Bethel Springs School (Calico Rock, Arkansas, USA)
The Bethel Springs School at Culp (Calico Rock), Arkansas, was a Christian day school in the Ozark Mountains of north central Arkansas. It was directly connected with the mission work in this area and was sponsored by the Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities, Elkhart, Indiana.
The necessity of a Christian day school was felt by those burdened with the responsibility for building up the community morally and spiritually. The public schools were not filling the needs of the community educationally. The purpose of the school was, first, to bring every student to a knowledge of Christ and to lead each student to accept Him as Saviour; second, to build strong Christian character; and third, to provide a good educational opportunity for all who wished to avail themselves of it.
It started as a grade school in 1944 with Dorothea Martin as the first teacher, and had 24 children enrolled. The first three terms were held in the church. A new school building was originally planned as a one-story building with a full basement; but later, after the mission home burned, it was decided to add a second story for additional classroom space and apartments for principal and teachers. This building was completed and school was first held in it in the fall of 1947.
The school offered twelve grades, having added the four years of high school because of the demand. The total enrollment for 1953-54 was 49.
Later the school offered only grades 1-8. It closed in the 1960s and the property was sold to the Beachy Amish who established the Calvary Bible School at the property.
| Author(s) | Glen Yoder |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1953 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Yoder, Glen. "Bethel Springs School (Calico Rock, Arkansas, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1953. Web. 16 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bethel_Springs_School_(Calico_Rock,_Arkansas,_USA)&oldid=54641.
APA style
Yoder, Glen. (1953). Bethel Springs School (Calico Rock, Arkansas, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 16 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Bethel_Springs_School_(Calico_Rock,_Arkansas,_USA)&oldid=54641.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 315. All rights reserved.
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