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School History
Covenant Christian High School is a non-denominational, private, Christian school governed by an elected Board of Directors. The basis of the school is the belief that parents are ultimately responsible for the education of their children and that this education needs to be built on the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The governance of the school is setup in such a way that no church has ownership of the school or the authority to dictate how the school is to operate. The school is based on the historical Reformed understanding of the Scriptures. The ongoing basis of Covenant follows the views enunciated by the Dutch theologian and statesman Abraham Kuyper who said, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’” With this understanding, students are educated to recognize this claim and become actively involved in this world. The students are taught and shown how to have their faith direct their choices in life, regardless of where God calls them to serve Him.
The goal of establishing a Christian high school in DeMotte goes back to at least 1952, when DeMotte Christian School had a ninth grade class for one year. In 1978, DeMotte Christian School purchased land for the future growth and expansion of Christian education in the DeMotte area. A High School Steering Committee was formed in the summer of 1987, followed by the establishment of the Covenant Christian High School Society, which met in the fall of 1987 to elect the first Covenant Christian High School Board of Directors. On September 14, 1987, Covenant received a certificate of incorporation from Indiana. On April 12, 1988 the Society adopted a set of by-laws that would form the governing framework for Covenant Christian High School. On May 12, 1989, Covenant received 501(c)(3) status from the Internal Revenue Service. After several more years of work, a recommendation was adopted by the Society to temporarily place the business of Covenant into the hands of a three-member board for caretaking. In the fall of 1998, another steering committee was appointed, the Covenant Christian High School Society met again, and a new Covenant Christian High School Board of Directors was elected. In the fall of 1999, Covenant Christian High School opened its doors with a class of fourteen freshmen students.
The 1999-2000 school year, the first year Covenant had students enrolled, began with a ninth grade class. In the three subsequent years, another grade level was added, so that by the fall of 2002, the school had freshmen through senior students. In the spring of 2003 the first class graduated with 15 students, along with two exchange students who received recognition for their time at Covenant.
The first year, classes met in two portable classrooms, and the following year two more portable classrooms were purchased. During the 2001-2002 school year, a permanent structure was built, and the students from the first class were able to experience their senior year in this new school building. This building contains six classrooms, a computer room / library, a cafeteria, a full-size gym and office space. Through gifts-in-kind, financial gifts and collected pledges, there was a remaining debt of $200,000 on this approximately $2 million capital expenditure. Since then Covenant has been blessed in that the remaining debt was retired in the spring of 2009. An enrollment in excess of 100 students is anticipated for the 2011-2012 school year.
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