Christ Covenant School expanding footprint

RIDGELAND — Christ Covenant School is preparing to welcome its first senior class in August.

A newly renovated building will feature a science lab, an art classroom, several large high school classrooms, lockers, a student lounge, a weight room, a locker room, and more.

“It is a really nice feeling,” said Head of School Kathy Haynie.

The expansion includes an overhaul of the football field and will add a new concession stand and bathrooms to the back of the campus. Haynie said they expect to be in place in August for football.

The school is located near the corner of Pear Orchard Road and Northpark Drive.

On the other end of the campus, next to the existing gym, several temporary trailers will go in to house art and drama classrooms as well as a new library. 

“The trailers are for the short term, but they are nicer than your typical trailers,” Haynie said. “They look really nice.”

Haynie said they hoped to utilize the trailers for about five years.

CCS opened in 2002 as a ministry of Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church as an elementary and middle school. 

Haynie said school officials “began planning in earnest” in 2022 for an expansion into high school and made the announcement official in 2023.

This fall, they will welcome their first senior class of about 10 students. Haynie said they have a projected enrollment of 660 students in the fall, which marks a 50 percent increase since school officials announced the expansion into high school.

“I think it is very clear that this is what the lord had planned for us,” Haynie said.

On the athletics side, the expansion is currently primarily focused on an overhaul of the football field and will add a new concession stand and bathrooms to the back of the campus. 

Athletic Director Tyler Thiessen said they expect the field and facilities to be ready in August for football season. 

“We have a quickly growing school, with a lot of interest and a lot of competitive ability,” Thiessen said. “A lot of what we’re trying to do is get those facilities to match what we need right now, but also be able to sustain and help us continue to grow for years to come.”

A planned future expansion includes a baseball field and track on land across Northpark Drive. When the purchase is finalized, Haynie said this will double the size of the campus. 

The school has also recently completed the installation of an entirely new basketball floor in its gym, along with updates to its weight room and athletic locker rooms.

Christ Covenant is currently slated to play two more seasons of 8-man football and transition to 11-man by 2027, which is when they will be eligible to compete for championships on the gridiron. 

For every other sport, Christ Covenant will compete in the Mid-South Association of Independent Schools 3A, which is the association’s second-highest classification, and will be playing for championships during the upcoming school year.

Sports currently offered at Christ Covenant include football, basketball, soccer, cheer, sporting clays, archery, swimming, cross country, track and field, volleyball, and tennis.