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Carson City Christian schools team up for new year

Legacy Christian Academy’s Lewis the Lion stands with Benjamin Walker, 4, and his brother Levite Walker, 1, July 24 at the school’s open house event. Leeann Walker of Carson City, the boys’ mother, was looking forward to enrolling Benjamin this year in the school.

Legacy Christian Academy’s Lewis the Lion stands with Benjamin Walker, 4, and his brother Levite Walker, 1, July 24 at the school’s open house event. Leeann Walker of Carson City, the boys’ mother, was looking forward to enrolling Benjamin this year in the school.
Photo by Jessica Garcia.

By Jessica Garcia

Thursday, August 4, 2022

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When Legacy Christian Academy opens its doors to the public Sept. 6, every educator hopes the students and families coming into the property’s renovated classrooms feel like they belong.
Todd Ross, who will serve as principal and fifth/sixth grade teacher, previously was licensed to teach in special education and at the elementary level. Ross said coming to Legacy would be a great fit for him to support the community.
“Everyone that is teaching here has worked together in some capacity, and we just thought there was a need,” he said. “I got my license through Dr. (Lee) Conley at Eagle Valley Middle School in 2019, and he helped me with my administrator internship. I’m totally blessed in this community. That’s where I’m serving.”
Legacy’s board members and teachers welcomed families to view their facilities July 24 at 1600 Snyder Ave. and ask questions about they will offer this fall. The academy starts up for the first time with its biblical worldview curriculum from BJU Press for kindergarteners to eighth graders. LCA will offer a four full-day program Mondays through Thursdays and half-day Fridays with five instructors offering classes in music, art, physical education, robotics, horticulture and other subjects. Depending on resources, enrichment classes will be available, according to the school’s website, www.lcanv.org.
Carson City resident Leeann Walker, a mother of two sons, attended the open house to explore Legacy’s potential offerings for her older son Benjamin, 4. Walker said she already knew Joe and Sara Choat, administrators of the school, and feels comfortable with the staff’s qualifications.
“I came just because know there’s another Christian academy in the area piques my interest, and I wanted to come and see how Legacy ran and see if it’s a good for him,” Walker said. “He’s going to get the one-on-one he won’t get in a public school.”
The school is teaming with Grace and Wonder Child Development Center, its neighbor at 1620 Snyder Ave., sharing buildings that have been renovated with the help of Joe Choat, husband of Sara Choat, head of school and a former Carson Montessori teacher.
Building A, the site’s former worship center, currently has yet to be developed for use. Buildings B and C have been under renovation for about three months. Joe Choat and other volunteers helped to remove excessive furniture or junk and old carpet from the interiors, and new furniture was provided through a public surplus auction in Oceanside, Calif. Kismet Carpets installed baseboards, and the walls were repainted, moldings were restored and fixtures were replaced where needed.
To make the classrooms for infants, toddlers and young children safe and child-friendly, new rugs, furniture and play areas have been brought in with plans to purchase changing tables, rocking chairs and more to allow volunteers areas to rest with babies for naps or feeding. Husband and wife partners Pat and Megan Ulrich, who will serve as director and enrollment specialist for Grace and Wonder, said the upgrades will include swings for children to play, cots in rooms for older kids for naptime, an art area and bean bags.
Efforts to provide a STEAM-based (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) garden box outside Grace and Wonder’s classrooms will give children a chance to grow plants, vegetables or flowers, Megan Ulrich said.
“They can pick what they want to grow, and whatever they grow, they get to eat,” she said. “Sunflowers seem to be really popular.”
Grace and Wonder will use Reggio Emilia education, a Christian-based, Italian form of preschool centering on students’ abilities to learn in their environment through creative expression. Teachers typically document individual growth in expected behaviors in groups as students play with toys, eat together, perform curriculum-based activities as they take field trips, make presentations and ask or respond to questions.
Pat Ulrich said the campus’ physical transformation on the Snyder property in recent months seemed overwhelming at first, but taken “one step at a time,” now it’s coming together.
“I’ve been a teacher for 18 years all over the country at all age levels, pre-K to high school,” he said. “I’ve taught all over. The most recent was here in Northern Nevada at Huffaker (Elementary School in Reno). I really enjoy it. (Megan’s) background is in finance. We figured this was great for us. … We want kids to learn and to be seekers of knowledge.”
LCA board chair Larry Rodriguez said the community has been willing to assist the new school in its start and as it gets the word out about its efforts.
“We’re at 65 to 70% capacity of where we want to be,” he said. “The most important thing is just making sure the local churches are aware of what’s going on. And it’s just manpower, putting in the time and effort into the building and getting it up. The last thing we want is a church in the community to say, ‘We didn’t know about it.’ ”
LCA enrollment will continue until the school reaches capacity limits, which for now are 15 kindergarteners and 20 students in its remaining classrooms, Sara Choat confirmed.
For information about Legacy Christian Academy, visit www.lcanv.org. To learn more about Grace and Wonder Child Development Center, visit www.graceandwonder.org.

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