PLATTE -- The halls at the new Dakota Christian School will be bustling with students in two months, but Monday the school was already host to a flurry of activity as visitors toured the new $3.1 million facility during an open house.
Located in a rural area to the north side of state Route 44, about nine miles east of Platte, the new school will draw students from the Corsica-Platte area and will consolidate Platte Christian and New Holland Christian elementary schools with Dakota Christian High School.
The new school, which was three years in the making, will draw all the students under one roof and eliminate the need to support three separate facilities, said Ivan Groothuis, the school's outgoing principal.
Organizers and supporters of the non-denominational school say the new facility is a blessing.
"It's been more sweet than bitter to see a project like this come to fruition," Groothuis said. "(The community) saw a need for a school with Christian views."
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Barry Miedema will be the school's new principal. Groothuis said he will continue to be a mentor to Miedema and tie up "loose ends."
The 47,000-square-foot building, which is scheduled to open Aug. 23, could not have been completed without the support of volunteers and supporters, said Arnie Mulder, of New Holland, who was a part of the school's interim board.
Hundreds of local volunteers helped with just about every aspect of the construction phase of the building, including painting, cleaning and moving furniture and school supplies from the other schools to the new school, said Ken Overweg, of Platte, whose children will attend the new school.
Overweg said "God's hands" have played a major role in the success of the school. Just hours before the Thanksgiving weekend blizzard hit parts of South Dakota last year, crews finished building the roof over the school's auditorium.
And while some farmers and ranchers in South Dakota are affected by the dry conditions, Overweg said the lack of rain has been a blessing in getting the school ready for classes Aug. 23.
Until then, teachers will be organizing their rooms. That was the case Monday in the school's elementary library, where school librarian Lois Van Dusseldorp, of Platte, was describing the school's new automatic library system to tour groups.
The system will help library users find a book, and it will help librarians check books in and out. It will also send an e-mail to students and parents if books are overdue, Van Dusseldorp said.
The new building consists of a central auditorium/commons area surrounded by classrooms and activity rooms. The elementary and high school classrooms are divided into separate wings inside the building.
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The auditorium was designed with a stage area, four locker rooms and one main court area that can be split into two smaller court areas.
The school is nearing completion, though the kitchen has yet to be equipped with appliances. Landscaping around the building and playground installation also needs to be done.
