Building on a Firm Foundation

Eastern Christian School has been blessed with decades of wise, forward-thinking leadership in its board of directors and administration. As a result, we have a strong, established school with excellent facilities on 42 acres of land across three campuses.

Eastern Christian is not only the oldest and largest Christian school in the tri-state area, but it is also one of the fastest-growing. More and more families are choosing EC for their children’s education and faith formation. We have witnessed surging enrollment over the past decade, growing from 700 students to nearly 970.

Over the past two years, the school board, administration, as well as select staff and faculty members, have explored many options to address this enlarged enrollment. As part of our in-depth strategic planning process, we’ve determined it is time to add six classrooms in Wyckoff, allowing us to serve with excellence our entire student body.

Building addition highlighted

In 1959, when the Wyckoff campus was constructed, the leaders of our school made a bold and wise decision. The building was designed in such a way that an addition to Wyckoff would be part of the campus master plan when needed. That time is now. This new wing on the back of the Middle School building (adjacent to the upper field) will serve our growing enrollment. This addition is the capstone of our strategic plan, allowing us to steward well our facilities and resources to meet immediate and long-term needs.

To this end, we were thrilled to announce at our Auction Gala on April 4 the launching of the public phase of our capital campaign, Building on a Firm Foundation.

The campaign includes a cash goal of $3 million to be received over three years to help cover the $4.5 million needed for the building project. In addition, EC has included a $1.7 million planned and estate goal in the campaign, for an overall campaign goal of $4.7 million. The quiet phase of the campaign began at the start of this school year. Between September and March, Head of School Ruth Kuder and Executive Director Maura Byrnes met individually with 60 individuals, couples and businesses, inviting them to support this campaign. By mid-March, the Lord had blessed EC with approximately $2.8 million in cash and pledges for the addition, as well as $1.7 million in signed commitments of future estate gifts, for a total of $4.5 million.

The plan is to maximize philanthropy and minimize debt, so we are continuing to reach out and invite more people to invest in our students. “We want to have everyone’s fingerprints on this project,” says Kuder.

“A gift to Building on a Firm Foundation, is about covering the costs of the new educational wing, but at its core, it is truly an investment in our students – in their faith formation, in their boldness in sharing the gospel, and in their ability to carry out God’s mission of renewing all of creation,” says Byrnes. Chief Financial Officer Rick DeBel remarks, “By inviting philanthropic support, we can minimize financing. I’m delighted that in time we will be able to remove the modular classrooms and eliminate those costly rental fees. But, most of all, this initiative is about providing excellence to our students now, while preparing to offer even more enriching opportunities for future generations.”

Suzanne Kraai, director of enrollment, shares, “Joyfully, we pursue the opportunity to build high quality facilities to serve our student population as they move through our school district over the years, helping us to steward a long-lasting, healthy enrollment.”

Rendering of addition hallway

According to Dr. Dan Lazor, upper elementary and middle school principal, “The bold investments made through the Building on a Firm Foundation campaign will keep EC on an ascending trajectory for years to come. We are determined to settle for nothing less than giving our very best for God’s glory.”

With the creation of this new educational wing in the middle school, EC will ultimately serve additional students in the high school. This expanded enrollment in the future on the North Haledon campus will generate more revenue in tuition with minimal increases in overhead. With this expansion and income, we will continually enrich our academic programming and enhance staffing.

Ruth Kuder concludes, “Our graduates think critically, exhibit curiosity and develop discernment, which enables them to intentionally strive for excellence in every endeavor. Only by joining together with alumni, parents and other friends, will we continue to serve as a model of excellence in Christian education. To carry out this vision, I invite every reader to join us in Building on a Firm Foundation.”

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