Stillwater Christian School opens new Early Learning Center

Stillwater Christian School is kicking off the 2026-27 school year with the opening of its 17,500-square-foot Early Learning Center. 

The Early Learning Center features three spacious preschool classrooms, two kindergarten classrooms, an elementary gym and a music room. The center is also equipped for future growth or needs if the private Christian school decides to offer a daycare program. The roughly $7 million project also included expanding the school’s septic system and parking. 

The project was possible through a $5 million donation from local businessman and entrepreneur Paul Wachholz and $1 million grant from the Gianforte Family Foundation.  

During a back-to-school open house on Tuesday, students, families and staff celebrated the center’s opening ahead of the first day of school with a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony. 

Stillwater Head of School Laura McCollum said the center reflects Stillwater’s mission to provide a Christ-centered education and develop lifelong learners who discern and apply God’s truth in her opening remarks and welcome speech. 

“So, as we prepare for the official start of our school year tomorrow, we want to prayerfully consecrate this new building and the new learning spaces within it to be anointed and to be sacred ground,” she said. 

McCollum emphasized that learning is “a spiritual act of worship” that is transformational and fosters discernment.  

Chance Wachholz addressed the audience on behalf of the Wachholz family and in memory of his grandfather, Paul, who died July 28 at 89. McCollum said Paul Wachholz was able to tour the nearly completed Early Learning Center in May.  

Chance Wachholz said his grandfather’s gift grew out of “prayer, preparation and vision,” aided by McCollum’s encouragement to “dream bigger” for the school. 

He said his grandfather’s generosity was rooted in a deep Christian faith and a desire to invest in people, community and “ultimately eternity.” The family hopes the center reflects that legacy — faith lived through generosity, service and commitment to the next generation.  

THE CUTTING of the ribbon at the entrance of the center was followed by cheers and applause. Current and former students and families began filing in to tour the building. Preschool and kindergarten students made stops at hallway cubbies to drop off supplies on the way to visit classrooms and meet their teachers. 

Wearing a large backpack with pink bow print, preschooler Annie Burton stopped at the doorway of her new classroom to search among crayon-shaped nametags tacked to the wall for her name. Finding it, she excitedly pointed it out to her parents. 

“We’re excited to see it all,” her mother Madison Burton said. 

Inside, preschool Director Erika Gordon greeted families and excited students, some of whom made a beeline to a kitchen play area in the back. 

“Everything is built age appropriate,” Gordon said, which extends to the classroom bathroom, which she said helps the children be more independent.  

Kindergarten teacher Jill Hembroff stood at her classroom door, smiling at students toting instrument cases heading toward the music room. Hembroff, who starts her 17th year teaching kindergarten at Stillwater, reveled in the new center. 

“It’s much bigger than our old classrooms — brighter,” she said. 

Previously, preschool through fifth grade was housed in a separate building adjacent to the middle and high school building, with preschool, kindergarten and first grade occupying the basement level.  

Amid excited chatter, the faint sound of music could be heard playing in the music room, which features practice rooms and an instrument storage room that elementary band and music teacher Tina Riley lacked at her previous location in a Quonset hut. She pointed out the soundproofing features of the new space to a former student who wanted to see the new center. 

 “We did the best we could in that space and made beautiful music and good memories,” Riley said.  

However, she is elated to be in the new space and the opportunities it opens for budding musicians. 

Stillwater’s last major construction project was a 10,800-square-foot high school addition completed in 2015, which allowed the school to reconfigure grade levels. In 2017, a second phase of construction included a 3,500-square-foot expansion to connect the buildings. 

In the early 2000s, the school had considered building a new campus north of Kalispell but that plan was scrapped during the recession and the focus turned to developing the current campus. 

Located at 225 FFA Dr. in Kalispell, the private school has an enrollment of more than 400 preschool through 12th grade students. 

Reporter Hilary Matheson can be reached at 406-758-4431 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support. 

    The Stillwater Christian School Early Learning Center during a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    A kindergarten classroom inside the Stillwater Christian School Early Learning Center on Tuesday, Sept. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)

    A preschool classroom inside the Stillwater Christian School Early Learning Center on Tuesday, Sept. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)

    The gymnasium inside the Stillwater Christian School Early Learning Center on Tuesday, Sept. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)

    The Stillwater Christian School Early Learning Center during a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony on Tuesday, Sept. 1. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)