Richmond Academy’s new digs fitting nicely

School leaves leased office space behind for larger new home

BY REBECCA HELMES

STAFF WRITER

Richmond Academy welcomed the new school year in a new building.

On Friday afternoon, students laughed and kicked a ball among one another in their school’s new gym -- an amenity they didn’t have in the office space they used to lease for classrooms.

The school’s new 10,000-square-foot facility is now attached to Living Word Christian Fellowship at 1900 W. Main St. It is accredited for pre-K through 12th-grade.

“Things are wonderful,” Headmaster Chad Ross said. “It’s definitely more like a school now.”

Although Richmond Academy is not affiliated with any church, Ross’ father leads Living Word. Ross said his father has been extremely supportive of the school.

In early 2006, school leaders knew they would need more space for this school year. They looked into leasing more space, but stopped when they realized they could build for only a little more money.

They started working with a contractor in March and, after months of hard work putting the building up, school started on Monday. Now the academy, which is starting its fourth year, has an office area, gym and five classrooms.

The contractor did the foundation and framing work, while about 50 volunteers did basically everything else. Ross said people worked there 12 and 14 hours per day throughout the summer. The school hasn’t finished its landscaping yet and a temporary sign is outside the building. But the inside of the school is finished.

Pat O’Neal and his son Patrick both donated their time to the school, doing things like installing drywall, framing and insulation.

“There’s no way we should’ve gotten it all done,” Pat O’Neal said. “It was something. A lot of community involvement.”

Patrick O’Neal, a senior at Centerville High School, attended Richmond Academy when it was housed in the leased office space. He is attending Centerville High School this year because Richmond Academy didn’t have some of the classes he needs, but he likes the new building and speaks well of the school.

“It was a great environment because it was basically one-on-one with the teacher,” Patrick O’Neal said.

Ross said the school is grateful for all the help it received along the way, including from volunteers and even Richmond Mayor Sally Hutton and other city leaders for help with planning and zoning issues associated with the project.

Richmond Academy already has seen its enrollment grow. Last year it had 24 students. This year Ross said it has 32. It has four teachers.

‘There’s a lot of room now for more students,” Ross said.

Originally published Tuesday, October 3, 2006