Campus Renderings
Dr. Jahna Duda, Head of School
Establishing a unified campus allows us to build a seamless educational home where students are nurtured from preschool through graduation as they develop and maintain a relationship with Jesus Christ, discover their gifts and pursue the purpose God has for them, and prepare them for a lifetime of flourishing. Together, we can achieve a profoundly greater impact than is possible within a divided campus model.
Main Entrance/Office & Campus Security
To best serve our unified PreK-12 community, Rockford Christian seeks to reconfigure the current upper school entrance and offices to create a centralized gateway bringing leadership together and ensuring a welcoming environment for visitors. Renovations will include:
- an expanded lobby
- enhanced safety and security measures
- remodeled offices with hallway access for students and families
- dedicated hallway access between lower and upper school wings in order to create appropriate separation for learning spaces
Great Room, Band Room, & Servery
Rockford Christian will reimagine the current high school commons and band room to create an expanded space to accommodate all middle and high school students during lunch.
By transitioning the band program to the Bertrand auditorium (also known as the DLA) along with new instrument storage, we unlock the potential for a new kitchen with hot lunch items as well as healthy grab-and-go options and space for future student-run businesses such as a coffee shop or bakery.
By transitioning the band program to the Bertrand auditorium (also known as the DLA) along with new instrument storage, we unlock the potential for a new kitchen with hot lunch items as well as healthy grab-and-go options and space for future student-run businesses such as a coffee shop or bakery.
In addition, the renovation will create a college-like commons area (called the Great Room) for high school students to use throughout the day to study, collaborate with peers, or fellowship with friends.
This Great Room will also become the main hub for the RC community to gather for celebrations, prayer groups, Bible studies, or game time concessions.
Middle School Classrooms
Rockford Christian will move middle school into the current high school wing of the main building and launch a middle school house system. Renovations include remodeling current high school classrooms to create additional middle school classrooms and spaces that foster a sense of belonging, community, and mentorship.
This wing will support house activities that boost engagement, impact behavior through positive reinforcement, encourage leadership, and build school spirit. Hallways and classrooms will feature banners, mascots, and mottos that reflect we are “six houses, one family.”
Preschool Classrooms & Restrooms
A key priority of our campus unification is the reconfiguring of the current middle school classrooms to create an age-appropriate space for our three- and four-year-olds.
Renovations include creating larger classrooms that allow for active, play-based learning focused exclusively on Early Childhood development, as well as age-appropriate restrooms to support their growing independence.
Matt Nyberg, Head of Lower School & Operations
"I am excited as a parent, principal, and part of our community for the potential that this move will bring to our school. While I will miss the Hemlock building with all of its unique quirks, the things that I truly love the most are all coming with us in the move. The teachers. The staff. The kids. The community."
Heath Tibbetts, Head of Spiritual Life
We’ve already seen incredible value in bridging the gap between our upper and lower schools by bringing high schoolers into elementary chapels. Our younger Royal Lions are inspired by seeing their older peers leading the way, while our high school students discover the profound impact they can have. By removing logistical barriers, we’re creating a single, unified campus where spiritual growth happens across every grade level.
Campus Enhancements
Preschool Playground: The future home for preschool includes adding an outdoor playground with age-appropriate features that encourage imaginative play, gross motor skills, and social development for our youngest learners. Safety is paramount so this space will also include soft surfacing that allows for running, jumping, and riding tricycles as well as secure fencing and landscaping to further protect our preschoolers.
Elementary Playground: Renovations include an age-appropriate playground for elementary near the existing softball and baseball fields that focuses on challenging physical development, fostering social interaction, and enabling creative, imaginative play. Key elements will include climbing structures, sports areas, and safe, durable surfacing. Proximity to soccer, baseball, and softball ensures families and children can enjoy the outdoor space while attending a game or practice.
Additional Gym and Enhanced Practice Spaces: Renovations to the current PARC building include a new floor, scoreboards, and basketball hoops to create a third gym in the PARC building as well as additional hoops and other enhancements to practice facilities in the Main Gym and Blue Gym.
Worship and Performance Upgrades in Blue Gym: As our community and Fine Arts programming continue to grow, we seek to modernize the technical infrastructure in the Blue Gym. These upgrades will build upon our current foundation to further elevate our worship, chapel, and performances in this space.
Faculty Compensation & Debt Retirement
Once our long-standing debt is completely retired, the $570,000 currently used for annual debt service will be reallocated to faculty compensation, providing an additional $5,000 to $15,000 in annual compensation for approximately 50 faculty. Allocating a strategic $1.1 million payment from the campaign specifically to debt retirement accelerates internal efforts to eliminate the debt and expedite efforts to bring compensation closer to the local public school districts to ensure Rockford Christian retains and attracts top tier talent.
To maximize every dollar, any campaign funds raised above our goal will be dedicated to retiring this debt ahead of schedule. This strategic focus reflects the unwavering commitment of our Board and leadership team: as we build for the future, we are equally dedicated to investing in the educators who make our mission possible. By prioritizing debt retirement as a part of this effort, we ensure our faculty remain at the heart of our growth.
Madigan Rhode '27
"I remember being in elementary school and thinking the high schoolers were the coolest people in the world. I’m so excited that unifying our campus will create more of those ‘big kid’ mentorship moments for the younger students. I know firsthand how much those connections mean to them."
Rockford Christian is an independent, private school offering college-preparatory education through a biblical worldview for students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Rockford Christian School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin with all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to the students at the school.
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