| Washington Christian Academy | |
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Reverent, Adventurous, Academically Serious: in the Historic Reformed Tradition
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| Location | |
| Olney, Maryland |
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| Information | |
| Type | Private |
| Established | 1960 |
| Headmaster | Larry Danner |
| Grades | K-12 |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Campus size | 60 acres (24 ha) |
| Color(s) | White, Blue |
| Team name | Wildcats |
| Website | http://www.washingtonchristian.org |
Washington Christian Academy (WCA) is a private Christian school originally established in 1960 and presently located in Olney, Maryland at a new campus that was finished in 2008. The school is known for its reverent, adventurous, and academically serious education in the historic Reformed tradition, as well as its tightly-knit community that has been developing over the past 50-plus years of its existence.
Washington Christian Academy is currently a member of Christian Schools International.
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Washington Christian Academy was formed when local families from Presbyterian and Christian Reformed churches in the area felt the need for a strong, biblically based and diverse school in the Washington, DC area. For the time, the school defied cultural values and created a school that specifically named diversity as one of its top qualities.[1] The school was formed as Washington Christian School in 1960 for grades K-4. WCS grew gradually, and in 1982 it leased a larger building from the county on Franwall Avenue in Silver Spring which allowed it to add a middle school and offer instruction through the eighth grade. WCS expanded again in 1996 when it merged with the nearby Silver Spring Christian Academy (a local high school formed by parents of WCS alumni), forming Washington Christian Academy (Pre K-12).[2]
During the 2004-2005 school year, Washington Christian Academy was notified that it would need to leave the rented facility the following year as the building was to be torn down to construct a new public school.[3] For the three years from the fall of 2005 through the spring of 2008, Washington Christian Academy rented space for its elementary school in Colesville Baptist Church off of New Hampshire Avenue in Silver Spring and likewise rented space for the middle and high schools in Global Mission Church on Georgia Avenue in nearby Aspen Hill. During this transition period, Washington Christian Academy was able to purchase land and build a new facility, which opened in the summer of 2008.
Washington Christian Academy opened its newly constructed facility in Olney for the fall semester of 2008. The new building provided the school with a drastic increase in available space and opportunity for future expansion. While it is in a beautiful, seemingly remote location on the outskirts of Olney, it is a short three mile (5 km) drive to the heart of the area and right next to Georgia Avenue – a major local traffic artery – and the Intercounty Connector.[3] The new WCA property is 57.63 acres (23.32 ha)[4] with about 22 acres (8.9 ha) currently developed including the new building, gym, baseball and soccer fields and parking areas.
WCA fields a number of boys and girls teams in a variety of sports, including basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, and golf. The Varsity Boys Basketball team has seen significant success, with the WCA Wildcats winning the 2008-2009 Maryland Christian School Basketball Tournament and the 2009-2010 MISAL championship.
With the opening of its new Olney campus, WCA also gained a number of modern athletic facilities including a gymnasium with a hardwood basketball court and seating for up to 300, a multi-purpose athletic field employed for soccer and numerous other sports and a baseball field.