Students and parents toured Battle Ground School District’s newest campus, the Character Academics for the Marketplace (CAM) Academy, last week during an annual ice cream social event to meet teachers and see their classrooms.
The campus offers students and staff a permanent, up-to-date facility for advanced placement classes. The program originally opened where Cornerstone Christian Academy now is before it moved to the outdated Lewisville Campus.
“So I mean [the future] looks bright because we have a permanent campus,” CAM Academy Principal Ryan Cowl said, adding the facility could possibly grow to add more classrooms in coming years. “But right now, it gives that permanency. That’s the idea that this is CAM’s home for the future in many years to come.”
The new campus will remain under construction heading into October. Kevin Jolma, executive director of facilities and operations for Battle Ground Public Schools district, and Facilities Manager Josh Joner, said the campus will have all the up-to-date safety and amenities in the district. Currently, two education buildings for third through 12th graders are complete. The administrative building, which will also include the library and cafeteria, and also a covered play area are still under construction on campus.
“There’s a lot to be thankful for to have this campus,” Cowl said. “A lot of credit [goes] back to our Superintendent Denny Waters because he had the vision for this. He gave Josh [Joner] and Kevin [Jolma] the green light to find us a location because we were in a place where the lease wasn’t going to be renewed. We had one year to find another location, and that effort … went through and helped us keep going.”
CAM Academy’s new home is structured with two district-standard module buildings placed on permanent foundations, which provide much better safety than portables. The buildings are surrounded by a similar security fence as Battle Ground High School. Once the campus is complete, the only access will be through the administration building, which will feature up-to-date security measures.
The campus offers teachers and students their first complete science classrooms with acid-resistant tables, storage space, multiple sinks and emergency showers.
Other classroom amenities include a large TV screen in every classroom in place of projectors, the ability to control the lighting in classrooms and even a speaker that connects to a classroom microphone to make it easier for students hear.
“Well, it’s a lot easier to find my classes now … everything here is much superior,” CAM Academy senior Ethan Tanksley said.
Tanksley added he is looking forward to the convenience of the structures, the campus layout and, especially, the air conditioning and heating in every classroom.
“I think it’s really nice to have a permanent structure, and our district is showing us love,” school booster club president Hollie Amundson said. “I appreciate so much that they’re giving us this opportunity to have our own identity and just a permanent home.”
