Ozaukee Christian School (OCS) is thrilled to announce after three years of renovations and increased student enrollment, they will open all 22,000 sq.ft. of the former Trenton Business Center for the 2022/23 school year.  The board, staff, and families of OCS welcome the community to celebrate with them on Thursday, August 25th, from 4-7pm.  The West Bend Chamber of Commerce will be on hand for a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony beginning at 4pm.  After the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, the entire building will be open to self-guided tours allowing attendees to experience the amazing transformation from the previous use to Christian School. The building was formerly owned by California-based strip club Spearmint Rhino.

During the open house, guests will be treated to complimentary root beer floats generously provided by two local iconic companies; Cedar Crest Ice Cream & Sprecher Brewery.  The 7th and 8th grade students will provide a brat fry to raise funds for their capstone trip to Washington D.C. in April of 2023.  All proceeds from the brat fry will go directly to offsetting student trip expenses.

In 2019, when the property was first purchased, the school anticipated the total purchase and renovation to require $2.2 million.  Working with hundreds of volunteers and partnering with several local contractors to keep costs down, the school was able to complete the project for just $1.6 million while maintaining a high level of quality in materials and workmanship.   Through our generous donors, God provided just under $1.5 million specifically designated for the building purchase and renovations to date.    

There have been many challenges navigating supply chain issues and COVID-19 shut downs over the past three years. “Just like God provided manna for the Israelites wandering in the desert, His provision for each step of this project came at just the right time.  God is never late, but rarely early,” said Dave Swartz, OCS Board Vice President.

Each year, additional parts of the building were renovated to make room for the rapid growth, nearly doubling enrollment in three short years to 110 students!  In July of 2019, Ozaukee Christian School completed the purchase and initial 7,000 sq.ft. renovation with just 57 students.   But by March of 2020, the building was empty as students were required to learn from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.  In the fall of 2020, 76 students returned for in person learning with two new classrooms added.  In August of 2021, a new 3,500 sq.ft. multipurpose room, kitchen, and bathrooms were completed to welcome 93 students for the 21/22 school year.  In June of 2022, three additional classrooms and two additional bathrooms were finished for use in the 22/23 school year.  This upcoming school year will be the first time that enrollment has surpassed 100 students in the school’s 32-year history.  With this most recent renovation, the building now has capacity to support up to 150 students.  The 40-acre property is sufficient to support even more growth through additions to the existing building, adding outdoor learning spaces and developing athletic fields as growth continues each year.  “It is a journey unlike anything we could have imagined. It is a story that only God could write,” said Kris Austin, OCS Head of School.

The cord of three strands – Home, Church, and School – working together drives our vision of cultivating the next generation to impact the world for God’s glory!  Since 1990, Ozaukee Christian School has provided independent, non-denominational, Christian education for students in grades 3K-8th.  Over 25 churches are represented by the staff and students residing in Ozaukee and Washington counties.  Go to their website, http://www.ozaukeechristian.org , to learn about enrollment, programming, and donating.