Cornerstone Christian Academy
By: Frances Putman
When construction was underway at Cornerstone Christian Academy of McLean County in 2003, there were various signs posted by subcontractors, but the largest had been placed by the school itself.
“This Project Is Made Possible By the Power of the Lord God Almighty,” read the sign on the 78-acre site in Bloomington, Ill. And it’s something school leaders still proclaim.
Cornerstone Christian Academy is a true example of a school built on faith. Opening in 1997 with 45 preschoolers, the independent Christian school grew to include pre-school through middle-school grades by 2002, with students housed in as many as three different rented spaces at local churches. When a donor gave Cornerstone 78 acres of land in 2000, school leaders prayed for direction, finally opting to build a new facility.
“We started the process before we had money or financing,” said Becky Shamess, the school’s administrator. “We believed God was calling us to step out in faith even before we knew where the money was coming from.”
Some architectural and construction firms might have shied away from a project without stable funding, but Aspen Group, located in the Chicago area, was willing to work with school leaders.
In January 2001, the firm, which specializes in churches and Christian schools primarily in the Midwest, began designing and planning the new facility. And those involved with Cornerstone Christian Academy continued praying fervently for needed funding.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held in May 2002, though the school still had no financing and only about $1 million in liquid assets.
“They told us to build to that point and stop,” said Brad Eisenmann, vice president of project development for Aspen Group, recalling a short hiatus in January 2003. “We had formed a partnership, and we were willing to work with them.”
In fact, both Shamess and Eisenmann are struck by the relationship that formed between the school and its construction firm.
“Somewhere along the way—very quickly—they became our friends,” Shamess recalled. “They prayed with us and for us and operated always with the highest degree of integrity. We knew what to expect at every step of the way.”
In February, the school received financing to supplement its capital campaign pledges, and construction continued at a normal pace.
On Thanksgiving weekend that year, 200 volunteers came out to help the school move into its new $4.8-million, 52,000-square-foot facility. Right now, the school has 418 students in three-year-old kindergarten through 10th grade. Additional grades are being added each year, and the school expects to graduate its first senior class in 2007.
“You don’t see a lot of $5 million Christian schools popping up,” said Eisenmann. “There’s something special happening at Cornerstone.”
Because funding was and is a major issue, Eisenmann said his company designed a master plan, encompassing 100,000 square feet, from which the school would be built in several phases.
“Phase I is a multi-purpose facility with movable walls,” he said. “The school is clearly designed so that wings can be added on without a lot of difficulty.”
What is now a rectangular-shaped core will later be augmented with four wings. All 27 classrooms in the current facility can easily be reconfigured. The gymnasium and administrative offices are the only areas expected to remain the same throughout the building process.
An upper-tiered seating area above the gymnasium now serves as a lunchroom. Once a cafeteria is built, this area will hold additional bleachers.
“One of the classrooms now functions as a library,” Shamess said. “What will one day be an instrument storage room is now our computer lab.”
Eisenmann said his company looked for ways to save money for the school without sacrificing quality. The steel building has a split-face block exterior that is both attractive and functional, will last indefinitely and requires very little maintenance.
A geothermal heating and cooling system was installed to conserve energy and save on costs. Working much like a regular heat pump, the system uses the earth’s nearly constant underground temperatures to warm the school in the winter and to cool it in the spring and late summer.
“They were able to get a grant for this system from the state of Illinois,” said Eisenmann, noting that the state was encouraging use of the systems.
He said one of the main reasons the Cornerstone project was so successful is that leaders planned ahead. Shamess said she and others involved with the school made a loop through Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, looking at as many schools as they could that housed K-12 students on one campus.
“I would advise others who are thinking of building to take the time to look at other schools and talk to those who have been through the building process,” she said. “And get on your knees (to pray) and stay there.”
Eisenmann advised that anyone considering a building project should get professionals involved early on.
“Don’t wait too long,” he said, adding that usually it will save money in the long run to have professional help throughout the process. From the time architects become involved, it may be two years or more before a facility is completed.
Aspen Group, www.aspengroup.com, is part of FBi Buildings, which was founded in 1958 by Edwin A. Bahler, an entrepreneur and lay pastor. Located in Frankfort, Ill., the firm specializes in church and Christian school projects.
