Rebekah Walker, 18, of Alexandria will not set foot in the new Trinity Christian School as a student.
Yet, the Trinity Christian senior not only attended the groundbreaking for the Fairfax school due to welcome its first students in September 2003, she joined two of her classmates in the singing of "Amazing Grace" during the ceremony held at the Braddock Road site on Sunday, May 19. Nearly 300 people attended the ceremony.
"My younger brother will be a senior when it’s built," said Walker, hoping to be a nurse in her career. "I still want to be involved after I leave. I think this brings unity to the school. We’re all spread out. It’s hard for a parent to drive to Centreville then Providence."
FOUNDED IN 1987 through the Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax, Trinity Christian School is an independent, interdenominational school that began with 41 students in grades one through three, said secretary of the board of trustees Katherine Weller during the ceremony. "We have grown substantially to over 400 students on four campuses for grades one through 12," she said.
Currently Trinity Christian leases space at three area churches as well as space in the Centreville Shopping Center. "I never heard of a school in a storefront," said the school’s director of advancement Steve Haney, whose job it is to cultivate donors and coordinate fundraising. The school, which receives no state funding, sustains itself via tuition and fees, as well as contributions and regular fundraising activities. "No church in particular supports us," said Haney.
Fairfax Station resident Tom Simmons calls himself "a friend of the school." He served as part of the original group "that came together to raise the money to buy the property in 1997. As part of the team soliciting for gifts, we raised $2.5 million in 18 months," he said. Simmons, a member of Truro, said, "I believe there is a need for Christian education."
"They already had the land when I arrived," said upper school art and graphic design teacher Deb Dayhoff of Fairfax, who is in her fourth year with the school. "It’s awesome to bring together all four campuses. It makes the job of a teacher easier and [helps us to] unify our vision for the students and pray together as a faculty," said Dayhoff, mother of Trinity Christian students Wesley, 11, a fifth grader, and Erin, 9, a third grader.
"This was an excellent program, and I loved the singing," said Trinity Christian senior Lynnette Underwood, 17, of Manassas. "This will strengthen us and help us grow. It will encourage more people and we’ll be bigger." Underwood plans to study elementary education at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California.
"This is a beautiful property," said student Rebekah Walker of the 26-acre piece of land on Braddock Road that will yield 33,000 square feet of classroom space for 500 students, led by headmaster Todd J. Williams.
"TODAY MARKS the culmination of a lot of effort by a lot of people," said Williams. "A school is much more than buildings, parking lots and lab facilities. Trinity Christian School will be known for more than that. Our mission is to educate students for the glory of God. We’re pursuing excellence for the mind and heart, as our motto says. This is an investment in the lives of the young people gathered here. God has been extremely gracious to us. We have much to be thankful for."
"This is a sweet moment, like a long hoped-for dream realized. So many people have been part of this process. It’s an honor to be a part of it," said James Beavers, headmaster from 1990 to 2000.
"This will be great for the kids. They’ll all be in the same place. The little kids will have role models and the bigger kids will have opportunities to serve," said Trinity Christian senior Alisa Coffey, 17, of Herndon, planning to study music at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois in the fall.
"We need a gym," said Walker.
"We need a chapel first – a place to have our services," said Trinity Christian senior Kristin Crocker, 17, of Alexandria, planning to study music education at George Mason University in the fall.
"I’m supporting this gym," said Ruth Crocker, Kristin’s mother and second year assistant to the upper school principal. "I think they should build the gym first and put the chapel in the gym until the chapel is built. I’ve seen how difficult it is to get gym space that is affordable for practices."
"We’ve been in gyms with leaky roofs," said Kristin Crocker, one of the three students to sing "Amazing Grace."
"It’s hard to host games. It’s important to have our own place," said Ruth Crocker.
"God is the central focus of the school. We need the chapel first even though I’m a big sports fan," said Walker, a fan of University of Maryland basketball.
Both a gymnasium and chapel are part of the capital plan for the new Trinity Christian School, said Haney. Phase I of the project is the classroom building, which will include a multi-purpose room, computer lab and science lab. Phase II, based upon fundraising, will include a gymnasium, chapel and library, he said.