Strong Rock Christian School - Locust Fork, Georgia
By: Jennifer Walker - Journey
David Mann was on a mission to answer a prayer.
Five years ago, he had been approached by a friend, Georgia subdivision and office park developer Doug Adams, to envision the perfect school. Mann would not only take into account the school’s educational and spiritual missions, but also its physical design, and how those important factors could work together to positively impact the community in which it would be built.
It was a daunting task, but Mann was committed. A father himself, Mann knew there were unmet educational needs. He sought the opinions other parents, teachers, students, and education leaders. The wish list was long, but he refused to put boundaries on his vision. He gave the project up to God, and “God created miracle after miracle,” Mann said. The concept was beginning to look possible.
Mann teamed up with Adams and his brothers, developers Larry Adams and Danny Adams, and identified a location for the school. The proposed site was 168 acres in the quiet town of Locust Fort, Georgia, just outside Atlanta, on the southern edge of Henry County – one of the fastest-growing counties in the state.
The team also interviewed architects and selected Joel Aycock with JEA Architects in Kennesaw, Georgia, to design the master plan. Aycock had designed several churches and Christian schools in the South, and was honored to be a part of what would become Strong Rock Christian School.
“They had specific goals of what they wanted the school to look like and the number of students at each grade level,” Aycock said.
He took that information and started researching other Christian and educational institutes throughout the country.
“We witnessed firsthand how exceptional leadership and family involvement, combined with financial blessing, could transform education,” Mann recounted.
Touring other campuses provided a wealth of ideas, both in the areas of education as well as building design.
“We took different ideas and put them together. We also put in a lot of our own ideas,” Aycock said.
The end result was a four-phase master plan that met the impressive long-range building plans of the school.
The education program was based on Christianity with a strong emphasis on inspiring children to lifelong service for Jesus Christ through missions. Academics were complemented with a strong focus on arts, music, and athletics.
By April 2006, ground was broken for the first phase, which included four buildings – two academic buildings for up to 850 students; a building to house a gymnasium, band room, art rooms, and science labs; and a cafeteria that also would contain a technology center, computer lab, library, and television studio. Classrooms were designed with state-of-the-art technology in each classroom.
The expansive grounds also were designed for use with two outdoor classrooms and an outdoor amphitheater with 3,000 permanent seats and lawn seating to accommodate 1,500 people. The amphitheater, with a covered sound and performance stage, would offer outdoor concerts, plays, musicals, and school ceremonies.
Athletics also was emphasized in the first phase with a combination football, soccer, and track-and-field stadium; softball and baseball facility; and two football field-sized practice areas.
Just a year and a half after breaking ground, Strong Rock, which by now had named Mann the president and chief executive officer of the campus, began the 2007-2008 school year with 370 students ranging from K-4 to 10th grade. This fall, Mann anticipates an enrollment of 650 students and will expand to full-day pre-K through 11th grade. Twelfth grade will be offered beginning with the 2009-2010 school year.
In January, Mann said the school will begin on the second phase of the master plan, which includes four more buildings. These will house the Academy – one building for grades five and six, and the other for grades seven and eight. The third building of this phase will include a gymnasium with a weight room, wrestling center, and large basketball arena that seats 1,500. Fine arts and science labs also will be incorporated into the plan. The fourth building will offer a second cafeteria, technology center, and library.
The athletic aspect in phase two includes a baseball and softball stadium, tennis center with 12 lighted courts, and a 3,000-seat multipurpose arena for indoor athletic events. This structure also includes a reception facility with banquet seating for 1,000 people.
A third phase focuses on the high school, with a vocational facility that will house an auto body shop, wood shop, and centers for horticulture, cosmetology, and business. A fine arts facility will offer music, art, and drama departments. Planned athletic facilities include a 7,500-seat football and soccer stadium, a gymnasium with a wrestling center and three practice courts, and a 12-lane Olympic-sized pool. The athletic facilities also would be open to parents and the community. This phase also includes a 3,200-seat Center for Arts and Worship.
The fourth phase includes adding a learning center for infants up to school-age children and an assisted living facility for the elderly. Plans also include a four-year college offering degrees in education, business ministry, and student ministry.
“They’re aggressive and willing to put money into the school, and it really shows,” Aycock said.
Looking ahead to the future of the school, Mann says building Strong Rock to be the largest Christian school in the country is an attainable goal. The most important thing, however, is ensuring that Strong Rock students receive the best education and foundation on which build a tradition of serving others.
Fast Facts
School: Strong Rock Christian School
Location: Locust Fort, Georgia
Denomination: Non-denominational
Student Body: 850 students
Grades Serves: Pre-Kindergarten through 11th grade (2008-2009 school year); Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade (2009-2010 school year)
Project Goal: Build a new Christian school that would met unmet educational needs and positively impact the community.
Size: Phase 1 – 118,000 square feet
Cost: Phase 1 – About $12 million
Challenge: Designing a plan that would meet all of the school’s immediate needs yet offer a plan for future growth
Solution: Extensive research, interviews with other educators, and visits to other Christian schools throughout the nation provided ideas that were used in the four-phase master plan.
