Florida East Coast Christian School readies for enrollment, fall opening as private school
ORMOND BEACH — There will be no boredom in the classrooms of Florida East Coast Christian School, Chancellor Bob Vaeth said during a recent tour of the new Ormond Beach private school.
For starters, the school's lobby features a model train garden, and it's surrounded by model cars and ships, paintings, flags and space-themed décor.
In addition to the “mesmerizing” trains, students in pre-K through fifth grade may learn historical facts from the displays and be inspired to partake in projects as a central focus of the school.
Applications, deadlines, vouchers: What to know about school choice in Volusia County
More in Ormond Beach: Gov. Ron DeSantis' transportation proposal includes I-95 interchange at U.S. 1
Charter school options: Daytona Beach school gives pregnant and parenting students a second chance at education
“Our main theme as far as learning goes is project-based learning,” Vaeth said, providing an example. “Johnny has a hundred popsicle sticks. Build me a train trestle bridge that will support a hundred pounds. I’m here to help.”
The school, which is named after the Florida East Coast Railway, is slated to open as Volusia County’s newest private school in August, and enrollment starts Feb. 15.
FEC Christian will focus on STEM, arts and space
“Learning needs to be fun because you can bring a horse to water but you can’t make them drink,” Vaeth said. “You’ve got to make them want to drink the water.”
Vaeth says FEC Christian is “a STEM school with an ‘A’ in middle for STEAM,” meaning science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Because of the proximity to Cape Canaveral, there will be an emphasis on space, including field trips to Kennedy Space Center.
He also noted in addition to the usual three “R’s” of education — reading, writing and arithmetic — the school will have a fourth “R” in recess, as the students will spend plenty of time outside.
The school will expand up to eighth grade and 50 classrooms in time, Vaeth says. Currently, there is capacity for 450 students in 22 classrooms. He has more than 20 teachers verbally committed to joining the staff. There will be a 12-1 student to teacher ratio with up to 24 students, one teacher and one assistant teacher in each class.
Vaeth says the school will use a platform called IXL, which helps personalize learning to individual student needs.
Kids will be fed breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack each day. The school will also have etiquette classes and a chapel with services.
“Our favorite virtue is gratitude because in order to be grateful, they have to be aware,” Vaeth said. “So many kids today just go through life like that, not aware of what’s going on. That’s why the train garden, all this history is to make them aware and therefore they can be grateful and blessed for all that they have.”
In addition to trains, lighthouses are another icon for FEC Christian, encouraging students to “Be a beacon. Light the way.”
The school already has "project tables" set up in many classrooms, and its hallways are covered in colorful paintings symbolizing a “train trip around the world” with stops in Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Japan and many other countries.
Families will benefit from Florida's private school scholarships
The South Nova Road facility has served as multiple preschools since 2010, including Bright Beginnings, Little Engine Academy and Jourdan Academy, which Vaeth and his wife have been associated with.
“It really is too big a building for a preschool,” he said. “It’s a perfect elementary school.”
Vaeth had fought and won numerous court battles against Volusia County Schools over opening the new school as a public charter school, but he has since decided to open it as a private school with the help of Florida’s expanding school choice scholarships to make it more accessible to families.
While the income limit was previously $55,000 for a family of four to be eligible for Family Empowerment Scholarships to cover private school tuition, that limit is now $111,000 — 400% of the federal poverty level — and the Florida Legislature may eliminate financial eligibility standards altogether in a proposed expansion of the voucher program.
Vaeth says as it stands, the scholarship to attend FEC Christian would be about $7,800 to cover tuition, making it free for many families. A family earning more than the limit would pay that same amount, and private pre-K tuition has not been determined yet.
Vaeth estimates 70-80% of the students will be on scholarships, and he expects to fill up. He also plans to build more Christian schools in the future, and FEC Christian will have a summer camp with specialty classes in sports, arts and music starting in June.
“Word is getting out,” he said. “It is definitely getting out.”
School tours are available every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 499 S. Nova Road. Visit fecchristian.org for information.
Contact reporter Danielle Johnson at djohnson@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Ormond Beach home to Florida East Coast Christian School, opening in fall
