Crossroads Christian Academy is scheduled to open for kindergarten through eight grade students Aug. 19 at the intersection of U.S. Highway 2 and N.D. Highway 8 in Stanley.

Danita Bye, founding board member and acting administrator for Crossroads, said there has been interest in bringing a Christian school to Stanley for some time. The project began coming together after her father and local rancher, Fred Evans, was approached by a local lumberyard owner about buying the property. Evans made the purchase with the intention of seeing it converted into a school.

Bye said the school is not associated with any particular church or denomination, although churches have been a source of support.

“This is a community engagement initiative,” Bye said, noting that project board members are community leaders from all walks of life.

JILL SCHRAMM/MDN Crossroads Christian Academy is emerging from a former lumberyard at the junction of U.S Highway 2 and N.D. Highway 8 in Stanley.

Bye said support overall has been great because people are pleased to have an educational option.

“We want to offer the best for our children,” she said. “There are families that really do feel like the public school offers the best option for them, and I’m glad we have a good working relationship with the public school. Obviously, there’s a growing movement of home school that is spreading across the state and across the nation, and what we’re hearing from the community and parents is that they’re open to another option as they’re searching for this educational choice that will provide a high quality education in a school environment. So, that’s what we’re hoping to provide.

“There’s a model of education that’s growing exponentially across the nation and it’s called classical Christian education,” she added.

Classical education differs from the more common standards-based education. Standards-based education is designed for college and career readiness and emphasizes skills, performance and efficiency. Classical education is designed for lifelong learning and leadership and emphasizes virtue, critical thinking and purpose, according to a synopsis of the two styles provided by Crossroads Christian Academy.

“One of the things that I’ve observed over the last six years is that employers are looking for employees that can critically think, creatively problem solve, work with teams, have emotional intelligence that comes from working with teams and can take that leadership,” Bye said.

JILL SCHRAMM/MDN Crossroads Christian Academy is set to open in August.

The classical Christian model is designed to develop the workers, the entrepreneurs and the leaders who have those skills, she said.

“One of the other things that I think is unique about classical is that we’ll start teaching Latin in third grade,” Bye said. “It’s a language that helps with critical thinking.”

The school could have specific biblical classes, but the biblical worldview will be integrated into every class, she said.

What families won’t see in the classroom is modern technology, which doesn’t have a role in classical education.

A consulting firm assisting with the project persuaded the board to offer K-8 education rather than K-3 as initially considered. The expectation is to open with 24-30 students. It is anticipated the school will have at least two teachers and possibly more, depending on enrollment, along with classroom aides. The board is currently hiring staff.

The school also has been taking student applications, with interest from families across the region, including New Town and Tioga, Bye said. The board’s position is that no student will be turned away for lack of funds. A sponsorship program involving community and business donors makes that possible.

The remodeling of the former lumberyard, led by Mattson Construction of Minot, encompasses 12,000 square feet of the building. The school will be a secure facility with lots of window light. Bye said the board has imaged uses for each piece of space, but those uses could change as needed.

Another large space in the building will be available for recreational use and could be developed for other purposes at some future time. Bye said the existing space can accommodate up to 100 students, and the lumberyard property has room for an expansion that could bring capacity to 250 students.

Interest in the classical Christian education model is growing and has sparked a movement in North Dakota, with schools or proposed schools in Fargo, Jamestown, Bismarck, Mandan and Dickinson. Additionally, interest exists in other parts of the state, Bye said.

According to its consultants, Crossroads Christian Academy’s mission stands apart even in the classical education realm.

The extent of the vision for leadership training, beginning in kindergarten, and the school’s emphasis on serving families as well as students sets the school apart, Bye said. Crossroads also will embrace a unique “5G culture” that seeks to generate grit, gratitude, generosity, growth and grace in its students.