After Hours to show off new
additions at Rehoboth

David Orris, left and Jeff Banaszak are the new director of advancement and the director of finance and operations for Rehoboth Christian School. Courtesy photo

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Gaye Brown de Alvarez
Staff writer

REHOBOTH — It’s like an oasis in the desert.
Rehoboth Christian School, which has been situated in an enclave east of Gallup for a century, has big plans for the future.

The school hired David Orris Sr. as the new director of advancement at the school and Jeff Banaszak as new director of finance and operations. There will be a chamber of commerce Business After Hours event in the lobby of the school’s new Sports and Fitness Center Wednesday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. to show the community just what is going on at Rehoboth.

The Sports and Fitness Center is almost done, and it features a band room, two state-of-the-art gymnasiums, a fitness room with what looks like a hundred machines on which to exercise, and nearby there is a new soccer field with a surrounding track.

The two new employees have their eyes to the future. With 448 students enrolled this year and a $4 million 2008 budget, plans are to continue with the expansion and renovation of classrooms, teacher housing, and assistance of families who need financial help to enroll children. One of the goals is to maintain student diversity. Currently, 70 percent of the students are Native American.

“One of our goals is to build an endowment to help kids afford to come here,” Orris said as he showed off the new fitness center. “McKinley County is one of the poorest counties in the U.S. So parents get financial support based on their needs.” He added that the endowment is “to try to raise funds to invest and use the investment proceeds to help those who can’t afford to come here.”

A centurylong history has created a long list of donors who regularly help finance the school. Out of their $4 million budget, $1.8 million is from donations. The rest is Title I and Title II and grant money and tuition fees. They receive a modest amount from the federal government.

Tuition costs $4,750 per year, but adjustments are made according to family income. But, according to Rachel Kass, development assistant at the school, it costs about $7,550 for the school to accommodate one student per year. The difference is made up by foundation and donation money.

“We’re trying to fund after-school activities in exercise, health, reading and math tutoring,” Orris said. “We haven’t gotten funds yet this year, but we’re hoping for a half-million dollars to fund these activities for over two years. And we are partnering with Churchrock Elementary.”

The school’s sports and fitness center opened in November along with a model classroom which is computerized and is a model for future classrooms. The computer equipment was funded by the Gates Foundation. Orris and Banaszak are anxious for the community to see the new improvements and additions to the school.