This is an example of one of the teacher’s classrooms at Snook Christian Academy.

Snook Christian Academy has gone through many changes since it was formed in 2006. This year, more than 200 students are attending SCA and the school hired 11 new staff members.

Many of the teachers have their own theme in each of their rooms. Some of the themes are Cat in the Hat, pirate themed, Peanuts characters and of course, movie themed for the drama room.

• 
• 
• 

Students are making their way back to school and getting into the routine of early alarms, sack lunches and school bus rides. But the students at Snook Christian Academy, formerly known as Gulf Coast Christian Academy, were greeted with more than a few back-to-school changes.

The largest change that the school has made is the name: Snook Christian Academy; and the reason for that change is simple.

“We wanted to honor Ms. (Marjorie) Snook for all she’s done for the school,” said Snook Christian Academy’s Head of School Thad Butts. “This is her land where the school sits. She’s just done so much to make this school happen and we wanted to honor her for that.”

Students in all grades will notice an increase in classmates this year as well.

“Last year we had 135 students and as of the beginning of August, we have 211,” Butts said. Over a 60 percent increase.

As with more students, come more faculty. Snook Christian Academy hired 11 new staff members this year.

A second school building has been completed for this upcoming school year that will house the lower elementary school grades, PreK3 through first grade. The middle building is for second through fifth graders, and the high schoolers have a building being brought in and assembled on the other side of the upper elementary school building. Because of a delay in the building assembly, the high school students don’t start school until next week, whereas the younger students began Aug. 10.

Another “facility” that is to be added is the outdoor classroom. This area will be filled with raised garden beds, fruit bushes and trees as well as some aquaculture items.

An exciting addition the school will have this year is athletic teams for seventh through 12th grades.

“This is a big change for us as well,” said Butts. “We’ll have soccer, volleyball and cheerleading in the fall; basketball and archery in the winter; baseball, softball, tennis and golf in the spring.”

Snook Christian Academy will play in the Panhandle Christian Conference and will compete against another school in Baldwin County: Central Christian School in Robertsdale.

GCCA began in 2006 at Summerdale Church of Christ with about 13 students, according to Butts.

“We moved to this campus in 2008 and since then, we’ve been working hard to grow it,” he said.

We’d have to agree.