Cornerstone Christian School will be celebrating its 30-year anniversary this spring, with a weekend of events to be announced for the upcoming May long weekend in 2024.
Although planning is still underway, the school’s principal, Lee Behrns, is extending an invitation for Cornerstone’s alumni students to attend the upcoming celebration.
Suggestions include paintball at the Battle Creek Adventure Park and sports in the school’s gym. Battle Creek is a natural candidate as it was founded by students from Cornerstone.
“Those guys were alumni that started the business in Entrepreneurship 30 class when they were here at Cornerstone. The idea came to fruition that we have all this land out here, and we should do something crazy. Those guys did it,” Behrns said.
Cornerstone has another reason to celebrate as it’s now mortgage free. “We just finished paying it (the mortgage) off last year... It was a $1.2 to $1.4 million project,” he said, referring to the land purchase and the school’s recent expansion.
Cornerstone’s story began in 1993. “We started before my time… with a group of families that thought it’s time to start a Christian school in Moose Jaw,” Behrns said.
Behrns started his career at Cornerstone in 1998, but the longest-serving teacher is Alan Block who taught gym class since 1997. At the time, the school was in Aldersgate College at the intersection of Victoria Street and Aldersgate Avenue.
“I actually drove by the school a couple times... A school looks like a school, and that didn’t look like a school,” Block recalled. At this stage, he had limited gym equipment to work with and gym classes were held in the school's common area when it was available. “I had to be very creative…,” he said. “When I first got there, there were three (basketballs) and two of them were flat.”
The school then moved to the International Bible College (IBC) facility overlooking Wakamow valley. “I think we went up from 30 kids to about 80 that year,” Block said.
The 1999-2000 school year was the first spent in Cornerstone’s current building after purchasing the property, including the existing King Edward School building, from the then Moose Jaw School Division.
“We were just in the elementary wing (to start). The whole school was in here, so it was tight. I taught a class in the boy’s change room,” Behrns recalled, noting that a whiteboard was set up in the modified space. The expansion was completed in the 2003-2004 school year.
“Of course, here we are today, 30 years later with 265 kids and we’ve maintained our status of top-quality Christian education here in Moose Jaw, so we want to celebrate,” Behrns said.
“I’ve taught here since 1998, so I’ve been a part of every single Grade 12 class that has existed at Cornerstone,” Behrns said, noting that he oversaw all the school’s 459 graduates.
Starting in September, Cornerstone decided to reach out to alumni on a consistent basis as part of the anniversary planning process. Now, when Grade 12 students graduate, they enter the alumni database to keep in touch.
“I have a connections newsletter that goes out, and I just say, 'here’s what’s going on at Cornerstone this week',” Behrns said.
“We are pleased to see… all these people that are contributing to society. At the end of the day, the goal of Cornerstone Christian School has always been our three pillars: to engage the mind, to empower with Christ, and to equip for life.”
An updated anniversary plan can be expected in the upcoming year. Alumni at Cornerstone School will receive further information in the school’s connections newsletter.
“We just want to connect with the community, and let them know we still exist, still need them, still value them, and still want them to come hang out at our events. They’re still… our family,” Behrns said.
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