The decision for Illiana Christian High School to be moved to St. John, Indiana on Calumet Avenue and 109th Street was approved on March 24. About 70 percent voted yes for this change to take place to benefit the next generation. There was 1,732 that voted for the new campus and 755 that voted against it.

“We plan to raise millions of dollars, build a new campus and, in one summer, just pack up and move,” Mr. Peter Boonstra, Illiana Principal, said.

Illiana Christian High School was founded in 1945 and, as of right now, is recognized by the state of Illinois as well as North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. There are around 575 students that are enrolled in Illiana and the average class size is 23, with the pupil/professional ratio being 14:1.

“We are not sure if more will enroll. We are hoping to keep the students we have and hope to then keep a student body of about 600,” Mr. Boonstra said.

Being such a big decision, the move will affect multiple aspects of the school, one of them being the sports. For the teams of Illiana, they are part of the Metro Suburban Conference and when Illiana moves, that will change for the athletes that attend this school.

“We do not know what conference we can get into. It will certainly affect our sports a great deal. We will need to build many new relationships in Indiana,” Mr. Boonstra said.

The building process could be done by the fall of 2016, in about 2-3 years.

“More than anything else, Illiana is a Christian school. No matter what our location, Illiana is a place where students are welcomed and accepted, while also challenged to excel academically and in other ways,” Boonstra said.