Garywood Christian School
Encyclopedia
Garywood Christian School was a Christian
private school
located in Hueytown, Alabama
, in the western suburb
s of Birmingham
. It is affiliated with Garywood Assembly of God
, a large Pentecostal church that houses the school's facilities. The school has currently suspended operations as a result of the parent church's action toward moving to a new location.
The school was founded in 1985 by Garywood's pastor
, Rev. John A. Loper Jr. At its inception, the school offered classes in kindergarten
through eighth grades, adding a higher grade each successive school year until all twelve grades were offered. The school offers Bible
-based curriculum in all standard school subjects. In 2003, the school also offered sponsorship of home school
students, giving such students the legal "umbrella organization" required by Alabama
law and also allowing them additional opportunities, such as sports participation.
GCS fielded varsity sports teams in eight-man football
, boys' and girls' basketball
, volleyball
, baseball
, and fast-pitch softball
. The teams played under the nickname "Crusaders". Their uniform colors were blue, black and white. In 2003, the Crusader football team won the National Association of Christian Athletes Division 3 national championship, the first post-season championship in school history. The teams competed in the National Christian Sports Conference (formerly the National Christian Athletic Association) at the time the school suspended operations.
Amanda Kleiser was the school principal at its closing. Executive Pastor Randal Ray is the member of Garywood Assembly's ministerial staff with direct oversight over the school.
One of the school's teachers, Lyn Turk, took part in The Amazing Race 10
and became part of the first all-female team to ever make it into the final three in the show's history. Her tam finished third overall.
. After a sale of the initial property intended for the new facility, the church purchased another site in 2007, approximately a mile away. Because of uncertainty about when the new facility would be ready and when the current facility would have to be vacated pending its sale, the church board voted to suspend operations of the school for at least the 2007-2008 school year. The suspension was announced on May 7, 2007.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
private school
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
located in Hueytown, Alabama
Hueytown, Alabama
Hueytown is a city in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 16,105.It was the home of the legendary NASCAR Alabama Gang...
, in the western suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s of Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. It is affiliated with Garywood Assembly of God
Garywood Assembly of God
Garywood Assembly of God is a large church in Hueytown, Alabama; a western suburb of Birmingham. It is affiliated with the Assemblies of God.- Founding :...
, a large Pentecostal church that houses the school's facilities. The school has currently suspended operations as a result of the parent church's action toward moving to a new location.
The school was founded in 1985 by Garywood's pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
, Rev. John A. Loper Jr. At its inception, the school offered classes in kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
through eighth grades, adding a higher grade each successive school year until all twelve grades were offered. The school offers Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
-based curriculum in all standard school subjects. In 2003, the school also offered sponsorship of home school
Homeschooling
Homeschooling or homeschool is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school...
students, giving such students the legal "umbrella organization" required by Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
law and also allowing them additional opportunities, such as sports participation.
GCS fielded varsity sports teams in eight-man football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, boys' and girls' basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, and fast-pitch softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
. The teams played under the nickname "Crusaders". Their uniform colors were blue, black and white. In 2003, the Crusader football team won the National Association of Christian Athletes Division 3 national championship, the first post-season championship in school history. The teams competed in the National Christian Sports Conference (formerly the National Christian Athletic Association) at the time the school suspended operations.
Amanda Kleiser was the school principal at its closing. Executive Pastor Randal Ray is the member of Garywood Assembly's ministerial staff with direct oversight over the school.
One of the school's teachers, Lyn Turk, took part in The Amazing Race 10
The Amazing Race 10
The Amazing Race 10 is the tenth installment of the reality television show The Amazing Race. The Amazing Race 10 features twelve teams of two with a pre-existing relationship in a race around the world....
and became part of the first all-female team to ever make it into the final three in the show's history. Her tam finished third overall.
Suspension
In 2004, Garywood Assembly announced plans to move the church and school facilities to a new location in McCalla, Alabama, about 10 miles (16 km) southwest of the current facilities and adjacent to Interstate 459Interstate 459
Interstate 459 is a bypass highway of Interstate 59 that is an alternate Interstate Highway around the southern sides of Birmingham, Alabama, Bessemer, Alabama, and several other cities and towns in Jefferson County. Interstate 459 lies entirely within Jefferson County, without exception...
. After a sale of the initial property intended for the new facility, the church purchased another site in 2007, approximately a mile away. Because of uncertainty about when the new facility would be ready and when the current facility would have to be vacated pending its sale, the church board voted to suspend operations of the school for at least the 2007-2008 school year. The suspension was announced on May 7, 2007.