by John Dowd, Editor
Hamilton Christian Academy (HCA) held an open house last week to reveal its recent campus enhancements to the community. The Hamilton Christian Academy is located at the former Grantsdale Public School.
Stephanie Beck, head of the school, was at the open house to welcome visitors and give them tours. Beck has been a part of the school since 1990, with a brief break in between. She stepped back into the head of school position in June.
Most of the renovations were finished over this past summer. Part of the enhancements included a new 1,600-square-foot building to accommodate a new library and dedicated space for music, art and visual art programs. Beck added that they are going to look into adding sound proof panels to improve the acoustics of the space.
The front of the Hamilton Christian Academy, complete with finished landscaping and sign. Photo by John Dowd.
The new structure was built behind the main building on the academy’s six-acre property.
“The new space is working wonderfully for music classes, and provides a new space for our worship band,” Beck said. “We also have a beautiful library, after not having a library at all the past two years.”
Also, prior to the new space, lunches, gym, music and more were held in the gymnasium. Now, they can better use the space.
Another huge addition was a completed major landscaping project.
“A local turf farm donated 25,000 square feet of sod and a landscape company donated additional sod plus 90 sprinkler heads, 12 trees, pavers and all labor, and a drilling company donated and installed a new well to support the sprinkler system,” said Beck. “We’ve had a total transformation of this old school property (an extreme makeover), and we’ve brought on some amazing new staff. People are really excited.”
They also improved the bathrooms, making five individual lockable bathrooms, and recently hired new staff, according to Beck.
The new building and other campus improvements were made possible through the support of donors, Beck says. A $75,000 matching grant from the Gianforte Family Foundation along with gifts from individual donors funded the new building.
“Over a dozen local construction companies were involved in the completion of the building, and many donated materials and labor,” Beck said.
Beck returned to her post this past June after retiring four years ago to take care of family needs. She had previously served the school for 35 years, including 13 years as head of school. In addition to providing leadership to HCA, she teaches a service-oriented class for fifth and sixth graders.
“The community and local businesses have come together to maintain this historical, faith-based school and continue its tradition in a quality manner. I feel that the joy of the Lord is our strength and that God is allowing us to create this place that children love,” said Beck.
Amongst all the changes, one thing has stayed the same and according to Beck, they never considered getting rid of it. They have retained an original mural, painted by a teacher and her students. The teacher was “Mrs. Holmes,” according to Beck, and the mural has been an integral part of the building since they purchased it. It is a holdover from the old Grantsdale school. According to Beck, “For a lot of people, this was a very special place.”
The mural created by Mrs. Holmes and her students when the school was still the Grantsdale School. Photo by John Dowd.
Hamilton Christian Academy is a faith-based school for kindergarten through 12th grade. They have been operating in the Bitterroot for more than 60 years and HCA boasts a 98 percent graduation rate. The private school started in 1963 at the Hamilton Assembly of God Church on Main Street in Hamilton and continues to be a ministry of the Assembly of God Church. The facility is interdenominational and nationally accredited. Since 2014, the school has been located at the former Grantsdale School building at 778 Grantsdale Road.
For information on the Hamilton Christian Academy, interested parties can visit their website at https://www.hamiltonchristianacademy.org or contact Beck at 406-363-4534.