Christian School to Mark Opening

The sign says it all.

A billboard in front of Centers of Learning, a Christian school on Haskell Avenue, reads, “The Future Site of Classrooms for Centers of Learning.” But someone had crossed out the work “future.”

Nine months and $1.5 million after construction began, Centers of Learning will hold its grand opening today. School officials are eager to let the community see what the tiny private school is all about.

Only 98 children from preschool through 12th grade attend classes, which average about 12 students per teacher, Principal Deby Grill said. Children from throughout the Valley attend the nondenominational Christian school, where tuition ranges from $300 to $400 a month.

Since construction began, some nearby residents have inquired, only to be surprised to learn the school has been around since 1974, Grill said. Centers of Learning began in a two-story addition to the nondenominational Church of the Living Word across the street.

“We were pretty well cloaked,” she said. “The new school has been a lot more visible.”

The new school has nine classrooms. Future plans include a tot lot, 12 more classrooms and a library. Several years down the road a gymnasium is expected to be built, Grill said. School officials are hoping they’ll have as much luck with fund-raising as they’ve had in the past.

Worldwide, congregations of Church of the Living Word donated money, financing about $900,000 for the project’s first phase. Magazine drives and boutique sales provided more funding and students and parents made up the rest by serving as studio audiences for TV pilots. Grill estimated they saw about 40 shows. The public is invited to today’s grand opening, which begins at 5 p.m. at the school, 8854 Haskell Ave.