What’s Right With Our Schools: CSLA Construction

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WDEF) – CSLA is about to pass a milestone more than 30 years in the making. Their upper and lower school campuses are coming together like never before. This brick and mortar progress is a rock solid example of what’s right with our schools.

Krystal Scarbrough is the Principal at CSLA.

She explains, “Our school right now is split into two campuses until part of the construction is finished, and we join together in January, but hopefully you’ll see a little glimpse of the magic of CSLA, today. We are thrilled about our new media center. It is just the most phenomenal space, and as it’s finished. We’ll have books for kindergartners through 12th grade students. It will have a computer lab off to the side and a creative space in the back. When you go out the side of the media center, you’ll see a fabulous courtyard which is being transformed before our very eyes. The amphitheater will house kids in classes, it will, it will be a celebration area for families to meet, and we’re going to use that space for a lot. Under construction is also our art room.  That is in that courtyard; our gymnasium our cafeteria, and they are coming along beautifully.

Jenna Ormsby is the Assistant Principal at CSLA.

She adds, “I think the teachers definitely feel like this is a dream that’s being realized. After nearly 31 years in the making, some of these teachers were here at the what used to be the Lakeside Academy property, and so they are incredibly thrilled to see the transformation. For us just watching the magic that happened inside a building that was built in the 1940s at the upper campus.”

Jamie Behler teaches kindergarten at CSLA.

She says,” It was a magical place. It was a place where there was imagination and excitement and passion and everything. CSLA is just, it’s really a magical place where our teachers love teaching and our kids love being.”

Principal Scrarbrough concludes, “To join us at CSLA, go to theHCDE website and join the lottery process. It starts in the fall. It’s usually November through January, but you must sign up for the lottery in Hamilton County to gain admittance here. We do have a waiting list for several years of upper school kids, but that is dwindling and any open seats will eventually be filled by anyone who joins the lottery. So there are great choices in Hamilton county and CSLA is one of them.”