Ephesus Junior Academy closed at the end of 2010 with just FOUR students on its rolls – when the minimum requirement was twelve students.
But the Seventh-day Adventist school on Castle Street near 17th is hoping to re-open in the fall. Amanda Greene of Wilmington Faith and Values reports on the multi-racial school’s student recruitment and history in the community.
The 100-year-old elementary school – which extends through eighth grade -- is located in the L-shaped wing of Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church. Though it doesn’t have electronic smartboards, former city councilman and Ephesus alum Ron Sparks says the private school focused instead on one-on-one instruction. And teachers could use prayer and Bible teaching in class. At the height of the school’s membership in the sixties, it had about thirty students. When its numbers dropped below twelve, church members supplemented school tuition to keep it open. Now, the school needs to raise $60,000 to re-open and is interviewing new teachers for the fall.