Koinonia Christian School - Red Deer,
Red Deer

Bolted against the perimeter of one large room were the cubicles of students in grades 4-8. Miss Wendy Meyer taught a handful of second and third graders in an expanded side room. Every year thereafter expansion in numbers of students and teachers testified to the able leadership of principal and board, as well as to the growing commitment of families from Lacombe to Innisfail, from Delburne to Sylvan Lake.

After five years of arranging and rearranging the configuration of Woodlea's basement, the KCS Red Deer Board secured a lease in the Church of the Nazarene. Gone were the cubicles, black-top only playground, and shared photocopier. Now we had a "real school" with classrooms, free-standing desks, large windows, grassy play area, gymnasium and ... a staff room! Besides teachers being blessed with only 2 grade splits (as opposed to four or five grades per teacher), we now enjoyed the talents of art, music, and gym experts (and they weren't even all rolled into one)! Our school bus began its daily trek between Innisfail and Red Deer, also making a stop at our E.C.S. portable several blocks away.

In 1994 another move resulted from God's miraculous, last-minute (but timely) intervention when Red Deer city council favoured our school over what had been considered a shoo-in contender on the lease of our present location, the former North School. For the past 17 years, KCS Red Deer has enjoyed a beautiful facility centrally located in the city. Large playgrounds with immediate access to tennis courts/ice rinks, city buses, and a supportive community association have been added to the "extras" we never dreamed of twenty-five years ago: library, health room, music room, science lab, computer room; ECS and playschool; art, home ec., band and drama and one school bus. Our ten full-time and three part-time teachers are assisted by two tireless secretaries, one bookkeeper, a committed board, dozens and dozens of helpful, encouraging parents; a seasoned principal whose vision and dedication have not changed over the years, and a dynamic population of 200 students from playschool to grade 12. Our staff is complemented by a support staff of 10. We have a large ethnic population in our school as well as a large number of special needs students. All this reminds us that when God leads, we need not waver or be dismayed, for He shall overcome every obstacle, in His way, and in His time.