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Northlake Christian School
A Vision Fulfilled
Written by Fritz Klumpp, July 2011
In the late spring of 1972, as God’s remnant in the Covington area boldly
preached His Word, His Spirit began to move in a powerful way. This outpouring
of the Holy Spirit resulted in revival and recommitment for some and spiritual
awakening, conviction, repentance, and re-generation for many others.
As a result of this movement, during the summer of 1972 home Bible
studies sprang up throughout the area. From these Bible studies, a group of
men under the leadership of Rudy Adkins banded together to form Tammany
Christian Fellowship. The purpose of Tammany Christian Fellowship was to
seize the opportunity to saturate the North Shore community with the Gospel
of Christ. The original officers of Tammany Christian Fellowship were Glenn
Young- President, Stuart McClendon- Vice President, Fritz Klumpp- Secretary,
Kirk Triplett- Treasurer, and Rudy Atkins- Executive Director. Additional charter
members were Jim Simpson, Don Watson, Bruce Southerland, Bob Thompson,
Sam Camp, Jim Holmes, Pete Hendry, William Schenck, C.W. Smith, Billy Graham,
Hank McGrew, Gerard Verkaik, and Terry Goodger.
It was in the wake of this revival that God began to plant the seed of a
vision. Fritz Klumpp felt the need for a school that would be an extension of the
values that that we were teaching our children at home. The only one that Fritz
knew that had any knowledge of Christian education was Stuart McClendon;
Stuart had children who attended Ben Lippen School in Asheville,NC. Fritz shared
his dream of a Christian school with Stuart and found that Stuart shared the same
dream.
A dream without action remains only a dream. Action without a dream is
merely busyness. A dream with action becomes a vision, so Fritz and Stuart began
to pray for a Christian school. A speaker was invited into the area to meet
in several homes to discuss Christian education. The next step was taken in the
spring of 1978 when Ron Hunter, Stuart McClendon, Steve Jahncke, Jim Saucier,
and Fritz Klumpp met at the Hunter home to discuss the next step. After much
discussion and prayer we decided to trust God to give us a new Christian school,
kindergarten through twelfth grade, which would open in the fall of 1978. We
had no money, no building. no curriculum, no faculty, and no students. We did
have the vision for a school that would provide college preparatory education
based on biblical principles as a service to Christian families and a testimony to
the entire community. Fritz Klumpp was selected Chairman of the Founding
Board, Stuart McClendon was named Secretary, and Steve Jahncke, Treasurer
Fritz ordered a book on starting a Christian school from a church in Indianapolis, IN,
and the search for facilities, faculty, students, and curriculum began.
It was determined that the school would not be affiliated with any
particular church or denomination. The founding board wanted to ensure that
the school was viewed as a ministry to the entire Christian community. Godly men
from differing churches caught the vision and were invited to join the board. The
school board met almost every week during that first year, and many hours on
weeknights and Saturday mornings were spent in corporate prayer.
After the search for a church that would consider rental of their education
facilities proved futile, Pete Hendry generously offered the use of his veterinary
hospital. He had just completed construction of a new building, and the old
facility, consisting of a small house, a garage, and a garage apartment, was
to become the site of Northlake Christian School. A church associated with
Tammany Christian Fellowship had already begun to meet in the house; and a
Christian bookstore, which had been opened in the garage, was moved and the
garage became the kindergarten. The apartment above the garage became the
administrative offices, headmaster’s office, and faculty lounge. The house was
used primarily for the elementary grades, and a new doublewide trailer housed
the high school grades and was also used as an auditorium. The transition was
made from auditorium to classroom by the use of folding tables and chairs. Desks
that were destined to be burned by the Tammy Parish School Board were bought for
$1.00-$1.25 apiece and refinished by the Klumpp family in their carport during
the summer months.
Teachers were recruited from friends and families associated with Tammany
Christian Fellowship. Some had teaching degrees but most did not. They did,
however, have a college degree, a love for God, and a desire to be used by Him.
Dave Diamond and Marlene Flot were members of the initial teaching staff.
The board, during a visit to Pensacola Christian School to inspect their
school and review the A-Beka curriculum, was introduced to Gordon Carlisle.
Gordon was at that time on staff at Pensacola Christian. Gordon subsequently
was invited to Northlake Christian School as headmaster and arrived in Covington
in time to fill the remaining faculty positions and complete the curriculum
selection for the coming school year.
Many prospective students viewed attending a new school as an enjoyable
adventure, but to most of the high school students, the visit by the chairman, Fritz
Klumpp, to their parents for the purpose of recruitment was as appreciated as a
visit from the Gestapo. Most parents were concerned about accreditation and
had to be convinced that they were not sacrificing their child’s future for college
admittance and education. On the opening day of Northlake Christian School
110 students were seated at their desks.
Volunteers from enrolled students, students’ families, and friends labored
together the last two weeks before school, and in those two weeks the veterinary
clinic and garage were transformed into the campus for Northlake Christian
School.
During that first year we had a full athletic program and fielded a
flag football team, girls’ and boys’ basketball and softball teams and had a
cheerleading squad. At the first graduation ceremony NCS awarded high-school
diplomas to five graduating seniors; Jim Gauley, Frank Graziano, Chip Block,
Joan Adkins, and Judy Hunter. Each of the graduating seniors continued on to a
university.
By the start of the second year enrollment had increased to 170 students.
Gordon Carlisle transferred to the junior-high faculty staff for the 1980-81 school
Year, and Stuart McClendon took a time away from his law practice to serve as
headmaster for most of the second year. Steve Jahncke filled the headmaster
position for the balance of that year.
Search continued during this time for a permanent school site and during
the year Jim Simpson gifted a portion of land adjoining his sod farm. The location
of this property was deemed inappropriate for the permanent site, but the
proceeds from the sale of this gift provided the funds that were eventually used
to construct the first classrooms on the permanent site. Donald Kearns was part
owner of a sixteen acre tract of land located near the Tulane University Primate
Research Center. He was instrumental in arranging the sale of the property at
a price that was fully paid for by the sale of the existing timber on the property.
Thus God provided the site for the present campus of Northlake Christian School.
By the third year NCS had classrooms constructed through the services of
Terry Goodger and paid for by proceeds from the sale of the land gift from Jim
Simpson. NCS started the third school year with an enrollment of 210 students,
located on a campus of sixteen acres, and had absolutely no indebtedness. Fritz
Klumpp passed the chairmanship of the NCS Board to Walter Jahncke.
Northlake Christian School stands today as a testimony to God’s grace; a
vision fulfilled.
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