Cornerstone Christian Academy (Bloomington, Illinois)
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Cornerstone Christian Academy of McLean County is a non-denominational Christian college preparatory private school located in Bloomington, Illinois. CCA enrolls preschool through 12th grade. It has a total enrolment of around 480 students.
| Established: | 1997 |
|---|---|
| Type: | Private |
| Administrator: | Becky Shamess |
| Faculty: | 45 |
| Students: | 480 |
| Grades: | Preschool-12th |
| Location: | Bloomington, Illinois |
| Mascot: | Cyclones |
| Colors: | Forest Green and White |
| Newspaper: | The Cyclone |
Contents |
[edit] Mission Statement
CCA exists to provide students an exemplary Christ-centered education, preparing them to pursue higher education; while promoting service to others in the name of Christ.
[edit] History
In 1997, the Eastview Christian Church preschool was taken over by a private group. It was soon renamed "Cornerstone Christian Academy" and in 1998 Cornerstone moved to Grace United Methodist Church on the corner of Bell and Bunn in Bloomington.
There they opened up school to house preschool through 4th grade. Later on, Cornerstone had three separate locations throughout Bloomington-Normal, including Faith United Methodist (Preschool), Grace United Methodist (Elementary K-4th), and Presbyterian (middle school 5th and up).
In 2001, plans were made to build a new building on approximately 80 acres of donated land to finally put all students under one roof.
On May 28, 2002, Cornerstone broke ground on its new location which is on the east side of Bloomington, and on December 1st, 2003, students attended their first day at their new school.
[edit] School Format
There are three divisions of the school: Preschool, Lower School and Upper School. Preschool is the preschool area, Lower School is K-5th grade, and Upper School is 6th-12th grade.
When the school first opened it was only preschool-4th grade. The year after that they added a 5th grade and the year after that 6th and so on. In 2007 Cornerstone graduated their first Senior class.
[edit] School Administration
- Becky Shamess - Administrator
- Doug Pavey - Lower School Principal
- April Kinzinger - Director of Development
- John Schwartz - Athletic Director
- Diane Clark - Director of Admissions
- Beth Sondgeroth - Academic Dean
- Kim Brucker - Preschool Director
[edit] Athletics
Cornerstone's nickname/mascot is the "Cyclones" and their school colors are Forest Green and White.
Middle School Sports
- Boys/Girls Basketball
- Boys Baseball (Co-op)
- Girls Volleyball
- Boys/Girls Cross Country
- Boys/Girls Track
- Wrestling
High School Sports
- Girls Volleyball
- Boys Basketball
- Boys/Girls Cross Country
- Tennis
- Girls Basketball
- Cheerleading
[edit] School Activities
- Student Council
- School Paper: The Cyclone
- Art Club
- Drama Club
- Worship Band
- Scholastic Bowl
- Cheerleading- 2006 Small Team Routine IESA State Champions
- Speech/Debate
- Pep Band
- Chess Club
[edit] School Facts
- Teacher to Student ratio - 1:9
- School days in calendar year - 187 days
- Hours in school day for students - 7 hours
- Acceptance rate - 96%
Cornerstone has a large financial aid program which allows those who would otherwise not be able to afford tuition to apply for financial assistance.
[edit] Winterim
Cornerstone offers a unique program held during the first two weeks of January called Winterim. During this mini-semester high school students are allowed to choose from various classes (e.g Auto mechanics, cooking, referring, music classes and ect). 11th-12th grade students are allowed to select an internship (e.g Illinois State Police, doctors offices, computer programing, psychology, teaching, etc.). Students receive credit for this mini-semester. This program allows students to try various subjects and get them out of the classroom.
[edit] School Membership Associations
- Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI)
- Illinois High School Association (IHSA)
- Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA)
[edit] Future
In summer 2007 Cornerstone broke ground on their new high school wing.
On May 25th, 2007 the YMCA of Bloomington donated their current location to Cornerstone. The YMCA is building and relocating to east Bloomington and wanted to leave their old location to a non-profit organization focused on improving the community.
