A new scoreboard has already been installed at the school.
photo by CCS
After years of discussion and research, the Chattanooga Christian School board of directors approved the addition of football to the school's program. CCS has been researching the positive and negative effects of adding such a program to their school's mission for several years.
The move comes with some pressure from both sides of the ball.
CCS President Don Holwerda, Athletic Director John Visser and the board have considered all the effects that such a large program will have on all aspects of the school.
The board came up with provisions and protections to keep the program
"in its place"
"It is a big program and we understand that," Holwerda said. "But, we feel like it fits with the mission of the school. It will bring many positive aspects to other programs at the school including weight training, wrestling and even the fine arts. We are not adding the program to increase our enrollment. We are adding the program because we feel like our students can benefit from it."
The school plans to add a middle school team next year and will expand
to the JV level the next year. By the year 2009-2010, the school will have a full varsity program.
After playing a JV schedule and a non-region schedule, CCS will be in
the same region with the likes of perennial powerhouses Boyd-Buchanan
and Tyner.
Athletic Director Visser says the program needs to begin slowly.
"We hope by the time we are a full varsity program we will have our feet under the program and we can be competitive," he said.
Building plans include bleachers and a field house. The team will play games on what is now the middle school soccer field inside the high school varsity track.
The school plans to raise $100,000 for the initial cost of starting a program. Half of that will go into the fund "For Excellent Teachers" capital campaign which is currently underway.
"Our first commitment is to our academic program, hiring quality teachers and providing an excellent education from a Christian perspective. That is what we do and that is not changing," said Holwerda.
"We are currently interviewing candidates for the head coach position," Holwerda said. "We have had a lot of interest and interviewed some good candidates."
“The demand for excellent Christian education offered at CCS is high,” adds Holwerda. “Our mission, ‘to provide a quality educational program from a Biblical perspective, for children from Christian families, designed to prepare students to influence culture and society for Christ', is our number one priority."
The school, which is currently debt free, recently built a new high school wing and had added to the middle school previously.
CCS is the largest private school in the area with over 1,000 students in K-12.
The high school enrollement is just under 400.
Silverdale Academy, Grace, David Brainerd and Tennessee Temple Academy have all started football programs in the last 2-3 years.