Epiphany dedicates new site

A long line of students and teachers walked from Epiphany School Friday to a new site nearby on Trent Road where faculty, city officials and dignitaries awaited them under a tent awning. The students were marching to their future upper-class campus with their school banner and flags.

Although bulldozers were pushing dirt and there are no buildings yet on site, soon the 61,000-square-foot campus will have 14 state-of-the-art classrooms, indoor and outdoor dining areas, a performance center that will seat 500 people, a gymnasium, media center, art and music room, tennis courts and a multi-athletic field.

Tom McLaughlin, head of Epiphany School, said the school has come a long way in a short time.

Epiphany opened in 2006, serving 90 students in five grades. Today there are 284 students in eight grades, fifth through 12th, McLaughlin said.

When the school started there was one primary conviction: that every person is created by God and endowed with unique God-given gifts, McLaughlin said.

 “And those gifts are waiting to be uncovered and explored, especially among young people,” he said. “We held a bold notion then and still do today that all students are gifted and that the learning environment that we could create would offer a series of opportunities that would allow students to explore their gifts and develop the courage to wisely use them in service of the world.”

McLaughlin said the school’s dramatic growth in five years was a testament to the community’s desire for such a school.

To continue offering those opportunities to the growing student body at Epiphany, McLaughlin said they had no choice but to expand.

Epiphany senior and student body president, Max Seng, said one word could sum up his experiences at the school: perseverance.

“Every day we are learning not just academics but life skills,” he said.

Seng said he was fortunate to be given the education and values he learned at Epiphany and couldn’t wait to apply them in college.

Nicholas Sparks, one of the founders of Epiphany, said the dedication of the new campus meant a lot to the school and the community.

“It is exciting for Epiphany School,” he said. “It’s exciting for New Bern. It has always been our dream that the community embrace Epiphany.

“The growth over the last five years has been remarkable and, of course, it has presented challenges including those regarding space, which is the reason why we have to build a new campus. I think the growth is a testament to the administration, the faculty and the mission and values of the school.”

Sparks’ wife Catherine, who is on the Epiphany School Board of Trustees, said she thought the new campus would benefit the students and the community.

“I think overall it is a reflection of what the community has needed and has wanted,” she said. “We have expanded so quickly. It is a demand that seems to be very high — a college preparatory school in this area.”

Nelson McDaniel, a supporter of the school, said he thought the expansion of Epiphany School was a wonderful thing.

 “This school has done incredible things in such a short time and this is yet another step in really making a difference in our community,” McDaniel said. “They have such a vision in what students ought to be learning and especially in what they ought to be learning in terms of values and caring about their community.”

After the ceremony Mayor Lee Bettis, city aldermen, school faculty, parents and students signed a beam that will be placed in an honored place on the new campus.

Eddie Fitzgerald can be reached at 252-635-5675 or at efitzgerald@freedomenc.com