Cumberland Valley Christian School looks to future growth as it turns 50

Amid planning for the future and exploring new ways to spread its spiritual mission, Cumberland Valley Christian School is celebrating 50 years of schooling and ministry.

Alumni, family and supporters will gather at the Chambersburg school Oct. 10-13 for an itinerary of athletics, reunions, activities, ministry and more. It will serve as both a step back in time and a vision of the future.

Over five decades, CVCS has developed a legacy built on producing well-rounded students serving the community in myriad ways.

"When I think of the legacy of CVCS, that is servanthood. Students who are going out and making a difference," said Mike Sanders, who as pastor of Open Door Church is head of school of CVCS.

CVCS alumni are in a wide range of careers; they include a former Franklin County district attorney, the leader of a nursing and rehabilitation center, and the head of Chambersburg Area School District's in-house virtual academy, to name a few, according to Carl McKee, who was CVCS principal for 43 years, since its founding in 1974 through his retirement in 2017.

"Education, that's where it's all at. Making sure you're providing all the tools you can so that they are productive for society," said McKee, who is now using his decades of experience guiding CVCS students to guide his work on Chambersburg's public school board.

"My motto's always been, 'I'm not just teaching you how to learn, I'm teaching you how to live in this world.' Anybody can go out and make an earning if they want to, but teaching them values that was something that was reinforced whenever I went to school and down through."

McKee was among the group that founded Cumberland Valley Christian School in 1974. Previously a teacher in Tuscarora School District, he came at the request of then-pastor of Open Door Church, Dino Pedrone. Pedrone, known in ministry circles today for his work as a speaker and author, and others from the church wanted to start a school and made it happen.

CVCS keeps growing

Originally limited to a wing in Open Door Church, CVCS started the 1974-75 school year with 165 students in kindergarten through eighth grade, McKee said. The student body has steadily grown and today has about 440 students, a bit of a drop since the pandemic-related surge.

"Once we reopened during COVID... we had a big surge that kind of took us to another level as far as number of students," Sanders said, attributing the increase to the school's work to stay open for in-person learning when other schools struggled.

CVCS's highest enrollment after COVID-19 took over was 481, just four under its cap of 485. But yet another campus expansion will allow for a student body of 700.

"Building 2," which today is the school's main structure, opened in 1981 as a one-story facility. Seven years later, a two-story addition in the back that houses the majority of classrooms and a gym was built. The elementary wing was built onto the school in 2002 and two more classrooms were added on in 2012. The last project was the renovation of a classroom into a much-needed science lab a few years ago.

Construction is set to start in March on a $2.1 million project that will include a renovation of the gym, a new courtyard, new bathrooms, new storage spaces, additional office space, and the addition of more classrooms, according to Sanders. Part of the original section of Building 2, including the space now holding Sanders' office, will be converted into classrooms.

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The project is expected to be complete in time for the start of the 2026-27 school year.

One of the new classrooms will be a dedicated studio space, where students can learn to apply the skills they've learned using social media and playing video games to "promote the gospel and impact our culture and community in a positive way," Sanders said. The school is looking at building partnerships with radio and TV stations, which can offer internships to help students carry what they learn in school to the real world.

"We obviously know that students are, I'd say, addicted to their phone," he laughed. "They love gaming. I have kids and grandkids so I know they love gaming and so the administration, we brainstormed and said, 'how can we take some of those things and turn them into something positive?' Students are passionate about it, and we thought this is a great place where they could use that and begin to develop that skill set."

That goal furthers CVCS's mission to spread the gospel: "Jesus told us to take the gospel out there to every person, so we feel like, he didn't tell us the means, he just told us to do it," Sanders said.

A piece of CVCS's future, it ties back to what its founder, Pedrone, turned to after leaving the school after 25 years. He now runs a radio and online ministry that spreads the word of Jesus, in addition to his work as chancellor of Davis College in New York.

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What to know about CVCS anniversary weekend

The anniversary event begins on Thursday and runs through Sunday," Sanders said. "Everyday we have special activities. People can go to cvcsblazers.com and they can see the entire schedule.”

Headline events on Thursday, Oct. 10, are the women's alumni volleyball game, a hall of fame ceremony for athletics, and the men's alumni basketball game.

On Friday, all are invited to playoff games for middle school soccer and volleyball.

There is a full slate of events Saturday, including a special "walk down memory lane" event, kids' activities, a chili cookoff, more sporting events and more. Sign-ups are required for a BBQ dinner, 4-6 p.m.

On Sunday, Pedrone will speak at the morning service at Open Door Church and at a banquet afterward. Sign-ups are also required for the banquet.

“It’s open to the entire community. Family, friends of CVCS are all welcome," Sanders said of the weekend event.

To sign up for the BBQ or banquet, go to cvcsblazers.com/50th-anniversary.cfm or call 717-264-3266.

Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Chambersburg Public Opinion: Cumberland Valley Christian School looks to future growth as it turns 50