Open House for PDCPC’s New School Draws Enthusiastic Crowd

Educators and elders of the celebrated the expected opening its new school Thursday.

“This is an evening of new beginnings,” said church elder Bill Bramer, who is chairman of the church’s board of trustees. “What we’re going to see next fall is an extension of this remarkable school we’ve had for 30 years … with new students, new educators and new opportunities.”

Church officials said the school’s fall term will begin on Monday, Aug. 29, with a longer-than-average school day running from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. with additional six days beyond the public school year. They added that the school will seek to create a caring and safe environment in which students can grow in faith, character and intellect.

Held in the church’s Speck Center gymnasium, the open house event was the culmination of a 12-week effort by a concerned group of parents desperate to find a new school for their children in the wake of neighboring ’s announcement that its elementary school would cease operations at the end of this term.

One of those parents, Don Vandenbus, spoke highly of the reception his group’s effort received from the church.

“From day one, the church elders were sympathetic to our needs,” he said. “It was amazing to see them take on a task like this – I can’t say enough about how well they rose to the occasion.”

To the Rev. Doug Garrard, the church’s senior pastor, things seemed to fall into place by design.

“For many years, all of us in the church had been involved in strategic planning to expand our outreach efforts in some way,” he said. “Then I met the St. Margaret’s parents and realized this was the answer we’d been looking for.

“It’s hard not to think this wasn’t all part of some plan,” he added with a smile.

Academy of PDCPC officials are still accepting applications for the 2011-2012 school year.