Heritage Christian Academy in Picayune is ready to ring the school bell after its grand opening, set for August of this year.
Brooks Wallace, one of the incorporators of the school, spoke to the Rotary Club of Picayune on Wednesday about the steps the school has taken to move from its temporary facility at First Baptist Church in Picayune to its new facility, being built on Richardson Road.
Heritage Christian Academy first opened in 2014 for students in grades kindergarten through 2nd as a way to give children a “first class Christian education,” Wallace said.
Each year since, the school has added another grade level and plans to offer instruction for students from kindergarten to 6th grade by the time the new facility opens in August, he said.
The design of the new facility allows for future expansion, with the goal to create facilities for elementary, middle and high school grades as well as athletic facilities and a cafeteria.
The school offers a mixed curriculum that features classical themes in both literature and Latin, which is introduced in 3rd grade, Wallace said.
In September, the school achieved certification through the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools, which enables students to participate in athletic and academic competitions across the state, he said.
With a low student to teacher ratio—limiting kindergarten classes to 18 students—Wallace said the environment of the school for both students and staff is what sets it apart.
“Everything we do and everything we teach is done through a biblical worldview,” Wallace said.
In building the new campus, the school hopes to increase its current enrollment from 68 students, he said.
A Christian education is a priority for a lot of people, Wallace said.
“The school is a total separate entity from First Baptist Church. The school is for the community, not for one church or one particular denomination,” he said.
Private donors, tuition and fundraisers fund the school exclusively, Wallace said.
He compared the school’s tuition, $4,250 a year per student, to the average amount spent on a student in public schools, $10,000 per student in this area.
“We don’t take any shortcuts in quality,” Wallace said.
He said the few students that have left the school did so because they moved away from the area.
Wallace also said the school is good for the community from an economic development standpoint because it provides variety to the educational options for employees of potential companies looking to locate to Pearl River County.
Upon opening the new facility, Dr. Jeremy Williams will become Head of School, Wallace said.
Williams has a Ph. D in philosophy, is the pastor at Goodyear Baptist Church and currently teaches 6th grade at South Side Elementary School, Wallace said.
Registration for the 2017-2018 school year has begun, with spots still open for 3rd, 4th and 5th grades. A waiting list is available for other grades, he said.
For more information, visit hcapicayune.com.