Students celebrate new construction at Reedley school after rapid growth

REEDLEY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Students, staff and parents of one school in Fresno County came together in a special way to bless their new school.

At Immanuel Elementary School in Reedley, students put pen to wood on the inner walls of what will soon be their new elementary school.

"Hebrews 3:12, 'For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword,'" 5th-grader Jacob Rios said.

"I'm very excited and I have four brothers, and they're all very excited," 6th-grader Madison Jackson said. "So, I'm glad they're going to get to go here and generations to come also."

Immanuel is celebrating the construction of phase one of its new elementary school, which includes 10 classrooms, a library and office. Administrators say the small Christian school has grown by 51 percent in the last four years thanks to new marketing and word of mouth.

The K-to-12 school now has nearly 600 students and is growing every year, so they needed to make room for new students.

"Where we are standing right now used to be a baseball field and tennis courts, so once our sports facility moved it allowed an elementary school here," principal Kim Thiesen explained. "And then our junior-highers will get to take over what's currently our elementary school."

Students said they feel so privileged to pick a scripture of their choosing to write on the walls here.

"It's awesome," Jacob said. "My friends are saying, it's just one of the greatest experiences I ever had because it's kind of like making history."

Once the buildings are complete, Immanuel will begin fundraising for phases two and three which include more classrooms, an amphitheater and multi-purpose room.

"All of our classrooms and our library will have state-of-the-art technology," Thiesen said. "So, the latest for the kids, which will be neat and an upgrade for our teachers."

And within the brand new walls, prayers for the expansion and well-being of this beloved school - giving each person that will walk through these classrooms a sense of ownership and love.