A ribbon-cutting on August 6 marked the beginning of a new era for Sarasota Christian School as it celebrated the opening of a dedicated high school facility. The private K-12 school has been in operation since 1958 and began teaching high school in the ’80s. Joseph Stokes, head of school, says plans for a high school building have been in the works for over a decade.

“It’s very important for adolescents to feel like they’re a part of something and have their own community, so this is definitely a big step forward for them to have their own high school,” he says.

Stokes says a lot of the new school’s inspiration relates to faith and helping families who want Christian education combined with academics, socialization and physical fitness.

“Even in our textbook system, which is a biblical worldview, Christian families want options,” he says.

This new building project comprises four phases–the first with 13 classrooms now available to roughly 240 students attending the high school this fall. Stokes says there are both improvements in aesthetics and teaching environments.

“Having the student classroom space first is also a statement of priority–having these before the administrative area,” he says.

Construction of phase two will begin this fall with a science lab–which Stokes describes as a tremendous asset to the school–and four more classes, as well as the administrative area with six offices. Phase three will feature the auditorium that will sit around 450 people, and the last phase will include the cafeteria and kitchen, enabling the school to cook on campus and improve food delivery for students and staff.

“We have not skimped on square footage,” Stokes says. “We have made classrooms wonderful places for students to be in and for teachers to teach in.”

Now with a central location for high school classrooms and core subjects, Stokes says he thinks this new development will present a school people are proud of.

“It shows that this school, which has been here for 67 years, continues to improve its campus on our 25 acres,” he says. “We want our kids to be a name–never a number.”

Sarasota Christian School, 5415 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota, 941-499-8557