NEW CHRISTIAN SCHOOL PLANNED HERE

Cape Girardeau could get another Christian school within the year, if plans continue as expected. The Seventh-Day Adventist Church hopes to open a school for students in grades 1-8 by 2001, said Pastor Lee Whitman.

The congregation is currently in the process of buying and surveying land that adjoins its existing property on South West End Boulevard near the intersection of Missouri Route 74.

If the sale is completed, construction could begin this fall on the nearly 2-acre property. The land is being sold in two parcels, one by an individual and another by an area Catholic church.

The school is expected to open next year. "We haven't set a date, but we are shooting for late fall, depending on when the money comes in," Whitman said.

The church had enough money available to purchase the land without any loans from its association.

But the property will legally be owned by the Iowa-Missouri Conference of Seventh-Day Adventist Churches. "It's just a safety catch," Whitman said.

No final decisions have been made yet about what the school building will be like. Some people are leaning to a permanent structure, others want a modular classroom for the first year, he said.

Either way, the biggest hurdle facing the church is with city zoning. The land has to be properly zoned before any construction can begin.

The church has already elected a school board that would help oversee the project, Whitman said. Since the student population isn't known yet, it's difficult to say how big the staff will be. However, "to get a good teacher, you need to show them the building, that will be really important," Whitman said.

Whitman has been pastor at the church for only two years, but the church has been considering a school for some time, he said. The nearest Adventist schools are in Poplar Bluff and Farmington.

Students, whether Christian or not, will be accepted for enrollment. "Maybe people are thinking their kids need something else," he said. It might be a smaller class size or better safety measures.

Curriculum is another issue that attracts many people to Christian schools.

Since the Seventh-Day Adventist Church already operates schools in other cities around the country, the school here would be accredited.

The local church has already been studying a list of curriculum options. The church will screen the lists to "use the best that's out there," Whitman said.

Seventh-Day Adventists are a Christian denomination founded in the 1860s that believe the Bible is the essential truth of God. And the church adheres to God's commandment to keep the Sabbath holy. They consider Saturday as the seventh-day Sabbath.

Adventists are also reform-minded and operate a large educational system worldwide. The church seeks to better society and humanity by incorporating faith and education.

There were 4,364 elementary schools operated by Adventists in 1998. Overall, there are 5,400 schools, both elementary and secondary, colleges and universities operating under the Adventist umbrella.

Whitman said the Cape Girardeau school will offer an application process for students interested in enrolling. " We'll take Christians and Buddhists. There aren't going to be many restrictions."

The school will have standards for dress codes and proper language, he added. But the school will not have a uniform policy to start. "We'll be small enough that we can encourage expressions of individuality," he said.

For more information about the Adventist denomination, visit their Web site at www.adventist.org