The Elizabethtown Rotary Club met on Wednesday for their weekly luncheon and learned about some exciting things that are happening at the Elizabethtown Christian Academy. Rotary Assistant District Governor Butch Blanchard visited with the club members and Elizabethtown Christian Academy Headmistress Beverly Bridgers was the guest speaker for the luncheon.
Prior to taking over the helm of Elizabethtown Christian Academy, Bridgers had served as a teacher at Harrells Christian Academy where she retired. She is married to Dr. Stephen Bridgers and they have two grown children.
Bridgers said that after 26 years of teaching, she decided it was time to go home.
“I had to find something to do,” said Bridgers. she said she became involved in her church and then opportunity to serve became available through the position at the school.
“I am excited about the opportunity to serve the church through the position at ECA,” said Bridgers.
She related the history of how ECA came to be founded at Elizabethtown Baptist Church. Bridges said that Dr Wallace in 1961 had a vision.
“I didn’t know what the vision looked like and one day I was looking through some things in a storage room and found a framed picture. It was a drawing of a school building,” said Bridgers.
She related that in 1970 the church decided to open a day school program and it has been very successful over the years. In 2011, the church had a vision of opening an after school program, but Bridgers said when a team from the state came and looked over the facility, the inspectors said it was not suited for that type of program.
Bridges said then tornado hit and damaged building. She said that one year following the tornado, the church took on a mission of establishing a private school.
Bridges said each day students at ECA take a Bible class, they are able to submit prayer requests, and they are exposed to the word of God each day. Every Wednesday the school has a chapel program and there is always a visiting preacher who will come in and talk to the students. Bridges siad the school also holds an old fashioned Bible drill.
The school also has chartered a Middle School Beta Club, middle school Science Olympiad team and an elementary Science Olympiad team. The school has also founded a Battle of the Books team. Thanks to Raymond Marlowe the school is able to offer PE and his wife Christine Marlowe teaches art at the school. Mary Dowless has been busy creating a technology program and founding a library for the school.
Bridges said that lately, there has been some restructuring of the programming at ECA.She said that the program has been completely restructured to make it more academic.
“We want our students to be prepared for what they want to do,” said Bridgers.
ECA started as a K-5 and is currently K-8 school. She said they will not be adding a 9th grade next year unless she could get 15 or more students to enroll. Bridges said the school may add a 9th grade in another year. The school will also offer sports teams next year.
The current enrollment is 72 students k-8 and the after-school program enrollment fluctuates, said Bridgers. She added the in the preschool program: the two-year-old program has about 10 students enrolled; the three-year-old program has about 15 students enrolled; and there are about 20 students enrolled in the pre-k program.
“We are looking to field 15 students per grade level,” said Bridgers.
Financial assistance is available and tuition is about $4,000 per student. Parents can apply to see if qualify for help.
She also said the school teaches the students to be mission minded. She itemized some of the missions the students have taken on. Bridges said the Junior Beta Club is currently having a drive for hats, coats, and scarves for Dublin FBC for their mission trip.
Bridges said the school has a Missions Week planned in March. She siad one of the projects is to have students brining in their lose change in support of the program Feed Children Every Where. Bridges said to bring the program to ECA, the children had to raise $1,200. They will pack meals and that will be distributed in the United States.
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