Christian Life Academy

Christian Life Academy, and later The Church Academy, was a private, non-denominational Christian school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It was founded as Christian Life Academy in 1981 and closed in 2017. The school reopened in 2018 as The Church Academy, but closed again in 2019. Thousands of students have attended this K-12 academy including people of influence in the business and sports communities.

Christian Life Academy
CLA
Address
2037 Quail Dr.

Baton Rouge
,
East Baton Rouge Parish
,
Louisiana
70808

United States
Coordinates30.3971°N 91.1309°W / 30.3971; -91.1309
Information
School typePrivate
MottoChrist, changing lives to change the world!
Religious affiliation(s)Christian
Denominationnondenominational
Established1981
FounderDr. Jere Melilli
Closed2019
GradesPre-K to 12th
Enrolment0
Average class size0
Campus typeSuburban
Color(s)Navy Blue and white
Fight songFighting Crusaders
Athletics conference8-2A
Sportsvolleyball, baseball, football, bowling, tennis, softball, soccer, swimming, cheerleading, colorguard, boys basketball, girls basketball, golf, track and field, winterguard
MascotCrusaders
Nickname'Saders
AccreditationSACS
Websiteweb.archive.org/web/20100105035040/http://gocrusaders.com/

History

Christian Life Fellowship opened its doors in 1976, and the Academy began in 1981 with grades 7 through 10. The following year grades Kindergarten through 12 were available. Christian Life Academy was a comprehensive school offering a college-preparatory education in a Christian atmosphere. Christian Life Academy provided for grades PS-12, including a nursery and daycare. In July 2016, The Church International took ownership of Christian Life Fellowship and Christian Life Academy.

The campus was located on 55 wooded acres in south Baton Rouge off of Perkins Road. The campus had space devoted to administrative offices, classrooms, libraries, cafeterias, a gymnasium, three athletic fields, field houses, and nursery and daycare facilities. Specialized facilities included art rooms, a choir room, a band room, a theatrical stage, a computer lab, labs for biology, chemistry, and physics, an elementary science lab, locker rooms and weight training rooms.

Mission

The mission of Christian Life Academy is to present Jesus Christ as the focus of all truth through excellent academics, wholesome extra-curricular activities and as a foundation for all relationships.

Fine Arts Department

CLA had many venues for those interesting in studying fine arts, including art, choir, theater, and band. Every Spring the Fine Arts Department hosted a "Celebration of the Arts" Festival to showcase the many talents of the students. This venue was also how they raised money to fund the purchase of music and art supplies.

Each year the drama department put on a play in the Fall and a musical in the Spring. One of the most outstanding plays was "Gossip". The musical variety included "West Side Story", "Godspell", Grease, "School House Rock", and High School Musical.

The choir was outstanding and received superior ratings on various occasions. The choir performed at Disney and also traveled to San Antonio receiving superior at all competitions.

The band performed in many different venues throughout the year: marching at the football games, marching in parades and performing in one of their annual concerts. In its competition in Orlando in 2010 the band earned a ranking of "Excellent", while in Dallas in 2011, they earned multiple superior ratings. In Spring of 2015, they scored Superiors in Atlanta, GA.

Sports

CLA was known for its competitive sports programs having been the Louisiana State Basketball Champions in 1996, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012 in their division. NFL players Michael Clayton[1][2] and Dillon Farrell attended CLA and graduated from this institution. Basketball player and CLA 2010 graduate Langston Galloway signed with the New York Knicks in 2014[3] after setting several school records at Saint Joseph's University.[4]

Notable alumni
  • Micahel Rashard Clayton (born October 13, 1982) is a former American football wide receiver who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 15th overall in the 2004 NFL draft. He played college football at LSU.

References
  1. Scott Rabalais (2008). The Fighting Tigers, 1993 2008: Into a New Century of LSU Football. Louisiana State University Press. pp. 68–. ISBN 978-0-8071-3370-5.
  2. Ray Glier (13 August 2013). How the SEC Became Goliath: The Making of College Football's Most Dominant Conference. Simon and Schuster. pp. 74–. ISBN 978-1-4767-1030-3.
  3. "Knicks Sign Guard Langston Galloway, Forward Travis Wear". CBSNewYork/AP. New York: CBS Radio Inc. 2014-09-10. Retrieved 2014-09-23.
  4. "Langston Galloway Biography". Saint Joseph's Athletics. Retrieved 2014-09-23.
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