GRANVILLE – On July 23, the Community Christian School signed a five-year lease to use the building on 409 Main Road that was the former Granville Village School.
The new occupants of the building are coming from Westfield after spending 12 years in the Whip City. The Community Christian School started by using the New Life Christian Center on Dartmouth Street, followed by moving to a building of the old paper mill located at 39 South Broad Street..
Although the Community Christian School didn’t have an immediate intent to leave Westfield, the Town of Granville reached out to the organization months ago and it seemed like a great opportunity for them since the Granville Village School property features a good amount of recreational space.
“The kids don’t have a playground,” said Sarah Mestre, the Office Manager of the Community Christian School. “We feel like God is providing for our school.”
A non-denominational school that isn’t affiliated with any church, the Community Christian School is a three-day model but a five-day school. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, students attend the school and are in classrooms. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the students complete their assignments and schoolwork at home with a parent to supervise them.
“It’s been very successful,” said Mary Etta Grabowski, a lead teacher and elementary principal at the school. “You do need a parent at home so it’s not for everybody.”
Granville Town Administrator Matt Streeter is showing Community Christian School Administrator Tim Sheranko one of the classrooms at the Granville Village School. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
This type of schooling is under the USMI (University Schools Model International) that is certified through them and Mestre believes that model is a benefit for the entire family.
“We have a high academic standard, our kids thrive in the environment because there’s parental involvement,” said Mestre.
Besides needing a parent with the student on days at home, at least one parent needs to be a Christian in order to have their child attend the Community Christian School. According to Mestre, there’s no cutoff day for kids to attend the school, they’ll take new students right up to halfway into the school year.
A school that consists of preschool through 12th grade, there are currently around 90 students enrolled with 24 staff members, 19 of them being teachers. For the days that students are at the school, the day begins at 8 a.m. and children are dismissed at 2:45 p.m.
Students at the Community Christian School come from all over the area, including Westfield, West Springfield, Belchertown, Granby, Conn. and the surrounding hilltowns. The largest class at the school last year was their 5th grade class with 13 students.
Tuition at the Community Christian School is scaled based on the grade. Tim Sheranko, who’s the school administrator, said that the tuition ranges anywhere from $3,200 to $7,200 per year.
“Those are depending on what core classes students take and how many core classes students take,” said Sheranko.
Some students only attend the school for a short period of time in order to take a couple math or science classes.
With the closing of the Granville Village School at the end of the 2016-17 school year, the Granville community has had to cope with the loss of a school that many generations of families in town had attended. Despite that, some residents gave their opinion on the new school coming into Granville.
“I’m very positive about the new school system coming in and I’m very optimistic that it will be utilized the same way it was with the Granville school system,” said Sally Wheeler.
A former substitute nurse at the Granville Village School, Wheeler had two grandchildren attend the school and it was tough this past year to see the building vacant.
“That building made me very sad driving by and seeing it empty,” said Wheeler.
Matt Streeter, Town of Granville Administrator, is showing Tim Sheranko from the Community Christian School the history of the Granville Village School. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
Ronnie Stratton noted that she has heard some parents in town may be interested in sending their kids to the Community Christian School.
“I think that it’s great for the building to be used as a school again,” said Stratton. “I also think it’s great for the town because I don’t want the building to be vacant.”
Even though employees of the Community Christian School know that they can’t bring back the Granville Village School, they believe they can only continue what the school created over the many years.
“We admire the rich history of this town and this school building,” said Mestre. “We feel honored to carry that on.”
Last week, Town of Granville Administrator Matt Streeter gave a tour of the building to Mestre, Grabowski, and Sheranko. When going through one of the classrooms, Grabowski experienced just how much the school means to Granville and the opportunity that is now in front of them.
“It felt bittersweet coming in here because I walked into one classroom and written on the chalkboard was “I want our school back,”” said Grabowski. “I felt such a sense of loss for people in this community while at the same time feeling so blessed that were able to now come in and have our school be a part of Granville Village.”
The first day of school at the Community Christian School is set for Monday, August 27. Mestre added that they plan on setting up field trips for the students to experience the Granville community by going to the local orchards, The Gran-Val Scoop, and letting the older high school students go out to lunch.
