SUMMERDALE, Ala. — “If you build it, they will come,” a line made famous in the Kevin Costner movie “Field of Dreams” is one of the goals Lester Smith has as he begins a new chapter as principal of Alabama Gulf Coast Christian Academy in Summerdale.

Located on the corner of County Road 28 and 71, AGCCA kicks off the 2010-11 school year on Wednesday, Aug. 11 and Smith has some very special and specific plans for the Pre-K-12 school that include increased enrollment and the beginnings of an athletic program.

“We have 45 returning students and 14 new ones. Our goal is for 60 and we are almost there. We have excellent teachers here and they have been working real hard this summer getting their classrooms ready,” Smith said of the nine teachers who will be shaping young minds this year.

Retiring from the public school system in June after 41 years, Smith is no stranger to the education world. Teaching English for 30 years and being head football coach for the Foley High School Lions for 17 of those 30, plus being coordinator for Baldwin County Athletics and Personnel Director for the Baldwin County Board of Education 11 years, has given Smith a lifetime of memories and experience.

“I completely enjoyed my time teaching and coaching. We have some excellent programs and teachers in the public system and I have made great friends and great memories,” said Smith, who had a career record of 119-53-2 while at FHS.

And because of his love for God, sports and kids, Smith decided to accept the role at AGCCA . As a four-year member of the AGCCA board and having a grandchild attend as well as having family ties to the school, Smith thought this was a good choice for him.

“I was approached by the board when Laura Lambert stepped down and felt it was the right thing to do. I knew the teachers and had been to many of the events so I was familiar with the activities,” Smith explained.

Getting its start with 21 students in 2005 and meeting in the Summerdale Church of Christ, AGCCA started small but has grown tremendously in the last five years and was able to move into its’ present location in 2008, thanks to Margie Snook’s generous donation of five acres of land.

“We do have small classes, five or six in each, but we are hopeful that the coming years will allow us to expand and have more. I would like to have 15 or 16 in each class and the more kids we have, the better off we will be,” Smith said. The biggest class this year so far seems to be kindergarten with 11 students.

Because AGGCA is centrally located, Smith said they have students from South and Central Baldwin County as well as the Eastern Shore. “We welcome kids from all over the county to come and get a quality education with Christian values,” Smith said.

Tuition and fees for AGCCA are $4,150 a year but there is financial aid and scholarships available for those who need it. Smith said they will not prevent any child from attending because of finances. “We can work out payment plans and scholarships. We will do whatever we can to help a child get a quality education,” Smith explained

In addition to teaching the Alabama Course of Study, Smith said students attend a 15 minute Chapel service every morning with songs and a devotional message. In the classroom, Pre-K- fifth grade are taught Bible stories by their teachers while grades 6-12 take a Bible elective class taught by Ben Coxwell. There are also Chorus and ensemble classes available as well.

And because AGCCA is a private school and depends on tuition and donations to stay afloat, Smith said it so important to have support from the community and parents. ‘We need to spread the word about our school and be ambassadors for it in the community so people will want to be a part of it and send their kids here. And the only way to do that is by advertising in the paper, on T.V. and with signs and fundraisers. And word-of-mouth is always effective”

Just last Saturday on July 31, a group of 40 people came out for a workday and painted and scrubbed walls and floors, cut grass and planted shrubs and worked on playground equipment. “All our parents want our school to succeed and that’s why we had such a great turnout. They care about the school and their kids and want to do everything they can to make it work,” Smith commented.

Members of the community also donate their time and services to the school in different ways and Smith believes they are moving in the right direction and picking up steam as the new year begins.

One of the biggest boosts for the school came on June 1 when former Alabama coach Gene Stallings came and spoke at a fundraiser that raised over $12,000. Around 250 people paid $100 to eat prime rib, have a chance to win some door prizes and listen to Stallings talk about his glory days at Alabama.

“That was the biggest shot in the arm for the school and we were fortunate to have friends who knew Stallings and could get him for us. And he is also a Church of Christ member so he had a connection to us as well,” Smith explained. Plans for more fundraisers during the year are in the works as well.

Perhaps the biggest goal and one closest to Smith’s heart for the school is the beginning of an athletic program. With the five acre expanse behind the school, plans are underway for a baseball field, lovingly referred to as “Caleb’s Field of Dreams,” named after Caleb Coxwell, an 11-year-old AGCCA fourth grader who was tragically killed last July in a farm machinery accident.

“He was avery special young man and he loved playing football and baseball and really wanted AGCCA to start a sports program. We are trying our hardest to make that dream a reality for him and his family,” Smith said.

According to AGCCA’s website, On May 14, they had a groundbreaking ceremony and fun run for Caleb’s field where 150 attended including Caleb’s dad, Ben, who teaches at the school, his sister, Callie, who is a student there, and Billy Lambert, Caleb’s grandfather and pastor of Summerdale Church of Christ.

“We are in the kid business and will do anything to help kids. You never know what kind of difference you can make in he life of a child. You have to light the flame in their mind and they will succeed,” Smith said.

There are also plans to eventually have football and other sports programs as well as expanding the playground equipment for the younger children, Smith said.

Crediting his eighth grade teachers for influencing him to become a teacher and coach, Smith said those people helped him along the way but “ultimately God is the reason I am who I am and He gives us all that we have in life.”

Smith and his wife, Elaine, who painted the artwork and decorated much of the school lobby, have four children, Keith, Kim, Jill and Leigh and grandchildren who keep them busy, and are active members of Summerdale Church of Christ.

For more info about AGCCA or “Caleb’s Filed of Dreams,”, contact (251) 989-2333. Donations can also be made to AGCCA, P.O. Box 420, Summerdale, Al 36580.