A History of Clovis Christian Schools
Clovis Christian Schools began to offer a Christ-centered education to the Clovis community and surrounding areas in August 1994 at 800 Hinkle Street, in the building that now houses Clovis Christian High School. This building was originally built by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad in 1912 as the Santa Fe Hospital. On March 6, 1949, Central Baptist Church purchased the property and held their first service there on April 10, 1950. In April of 1994, Central Baptist Church sold the building and the entire city block surrounding it to Clovis Christian Schools, Inc. for $10.
Five churches – St. James Episcopal, Faith Christian Family, High Plains Baptist, First Baptist, and Central Christian contributed financially to begin CCS and comprised the founding Board, along with founders Chuck Glikas and Terry Osborne. Mr. Glikas led the effort to complete needed renovations to the building, which was damaged by fire in the summer of 1993, while Mrs. Osborne gathered policies, curriculum, staff, and students. The urgency to open CCS for the 1994-95 school year challenged the Board to cling to God’s promise given to them from Isaiah 41:20: “So that people may see and know, may consider and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it.” On August 29, 1994, Clovis Christian Schools opened with over 100 students in grades K-12. Along with the A Beka Christian curriculum, electives included choir, drama, art, yearbook, Spanish, and band. CCS fielded teams in volleyball, elementary flag football and basketball, cheer squad, girls’ basketball, and track. CCS awarded one diploma to the single senior who graduated from the new school in May of 1995. That same year, Steve Medeiros became the school administrator, leading CCS in steady growth for 13 years.
Tammy Garner Waters led the establishment of The Eagle Foundation as a fundraising organization to help CCS. Their greatest accomplishment came in the spring of 2000 as a new gymnasium-cafeteria was completed. Five years later, in December of 2003, CCS received ACSI accreditation for the secondary school and enrollment reached 229 students. They also joined NMAA so students could participate in state activity competitions. That same year, CCS bought eight lots with seven houses on the block just south of the school. The houses were demolished, and the land was improved to create a fenced field for activities, including a football practice field. Subsequently, CCS received permission from the City of Clovis to close 8th Street.
As enrollment grew to over 300 students, a progressive group of dads sought property for expansion. In 2006, they found 80 acres on Humphrey Road for $240,000 and quickly raised $80,000 for a down payment. At the closing, God increased the 80 acres to 90 acres due to a miscalculation, and the seller agreed to stay with the original price. As the Board dreamed big for the relocation, God worked another miracle within a couple of months. A development corporation wanted to buy 40 acres to build a new residential area and was willing to pay $240,000 for it. As a result, God provided the new property absolutely free. With God’s direction, Board member, David Petty, began an incredible process of envisioning a new facility to meet the growing needs of CCS for many years to come. With an amazing outpouring of help from community businesses, friends, and parents, Phase I – a $3 million, 32,700 sq.ft. project opened as Clovis Christian Elementary School in January 2008.
In 2012, the visiting accreditation team named CCS “The Gem on the Prairie” for its academic excellence, innovation, and spiritual quality. Clovis Christian Schools merited full accreditation from the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI), North Central Accreditation Association (NCA-CASI), and the NM Public Education Department, as well as being recognized as a 5-Star State Licensed Preschool by the CYFD. In April 2017, CCS earned a five-year dual accreditation renewal from ACSI and AdvancED, meriting several commendations for its quality educational programs and practices, including a strong focus on continuous school improvement.
In 2013, the Clovis Christian Schools Board of Directors made the decision to move Clovis Christian High School to the Humphrey location. To provide needed space for the high school students and administrative staff, CCS purchased two double-wide portables and one single-wide portable from Clovis Municipal Schools. Gracious donations and discounts awarded by some contractors for moving and setting up the new facilities resulted in the school’s ability to pay off all $126,500 for the relocation.
In May 2016, the CCS Board of Directors decided to begin Phase II of its long-range facilities plan. The CCS Board began efforts to acquire a bank loan to construct the new high school facility, which was projected to be $1.5 million. On July 27, 2016, just days prior to a meeting with the banker to finalize the loan agreement for $1.5 million, Opportunity Dairy’s Tony Teune decided to bless the school with a $1 million donation. God’s financial blessings two years earlier made it able to earmark another $250,000 toward the new building. Another $120,000 was donated to the New Vision Building Fund in December 2016, leaving only $130,000 remaining to be raised for the completion of the facility. In October 2016, construction began on the 15,965-square-foot, $1.5 million facility, which now houses seven classrooms and all of the secondary administrative offices. The high school was completed in January 2018 with the Lord providing for every dollar needed. As a result, CCS is debt-free, and we give God the glory and honor for what He has done!