Keene Adventist Elementary School (KAES) is a Seventh-day Adventist

Seventh-day Adventist Church

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...

 co-educational PK-8 elementary school

Elementary school

An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...

 located in Keene, Texas

Keene, Texas

Keene is a city in Johnson County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,196 in 2006.-Geography:Keene is located at ....

.

History

On January 7, 1894, when "The Texas Academy" opened its doors to welcome the
first students, grades one through twelve were included. The students were separated into
two groups, the academy grades and the elementary grades. Professor C.B. Hughes was
principal for the entire student body, but devoted his time to the academy students. Mrs.
Flora Williams and her daughter taught the elementary grades. For the first few years the
salaries of the elementary teachers were paid by the state. Both groups of students were in
the same building, occupying different rooms.
The enrollment in the new school increased so rapidly that it was necessary to
erect a new building to accommodate administrative and classroom facilities. The
elementary grades were located in the new building.
As the enrollment continued to grow, the academy grades needed more
classrooms. To provide for this growth, the academy board authorized the construction of
a separated building for the elementary grades. It was named the normal building, and
was located on the north-east corner of the campus.
Through the years the elementary department of the school at Keene continued to
grow along with the academy and the college. In November of 1949 after three years of
investigating and planning, work was begun on a new building for the elementary. The
new Demonstration School was built with a limited budget by student labor under the
supervision of Ed E. Seamount, builder, and J. Randall Sloop, business manager of the
college, for half of what it would have cost as a contracted job. The school later became
known as Ella E. Hughes Elementary School of Southwestern Junior College.
In 1966, the school would make one more move to its present location on pecan street and the
name changed to Keene Adventist Elementary School. The school operates as a ministry
of the Keene Seventh-day Adventist Church and provides Christian education for children
grades Pre-Kinder through eighth grade. KAES as its also called, offers music, technology, Spanish, PE to round out a strong academic program.

Governance

The school is operated by a school board and is affiliated with the Keene Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Accreditation

KAES is accredited by the Board of Regents of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

The General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists is the governing organization of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is located in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, where it moved in 1989...

, and the Texas Private Schools Accreditation Commission (TEPSAC).

Students

The student population is around 225. Upon graduation, many students continue their education at Chisholm Trail Academy

Chisholm Trail Academy

Chisholm Trail Academy is a Seventh-day Adventist co-educational high school located at Fourth and Old Betsy in Keene, Texas. Keene is located midway between Alvarado and Cleburne, south of Fort Worth...

. In years past there were more students attending but the population has gradually declined after the arrival of uniforms.

See also

• Seventh-day Adventist Church
  Seventh-day Adventist Church
  The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
  
  
• List of Seventh-day Adventist secondary and elementary schools