Setting The Stage (STS) Campaign

Aerial View of Impacted Parts of Campus (Blue)

Fine Arts & Ag Wing - Main Back Parking Lot View

Why Now and Why This Project?

In the last 15 years, CLHS has flourished with growth in enrollment and capital improvements. Since the 2007-2008 school year, enrollment has risen from under 400 students to over 550 students. In that time, several programs in the athletic and fine arts departments have expanded and garnered many accolades, including 38 team state championships and over 100 individual state titles.

While the athletic and fine art departments have had success on both the state and national levels, both of these departments are operated under space constraints. New programs have been added to Concordia's offerings, as well as existing programs have seen substantial increases in participation. Specifically, the band program has grown from less than 10 students in 2009, to almost 50 students in 2022.

Additionally, in 2015, Concordia started an Agriculture program that has grown to include almost 40% of our student population taking an Agriculture course annually. The program provides unique educational opportunities through courses such as Intro to Ag Sciences, Culinary, Floral Design, Veterinary Medical Application, Animal Science, and Wildlife, Fisheries, and Ecology Management. These programs have been housed in the small former home economics kitchen and classroom with both spaces being forced to be used each period of the day with some Ag classes having to move to an open classroom around campus.

From an academic standpoint, classrooms are used efficiently but additional space for new classrooms is desperately needed. Concordia's campus can no longer adequately or even professionally operate with so many shared spaces for students/teams/programs to be successful.

Challenges for Athletics

Challenges for Athletics

Concordia's gymnasium has been an excellent home for many student athletes and alumni over the years since the mid 1990s. However, there is a pressing need for a second gymnasium to help alleviate some of the scheduling issues on campus, especially during the Fall months when Volleyball is still in season and both Boys and Girls Basketball has started. Specifically, in October and November, there are nine Crusader sports teams (3 Girls VB, Cheer, 3 Boys BKB, and 2 Girls BKB) that vie for access to one gymnasium for practices and games.

Insider our current gymnasium, we are limited to two volleyball courts or two basketball courts when the bleachers are retracted. This challenges the ability to have multiple teams in a program practicing simultaneously. This has resulted in one or more teams having to hold practice on the sidelines without the use of a court or spending time doing strength and agility either on the track or in the weight room.

Over the last two school years, the Girls Basketball team has been practicing in the hallway at Concordia, in the mornings before school, or at a local park’s outdoor court to maximize practice time in their pre-season. The Boys Basketball team has also had their season started with alternative practices including in the mornings before school as well as staying late after volleyball practices conclude. Finally, our Cheer team has to practice in the Cafetorium after school with the student body walking around them for dismissal.

In our current set up, there are multiple locker rooms throughout the athletics wing. Some of these spaces have been serving athletes since the mid 90s, while others are former classrooms that have been turned into changing spaces to accommodate the growth in athletics. Additionally, the use of space is inefficient as a three-sport athlete in Volleyball, Girls Basketball, and Girls Track, would have multiple lockers assigned over the course of the school year.

From a weight training perspective, Concordia has an small indoor climate controlled weight room in the athletics wing and a larger weight room with added AC beyond the baseball and stadium fields. This has provided a challenge with athletes having to maximize space during athletic period and after school practices and not being able to be in the same space at the same time.

Finally, in addition to the primary uses of the Gymnasium, there are many other uses of the Gym that include VB and BKB rentals, practice locations for our FB and LAX programs when inclement weather happens, Alumni & Friends Morning Basketball, TAPPS Playoff Games, and Houston Methodist Athletic Physicals.

Challenges for Athletics Pictures

Three Girls VB teams practicing at one time in Gym

Pep Rallies/Assemblies are hosted in the Gym

Challenges for Fine Arts

Challenges for Fine Arts

In the last 15 years, CLHS has flourished with growth in enrollment and capital improvements. Since the 2007-2008 school year, the fine arts department has expanded and garnered many accolades, including 24 Fine Arts Team State Championships.

One of the biggest areas of growth in the fine arts department has been the band. In 2007-2008, there were a total of nine students who participated in band. Now, the Crusader band features just under 50 students.

In addition to band, Concordia’s choir program has seen growth as well as residency atop the state ranks. In the last decade, the concert choir has grown from 50 students to over 75 students.

Both band and choir are the two primary programs that are housed in Concordia’s music room which is approx. 2,000 sq.ft. On a normal school day, band is 1^st period and concert choir is 4^th period. This requires moving instruments, chairs, music stands, and risers every day to accommodate the two programs’ different needs. Additionally, each program has different acoustical needs that the room cannot treat based on share spacing.

Other programs that utilize the music room weekly include Concordia’s Handbell Choir, Jazz Band, Drumline, and Chamber Choir. The Concordia Players theatre group also uses the music room for back of house needs for their One Act Play and Musical performances that happen throughout the year.

Concordia has been a good steward of maximizing the music room, but the current space does not feature separate and adequate storage and practice rooms to support all of these fine arts programs, students, and directors. The theatre department has been storing their costumes and set building materials off campus in a storage building which is not only expensive, but inconvenient.

Challenges for Fine Arts Pictures

One Act Play practicing in the Commons as Cheer was in the Cafetorium

Field Band practicing in the Gym for more space

Band Sectionals in the hallway due to lack of practice rooms

Challenges for Agriculture

With almost 40% of our students actively taking an Agriculture program course, the existing space of the old home economics classroom and kitchen quickly has become a space constraint and a prevention of additional growth.

The existing ag classroom and ag kitchen were built in 1996, during the Building for Christ Campaign, and they were designed for 16 or less students in each class. Today, due to the popularity in the Agriculture curriculum courses offered, many of these classes have at least 20 students, which results in overcrowded spaces. Culinary courses are offered 6 of the 8 periods of the day as many students desire to learn more about cooking especially before going off to college. These classes can be harder for younger students such as sophomores to get into due to the demand.

Additionally, courses like Veterinary Medical Application (Vet Med) and Floral Design require running water and other appliances like coolers that a general home economics classroom does not have included. Also, larger tables have been brought in to the ag classroom instead of desks to provide students with working spaces. However, this is made the space feel even smaller and limits movement in the room.

Finally, both the existing ag classroom and ag kitchen are used almost every period of the school day, which makes that space very loud and crowded. The only way for students to get to class in the ag kitchen is to go through the ag classroom, which is very disturbing and not efficient.

Challenges for Agriculture Pictures

Floral Design students work on classroom tables which overtake the classroom

Multiple student groups sharing one of four cooking stations

Floral Design supplies taking over front of small classroom

Mr. Abke teaching Culinary in dark older kitchen

Vet Med students in a classroom without running water or lab stations

Spaces Created for Athletics

Concordia’s athletic department has been a good steward of maximizing the current athletic facilities originally designed for a smaller student population, primarily, the current gymnasium and locker rooms. However, as enrollment has grown, there is a need for a second or third gymnasium to better fit the needs of the school.

Over the last year, the athletic department and coaches have identified some needs for additional spaces on campus, specifically related to indoor athletic programs such as volleyball, basketball, and cheer. Additionally, for the entire athletic program at Concordia, updated locker rooms, weight room, athletic training suite, and offices for the athletic department will be added to help maximize efficiency while serving all of our student-athletes.

The plan includes building a new athletic complex on the NE corner of Concordia’s existing main campus property, directly along FM 2920. This project will feature the following new spaces:

A new almost 16,000 sq ft main competition gymnasium with seating for 1,200 people features 10 basketball goals and space for multiple volleyball courts. When the bleachers are retracted, two full-length 94' courts are available for efficient practice and hosting of tournament play.
A new 84' long auxiliary practice gym with hardwood court and six basketball goals will be created to assist with daily use and providing amore court space for hosting tournaments.
New weight room looking into stadium with space for multiple teams at a time, creating efficiency instead of programs having to split up between the existing weight rooms. Additionally, the almost 4,000 sq ft space will be conveniently location directly off the track and the stadium field in the athletic wing.
New locker rooms for all athletes will be built with an oversized locker room for both boy and girl athletes. The locker rooms will include various sizes of lockers for maximum efficiency based on program needs. Also, a team meeting space will be created in the middle of each locker room with digital white boards for meetings before, during, and after games.
New athletic training suite will be created conveniently located in the middle of the athletic wing space for easily serving and caring for athletes.
A new athletic office complex and locker rooms for staff and coaches will also be created.
Finally, a 2,600 sq ft event atrium will be created that looks into stadium with giant glass panels providing an event space with amazing views while in the air conditioning.

Once the new athletic complex is built, Concordia will be able to better function with athletes having the necessary space to practice and perform without scheduling around each other like they are now. Finally, multiple teams will be able to practice at the same time during athletic period or after school, maximizing our efficiency and allowing student athletes to get home at better times after practice.

Spaces Created for Fine Arts

Over the last year, Concordia's Fine Arts department has identified some solutions to create separate fine arts spaces for many of our talented programs and groups. This would allow these programs to efficiently exist while continuing to provide excellent opportunities for their students.

The plan includes a complete renovation of the existing gymnasium and to convert that space to be all Fine Arts support specifically:

Inside the current gymnasium, there would be separate band and choir rooms with the choir room also functioning as a recital hall that could be used for student/faculty performances or rented out.
The separate spaces for band and choir allow them each to tailor their spaces for their acoustical needs while also enabling them to leave their space set up daily limiting the time wasted in transition.
There also would be a black box theatre (seats 150 attendees) that would be used to host smaller theatre performances such as the home performances of the One Act Play while also functioning as a classroom for the theatre arts and speech and debate classes.
A separate scene shop would allow sets to be built on site for any of the performance spaces as well as providing storage for costumes and props.
Much needed storage spaces, five practice rooms, and offices for directors and fine arts staff would be created for all fine arts programs.
Finally, the existing music room would be renovated to be a theatre support area that would include a closed rehearsal space, new changing rooms, storage, stage access, and an office.

Once a new space has been established for fine arts, additional groups, programs, and classes could be added:

Jazz Lab
Orchestra
Woodshop/Set Building Practicum
Dance
Drill Team

Fine Arts & Ag View from Main Back Parking Lot

Spaces Created for Agriculture

Over the last year, Concordia's Agriculture department has identified some solutions to create new spaces for the various classes and programs served in the Ag program. This would allow these programs to efficiently exist while continuing to provide excellent hands-on and real world opportunities for the students.

The plan includes a renovation of the existing ag classroom and kitchen and new construction of extending beyond the music room to the south to create another classroom. The specifics include:

Renovation of existing ag kitchen into a state-of-the-art instructional kitchen with multiple food prep spaces, cooktops and ovens for culinary classes.
The existing ag classroom will also be renovated and combined into the teaching kitchen similar to our science labs in the West Wing with instructional and lab practical sides.
A new oversized agriculture lab will be created by extending the existing music room wall to the south. This new lab will host classes such as floral design, animal science, and vet med, where each class requires a larger space and plumbing.
Finally, a new ag barn will be added for a variety of program needs to Concordia's newest two acres off Timkin Rd. The donation of the land was through a private donation extending Concordia's total acreage to 42 acres.

We Need YOUR Help to Set The Stage!

We are making a call to our donors and Concordia community to make a gift or pledge to the Setting The Stage Campaign with a three-year goal of $18.5 million. Your donation will ensure that we meet the needs of current and future Crusaders so they can be strong and well-rounded Christian leaders.

Setting The Stage Campaign Giving Levels

Goal: $18.5 million over three years