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On August 8, Simpson Academy welcomed back students in grades K3-12. The campus was buzzing with excited teachers,students, and parents. Often the noise, activity, and traffic associated with the first couple of days of school is a stark contrast to the sense of quiet, stillness, and vacancy that usually occurs during the summer months at a school. However, this past summer, Simpson Academy’s campus was anything but quiet, still, or empty. The hustle and bustle of ongoing construction, working equipment, and workers was present on campus almost from the minute students were dismissed in May. This past week, upon arriving to campus, students noticed a tremendous amount of work had been done, with some work still in progress.
Over the past couple of years, Simpson Academy has been slowly transforming; however, this summer may have produced the most noticeable results yet. Among the most visible improvements are: a newly constructed science lab, a renovated and enlarged high school cafeteria, and a newly laid gym floor in the elementary gym. Elementary sidewalks were replaced, overhead powerlines placed underground, new equipment was added to the elementary cafeteria, and classrooms received new flooring and fresh coats of paint. Classrooms also received additional technology devices to supplement the existing technology already present. Curriculum also received a make-over. The majority of the existing curriculum was replaced with material from Christian based company BJU Press.
The parking lot adjacent to the high school gym was expanded to provide approximately 200 additional spaces. Both boys’ and girls’ dressing rooms in the gym are currently in the process of being renovated.The entire campus, including the gym, received a new state of the art, environmentally friendly, LED lighting system. Headmaster, Billy Wayne Hankins expects the lighting renovation to pay for itself within three years due to the savings from maintenance on the old system and reduced energy costs.
All of the above renovations were performed on the main campus; however, the football field area, well-known by Cougar fans as “The Hole,” received its fair share of attention, as well. Brand new stadium seating was installed on both the visitor and home sides. The new home side bleachers was designed to include 100 reserved chair back seats. The Greg Hall Pressbox was demolished and is currently being rebuilt behind the home bleachers. Fans are encouraged to come out, see the changes, and support the Cougars at the first Varsity home game on September 9.
In addition to all of the physical changes made to campus, lots of new faces joined the SCA family. New students, as well as several new faculty members were added. In the athletic department, a new dance team was formed. Simpson Academy is now better prepared than ever to offer the absolute best educational and extracurricular opportunities to its students.
During opening assembly for grades 7-12, Coach James Crain provided the theme of “Rise Up” for this school year. Using Proverbs 24:16 and Joshua 1:9 as inspiration, Crain encouraged students and faculty to “Rise Up” in their faith and actions as Christians. During the 2016-2017 school year, Simpson Academy aspires to “Rise Up” in all aspects to be the leading educational opportunity in the area.
