Rockford Sun

Planned expansion at Rockford Christian Schools, announced in November, are needed for the private education system to further its mission and has been a long-time coming, a Rockford Christian Schools official said during a recent interview.

"We've had long-term plans and we've needed the extra fine arts and the recreational facility for athlete training," Rockford Christian Schools Superintendent Randy Taylor said during a Rockford Sun telephone interview. "We've wanted this for a long time. It has been on the drawing board. This is just the fulfillment of a dream."

The expansion plans, announced by the school system in a press release issued Nov. 20, are expected to include an indoor fitness and recreation facility, arts center and residence hall. The expansion is expected to enhance Rockford Christian Schools’ college-preparatory experience "and serve as a home for students from around the nation and the world," the press release said.

In particular, student health, fitness and socialization will be supported by the planned indoor fitness and recreation facility, according to the press release. 

"In addition to bolstering Rockford Christian School's strong athletics program, the indoor fitness and recreation facility will offer a safe gathering place for students after school and an additional destination to be utilized by students, teams and families on evenings and weekends," the press release said.

"The proposed 16,000-square-foot center for the arts will further Rockford Christian Schools' nationally recognized fine arts program. The center will include additional fine arts classrooms and an 11,000-square-foot theater for school and community events."

The planned residence hall will also be an expansion of the school system's missionary outreach and a means to strengthen Rockford Christian Schools' "position as a preferred choice for elite faith-based, college-preparatory education," the press release said.

The planned expansion is not expected to take long to complete, Taylor said during his Rockford Sun interview. 

"We are planning to have it completed in the 2018-2019 school year," he said.

The decision in favor of the expansion was driven by trends observed in school districts across the country, in addition to feedback from the school board, and the need to attract students from farther away, Taylor said. 

"And, really, the very fact that Rockford is shrinking," he said. "We have a great program; we need to be about marketing it beyond a 30-mile radius."

That need to attract students from farther afield helped make the decision to move ahead with the expansion a no-brainer, Taylor said. 

"With the residence hall, that's the only way really that we can truly expand," he said.

"So many private Christian schools across the country have done this. It's the only way we can expand on our ability to carry out our mission."

The expansion is being made possible through a cooperative initiative with Summit International and costs are not expected to come out of tuition or fees, according to the press release. 

"In fact, anticipated growth in the student population, especially residential students, will help keep tuition reasonably priced and fund local scholarships for Rockford Christian Schools," the press release said.

Rockford Christian Schools is a private, nondenominational Christian school "run on the principle that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God and that it provides guidance for all aspects of life," according to the school system's website.