was that it church sitting in a circle was racially introducing themselves integrated from and discussing the adventure that lay ahead. the beginning.

None of the students had previously experienced a school that was quite like this. Academic and conduct standards were high, but the atmosphere was relaxed and casual, much like a family.

Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

A student council was elected, a boys basketball team was formed, and cheerleaders were selected. Our home games were played at the former Flintstone Air Force Station.

I had been stationed there with the Air Force from 1957 to 1959, when Covenant College’s Carter Hall was still the Castle in the Clouds Hotel. Physical education offered volleyball and basketball on the church parking lot, softball at the Commons, and bowling and roller skating in the Valley.

One evening per month was spent at the Tivoli Theatre in Chattanooga attending concerts and operas on dress rehearsal nights when tickets were more affordable.

Year Two saw the addition of the 10th grade and three first-year teachers, Phil Cox from Covenant College, Byron Hoekstra from Calvin University, and Bonnie Hibma from Dordt University. I continued as part-time principal while teaching at Covenant College. In 1972 a two-classroom plus basement frame structure was built in the woods down the hill from the Reformed Presbyterian Church located across from Covenant. Students provided the janitorial services. Sander DeHaan served as principal for two years with Joel Belz stepping in to assist, and another grade was added each year.

Students engage in learning via the Cono Network, an early form of distance learning.

Utilized by LMCS from 1974 to 1977, the program gave students access to a broader range of courses and additional teachers.

schools in Florida, New Jersey, Michigan, and Illinois via telephone line, with instruction coming from several locations.

Students, each equipped with headphones and microphones, experienced a pioneering form of distance education.

In 1977 Joel Belz left LMCS to become editor of The Presbyterian Journal , which shortly thereafter morphed into the World Magazine enterprise. The school, now a 7th-12th grade operation with about 50 students, was not doing well, and, according to Board Chair Lou Voskuil, was considering closing.

I accepted an invitation to return as principal and joined David Stanton and David Judd as teachers. The Board had decided to leave the Cono Network, so the first order of business was returning to traditional education.

This time my sons, Jeff and Doug, were old enough to be part of the student body. We had both basketball and soccer teams, the latter being co-ed out of necessity of numbers (out of that came one of the first high school girls soccer teams in the area), and home games were played at the College.

Joel Belz continued his tenure as principal in 1974, and the Cono Network was inaugurated. Originating at the Cono Christian School in Walker, Iowa, with Joel’s father, Max, the Network connected at least six other The 1978 varsity soccer team. The co-ed team practiced during PE periods and after school under the supervision of Coach David Stanton. The team finished with a winning season of 4 wins and 3 losses.

Small Beginnings

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1970 - 1983

CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | Small Beginnings

Unfazed by the challenges associated with a fledgling school, Nancy Maclellan and Peggy Schumpert committed to support the vision of LMCS. They did so over several years in many ways, mostly (but certainly not entirely) by enrolling their children. Twelve members from two generations of these two families have graduated from CCS. Top left: Nancy and Hugh O. Maclellan with granddaughter Weeza Heald, Class of 2019. Top right: Peggy Schumpert (right) with daughter Lynn (Schumpert) Jones, Class of 1983.

Lisa Schumpert Class of 1981

Fred Schumpert Class of 1987

Riley Jones Class of 2011

Adam Jones Class of 2013

Aaron Jones Class of 2015

Holly Schumpert Class of 2018

Summer Jones Class of 2020

Cathy Maclellan Class of 1985

Dan Maclellan Class of 1986

Elizabeth Maclellan Class of 2002

One afternoon in 1977 while I was walking up the hill to my car, K-5 elementary feeder school.) But God is good!

I spotted two women coming toward me. They were Nancy Hixson Presbyterian Church offered the use of their facilities. (Yes, Hixson, on the other side of Maclellan and Peggy Schumpert, members of LMPC who had children enrolled at McCallie School and Girls Preparatory Chickamauga Lake!) We purchased a used school School (GPS). They were interested in visiting our school. I died bus that Lou Voskuil drove down from Indiana, and we were ready for business. About 90% of a thousand deaths. I knew what the facilities of their schools looked like, and I was all too familiar with the two-room hovel the student body (and bus driver David Stanton) in the woods that we occupied. But there they were. I prayed rode that bus daily from their homes on Lookout fervently that they would look past the Mountain to Hixson and facilities and see and hear the teachers back again. Not ideal, but the and students and lessons, all committed to I prayed that they school, now Christ and his Kingdom. They must have. would look past the known as Chat‑ Fred and Peggy Schumpert eventually transferred their two daughters from GPS. tanooga Christian facilities and see and Fred became treasurer of our Board and School, was still hear that the teachers was able to solicit gifts from people we alive. had never met. Hugh and Nancy Maclellan and students were all followed with their remaining children. They Back on Look‑ committed to Christ became leaders in the parent organization out Mountain, a and his Kingdom. and benefactors of the gift that allowed the K-5 elementary school to purchase the Ed Wright Chevrolet school was dealership at the foot of the mountain that has been transformed cobbled together from two existent into today’s Chattanooga Christian School. early childhood operations on the mountain. Becky (DeMoss) Wilson Things had to change if the school was to survive. The school taught Kindergarten (top), Emily (Boyd) needed a feeder school and to move off the mountain. Both Cox (bottom) taught grades 1 and 2, and were accomplished by 1978, but not without angst. Arrangements Nancy Fennema (middle) taught grades were made to use the facilities of the Central Presbyterian 3-5. I commuted daily as principal between the two campuses.

Church on McCallie Avenue, but after it was voted down—three weeks before starting the new school year—we were without a I’ll end this where I began: “The early years were difficult, campus. (The mountain campus had been given over to our new but God was faithful.”

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Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

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CAROLYN (ADAMS) SENEKER, Class of 1990

I didn’t understand why we had to get up in what I thought was the middle of the night, get dressed, and venture out in pouring rain. Maybe it was one of my dad’s last-minute, crazy family vacations. Instead we pulled up to the parking lot of the Lookout Mountain Baptist Church. A still groggy and very confused five-year-old, I walked with my parents into the church’s dark basement.

Inside was the very first Kindergarten class of the Lookout Mountain Christian School. Once my eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room, the confusion I felt was replaced by wonder and awe. Toys! Books! I’d never seen so many in one place before. My parents hugged and kissed me before they left me alone in a room with kids I didn’t know, and Mrs. Wilson invited us to sit on the shag rug in the middle of the room. That is where I met Benji Clark, Joel Donaldson, Julie Fitzgerald, Brant Huisman, Gina Krabbendam, Mark Michal, Scott Mawhinney, and Mark Newton.

Top left to right: Benji Clark, Joel Donaldson, and Julie Fitzgerald Bottom left to right: Brant Huisman, Gina Krabbendam, and Carolyn Adams

From this wet fall morning of 1977 to a hot June evening of 1990, this small class of nine would grow to a class of 52. Only six of us from that Kindergarten class graduated amongst the 52. To my knowledge, we six became the very first CCS Lifers.

The Senior Class of 1990 gathers for a photo in front of the newly renovated Warehouse Row. This class boasts the first graduates who attended CCS from Kindergarten through 12th grade—fondly known as “Lifers.”

Small Beginnings

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CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | Small Beginnings

1970 - 1983

Joel Belz So here was our Board in 1974, faced with the need to hire our third headmaster in just three years. That was sobering to us to have to go through headmasters that fast. We didn’t blame them; we blamed ourselves, but we had no prospects for the job. So I volunteered, though I had no administration experience.

As I moved into my new role as headmaster, several daunting challenges chased me down. One issue was the very identity of the school. Were we there primarily for families on Lookout Mountain?

That fit well with critics of our school, who claimed we were part of the segregationist white-flight movement.

The true heroes Indeed, in our earliest years, we had only are the families token enrollment from who went out on minority families. That a limb to say, “We was embarrassing to all of us. And I vowed like your sense to go to work recruiting of mission. We’re some African-American students from greater ready to go there Chattanooga. The next with you.” year, 19 students out of our total of 57 came from African-American families. Another issue was the school’s location. It was evident to me that we had only a limited future on the mountain; they were great people, but there were only so many of them. So I spent many afternoons in my early years scouting possible off-mountain sites.

During my tenure, no one did more to anchor the faculty than David Stanton. While I chased around town looking for a new campus site, or recruiting students, or raising money, he was the on-campus, 80-hours-a-week stabilizer who developed confidence among our families. He gave them reason to believe that our teachers were first-rate, and that our little school could prepare their children for college and for life. But maybe the true heroes from that period in CCS’s history are indeed the moms, dads, and kids who went out on a limb to say, “We understand that these are the early years. But we like your sense of mission. You seem to understand where the school wants to go. We’re ready to go there with you.”

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David Stanton Teacher & Coach Years of Service 1973 - 2018 In 1973 I was surprised to receive a call from Joel Belz out of the blue. He said, “I need a biology teacher. I remember you took lots of science in college.” Now my major at Covenant College was history and Bible, but I had taken a lot of science; I don’t know how Joel knew that. I told him I would consider it, and a couple weeks later I got this thing in the mail from LMCS called the “Tuesday Tidings” which indicated that I had agreed to come teach at LMCS. I had been trying to decide, because I was interested in another school in Memphis, but I thought, well, I guess that’s the Lord speaking.

So, I came down and went to work outfitting a new school building just below the RP building. Into the basement, four of us carried lab tables and equipment harvested from UTC, which was renovating its labs, and set up our LMCS learning center. When school started, 43 students came and donned their headsets and microphones to enter into school with students and teachers through the Cono Network, a telephone learning system. Students had two “live” 15-minute sessions with a teacher somewhere, then one 15-minute session which had been taped and carefully—though not always successfully—sent via telephone wire the night before.

Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

A full slate of classes came across the network. Several teachers operated their classes from Lookout Mountain, and I taught biology, labs included, to students around the country from atop Lookout Mountain.

I remember one student, Stephen Gilchrist, with the help of his classmates, created an imaginary student. Since teachers could not see students outside the learning center from which they broadcast, students were only recognized by voice, at best. Hence, this imaginary person was covered by the other students when he was called upon or had assignments to turn in or tests to take. I suspect this student got the same score as Stephen, and often a rustle among the classmates at LMPC was reminding Stephen that so-and-so had just been called on and needed to answer!

In 1977 when Jack Fennema returned, the school stepped aside from the Cono Network, and one of the first matters was reworking the curriculum.

Teachers were involved, responding to the basic question, “What, then, should we teach, and how should we sequence it in light of Psalm 24?” From that came a curriculum that was more global than most, intense in the liberal arts, and high on the knowledge of the Bible.

“Chattanooga Christian School,” arguing that the school should simply declare who it wished to serve and generally in what manner. Dr. Voskuil’s recommendation was taken as he said it would be more important that the school prove itself a Christian school. In November 1977, the Board voted on four names proposed by Association members: “Christian Community School,” “The Presbyterian School,” “Westminster Christian School,” and “Chattanooga Christian School.”

As the 1979 fall term approached, we had a last-minute change of venue. The LMCS elementary school—which had begun in a garage belonging to a Covenant Bible professor, Dr. James Hurley, who desired a Christian school for his kids—had been promised the facilities occupied by the middle and high for the previous five years. Hixson Presbyterian Church agreed to house the middle and high school, so we bought a Trousdale County school bus, and most of the middle and high school students road the bus, except Pete Estler who followed in his pickup. The “What, then, should first one on the bus in the morning was we teach?” From Elizabeth (Hesselink) Cairns, and yes, that question came a she was the last off in the afternoon.

PE and sports practices took place at curriculum that was more Bethel Bible Village or the North River global than most, intense YMCA.

in the liberal arts, and high on the knowledge of the Bible.

By the late 1970s, consensus emerged that the viability of Lookout Mountain Christian School required relocation off the mountain to be in better proximity to more students.

It made sense, thus, to change the school’s name. In the Parents’ Association meeting for this, Pastor Miladin recom‑ mended “Christ Is King Academy,” and Dr. Nick Barker suggested “Westminster Christian Academy.” Dr. Lou Voskuil, a Covenant College professor, proposed Early use of the school’s new name in the 1980 yearbook, with original mascot: Trojans.

For the 1980 school term the middle and high school returned to Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church.

Dr. Hekman was the principal, and Marian Smartt, hostess at LMPC, heartily greeted us and gave the school the best of care for the next two years. The classes were held in a wing of the church and up in the tower. English was on the second floor from the tower top with Mr. Pettit, and I got the top perch—quite a daily climb. From these lofty rooms some creative learning was possible, especially as to what was happening across the mountain on Covenant College’s campus.

In 1981, off the prairies of South Dakota, Mr. Holwerda came to CCS as principal and eventually president well into the 21st century.

Small Beginnings

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1970 - 1983

CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | Small Beginnings

Pictured below is the school bus that transported LMCS students from Lookout Mountain to Hixson and back again daily for a year.

The school bus was purchased in Indiana and driven to its new home by Dr. Lou Voskuil.

DAN GILCHRIST, Class of 1984

PATRICK GRAHAM, Class of 1984

When I first started at CCS in 7th grade, it was 1978, and we were a school without a real home. During that first year, those of us living on Lookout Mountain caught the school bus before 7:00 AM and spent the year meeting in the basement of a church across town with physical education clas‑ ses scheduled at the end of the day at yet another location. Of course, with David Stanton driving the bus that year, the morning and afternoon commutes were anything but boring—large puddles, a school bus, and a large busload of kids eager to see how big a splash could be made. (There were other adventures I am sure others could recall, but which would scandalize today’s sensibilities.)

One distinct memory I have is that Michael Pettit was our English teacher. He was single at the time, and the girls swooned over him, and the guys wanted to be as cool as him—at least I did. He looked just like Robert Redford! He had this sweet, 1965 VW convertible bug that was fire engine red. I can remember he wore Wallabies before they were cool and corduroy pants and a wool sweater regularly in the winter. He lived in St. Elmo, and in the winter he would drive up the mountain in the mornings, top down on his car, with his wet, blond hair, and it would freeze with ice all over it. I can remember him walking into school in his vest with a wool sweater underneath and that frozen hair.

It didn’t faze him. As a 13-year-old boy, he made quite the impression on me! He was pretty cool!

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And every morning and every afternoon, we’d pass Ed Wright Chevrolet with its huge American flag hanging from the pole.

The following three years brought us back across town closer to the school’s original home, but still meeting in the borrowed basement of a church.

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Dan Gilchrist (left) and Patrick Graham (right) as 7th grade students in the 1979 LAUS DEO yearbook.

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Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

Richard Hostetter Board Member Years of Service 1979 - 1986

Hugh O. Maclellan Board Member & Benefactor Years of Service 1978 - Present By the spring of 1982, Richard Hostetter and I had driven all around town looking for property for CCS. Finally the auto business on Broad Street went under, and it seemed like a really good option. We approached The Maclellan Foundation about giving CCS a grant to purchase the property.

Richard and I were both serving on the Board of The Maclellan Foundation, and my wife, Nancy, and Richard served on the Board at CCS. The Maclellan Foundation agreed to support the school, so we went to the American National Bank & Trust Company since they had the lien on the property.

Scotty Probasco, the head of the bank, was a great supporter of Christian endeavors, and he gave us a really good price on the first building as well as the second one a couple years later.

In May, the motion was passed, and we coordinated with the News-Free Press to run a front page article with the news.

“

When we were looking for a location, we dreamed that we could find a site near St. Elmo, as it represented a good middle ground accessible to a range of people. We stumbled onto the vacant truck dealership and asked Ted Franklin of Franklin Architects, a wonderful Christian and friend of the school, and Jim Eldridge, an elder at LMPC and a contractor, to meet us on the site and see if it would work.

It would work fantastically, we thought, until we got to the bays where we would want the gym to go. We HAD to have a gym, and building a separate gym was beyond our means (which didn’t exist anyway except for the generosity of The Maclellan Foundation).

Ted looked at the gym and told us that the width and length met the requirements

for a gym, but that the ceiling was too low. We were so let down, but not for long. Jim got out his tape and measured, and we had six inches more than we needed!

Jim then told us he would need those six inches either for the floor or the insulation on the ceiling—one of those. Praise God! That small detail sealed the deal, and the school bought the building! The Lord’s hand was mightily on CCS.

SAM SMARTT, Board Member 1984 - 2005

The first order of business was to relocate the middle and high school to the old Ed Wright Chevrolet dealership. Richard Hostetter asked me if I could lend them some equipment, forklifts, etc., to help with the move. I agreed and ended up spending a Saturday with Richard helping with the move. During the course of that day, Richard completely sold me on Christian education. Our oldest was only three, but we were new Christians, and the idea of raising our children at a Christian school really was appealing to me. We needed all the help we could get—from the church, the community, and from school.

Small Beginnings

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1970 - 1983

CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | Small Beginnings

Linda Barnes Teacher Years of Service 1980 - 1990 I started teaching at CCS in 1980 at the Reformed Presbyterian Church. I taught 4th grade for half the day, partnering with Marian Fitzgerald. In the afternoon I drove to Lookout Mountain Presbyterian Church to teach Spanish to high schoolers for the remainder of the school day.

When we began to hear about a possible move down the mountain, we were all very excited. Then we found out it was to be into a Chevrolet dealership property! I couldn’t imagine how that would work—the Garage Mahal?

Parents and staff all pitched in to make that property into a school. God worked mightily through all the families and individuals to bring that about.

My classroom was roomy and most importantly, air-conditioned!

One big change was that all classes would be on the same campus. The original builders of that auto dealership thought they were building a property for a dealership, but God knew all along that it was meant to be a school! Shortly, CCS grew exponentially in enrollment. That was definitely a result of the move down the mountain.

Various scenes of the “new home” in 1982-1983: Mrs. Barnes teaches in her air-conditioned classroom. Students gather in open spaces for lunch and meetings. The work-in-progress soccer field and the iconic Ed Wright Chevrolet administration office, which currently houses the CCS Admissions, Communications, and Development offices.

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DAN GILCHRIST, Class of 1984

In 1982 when CCS was able to purchase the Ed Wright Chevrolet property, it was the beginning of new things for CCS: the school was going to have a home! It’s true, our Bible classes met in the old oil-changing pit, but it was our school! Those were exciting days; we were no longer a little seedling carried about in a pot, but were actually It was the planted in a beginning of new place where we things for CCS: could grow. It’s a familiar pattern the school was in God’s mission going to have a as it unfolds in the lives of his a home! people: calling, growing, wandering, learning, planting. It is a stunning thing to have seen the idea the Lord planted take root, grow through those wandering years, then be planted on South Broad St. to grow into a large tree bearing fruit, cultivating and distributing that fruit as a display of God’s glory.

Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

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PATRICK GRAHAM, Class of 1984

The school was growing, and the church was gracious to let us have class in their building.

My freshman year in 1980 was when we heard about the school looking into the old car place at the foot of Lookout Mountain. In the 1980s, inner cities were struggling, and most commercial businesses were moving out of town.

The Board purchased the land and we moved into the new building in 1982, and the student body began to grow. We had one building and everything was in that building. I remember the first gym being completed and the old soccer field being cut to allow us to play—rocks and all.

Wil Davis Principal & Teacher Years of Service 1981 - 2011 From 1981 to 1986 I was a teaching-principal for the elementary school. Two developments took place that second year of my teaching-principalship. The first was, of course, the moving of the middle and high school to the Broad Street campus; the second was the opening of an additional elementary school in Hixson at the Valleybrook Presbyterian Church. I no longer taught math or science, but began to teach music at both elementary schools.

Each day I would teach at the RP Church, and then travel to the new middle/high school location for high school choir. Then two or three times a week I would trek to the Hixson site to teach music, lead chapel, and deal with administrative and faculty matters. It was a busy time!

Small Beginnings

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1970-1971 | 23 students • LMCS opens on Lookout Mtn. • Dr. Jack Fennema becomes principal • Basketball & cheerleading begin

1971-1972

1972-1973

• LMCS becomes incorporated • Sander DeHaan, principal

• Joel Belz, principal • LMCS joins Cono Network • 1st graduating class

1973-1974

1974-1975

1980-1981 | 168 students

1981-1982

1982-1983

1983-1984

1984-1985

1990-1991 | 614 students

1991-1992

1992-1993

1993-1994

1994-1995

2000-2001 | 1028 students

2001-2002

2002-2003

2003-2004

2004-2005

2010-2011 | 1118 students

2011-2012

2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015

• Nurture Center opens • “Trojan Times” newspaper begins

• Track & golf programs begin

• David Stanton Field named • 4 state championships

• Spirit Shop opens

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• Soccer & volleyball begin • 1st trip to Washington, DC

• Don Holwerda, principal • “A place to grow” tagline adopted

• 1st year of the Jubilee auction

• Lunch Pavilion opens

• Fingerle Track & Field named

• Purchase of Ed Wright Chevrolet • Chargers mascot adopted

• 1st annual senior trip to Florida

• Broad St. renamed Charger Dr.

• Lower School (K-5) and Upper School (6-12) formed

• Additional property purchased • Industrial arts program launched • 1st issue of the “CCS Chronicle”

• 1st (and only) toughman contest

• High School wing added

• Turf field & stadium open • Tim Fordice Building named • School logo & motto refreshed • Dual accreditation achieved

• 1st yearbook produced

• 1st senior retreat

• 1st on-campus dance • Softball program begins

• 5 National Merit Finalists

• PreK program reintroduced • School website relaunched

Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

1975-1976 | 40 students •. Board commits to finding new location off Lookout Mtn.

1976-1977

1977-1978

1978-1979

1979-1980

1985-1986 | 525 students

1986-1987

1987-1988

1988-1989

1989-1990

1995-1996 | 960 students

1996-1997

1997-1998

1998-1999

1999-2000

2005-2006 | 1057 students

2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

2009-2010

2015-2016 | 1150+ students • Power House opens • School uniforms implemented

2016-2017

2017-2018

2018-2019

2019-2020 | 1250+ students

• 1st class verse banner

• 1st CCS state championship: boys XC

• Musical Theatre program refreshed

• Last year in Cono Network

• Varsity Gym opens • 1st Lower School yearbook

• Fine Arts Center opens • High School Gym opens

• Football program begins

• Int’l Student Program begins • STEM programs begin • Holwerda Courtyard named • Salter Gym named

• Dr. Jack Fennema, principal • Board votes to change name

• Full SACS accreditation achieved • Elementary moves to Broad St. • 1st issue of “The Charger” newspaper

• 1st girls soccer state championship

• Lower School expanded

• High School science labs open • Athletics division changes to DII

• CCS becomes K-12 • School moves to Hixson

• All schools on Broad St. campus • 1st alumni banquet • Flag pole placed on campus • Industrial arts building constructed

• Jim Ward writes CCS fight song

• PreSchool building constructed • Sculpture Garden added

• Nancy B. Maclellan Building opens • Open-Air Pavilion opens • John Visser Field named

• Dr. Bruce Hekman, principal • CCS tree logo adopted

• Homecoming Week instituted

• 1st girls XC state campionship

• Chad Dirkse, president

• Lower School uniforms implemented • Bosworth Gymnasium named • Spirit Shop & Cafe opens • Virtual school due to COVID-19

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CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | A Place to Grow

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Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

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CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | A Place to Grow

A PLACE TO GROW | 1984 - 2009 God’s provision of a new campus off the mountain and the sacrifices of many people to convert what was once vehicle service bays into a school facility that served students became the catalyst for astounding growth at CCS. The wisdom of the school’s Board and administrative leadership to faithfully steward the school’s resources in the midst of significant increases in enrollment established a commitment to constructing missionappropriate school buildings without accruing long-term debt.

The choice of the new location for the school and the commitment to diligent financial stewardship set a strong financial foundation for the school that will last through future generations.

On a campus that could handle the enrollment growth God would provide, the faculty and staff went to work to strengthen a distinctively Christian, high-quality education. The unity of purpose and strength of commitment shown by teachers, administrators, building and grounds staff, support staff, and business office personnel enhanced what had been created in the early years and created a unique identity that would shape the school for years to come. And countless volunteers served faithfully, generating a culture of service that encourages and uplifts us even today.

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1984 - 2009

Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

Don Holwerda Principal, Superintendent & President Years of Service 1981 - 2009 During the first decade of the school, much of the theological and philosophical foundations were laid. Then, after much legwork and effort, the “growth years” of the 1980s began. It was the greatest exercise in faith I have ever been in. Total dependence on God! I would tell my wife every night, “I didn’t see the hand of God today—I saw both hands!”

Significant growth began when we purchased property at the foot of Lookout Mountain, thanks to creative work done by wise men in finance and on the Board. Feeder elementary schools were established on Lookout Mountain, Signal Mountain, and Hixson with excellent The objective was to cooperation with hosting churches. But in provide an environment 1988, all systems were consolidated to the that challenged every Broad Street campus with grades K-12, and the campus expanded.

student to reach his or her fullest potential as an image-bearer of God.

Early on, the CCS Board determined the physical facilities of the school would always be adequate, but the focus would be on program excellence. We never put a lot of money into bricks and mortar; rather, focus was on our purpose, student learning, gifted teachers, and excellent programs. The objective was to provide an environment and ethos which contributed to the implementation of the entire program to challenge every student to reach his or her fullest potential as an imagebearer of God. Facilities were designed and adapted to student needs: Arts, Academics, and Athletics, all in balance, with an integration of faith and learning.

One unique characteristic of the school was its governance described as an extension of the home—a parent-directed, Christian school. The family atmosphere was evident and encouraged. Everyone was involved; from the Board of Directors to the students, ownership was shared. The “growth years” were a construction zone, and everyone participated in the building, landscaping, and cleaning.

In many ways, the “growth years” represented the re-birth of the school. In fact, the 1983 yearbook began with the words, “Men had a vision...and by the grace of God, CCS was born.”

We stood on the shoulders of strong individuals who stepped out with mustard seed faith in an Almighty God and changed the future for thousands of kids. Thanks be to God!

A Place to Grow

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1984 - 2009

CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | A Place to Grow

Gary Lindley Mrs. Wieldraayer’s 4th and 5th grade class in 1988 poses for a class picture on the playground located on the Broad Street campus.

Teacher Years of Service 1980 - 2018 After the school moved down the mountain, it was chaotic.

Enrollment had doubled or tripled, with kids coming from every direction and all sorts of backgrounds. The student body hadn’t begun to coalesce in any way, shape, or form. That was a major challenge.

Everybody wore three or four large hats. When you break down all the different things that happen in an institution—whether it’s big or small—there are so many functions. If you build a library, somebody has to decide what books to procure. I spend my first week at LMCS in August of 1980 poring through catalogues and ordering books for our tiny library. People would just pitch in to take care of things because they were good at it and because it needed to be done, and there was nobody else to do it.

James Armistead did all the scheduling for the high school while teaching three or four upper division math and science classes. Warren Smith taught and helped with discipline. If there was maintenance or cleaning that was needed, you didn’t look for a maintenance person; you just did it. But the teachers did it willingly out of a sense of mission—because of their commitment to Christ and to Christian education.

Mr. Armistead instructs DJ Hightshue, Class of 1990, in an upper level physical science class.

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BECKY (HUYSER) WIELDRAAYER, Teacher 1981 - Present

CCS expanded beyond the Lookout Mountain area, and I taught at the Hixson branch, located at Valleybrook Presbyterian Church, for five years. Each year was a bit different; I taught combined grades 3 & 4, combined grades 2 & 3, and 3rd. Ellie Heddendorf was the lead teacher. She had come from a large public ele‑ mentary school in Pennsylvania and was astounded by the responsibilities and tasks that we had to do—like picking up the supplies for our school from P&S School Supplies.

But because of the small size of the school, there was a family feel and closeness of everyone there. In fact, at the end-of-the-year party in 1985, the Hixson campus had an all-school picnic at Chester Frost Park, and they all surprised me with a bridal shower!

Mrs. Heddendorf’s 1st grade class in the 1988-1989 school year.

Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

Richard Hostetter

An innovative thinker, Mrs. Cox converted her bathtub into a comfortable, cozy, reading space for her 1st grade students. Today our Lower School classrooms are furnished with creative seating options.

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EMILY (BOYD) COX, Teacher 1978 - 2013

Marian Fitzgerald and I were team teaching that year. It seems like we moved over a weekend. The students helped pack up the books and classroom materials at the end of one Friday, and the parents came to move the boxes and furniture.

That was so

typical of the

I had a big claw-foot, sweet parents vintage bathtub that I filled with pillows who always did for the children to so much to help read in. It was very heavy, and someone and support us suggested I leave with whatever it, but I remember it we needed. was there in our new classroom when I came on Saturday to unpack and set things up!

That was so typical of the sweet parents who always did so much to help and support us with whatever we needed.

Once we moved to our new campus, we needed a baseball field.

You need good clay to make the infield, and we just envisioned having to bring in load after load of clay soil. Our site work was being done by a friend with a bulldozer.

He called me one day and asked me to come down to the site. He then showed me that there was a bank of soil near the edge of the field; not only was it clay, but it was the type of clay the Atlanta Braves stadium used! We were really hyped. Friends donated the dugouts and the grass for the infield, and we wound up with a professional infield! God is indeed the master of details.

We also needed equipment for a lab for the sciences. One day I got a call from Ted Hope, an elder at LMPC and owner of a restaurant that had recently closed.

Ted wanted to get the equipment out God is of the building so that he could lease or sell it, and he offered to give it all indeed the to the school—IF we would remove master it! Wow, what a task. I’ve never been any dirtier than that day with Don of details.

Holwerda, Tim Fordice, and others removing equipment with grease everywhere. Nevertheless, we had the basic equipment for labs! Again, God’s provision.

In 1991, students sit in the restaurantstyle seating that was donated and repurposed for classroom collaboration.

A Place to Grow

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1984 - 2009

CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | A Place to Grow

“Growth” was the buzzword concerning CCS in the prolific 1980s. With an expanding campus, ever-broadening curriculum and faculty, and numerous fundraising efforts, CCS was frequently in the news. With all grades consolidated to one campus, CCS began to build, renovate, and repurpose facilities that would both accommodate and welcome the burgeoning student population.

From top to bottom: 1984 construction on the Varsity Gym, later renamed Bosworth Gymnasium.

Don Holwerda and Tim Fordice accept the claim that financed the Tim Fordice Industrial Arts Building still in use today.

Tom Lowe, Hugh O. Maclellan, Jr., Jim Fisher from Franklin Architects, Jim Eldrige, and Don Holwerda announce a $2.7 million expansion and endowment program to prepare for an anticipated enrollment of 700 students by 1989.

David Stanton and Fred Schumpert inspect plans for a new school building to house the high school.

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Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

Don Holwerda Principal, Superintendent & President Years of Service 1981 - 2009 We really wanted to expand our industrial arts program. We had hired Tim Fordice who came from Japan to teach in our school, and we bought a building up on Lookout Mountain.

It was part of the old military base that had closed, so we got it for a low price. It had a gymnasium and a kitchen, and we thought it would make a perfect industrial arts building. All we had to do was take it apart, haul it down the mountain, and put it back together. So we started dismantling it. One night in 1988, I got a call at 3:00 AM informing me the building was on fire—arson. The next morning we went up there, and I still remember the image of the smoldering ashes. The engineer said it was a complete loss.

Later we needed to put bleachers in the gym. I contacted Tullahoma High School after hearing they were replacing their bleachers. When I called to buy them, they said, “What are you going to bid for these bleachers?” I replied, “Well, I’d like to bid a thousand dollars for all of your bleachers.” They said, “We’ll take it to the School Board.” Their School Board called me one night while we had a Board meeting and said, “We just want to confirm your bid. Are you paying us? Or are we paying you?” I said, “It can go either way.” So they paid us! We took staff, faculty, and a bunch of kids with us up to Tullahoma. We worked for one week and took all the bleachers apart, hauled them back to Chattanooga, and put them all back together. We had those wooden bleachers in the gym for years. Everything worked out that way—just the way it had to work—miracles all the way around.

We stood in a circle, and Dr. Frank Eldridge said, “Let’s stand around these ashes and pray.” So we prayed, “Lord, we don’t know why you’ve done this. We believe all things work together for good. It’s to extend your Kingdom.” We prayed that something good would come out of it. I didn’t know what to do. We couldn’t afford a new building.

Three days later, Hugh Huffaker called me, and he said, “Don, I found a clause in your insurance policy that if you buy a building, it’s insured for 30 days, and we pay full cost of replacement.” So the current Tim Fordice Industrial Arts Building that is on campus today was paid for with insurance money because of a fire; it was a brand new building—better than anything we could have done. It’s just the way the Lord has worked at this school.

Chargers fans of all ages, including these students in 1993, benefitted from the second-hand, wooden bleachers for decades.

A Place to Grow

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1984 - 2009

CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | A Place to Grow

Sam Smartt Board Member Years of Service 1984 - 2005 In 1984, my aunt, Marian Smartt, rolled off the CCS Board, and the Board offered me the opportunity to finish out her term. In all I think I served on the Board for about 18 of the next 22 years, much of that time as Chairman. That first year on the Board was also John Wright’s first year. He was the president of American National Bank, a strong leader and devout believer who—with his business experience and perspective—tran‑ The goal in those sformed the Board and, by extension, days was hold down the school.

our costs so as not to deny any child from a Christian home a Christian education.

When the Board decided to move elementary school to the Broad Stre‑ et campus, Don Holwerda was the superintendent. God used that man so mightily at CCS. He was definitely the right man at the right time—an incredible steward who poured his life into the school.

The goal in those days was to do all we could to hold down our costs so as not to deny any child from a Christian home a Christian education because it was too expensive. At the same time, we were committed to attracting and retaining excellent teachers who were committed to teaching their discipline from a Reformed perspective. Consequently, we spent a lot of time finding ways to raise money and cut costs. The school had numerous fundraisers, and the most memorable one we did in those early years was the annual auction. You can’t believe the effort it took! The return on investment was terrible, and what it almost always boiled down to was the same old boat and stuffed sailfish. Every year those two items were donated to the auction, a few guys would bid them up, and eventually a couple of them would “win” the bidding, and the school would salvage another auction.

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CAROLYN (ADAMS) SENEKER, Class of 1990

As CCS’s campus was being remodeled, plans were developing to move the remaining school off the mountain. They started an annual fall festival and fundraiser, and I remember huge tents were set up on the old car lot. There was a flea market, concession stand, and silent auction table, and the largest tent housed a live auction. My dad was one of the auctioneers. Local businesses, parents, and grandparents donated just about anything you could think of: antiques, house furnishings and appliances both new and old, gift certificates to restaurants, tickets to area attractions, hotel stays, and vacation packages. Things really heated up when the used vehicles came up for auction.

It wasn’t long before both buildings were ready for the Jr. High and High School. The fall of 1983 was a year of new faces and friends, but with so many teenagers, there was tension too. I was in the 6th grade, and though we were now a part of the Jr. High, we didn’t quite feel like part of the community.

We ate lunch in our classrooms while the 7th and 8th grades ate in the halls. But we still got recess, and we did have chapel with the 7th and 8th, and we were allowed to join the band and sports. As new buildings were built, it wasn’t long until the rest of CCS came off the mountain.

Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

Newspaper clippings of various fundraising events held throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. These fundraising efforts helped keep tuition affordable for families who wished to attend CCS.

said he would be in Bullhead City, AZ competing in a desert, off-road race that coming Saturday, and he’d be glad to meet there after the race. I said I’d see him Saturday. There weren’t any flights to Bullhead City from Chattanooga, so Don and I called a parent and former Board member whose company had a jet. We explained our dilemma, and he graciously agreed to fly us out and back. We arrived in Bullhead City, rented a car, went to the race, and afterward drove to the Mexican restaurant where we were supposed to meet.

To keep tuition as low as possible without sacrificing the quality of education, we did fundraisers, carnivals, and auctions and figured out ways to save a buck every way we could. We also did a lot of plain old fundraising. We eventually decided we needed to create an endowment to subsidize teachers’ wages so we could attract and retain quality teachers without raising tuition so much that some Christian families could no longer afford to send their kids to CCS. In the late 1990s, Janet Jobe, our development officer, told me she had found an alumnus who had apparently done quite well in the dot-com world. I called him and said I’d like to meet him anywhere, anytime to discuss our endowment campaign. He

Don and I were sitting at a table, and this guy walked up and said, “Are you the guys from CCS?” After reminiscing about CCS for a few minutes, he turned to me and said, “I’ve got to scoot.

What do you want?” I told him the amount. He looked me in the eye and said, “Will you name the soccer field after David Stanton?” I said, “Sure, we’ll do that!” He said, “Ok, I’m in. My financial guy will be in touch.” He got up and left, we headed back to the jet, and that was it! I’ve lost touch with the school’s fundraising efforts since 2007, but up until then, that gift was one of the largest the school had ever received from an individual.

God has been very gracious to CCS, and I enjoyed the years I served on the Board and am grateful for the Christ-centered education my kids and sons-in-law received there.

A Place to Grow

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FIFTY YEARS OF GOD’S FAITHFULNESS PlacetoToGrow Grow CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | |AAPlace

1984 - 2009

Gary Lindley I became convinced early in my 45-year career that the commitment, creativity, and skill level of the faculty was (and is) the primary characteristic of truly effective schools. For the most part, high school teachers were responsible for developing their courses from start to finish, often three or four a year. Nearly every teacher rose to this challenge. We had very little turnover in personnel from year to year, thus developing a sense of growth and continuity in the midst of limited resources. And while every teacher has to have a first-year experience, By the mid-‘90s schools tend to grow we had a core as individual teachers and faculties mature. group of teachers

with 20+ years of experience which contributed to the continued growth of CCS.

By the mid-‘90s we had a core group in the high school with 20+ years of experience, and in the elemen‑ tary school the level of experience was collectively even higher. All of these elements contributed to the consolidation and continued growth of CCS.

CCS has been blessed abundantly with teachers who have embodied the qualities lauded in these testimonials.

Pictured above is one of those many legends. Coach Eddie Salter, who came to CCS in 1986, continues today to invest in students through teaching and coaching—and he still runs the morning carpool!

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STEPHANIE WHARTON, Parent & Board Member 1990 - 2017

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JR CAINES, Class of 1989 Teacher 1998 - 2003

As I think back to the 27 years we were CCS parents for our seven children, I am filled with gratitude and fondness for the education they received from compassionate teachers who were dedicated to their craft. Several of our children were very involved in sports—especially our son, Ben, who is the varsity baseball coach at CCS now. What a full circle! They not only learned the intricacies of their sports but learned to be team players, how to win and lose, and how to do their best and strive to improve. Their coaches all imparted these life lessons to their players—lessons that they have brought with them into their adult lives.

CCS truly helped form them for the future.

Michael Pettit was our English teacher my senior year in 1988-1989. He wore work boots, corduroy pants, and a white dress shirt every single day. He looked like Sting, the lead singer of the Police. His classroom was lined with strange, wondrous paraphernalia and shelves of battered paperbacks.

He gave away books and talked to students in the halls. His teaching method was quite different from what I had come to expect. His manner was quiet and meditative. He often repeated Socrates’ words at his trial: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” He posed philosophical questions that made me pause and reconsider. He made us write and write and write.

Ten years later when I returned to CCS as a teacher, many of my students were still speaking of Mr. Pettit in reverent tones.

Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

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Co-curricular activities are a vital component to a well-rounded education.

Synchronized swimming, fencing, body building, and archery were some of the more unique clubs offered in the mid-’90s.

David Stanton I had questions about how we were teaching science that was different from what I experienced in high school which emphasized evolution. As we built the curriculum, there were intentional efforts to integrate the study of science with what it seemed Scripture was saying. As we looked at exoskeletons and circulatory systems, we talked about God’s creational blueprints and thought about the way the Lord put the world together and has held it together.

In history, following the insights and guidance from Dr. Lou Voskuil from Covenant College, we followed the trail of history by figuring out what people mostly believed in their community.

He called it the “cultural ideal.” With the presupposition that men are worshipers, if that’s true, then the questions are, “What are they worshiping? What do they think about God? What do they think God expects them to do?” So the original questions that shaped our curriculum started with some very important suppositions about God and nature and so forth.

But we also wanted education to be a kind of hands-on experience. We had industrial arts, theatre, dance. We had sports from the very beginning, and that’s the main co-curricular I was involved with. We viewed them all as a continuation of our learning, so it was important for us to provide opportunities for participation and growth in these areas for all students from a range of interests and abilities.

DR. STEVE KAUFMANN, Parent & Board Member 1983 - 2000

Mary and I were privileged as parents to have all our seven children attend and graduate from CCS. Many teachers had a powerful and positive effect on our children throughout their school years. Three teachers, in particular, stand out in my memory.

Judy Rulon was a 2nd grade teacher for several of our children. Judy knew that loving them was key to drawing out all of their possibilities within, and our children did indeed blossom under her gentle and wise care. Her personal notes to all her students and her way of having students work alongside her on tasks in the classroom were key to helping students to feel valued.

Once when one of our sons was in middle school, I asked him what he liked about school besides sports. I knew he liked to play on the teams, but I wondered if he liked what was going on in the classroom.

He answered me, “Sure, I really like Mr. Steve Irwin.” “Why so?” I asked. “Because in Mr. Irwin’s social studies class I have to think.” Music to a parent’s ears!

Michael Pettit was a high school literature teacher who excited more than one of our children to love literature and poetry. Michael made words come alive and fired the imaginations of his students. Too often today, education is seen as a means to get a job. In contrast, Mr. Pettit saw education as a means to living well before God, and my children were among the many whose lives were changed for the better.

A Place to Grow

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1984 - 2009

CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | A Place to Grow

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JASON TRIMIEW, Class of 1995

What stands out the most to me about our years at CCS in the mid-‘90s was an openness to trying things that had never been done before. For me personally, there were so many new experiences: overnight spelunking with Mr. Jipping and Mr. Hiller, pickleball with Mr. Visser, and ballroom dancing with Mr. Stanton, all during the first Interim; service projects at the AIDS ministry, Channels of Love, sponsored by Mrs. Dotson; our junior class hosting the first off-campus joint prom and (gasp!) dance; our senior year holding our first on-campus soiree in the multi-purpose room; and the weekly meetings to craft the first Student Council Constitution with my CoPresident, Beth Dodson, and Mr. Mark Davis our senior year.

While I’ll never forget these moments, I’m even more grateful for the gratitude, independence, and boldness they fostered in us.

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Interim is a week in which students and teachers take a week off from classes to engage in a host of co-curricular activities. Since its inception in the early 1990s, CCS students have experienced the joys of international travel, outdoor adventures, and even motorcycle maintenance—just to name a few.

The program is still a vital part of the CCS experience.

Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

One of the most profound memories I have of the Lord’s work at CCS is the day airplanes hit the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. I remember Ms. Gordon coming to my door to deliver the news that the towers had been attacked. Realizing our lives were going to be affected by this event and that my students would have this moment ingrained in their memories, I wondered how to present this news to 9-year-olds. Amazingly, God had Alice Sikkema already prepared for this moment. The memory verse for the Teacher week was Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong Years of Service 1997 - 2019 and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” God had provided a perfect segue for me to present this news, I began as a 4th grade teacher at CCS in 1997. As I prepared for reminding my students and me that he is with us, whatever that first year, I immediately knew this was a very special place the circumstances, and we do not need to be afraid. His Word of community. What struck me the most was the foundation comforted us as we went to prayer on of prayer that preceded all things. our knees to ask for the Father’s help for We prayed as a faculty together each our nation in this trial. This day was also a morning, sharing our joys, concerns, Praying together gave chapel day. Again, God’s provision, as the and sorrows. Praying for each other us the lens of God’s eyes elementary children gathered together to and our students melded our hearts hear Mr. Bel announce the news of the together as we co-labored in our calling in viewing all as attacks and remind the students of the to teach and gave us the lens of God’s image-bearers of Christ. most important news: the good news of eyes in viewing all as image-bearers God’s sovereignty and faithfulness. What of Christ, thus shaping our thoughts, a gift to be able to speak God’s comforting truth in the midst of words, and relationships. CCS was a family of teachers and trials. I will never forget the way God provided for my students parents where joys were celebrated and burdens were carried. and me on that infamous day.

I saw this personally as a cancer diagnosis rocked my world in 2008. I was immediately surrounded by students, faculty, staff, and parents who upheld me in prayer, provided meals, wrote letters of encouragement, ironed clothes, and blessed us financially.

Through them, God showered us with His provision. They were the hands and feet of the Good Shepherd!

What a gift it has been to be a part of the CCS community.

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Ms. Sikkema’s 2001 4th grade class.

JULIE (DREXLER) JOHNSON, Class of 2007

My senior year we put on the musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” and we asked Mrs. Jo-Ann Irwin—our beloved chemistry teacher—to make a cameo in one number after hearing rumors that she “used to tap dance.” I'll never forget the moment she agreed to do it. After tap dance rehearsals in the tiled hallway (where we almost wiped out), she absolutely stole every show and performed like a pro!

A Place to Grow

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CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | Leading and Serving

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Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

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CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | Leading and Serving

LEADING AND SERVING | 2010 - 2020 It is a wonderful privilege to stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us to serve a new generation of CCS students—many of whom are children of CCS graduates. The opportunities that exist for students today have been created by all that has been done before us. In one sense, standing on those shoulders helps us see more clearly and anticipate challenges in the future. In another sense, the groundbreaking growth of CCS that happened before us tilled and loosened the soil beneath us, allowing us to dig deeper.

Because of the expansive growth of the 1990s and early 2000s, CCS has been able focus its thinking more intentionally, as a whole community, on how to add depth to the programs and services designed to equip students to lead and serve with distinction while representing Christ and seeking his Kingdom in all areas of the home, church, society, and culture. Doors have been opened to develop curricular and co-curricular programs and student support services that value the unique way each student bears the image of God while connecting them to the whole community.

God’s faithfulness through generations of students, families, and friends continues to make CCS “A place to grow” and a place to lead and serve.

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Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

Herm Bel 2010 - 2020

Lower School Principal Years of Service 1997 - 2012 While looking over the a recent mailing from CCS, I was stunned to see the progress that has been made in the eight years since I retired from there. The campus has been transformed into a place I hardly recognize. I had to look hard to make out the shape of the old buildings that I spent fifteen years in daily! It is so obvious to me that the generosity of God’s people to this school, dedicated to Him, has been remarkable.

What attracted I credit that to the movement of his Spirit in the hearts of many. He has truly blessed the efforts me to CCS of those who are now carrying the torch at this was the school’s point in our fifty-year history.

commitment to faithfully pursue the original vision.

What attracted me to CCS in 1997 was the school’s commitment over the years to faithfully pursue the original vision—that of helping parents educate their children to not only become knowledgeable thinkers but to see all of life from their Father’s perspective. In short, to become well-equipped life changers, the salt and light that our Savior spoke about. This was combined with a commitment to make this education available financially to all the Christian parents who desired it for their sons and daughters. It touched me to learn that the annual giving toward financial aid was over a million dollars in 2019!

That was the foundation of CCS, and I am so grateful that it still is. I am proud to say that I had a small part in this ongoing, amazing story.

An aerial shot from 1999 shows a markedly different campus without the multiple buildings and improvements made in the last two decades.

Leading and Serving

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2010 - 2020

CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | Leading and Serving

Bryant Black Teacher & Upper School Head Years of Service 1995 - 2019 Upon my arrival, I discovered a faculty committed to a meaningful, biblically-integrated, academic experience for students. I am confident students during the 1995-2005 period would affirm this observation, likely speaking of the quality of their experience within the different disciplines. After all, they had Lauren (Leutwiler) Delamater for art, Cal Sneller for math, Rhion Hiller for English, JR Caines and Beth Dotson for Bible and community service, Gary Lindley for history, and Doug Jipping for science, to name a few.

The academic quality of CCS during this period Time and is a credit to Barb again the world MacDougall’s leadership outside of of the Curriculum Council.

Barb’s commitment to a school demands coherent, K-12 curriculum problem-solvers, was reflected in her creatives, and drive to fully implement the Understanding by independent Design curriculum. This thinkers. framework revolutionized unit planning with its emphasis on the overarching ideas that unified our under‑ standing, and on the essential questions every student needed to confront as a political, economic, biological, spiritual, artistic and aesthetic, historical, and physical person.

“Why are we here?” “What is justice in the face of so much suffering?” These and many such questions paved the way for the recent development, under the guidance of Niki Ellis, of the “Graduate Profile”—a written description of who we desire CCS graduates to be.

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I assumed academic leadership in the Upper School in 2012 and was determined to maximize the learning experience for all of our students. With the aid of Michael Holwerda, each year we remodeled space to support tutoring, a writing center, and student support services, then introduced paint colors and shifted artificial light to “full spectrum” light in classrooms to enhance students’ learning. Nikki Arnold and I tackled the master schedule to provide teachers the best possible prep time and class alignment, worked weightlifting into the daily schedule to end early morning workouts, and shifted the school day start to 8:20. We developed a modified class schedule to increase meeting times for math and world language and to add an “Engage” period, enabling students in co-curriculars to access teachers during the school day.

We studied our stand‑ ardized test data. One disturbing trend caught my attention: the gender gap in science. Young men outperformed young women on the science section of the ACT. In response, we developed an honors science program in the Middle School, adopted a new curriculum, and used NWEA data to identify and encourage students demonstrating math aptitude to enroll in honors courses. Four years later, the gender gap was gone, and we witnessed the highest math and science performance by CCS students on the ACT. Academic development included a liberal arts core curriculum designed with pathways to allow students to pursue their gifts. Freshmen were given the opportunity to create a 4-year curriculum pathway around a liberal arts core program. Time and again the world outside of school demanded problem-solvers, creatives, and independent thinkers—a perfect outcome for a liberal arts education—and we answered the call.

Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

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AZELIA SIMS, Teacher 2014 - Present

Knowledge isn’t enough; we need understanding. In the Lower School we focus on meeting every student where they are to help them read for both knowledge and understanding—and joy! I adore teaching 2nd grade! It’s a pivotal year as we shift from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” in 3rd grade.

We recently moved to a Structured Literacy framework to teach reading, writing, and speaking. We’re teaching rules, concepts, and patterns purposefully instead of teaching phonics coincidentally or simply exposing students to literature and expecting them to master the content.

Structured Literacy instruction addresses the foundational elements important for reading comprehension, and it’s as important as the foundation on a house. It provides a well thought-out plan with all the concepts organized then combined—sounds, rules, word recognition/decoding, and oral language skills— like building blocks for a house.

All the blocks are all crucial. For students not accurate or confident with these skills, the building can only be built so high. So we take great care to help students become fluent readers who recognize words automatically, allowing them to read accurately, smoothly, and with expression. They then have time to focus on comprehension—on what a text is saying, making connections between what they’re reading and their own background knowledge.

Niki Ellis Academic Dean Years of Service 2016 - Present “Why are we learning this?” Rather than assume this question from students signals resistance, we believe they should ask it—and that we should be ready with an answer that is rooted in God’s design for his people.

At Creation, God called Adam and Eve to purposeful work of fruitfulness and dominion. After the Fall, Christ’s redemptive work on the cross equips us to continue this work, even in a fallen world. But what does purposeful work look like in a school?

In 2016 we convened a committee of teachers and coaches across the schools and divisions to articulate an answer: a Graduate Profile that describes our vision of graduates to grow as Lovers of God who seek Truth, serve others, and steward creation and culture. Every learning activity they engage in; every rehearsal or practice they attend; all they put their minds, hands, and hearts to—whether in 2nd or 7th or 10th grade—should be designed with this purpose in mind.

Beginning in 2021, the Senior Capstone Project will ask students to put this into action as they identify a problem of their choosing, develop a deep understanding of its complexity, and engage in redemptive response. This redemptive action is the “why” behind all the learning we do, whether as students at CCS or as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Leading and Serving

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2010 - 2020

CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | Leading and Serving

Michael Pettit Teacher Years of Service 1980 - 2018 “I have no greater joy than to know that my children walk in Truth…” (3 John 1:4). My deepest joy since I began teaching over 40 years ago has been to walk with children who long to be true. Perhaps no greater sadness happens in the human heart than to see a loved one walk away from a life that is true. And the Truth that sets us free is not an easy, “cheap” truth—but as C.S. Lewis called it, a “deep magic,” and the very “Secrets of the Kingdom of God” are at its core. This has been my passion these many years—taking that journey with such a great group of people here at CCS.

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JONATHAN KAPIC, Class of 2021

When I was diagnosed with dysgraphia and dyslexia, those were just two words that my family and I didn’t fully understand. When I came to CCS in 6th grade, Ms. Shonda Caines helped me understand the diagnosis and made my family believe for the first time that I could really do this. CCS has loving teachers that go out of their way to pursue students who learn differently or struggle with a disability. This gave me the confidence to confront a teacher if I felt a grade was reflective of my disability and not my knowledge and understanding. When I did this they supported me with wisdom and grace.

Jonathan (left) with Jack Hurley at 8th grade SOAR in 2016.

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Teaching is so much like a love story. You begin each year with a tremble and a panic, but always so full of expectations.

How will this go? Am I good enough? What if my passions slip? Always there is the thrill of the journey!

My deepest joy The anxieties, the routine, the moments, since I began the weeks...learning teaching has been names, discovering to walk with stories, entering the world of each student children who and walking with long to be true. them through fears, tears, angers, and insecurities...so many little ups and downs that characterize the tale. But always there is this great love unfolding, and the story’s love theme is written into every aspect of plot, characters, and setting.

And without exception, when May rolls around, there is this mutual exchange of affection, respect, and devotion that confirms the journey has been challenging but rich, and we have grown more into the Savior’s likeness. I love this. CCS has given me a lifetime of such loves. I cannot imagine a job harder than teaching to remain passionate about, focused on, and true to. I also cannot imagine a richer life or a better job than teaching.

Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

Doug Jipping Teacher & Coach Years of Service 1993 - Present I have a passion for understanding and teaching about the intersection of science and faith and have led students in examining this intersection through courses including astronomy, geology, environmental studies, biology, and physics. Science seems to be increasingly dominated by voices promoting atheism as a prerequisite for science study. Often, science itself is used as justification for this worldview. In class, students are able to

The driving force behind my teaching is that students would be able to apply logical, scientific approaches to truth and understanding in all areas of life. contrast this narrow worldview with the richness of a biblical understanding of the universe. Applying this biblical perspective to what we learn in science allows us to see the “bigger picture” of which this universe is but a small part.

The driving force behind what I teach is that students would be able to apply logical, scientific approaches to truth and understanding in all areas of life. In today’s world of relativism, my hope is that students are equipped to thoughtfully evaluate and respond to the different ideas and opinions they encounter, so that in the words of Colossians 2, they are “not taken captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy.”

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ANNA STROUD, Class of 2010

I was a senior. It was the final performance of “Fiddler on the Roof,” and we (the cast) were backstage, ready to walk on for bows. I looked over at fellow senior Michael Johnson, and he has tears in his eyes. We had done it; we had put together a beautiful show as a team. That show was the beginning of a dream for me: to be a drama teacher.

And now I am living out that dream.

I believe the Lord has called me to a career in education, and He sparked those initial flames at CCS. I had fabulous teachers who, I know, had this same conviction. Mr. Sneller, in particular, showed me what it looked like to pour your heart and soul into your work.

I spent many lunch periods in his classroom getting extra help on stats or geometry homework. He was patient and gave so much time to me and other students as we worked to understand the material.

But beyond that, I enjoyed school because I looked forward to connecting with engaging and pas‑ sionate teachers. They gave me a vision of what a life of teaching could look like, and I am eternally grateful.

Leading and Serving

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2010 - 2020

CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | Leading and Serving

Shonda Caines Director of Exceptional Education & Lower School Head Years of Service 2014 - Present

After 14 years at CCS as a student, then parent, then faculty spouse, I started working here in 2014, and I’m incredibly proud of the changes that have been made over the last several years in our quality of services for students of all abilities. As an alumna, I wanted to be here. I believe in Christian education, and that’s what my husband, JR, and I wanted for our children—but for all of our children, Emma, Jack, and Lou. Our son Jack was diagnosed at birth with Down Syndrome, and at the age of 3 he was diagnosed with Autism. In order to provide him with the best possible care, I began to devour information about Jack’s diagnoses. Through this journey of both life experience and formal education and training, I discovered a personal passion for education and an immense joy in working with students with disabilities.

So when Chad and the Board approached me in 2013, describing the vision and desire to serve an even more diverse group of students, and asked me to help the community move forward to that end, I was excited. I was ready to see this school that I dearly love take more steps to serve more whole families like ours. Having Jack at CCS in The Learning Center, while Lou finishes High School (and down the hall, Emma is teaching dance classes), is truly a dream come I see a school that true for our family, emphasizes that all and we represent the diversity of gifts and life is valuable and challenges within worthy, and we all many families in our have a place here. community.

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God knit each of us to‑ gether in our mother’s womb, and for the pur‑ pose of the Kingdom work we are here to do. That purpose is different and unique for each of my children, and it is different for each student here at CCS. It is my privilege to be a part of this work every day at CCS, and as I see our students growing and flourishing—whether they may be typically-developing or have significant physical or intellectual challenges—I see a school that emphasizes that all life is valuable and worthy, and we all have a place here. I’ve watched our community grow with student volume, campus structures, and programs, but also in our ability to embrace the diversity of the students we serve and to serve those students well. I believe that every day we are doing what God has called us to do.

The Learning Center opened its doors in 2020 with 6 students and 2 staff members.

The Learning Center better enables CCS to fulfill its early mission to provide all families access to a quality, Christian education.

Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

Joan Vos Teacher & Director of Academic & College Counseling Years of Service 1989 - Present My living room contains a beautiful, natural-oak bookshelf crafted by alumnus Mark Scott (‘97). As Mark navigated academic, emotional, and social challenges, he often told me how Mr. Fordice’s industrial arts class was like a ray of light in the darkness of difficult days. I shared with him how owning and reading books offered similar solace to me. From our different ways of coping with hard things, we hatched a plan: I paid for the materials, and Mark used his craftsmanship to build the stunning bookshelf that displays my treasured books.

What should I do and be‑ come after High School?).

Even with four academic counselors, three inter‑ vention teachers, and two spiritual care staff, creating a culture of success and meeting each student’s needs is a sobering yet rewarding responsibility that is never quite finish‑ ed at the end of the day.

Mark’s bookshelf reminds me that the central task of those who support and equip students emotionally, When Mark died suddenly after a brief illness in 2012, the socially, and academically hasn’t changed. Yet sup‑ bookshelf gained greater meaning for me. As I walk past it, I porting students requires an increas‑ wonder how effective I was at encourag‑ ingly webbed and collaborative ing, edifying, and equipping Mark. In his team approach that takes their needs High School years, our resources were so Supporting students seriously, in all their complexity. Though limited compared with today. requires an approach I didn’t know it at the time, Mark Like Mark, all 892 of our current Up‑ encouraged me, and his gift continues that takes their per School students have questions to remind me that student needs needs seriously, in and needs—practical (e.g., four-year haven’t changed—but the complex world academic plan) and existential (e.g., they exist in has. all their complexity.

Leading and Serving

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2010 - 2020

FIFTY YEARS OF GOD’S CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN FAITHFULNESS SCHOOL | |Leading A Place and To Grow Serving

Chad Dirkse President Years of Service 2010 - Present It is impossible to overestimate the effectiveness of facility decisions made by the CCS Board and administration during the early and growth years. From the purchase of a car dealership to the stewardship in the development of a campus that could accommodate more than 1,000 students with no long-term debt, the decisions made in the past have set CCS up for success well into future generations.

In early 2012, we began thinking about campus planning with an eye on two primary goals. The first was to enhance the campus with an emphasis on designing spaces where a sense of community could continue to blossom and grow. The second was to build shared spaces that would serve as places of learning and discipleship for the more specialized curricular and co-curricular activities we had begun to provide. The emphasis on stewardship established decades earlier remained, and we were able to construct inside and outside spaces designed to facilitate increased depth of programming and a broader sense of school spirit and belonging.

We were able to construct spaces designed to facilitate programming and an increased sense of belonging.

This planning led to the expansion of existing spaces and the creation of new ones, including David Stanton Field, the Power House, science labs, the Nancy B. Maclellan Building, outdoor courtyards, Bosworth Gymnasium, and The Learning Center. As each space was completed, we had the privilege of seeing families expand their connection to the mission and core values of CCS in new and exciting ways. At the center of that connection are the students, parents,

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faculty, staff, and administration whose work and dedication are amplified by the quality spaces we have been blessed to provide. Our hope is that future generations are able to build on these decisions in the same way we have been able to build on a strong foundation, rooted in the school’s historic mission and core values.

Students are seen gathering in the spaces that were created to encourage community.

Graduates linger in the Open-Air Pavilion after Graduation, fans cheer on the Chargers and participate in Homecoming at David Stanton Field, and upperclassmen cut loose at the 2021 Prom held in Holwerda Courtyard.

Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

Jim Arnold Middle School Principal Years of Service 2005 - Present You know you are blessed when you wake up, hit the ground running, and are eager to do the work that God has given you.

I am reminded of this each morning when our Middle School students enter our building. The levels of energy, excitement, and joy expressed by so many are contagious.

They exhibit an openness and a willingness that is a blessing as it reminds me that I, too, should be open to God’s work. There is something about the way a Middle School student can reset, refresh, or open themselves up to something new or something better. Their hearts are tender, and they have a wonderful way of recognizing their needs in ways that older folks often struggle with.

I think being real with students is important. They need to know that teachers and administrators need God’s grace and mercy— that we didn’t “use to struggle,” and now “have it all figured out.”

I learn from them as we work through challenging matters that call for a compassionate or empathetic response, and it has been my joy to watch God grow them through the triumphs, joys, setbacks, or challenges they experience.

It is great that they love my bald head, and they still laugh at my corny jokes! I love the Middle School!

SOAR is an outdoor education program focused on team building and new adventures. It’s a favorite Middle School tradition.

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NIC MATTHEWS, Class of 2014

Growing up as an Lower School student at CCS, one of my favorite things to do was go to basketball and soccer games and see the enthusiasm of students at the game. By our senior year in 2013, several friends and I realized we had lost that enthusiasm, and people went to games more to socialize than to support the teams. With the football team moving to the brand new turf field that year, it was the perfect opportunity to get people more excited about athletics at CCS. “The Storm Cell” started as a handwritten piece of poster zip-tied to the top of the bleachers and a few people committed to being as loud as possible during games and yelling “Bolt Up!” obnoxiously.

The Storm Cell slowly grew, and some of my favorite memories from our senior year are the trash can drum line at soccer games and the student section rushing the court after we beat Notre Dame in basketball. It is really exciting to look at CCS now and see the excitement that students get from supporting their classmates and know that The Storm Cell has played a small part in that.

The enthusiasm of The Storm Cell is stronger than ever. Students are seen above participating in a “white-out” as they cheer on the Chargers in the student section of Bosworth Gymnasium in 2019.

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2010 - 2020

CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | Leading and Serving

Chad Dirkse President

King School and The Learning Center, designed to expand the reach of a CCS education for whole families, will be two of many parts working together to unite all of our students in their differences and to equip them to see their vital and important places in the body of Christ. We are blessed by our relationships with Olivet Baptist Church in The King School and with Siskin Children’s Institute in The Learning Center and believe through creative partnerships like these, our students and families can be most effectively and holistically served.

Years of Service 2010 - Present These innovations, and others like them, are brought to life As I listened to the video interviews and read written submissions at CCS today because of the courageous commitments in that have been drafted to chronicle our first half-century, I have the early years, mission fidelity in the growth years, and often been stopped in my tracks. The 2020-2021 CCS school bold implementation in the current years. Providing access year has been unlike any other, but I find myself more drawn to to high-quality, Christian schooling to a diverse population what is the same over these 50 years than what is different. CCS of students and families is complicated by different chal‑ now represents more than 300 different churches, many of whom lenges today than in 1970, but the steps we take in this interpret some of the same passages regard require a similar measure of of Scripture in different ways, yet we thoughtfulness, wisdom, and prayer. remain wholeheartedly committed to our We don’t face the same implications Tension, properly founding theological and philosophical of segregation and desegregation like core values. The differences that come our founders did 50 years ago. We held, can serve as a with multiple church traditions relative to should, however, be open to the ways wonderful pathway to biblical interpretation and perspectives in which majority cultures can often on social and cultural issues can create misunderstand and adversely impact engage students with tension even among Christian families those in minority cultures even today. complex concepts and who hold many things in common. That philosophies. tension, properly held, can serve as a Our history has taught us many things, wonderful pathway to age-appropriately including how often we fall short of our engage students with complex concepts, ideas, and philosophies aspirations to be a home for each one of our students. We through the lens of God’s Word in an environment that safely will continue to step forward in faith, growing through the prepares them for the multifaceted world God has called them messiness of our missteps and celebrating God’s amaz‑ to serve. ing grace in good work done at CCS on behalf of each one And, like Joel Belz, Paul Gilchrist, and Jack Fennema, we continue to believe CCS should represent the diversity that encompasses the people of God. Over the years, the means and methods utilized to pro‑ vide access to underserved and underrepresented families have changed, but the heart of CCS established in the early years remains steadfast and true. Our hope is that innovations like The

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of our students.

Ms. Monica Jackson with students at The King School during its first year of operation.

Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

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STEPHANIE HAYES, Class of 2006 Teacher 2018 - Present

I experienced culture shock when I came to CCS in the early 1990s. I remember thinking, “Where are all the black people?” and struggling to fit in. CCS wanted diversity but wasn’t prepared for it. We didn’t talk about racial and cultural differences, and that silence was deafening. But in the silence you can hear more clearly the people cheering for you—like Ms. Becky Weidraayer, Ms. Rachel Meiste, and Mr. Bryant Black—who saw my pain, took me in, and mentored me. Their willingness to engage instead of ignoring or disconnecting shaped me and made me want to do that for others.

In 2016, Bryant Black encouraged me to visit, telling me CCS wasn’t the same. He invited me to a football game, and I remember walking in and seeing the sign for “Salter Gym,” named for Mr. Eddie Salter, a teacher who looked like me.

And the atmosphere at the football game felt comfortable and welcoming—like a big family gathering. It was at that moment that I recognized CCS was changing in its willingness to embrace the beauty of diversity.

After that I decided to accept CCS’s offer and continue my career here as an educator, working with High Schoolers, and enroll my daughter, Lillian. Looking back, I believe the struggles I experienced as a student were because CCS was not adequately prepared to assist students who did not fit a certain academic or socioeconomic mold. So I was excited to be a part of the process of growth as CCS continues to work to find a place for everyone and embrace racial and cultural differences. This is not a utopia, but there has been significant progress. My goal as a teacher is to love my students well, advocate for them, and cheer them on—and I want my students to feel championed by the CCS community.

Jeff Hall Lower School Principal Years of Service 1986 - 2004 After hearing about CCS from Gary Lindley, I was attracted by the school’s mission and joined the CCS community in 1986 as an elementary principal of the Lookout Mountain elementary feeder school. The feeder schools at Valleybrook Presbyterian Church in Hixson and Reformed Presbyterian Church on Lookout Mountain provided classroom space and also met a felt need of keeping elementary instruction closer to families’ homes. By 1988, however, both schools moved to the Broad Street campus from their respective churches. This allow‑ Sometimes ed families to have the best way a single destination forward is a for educational ser‑ vices when they had revisiting of children of varying ages. our historical In fact our four children grew up together on that roots. campus between 1988 to 2004. Nevertheless, the partnerships with churches were a necessary beginning for the elementary schools.

It is an encouragement to see that CCS has continued to grow in enrollment, facility, and programming. It is also heartening to see the current initiative to revisit church-housed elementary schools that emphasize family, education, diversity, community, and faith. The work at The King School and other similar schools addresses missional issues of access and diversity with innovative partnerships. These institutions complete a cycle of sorts, providing a CCS education through partner‑ ships, innovation, and outreach in a way that is reminiscent of CCS 50 years ago. Sometimes the best way forward is a revisiting of our historical roots.

Leading and Serving

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CHATTANOOGA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL | Thank You

THANK YOU

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Fifty Years of God’s Faithfulness

The teachers, staff members, administrators, Board members, and benefactors who founded, shaped, and contributed to the growth of Chattanooga Christian School over the past 50 years are legion. While we cannot name you all, we are nevertheless deeply grateful for each of you.

If nothing else comes from a celebration of 50 years is us remembering God’s faithfulness and the sacrifices that were made so that generations could enjoy a wonderful, distinctively Christian education, then that would be enough.

To all of you who put your heart and soul and finances and time into CCS from 1970 to now, please accept our sincere thanks!

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