By Terri Spilman
A new faith-based school for children in grades first through eighth will be opening at the Carmel Seventh-day Adventist Church, at 146th Street and 14535 Carey Rd. next year.
Following the one-room school format of many Adventist schools, child enrollment will total somewhere between 12 and 18 students and feature a curriculum that combines Bible-based academics with a nurturing environment and healthy lifestyle.
“We discovered the actual test results of one-room schools are higher than other schools,” said J. Marvin Whitney, superintendent of education for the Indiana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. “Part of that is because first graders will also hear the same lessons that sixth and seventh graders are doing. And you also have the tradeoff where older students can assist younger students and if you can help explain what you’ve learned, you can help explain it better than if you learned it on your own or by yourself.”
According to a press release from the Indiana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, Pastor Alex Rodriguez from the Carmel church and Carmel church school board chair and parent, Kelly Taitano presented their school proposal to the Board of Education stating that church members desired a private school and that they have received pledges already for registration and creation of the new school.
Adventist education is the second-largest denominational system in the world with the Carmel Adventist school joining 16 Adventist schools around the state including three pre-school and day cares, 12 K-8 church schools and Indiana Academy, a grade nine to 12 boarding school in Cicero.
The school will be a coed tuition-based private Christian school that is open to all faiths and will be accredited by the National Council for Private School Accreditation and the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists and thereby recognized by the State of Indiana. Staff will be hired next year.
Parents interested in registering for school next fall may call 853-9529 or e-mail [email protected].
