Elementary Campus

Trinity Campus

1450 Leigh Avenue
San Jose, CA 95125 - Map
408.559.4400 phone
408.559.4022 fax

Background on the new VCS Leigh Avenue campus:

      Dr. Clifford Daugherty's Presentation at the Groundbreaking

     Chairman of VCS Board Vera Shantz' Presentation at the Groundbreaking

     Pictures

Dr. Clifford Daugherty's Presentation at the Groundbreaking

The journey toward building this campus began when Ray Wans, VCS CFO began thinking and praying about the possibilities of a joint venture between Valley Christian Schools and Trinity Lutheran Church.

By January of 2001, we held a meeting with VCS Elementary parents to announce our intent to build this campus. Vera Shantz, VCS Board Vice Chair and Building Committee Chair will describe more details of our journey in a few minutes when she speaks.

It is important to remember the passion that is the driving force behind the building of Valley Christian Elementary Schools Leigh Campus . VCS Founders Dave and Edie Wallace moved to this Valley to establish Valley Christian Schools in about 1956. They began a Bible study in their home to focus on the Christian philosophy of education that provides the passion and the reason for founding a Christian school like ours. They purposed to establish a nurturing environment offering quality education supported by a strong foundation in Christian values in partnership with parents to equip students to become leaders to serve God, their families, and to positively impact their communities and the world.

The groundbreaking for the Valley Christian Elementary Schools Leigh Campus is evidence that this passion and sacred driving force is still as powerful today as it was when the doors were first opened to students in 1960. This passion for Christian education has overcome many obstacles as the VCS Board and administration has looked to God for His guidance and miraculous provision. It is significant that two failed attempts to open Valley Christian Schools occurred prior to the opening in 1960 because of facility acquisition problems. Upon the second cancellation of the school's first school year, teacher contracts were actually canceled and students and parents were told that the school's opening was delayed for yet another year.

Challenges and obstacles remain. In fact, we have overcome similar challenges since we first hoped to open this school in the fall of 2001 and then in January of 2002. The passion to honor the Lord's calling to maintain a Christian school ministry is as strong now as God's calling was to Dave and Edie Wallace to found the school in 1960. This is a uniquely special day however, because the building of this school marks the first time in the 42-year history of Valley Christian Schools that God has provided permanent facilities for all Valley Christian School Students. For this great accomplishment--let us all pray and thank God:

Dear Lord Jesus, your word declares, in Psalm 127:1, "Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it." We have seen your mighty hand prepare the way for the construction of Valley Christian Schools' Leigh Campus. You have moved through each of us including our VCS Board, Trinity Lutheran Church, our building committees, our county and city government officials and our neighbors to make this project a reality. You have also provided the needed planners and funding to complete the project. We thank you for our friends at Foxworthy Baptist Church and Lincoln Glen Church for providing temporary housing for our students during the 2001/2002 school year while construction planning and approvals were completed. We ask that your blessings and protection remain upon all of who will labor to complete the building in a timely manner. Place your protective hand on the workers. We boldly ask for the timely completion of a quality school in pursuit of a serious Quest for Excellence™. As in Nehemiah's Old Testament example, we request that you will "prosper" everyone involved with this great work. Most importantly we ask that you will accomplish every godly purpose that you intend in the lives of students and their families for many generations. In Jesus' name we pray, AMEN!



















Chairman of VCS Board Vera Shantz' Presentation at the Groundbreaking

The board of directors of Valley Christian Schools welcomes all who are here today. For today is a very special occasion as we celebrate the groundbreaking for the construction of our elementary school. It has always been the dream of the board of directors to have permanent facilities for all of our campuses. With the completion of the elementary school, all of the Valley Christian Schools, (the elementary, JH and HS), will now have permanent facilities. We have been truly blessed and symbolically, these campuses stand as testaments to our faith in God's provision for our future.

As many of you know, last year we lost our lease to the Howes elementary campus. It was a major disappointment. The Howes campus was home to our elementary students and had served us well for many years. Following the loss of the lease, there was serious concern about the future of the elementary school because there were no other public or private sites available for lease or school construction. However, it was during this difficult period that we came to realize God's plan and miraculous provision for our future.

God's miraculous provision was made evident when Valley's CFO, Ray Wans, (also member of Trinity) brought Trinity Church and VCS together to discuss the possibility of constructing an elementary school on the church site. Trinity Church had some time ago made plans to build a school as part of their ministry to their church families but had not yet executed their plans. VCS, on the other hand, needed a site to build an elementary school after losing their lease. Bringing Trinity Church and VCS together was a perfect union where both would benefit in their respective ministries if a school were to be built. We thank God for Ray Wans who sensed God's leading as he brought Trinity and VCS together. We thank God for Trinity Church and for their generosity. Their decision to share their site with us made the future of the elementary school finally a reality.

God's miraculous provision was again evident when the San Jose City Council voted unanimously to approve our elementary school building project. We thank Claude Fletcher, Valley Christian's Chancellor and former city council member, who was instrumental in resolving the many difficult issues to the satisfaction of all concerned parties. We thank our political leaders for their unanimous vote of support, we thank our VCS family who patiently supported us while we worked through all the many challenges, and we thank the local community who came through for VCS. Time and time again, we as board members, have witnessed God's miraculous power as VCS overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles during the planning and construction of both campuses. As we continue to witness God's power in working out his plans at VCS, our individual faith and trust in God becomes daily strengthened.

This has been a truly exciting time for VCS. We have had the extraordinary opportunity to work with top architects and builders as we design and build our dreams in our "Quest for Excellence"™. Also, despite the recession, we are experiencing record enrollment at our JH and HS campuses. And now with our elementary school construction, we will finally have permanent facilities for all of our schools. As Nehemiah spoke in the Old Testament "The God of Heaven, He will prosper us; therefore we His servants shall arise and build". As we celebrate our groundbreaking today, let us remember first to praise and to give thanks to our almighty God for he has indeed prospered us. Let us also remember that we are his humble servants chosen to build and to carry out the tremendously important responsibility to further his ministry here at Valley Christian Schools.