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Des Moines Christian School
13007 Douglas Pkwy
Urbandale, Iowa 50323
(515) 252-2480
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DMCS History
June, 1947
Forty-one (41) persons from various churches interested in Christian school education gathered at the YMCA gathered with Dr. Mark Fakkema, then-president of the National Association of Christian Schools, to prayerfully consider establishing a Christian school in Des Moines. The first 12-member “Evangelical Board” was established. Charter Board Members included: President William Ver Wolf, Vice-President Henry Van Kommer, Secretary Donald K Blackie, Treasurer Mrs. Duncan Hackett, Financial Secredtary Gelmer Dylhoff, Richard Anderson, Clayton Bolinder, Lowell Chandler, Mrs. C.C. (Blanche) Holley, Mary Madden, Stacy Shenton, and A.W.Winkelman.
 1948-1949
Classes opened at Des Moines Christian Day School in the basement rooms of First Federated Church at Beaver and Adams with 1 teacher and 15 students in Grades 7-9.
1949-1950
The School Board expanded the school to include tenth grade, and also established and elementary school. The lower grades were located at Grace Baptist Church.
1950-1951
Eleventh grade was added to DMCS.
1951-1952
The high school program was discontinued. The elementary and junior high schools consolidated into one K-9th at First Federated, where the school would remain for the next seven years.
1951
The DMCS Association voted to purchase a full city block (2.5 acres) at 62nd and Franklin for a school building. Enrollment had grown to 91 students.
1952
The School Board dropped its designation as a “day” school, since some people mistakenly believed the school to be a “nursery school.”
1953
The school Board sought many ways to fund the new school. A catering committee served meals for many local churches, the school held musical programs in local churches, taking offerings for the building fund, and sold bonds to fund the new building. Christie Voss, a contractor from Sibley, Iowa was hired.
1954-1955
A groundbreaking service was held at 6201 Franklin and construction began. About two-thirds of the way into the building project, the school had run out of funds. The Board believed that construction should be halted until the funds were raised. Mr. Voss, who had a passion for missions and Christian education, cashed in his own savings and funded the remaining $17,000 to finish the building so it could open for classes in 1955.
 1955-1956
Des Moines Christian School opened its new doors at 62nd and Franklin for 7 teachers and 135 students in Grades K-8.
1957-1958
The school had grown to 150 students.
1959
The school paid Mr. Voss in full with a gift from the estate of Mrs. C.H. Hutsonpillar, the school’s first benefactor.
1960’s
The school continued to grow, but experienced a fracture in leadership. Although there are few details available, the school experienced a nearly total change in the Board, and a number of prominent families left the school in the mid-60’s.
1971
According to FFC publications and school documents, financial problems placed the school in a precarious situation, and God spoke to the hearts of several individuals, who gave from their savings to preserve the school. The school was growing at such rate that classes had to be combined to facilitate the rapid growth. Kindergarten and 2nd grade were moved to the FFC building at Beaver and Adams; 1st and 3rd grades were housed in the FFC building on Beaver and Fagen Drive; Grades 4-8 stayed at DMCS on 62nd and Franklin. The gym and 2 northwest rooms were added in this year.
1972
Under severe financial duress, the Board voted to close the school and give it back to the National Association of Christian Schools. Roy Porter, who served on the school Board at that time and was also in leadership at First Federated Church, believe the school should go on. The Board told Roy they would give him the school if he thought he could do something with it. Roy approached Pastor Tom Allen and FFC about helping to keep the school alive.
1973
DMCS celebrated its 25th Silver Anniversary!
The First Federated Church congregation voted in 1973 to shepherd the school through rough waters. According to FFC publications, church leaders desired not to control or “own” the school but, rather, to give it a solid non-denominational foundation from which it could uniquely serve many different families and churches in Greater Des Moines. The church paid the $12,000 administrator’s salary, half of the mortgage payments, and put $24,000 of renovations into the school building. The school opened in the fall of 1973 with 13 students in K-8th grades, grew to 40 students by the end of the school year. Continued enrollment growth over the next 7 years caused the need to again use FFC for additional classrooms.
 1980-1981
Des Moines Christian School moved to the former Franklin Junior High School building of First Federated Church at 4801 Franklin Avenue, where the two ministries would share facilities for the next 25 years.
1983-1984
Des Moines Christian again established a high school by adding ninth grade this year. This class would be know as the “Pioneers” as another grade was added each year through their senior year in 1986-1987.
1987
Twenty nine students comprising the Class of 1987 walked across stage to receive the first high school diploma’s from Des Moines Christian School. Governor Branstad was the first commencement speaker.
1996
DMCS purchased 26 acres including the Timberline Tennis Ranch located west of 128th St. in Urbandale with the intent of using the property to build a high school. At the time Douglas Ave ended at 128th Street and the property was surrounded by farmland.
1997-1998
DMCS commemorated 50 years since the first gathering at the YMCS to begin the school. High school musician and athletes excelled, winning their first State Jazz Championship and the boys basketball team experienced its first trip to the State Tournament in Class 1A. The vocal music group VICTORY was initiated in 1997.
1998-1999
The gymnasium was completed at the Timberline Campus and DMCS teams enjoyed their first-ever “home court advantage.” During this time, differences of opinion and financial challenges led to changes in leadership and a temporary loss of about 20% of the school’s students. The Board hired interim administrators, re-committed to historical admissions policies, strengthened its internal accounting procedures, and again looked to the future, including the build-out of the Timberline Campus.
2003
The DMCS Association voted on a Board proposal to move Grades K-12 to the Timberline Campus of Des Moines Christian School in the summer of 2004, with authorization for an additional $5,250,000 to build within the current building and an addition to southwest of the current building. Over the next 2 years, the school raised funds and in-kind donations to build a school for Early Education, Elementary and Secondary facility. Parents, grandparents, and students logged thousands of hours of volunteer labor, providing nearly all of the construction clean-up, installing insulation, and applying three coats of paint the entire 108,000 square feet, as well as landscaping and other tasks.
 2005-2006
With gratitude for over five decades of relationship, Des Moines Christian School assumed total independence from First Federated Church, moving the entire school to our new campus at 13007 Douglas Parkway in Urbandale. Early Education and Elementary class began in September, but secondary building was still under completion. On Thursday, October 28, half of the secondary students and staff loaded then entire contents of the high school onto 7 semi-trailers at the Franklin Campus; on Friday the other half of the students and staff unloaded the trailers into their new classrooms at the Timberline Campus. The following Monday, October 31, teachers and students began their classes in the current building.
2008-2009
Des Moines Christian School engaged in a year-long celebration of its 60th Birthday since classes first began in 1948, with the theme, “His Faithfulness Continues” from Psalm 100:5. Included in that celebration was the research and writing of the 60-year history of the school.
2009 and beyond
The current administration team has been in place for nearly a decade, challenging the school to continued growth and academic excellence, and engaging the Board of Directors in long-range strategic planning. The school has, for the last decade, established internal financial policies and submits to annual external audits for financial accountability. Current enrollment stands at over 700 students in Kindergarten through 12th grade, representing families from nearly 120 churches in the Greater Des Moines area. In additional, Early Education serves about 180 children in preschool and child care.
Des Moines Christian is humbled by the faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has sustained us through challenge, changes, and growth. The Board, Administration and faculty of Des Moines Christian School are committed to a Christ-centered, biblical worldview, and to striving for excellence and in every area of our organization.
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