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6A I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com
Wednesday, March 30,2022
Christian school begins construction for new building
Julia Fechter Dawson County News
Lighthouse Christian Academy, based in Dawson County, will be adding a campus building
in order to offer more academic and extracurricular options for preK-12 students.
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
Oftentimes, change happens
by taking concrete steps-or in
the case of Lighthouse
Christian Academy, by pouring
concrete for a new school facil
ity.
The Dawson County-based
private school, a ministry of
Lighthouse Baptist Church, has
broken ground on its forthcom
ing two-story academic and
extracurricular complex.
The academy, which sprouted
from the vision of church pas
tor Charles Blackstock, offers a
preK-12 education based on the
nationally reputable Abeka cur
riculum and Biblical principles,
said academy Principal Dewey
Moye.
Moye joined the academy
before the 2021-2022 school
year, bringing with him 46
years of experience in public
and private schools.
The new facility will house
both elementary and high-
school classrooms in the front
portion, closer to the academy’s
existing premises, and a gym
nasium in the back part.
Moye explained that they’re
“really going after a superior
academic program,"’ with plans
for more STEM offerings, such
as chemistry and physical sci
ence labs and a state-of-the-art
computer lab. There are also
plans to add more foreign lan
guage classes and hire more
support staff and more STEM-
specific teachers.
As for the academy’s athletic
programs, Lighthouse plans to
host basketball on their campus
as well as expand to track and
volleyball programs, Moye
added.
He said the academy’s expan
sion is projected to be an “over-
a-million-dollar” project.
Ideally, construction on the
facility will be finished before
the next school year and with
out debt.
The academy has been run
ning a fundraising campaign
for about a month, already
soliciting some donors. Others
interested may donate to
lcadawsonville.com/donate or
send checks to Lighthouse
Christian Academy, 329
Harmony Church Road,
Dawsonville GA 30534.
The principal said that there
has been more interest in the
school in recent months.
Currently, 68 students are
enrolled and class sizes are kept
small at 6-7 students per teach
er. Each instructor is fully certi
fied, and some have advanced
degrees.
Moye elaborated that the
increased parent appointments
he’s been taking are a positive
sign of school growth. In par
ticular, the amount of elementa
ry students has steadily been
increasing.
County wide, 76.7 percent of
Dawson County’s school-
enrolled population is enrolled
in K-12 grades, an increase of
about three percent, according
to updated U.S. Census data.
He expects enrollment to
grow by a few hundred students
in the coming years.
“It’s exciting to see it grow,”
Moye said of the school. “More
people are interested in
Christian education [now].”
Conservation Coalition, Bowen to host Earth Day event
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
Next month, the North Georgia
Conservation Coalition and the Bowen
Center for the Arts will host the annual
Earth Day event, complete with a poster
contest and exhibition, silent auction,
electric vehicle car show and informa
tion about ways to save the planet.
According to a release by the North
Georgia Conservation Coalition, this
year’s Earth Day event is themed
“Invest in Our Planet” and will take
place at the Bowen Center for the Arts
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 23.
The annual poster contest and exhibi
tion will include Earth Day posters
made by dozens of children in the
Dawson County School system. The
posters will be juried first by DCS art
educators, and finalists will be selected
by a panel of independent judges.
Awards will be presented by grade dur
ing the event.
In addition to the poster contest, the
event will feature children’s crafts, sing-
along and face painting, a food tent,
door prizes, a silent auction and an
Electric Vehicle (EV) Car Show.
The event will also feature several
local, state and national organizations
providing information to event attendees
on how to help conserve the planet.
According to the release, there will be
opportunities to learn about tree canopy
and reforestation, eliminating food wast
er, cutting carbon exhaust, soil conser
vancy, cutting energy costs, clean water
sources, reducing and reusing plastic and
organic agriculture and gardening.
Parking for the event will be free in
the Dawson County Junior High School
parking lot. For more information, go to
https://www.ngacc.org/earth-day-2022
or contact North Georgia Conservation
Coalition Director Bette Holland at
ngcc2035 @ gmail.com.
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