William Bennett, one of the nation's leading cultural and political thinkers, will address 1,200 supporters of Landmark Christian School Thursday at the school's 11th annual banquet.

Bennett is author of 12 books including “The Book of Virtues.”

According to Landmark headmaster Kevin Harkey, the goal of Celebration Banquet 2000 is to “celebrate what God has done here and to affirm our Landmark family and staff. It's a tremendous time to introduce Landmark to people in the community,” Harkey said.

In 11 short years, Landmark has grown from a body of 170 students, meeting in classrooms housed in a Fayetteville warehouse, to a thriving 772-student institution on the old campus of Campbell High School in Fairburn. “We were blessed with a nice foundation grant and that has been a huge plus, putting us way ahead of the curve for facilities,” Harkey said of the school's 12-acre campus.

The main building was constructed in 1929, Harkey said, and subsequent additions have been designed by 14 different architects. “The building has character and personality,” he said, noting the large windows and high ceilings absent in today's modern facilities.

The school enrolls children for 4-year-old kindergarten through 12th grade and offers a full complement of athletic and fine arts programs. “Every year we get creative with our space,” Harkey said, but it's obvious the success of the school has forced growing pains.

Landmarks' board has been offered a 94-acre tract on Farr Road in Tyrone as a gift, contingent upon its being rezoned to a category allowing schools. To date, no action has been taken by the Tyrone Planning Commission on a rezoning.

“We have no plans to leave Fairburn,” Harkey said. “I believe it was a God thing that directed us here. Now we're looking to seek his leadership again,” he said in reference to the pending offer. “We're going to take our time; see how it all fits.”

It is the school's goal to expand its elementary program from one class per grade to two, upgrade and equip the science and computer labs, and add more athletic facilities. The school has a stadium and track but would like its own softball and baseball fields plus facilities for swimming, tennis and soccer. In addition to physical amenities, it is the school's goal to establish a three-fold endowment program to support an expanding financial aid program, enhance faculty salaries and benefits and maintain existing facilities.

Landmark's mission is simple and focused; to provide a “Christ-centered education which seeks to honor God through the pursuit of excellence in nurturing the spiritual, academic and social growth of students to equip them to become servant leaders in the communities and in the world.”

“We're called to help train servant leaders,” Harkey reaffirmed. He explained that this is accomplished by providing opportunities for leadership and a rigorous academic program, enhanced by fine arts and athletics.

Landmark is a nondenominational Christian school with 170 different churches represented. Diversity starts at the board level and flows down through the faculty and students. “It's a real strength for our school,” Harkey said.

“We're Evangelical Orthodox Christian,” he explained in reference to its theological leanings. The Bible is the focus of classroom teaching and Christian faith and values are an integral part of all subject areas, according to Harkey.

Despite its academic strengths, Harkey said students come to Landmark for more. The school intends its students to “take ownership of the school's mission.”

Students are regularly involved in their own church programs and, through Landmark, are partners with an inner-city school, tutor local students and work for Habitat for Humanity and perform mission work in Central America. As a result, discipline problems are mostly limited to gum chewing incidents and flapping shirt tails, he said.

Harkey gave an example of the close ties between Landmark's students and parents: “When our cheerleaders won third place in the state competition and were waiting for the results, they all went to talk with their parents,” he said. “We stress the importance of parents in education and we see ourselves as a support ministry for the home.”

For information about Landmark or the Celebration Banquet 2000, phone the school at 770-306-0647.

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