Calvary Christian School held a groundbreaking ceremony for its $4.75-million Arts and Technology Center on June 8. ’When I came to the school in 1998, the church wasn’t completed and the sports field wasn’t built,’ Head of School Teresa Roberson told students, teachers and parents at the ribbon-cutting. (The school opened along Palisades Drive in 1989 for kindergarten through fifth grade, with the middle school following in 1993, the church sanctuary in 2000 and the sports field in 2003.) The latest building, scheduled to open in September 2012, is a three-story 6,800-sq.-ft. facility, located between the children’s ministry building and the main school, and below the artificial-turf field. Roberson and then-assistant school head Kay Wadsworth initially developed the vision for the building 10 years ago. Palisadian Tony Ramsey volunteered as project leader, orchestrating the architect (Los Angeles-based Shepphird Associates) and the construction company, Matt Construction of Santa Fe Springs. Ramsey and wife Julie’s two older children, Jack and Henry, graduated from Calvary and are now at Oaks Christian, and daughter Grace is a sixth grader at Calvary. On June 8, incoming Board of Trustees Chair Mike Van Konynenburg quoted librarian Suzanne Baraff on why the building and an expanded technology program are important. ’We are digital immigrants and our kids are digital natives,’ Baraff said. ‘We are new to the technology, but they have never had a day without the Internet or Web.’ Once completed, the library/technology center, located on the top level, will have 22 Mac computers, a PC lab, a ‘green screen’ room for video productions and movie making, a sound booth for a garage band, and an ‘exploration station’ where students can learn about computer hardware. Skylights will provide natural lighting. The second floor will contain a performing arts studio, with space for music classes, theater and dance. There will be a raised platform performance area, flexible seating for up to 105 people, dressing rooms, a small stage and an acoustically tuned ceiling. The fine arts center at ground level is a flexible, loft-like space with sealed concrete floors, moveable partitions, a ceramics kiln and an area for art exhibitions. Additionally, each of the areas on campus that are now used for arts, library and technology will be refurbished and used for an expanded science laboratory, a science lecture room and a new exercise and workout studio. ’It’s our last year at the school, and it’s been amazing,’ said Robert Peddicord, outgoing chair of the board of trustees. ‘It’s great to see the campus grow.’ As students raised their glasses of sparkling cider in a toast, Mark Holscher, vice chair of the CCS Foundation, said: ‘Once the building is done, you won’t have homework ever again.’ When the students’ applause died, Roberson smiled and said, ‘I just want to remind you that Mr. Holscher is not in charge of the school.’
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