History
On Sunday, June 26, 1955 Christ United Methodist Church was formally organized. The services were held in the Poplar Plaza Theater until the first building was built. With 600 charter members, it was an established fact that there would be a big membership in the Children’s Division of the Church School. As the weeks went by, more children were brought and new babies were born to Church members.
Since Christ United Methodist Church was to be a caring congregation, some members of the Commission on Education began to talk about the possible need for the Church to establish a week-day school.
A committee was appointed by the Commission on Education to investigate such a need. It was found that the area the Church would serve did not have a Christian school for both boys and girls. It was the opinion of the committee that the Church could add much to Memphis and the surrounding community if a school were established where boys and girls could have daily help in understanding the greatness of God and His love, where boys and girls could learn more about the way of life as Christ wanted it--the Christian way of life.
The Committee on Education of Christ United Methodist Church approved the need of establishing such a school and requested the committee to work on a possible plan. A year of study and work went into the planning of Christ Methodist Day School.
The plan called for a period of seven or eight years for the building of the school that would include classes for children from 4-year-old Kindergarten through Grade 6. The School would open its classes for 5-year-old Kindergarten children and then add other classes as the Church and its building program expanded.
The School was to be self-sustaining; it was to pay something monthly into the Treasury of the Church; and much of the School furnishings would add to the improvement of Sunday School as well.
The teachers of Christ Methodist Day School were to be qualified, dedicated Christian people.
The School would open its classed first to church members and the to others who might be interested in the vision and curriculum of the new school. The curriculum would develop from the background that God planned this world and all that is in it, and that He wanted children to understand and use His gifts in the way of love. The School would be dedicated to Christ, our Lord, and His way of life.
The Commission on Education approved this plan. In September 1958, six months after the Fellowship Hall was completed, Christ Methodist Day School was opened.
It was thrilling to find that three classes were needed the first year to care for the seventy-five children who were enrolled for the 5-year-old Kindergarten.
In 1960, the four-year-old program and first grade were added. From 1961 through 1965, one section of one new grade was added to each of the six grades. A three-year-old program was established in 1971. By the year 1996, there were fifteen Preschool classes, fourteen Day School elementary classes, seven co-curricular classes, a resource program named Connections, and a school counseling program. A teacher was hired for the Science Lab and Enrichment area in the year 2000. By the summer of 2001 both a computer teacher and a technology coordinator staffed the technology area. The KUDZU program for gifted students was started in 2004.
In 1999 the supervision of the Child Development Center (Day Care) and Parent’s Day Out programs was changed from the Children’s Ministry of Christ United Methodist Church to the administration of Christ Methodist Day School.
In August of 2005, the Day School took over the operation of the before and after school program naming it Alpha and Omega Kids. In August 2006, preschool age children were included in the AOK program.
The ministries of Christ Methodist Day School, Child Development Center (Day Care) and Parent’s Day Out have been blessed with the use of the excellent facilities of the Wilson/Ross Education Building, the Grant Building, the Rash Building, the Sanctuary, Seabrook Hall, Rogers Gymnasium, and the Dunnam Building.
Christ Methodist Day School has steadily grown under the leadership of three school administrators. The founding director was Mrs. Ella McVean, who guided the school from 1958 to her retirement in 1974. From 1974 to 1984 the headmaster of Christ Methodist Day School was Mr. Sam Drash. Mr. David W. Fox was Headmaster from 1984 to 2002. The present headmaster is Mr. Steven T Jackson.
Christ United Methodist Church answered Jesus -- “Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not.” The doors of the church are open daily for boys and girls to develop:
SPIRITUALLY
EMOTIONALLY
SOCIALLY
MENTALY
and
PHYSICALLY
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