With the recent dedication of its new math/science building, Wasatch Academy has completed the first phase of its Wasatch 2000 project.
The $4 million fund-raising project for the private non-sectarian boarding school will also include a student center, major restructuring of two other buildings and a $1 million addition to the school's endowment.The academy's board of trustees has already contributed $1.3 million to the campaign.
Frank Moody, chairman of the board of trustees, said the completion of the math/science building marks a new era in the academy's 120-year history.
He said the master plan's completion will keep the academy abreast or even ahead of most comparable secondary schools, provide facilities for more students and enhance an endowment that is a principal financial support for both capital outlays and operating expenses.
The endowment, Moody said, enables the school to provide affordable tuition.
Headmaster Joe Loftin said enrollment has increased 68 percent over the last eight years and is now approaching 200.
Currently, 22 percent of the student body is from outside the United States, 25 percent from Utah and the remainder from other states.
And 22 percent of the students are awarded scholarships at an annual cost of $350,000, Loftin said.
Wasatch Academy was founded and for many years funded and operated by the Presbyterian Church board of missions.
But that relationship was dissolved several years ago.
It continues to use the Presbyterian church in Mt. Pleasant for some of its programs. And its faculty is often active in the community, serving on committees and the City Council.
The school is a member of the Utah High School Activities Association, and its students compete with other schools in sports and other events.
"We're alike but different," a student said, "a part of the scene."