Second grade teacher Stephanie Hill helps students with an Easter assignment. (Ian Terry / The Herald)

Second grade teacher Stephanie Hill helps students with an Easter assignment. (Ian Terry / The Herald)

New building expands capacity at Northshore Christian Academy

EVERETT — The new Cascade Pavilion at Northshore Christian Academy is expected to add more space for music, robotics, lunches and middle school classrooms.

The building is under construction now at the private, faith-based school. It’s the latest addition at a campus that has grown over the past couple of decades to keep up with a steady increase in enrollment.

Northshore Christian Church opened in 1993 as a plant of Overlake Christian Church. Two years later, the academy was founded. There were 37 students. Now, there are 1,015 students from toddlers to 8th grade.

The school and church were in a leased warehouse until 2003, when they moved to a permanent home at 5700 23rd Drive W, not far from Boeing’s Everett location.

Northshore Christian Academy includes specialty programs for art, music, science and engineering, and early education. Summer programs were added in 2005. The church shares space with the school, so the campus is busy all week long.

“We are really using God’s house to its max capacity, and we love that,” said Denise Christian, admissions and marketing director.

The academy is going from 145,000 square feet to 162,000 thanks to the addition of Cascade Pavilion. It’s the twin to Olympic Pavilion, built in 2010. The buildings are to be connected by an underground hallway and an upper story bridge.

Administrators expect an increase in enrollment after opening Cascade Pavilion this fall, but the school is close to capacity. The new building is meant to expand learning areas for current students, Christian said. It’s a $3.3 million project.

Workers have been putting in the foundation. Next will be steel framing, said Mark Lewinski, CEO and president of contractor Kirtley Cole. He feels good about the project and the company’s partnership with the school, he said.

The pavilion is designed to add a larger cafeteria that can seat two grade levels at a time rather than one, meaning longer lunch periods are possible. The existing cafeteria will be turned into a music space, and a new music room also is planned. That’s to better accommodate the 11 performing groups at the school, including orchestras, choirs and bands. One of the new building’s rooms is for Spanish teachers, who currently rove from classroom to classroom.

Another key feature of Cascade Pavilion is additional science and engineering space, a boon to the school’s three robotics teams.

“The school has grown so much and provided so much,” said David Chen, who volunteers as a robotics adviser. “From an engineering perspective, this is a dream come true, not only to mentor my own child but to mentor other children.”

Middle school students are mastering programming, design and manufacturing, all of which are vital skills in the workplace, he said.

Cascade Pavilion will allow the school to give sixth-grade students their own space, too. Currently, sixth-grade classrooms are spread throughout the campus. Giving elementary and middle school students separate areas creates a sense of community for them, said Glen Cowan, who serves on the church’s elder board and school board.

“It lets them have their identity,” he said.

Administrators and volunteers say their goal is to teach students to be kind to others and steady in their faith. They want students to leave the school as leaders.

Christian’s granddaughter attends the school.

“She has a heart for Jesus and I love that,” Christian said.

There are 17 languages spoken among the school’s students. They are not required to attend a Christian church to enroll, but Bible studies and chapel time are part of the curriculum.

After finishing middle school at Northshore Christian Academy, students go on to about 17 area high schools.

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.