“We wanted to gain a broader support base so that we could increase our enrollment,” said Debbie Hotchkiss, a school board member. “We were concerned that as Bethel Baptist Christian Academy, the academy was viewed as maybe an exclusively Baptist school by some.”

Hotchkiss said despite the school’s name, Bethel Baptist Christian Academy represents some 20 different Christian churches. Although the school has a biblical curriculum, it is non-denominational.

CCA will function differently than BBCA in that the requirements for school board membership will change.

“It will have a board that is parent-led,” Hotchkiss said. “In the past, to be on the school board you had to be a member of Bethel Baptist Church. Now, it will be led by parents in the community that attend various churches, and the board will be set up so that not one church can dominate the board.”

Bethel Baptist Academy students are pictured here singing in a Spring 2019 concert.

CCA is a school where parents can aim to give their children a Christ-centered world view, Hotchkiss said. CCA also offers small class sizes, dedicated teachers who do teach “as a mission” and is not bound by the heavy standardization that public schools are but still has a good curriculum that stresses academic excellence, she added.

Unlike many schools affected by the pandemic, the former BBCA was able to maintain in-person instruction throughout.

“We had to submit to the state a plan to deal with COVID and keeping the building clean and sanitary and (mandate) masks,” Hotchkiss said. “We did that, and we were able to stay open.”

Through reorganizing and other efforts, CCA staff hope to increase those enrollment numbers.

“By offering an academically excellent program and by offering an option to what’s going on in the public schools with all the testing for the Common Core, we can hope to increase our numbers,” Hotchkiss said.

“There’s so so much testing that it takes away from instructional time, actually,” Hotchkiss added, “and I know that because I’m a retired teacher from the public schools. I think there are many advantages to going to our school.”

Hotchkiss also said Christian parents can be sure that their children will grow up to have the same values as them.

“It’s nice to have your children go to a school where they promote your values,” she said. “Those are the traditional kinds of values that you get from scripture and church.”

CCA will have a dedication celebration open to the public on Thursday, June 17, at 6:30 p.m. at its 200 Hunt Road location. There, area pastors will speak and offer prayer for the new school board, the first senior class of 2022, faculty, staff and their families.

There will be music performed by Dem Bones and the Praise Band of Bethel Baptist Church.

On Saturday, July 17, CCA is holding an enrollment event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Weidner Chicken Barbecue of Eden will prepare 400 complimentary take-out dinners for those taking a guided tour of the academy. There will also be two bounce houses for children.

For more information about the dedication celebration or enrollment event, call the academy office at 484-7420.