Tama-Toledo Christian School’s new administrator Tana Whitton, center, pictured on the second floor of the school in Tama on Friday, Dec. 13, alongside TTCS board president, Rep. Dean Fisher (right) and the building’s owner and main contractor, Eric Slage (left). Visible in the background is the former Catholic church’s sanctuary which will be used as chapel space for the private K-5 (eventually K-8) Christian school when it opens in August 2025. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

TAMA – After months of searching for the right candidate, the Tama-Toledo Christian School (TTCS) has a new leader following the recent hiring of administrator Tana Whitton of Ankeny and formerly of Las Vegas.

“Local people were approached but they weren’t able to do it. [But] God is good. Tana was just an absolute answer to our prayers,” TTCS Board President and State Rep. Dean Fisher (R-Montour) told the newspaper on Friday, Dec. 13, as he stood in what will soon be the front office space for the new private school. As he spoke, construction workers led by contractor Eric Slagle – CM for Hardon’s and the building’s owner – buzzed around all three floors in their continuing efforts to convert the former Tama Catholic church on Oswego Street into a K-5 school space.

Later that afternoon, Whitton herself stopped by the site for a quick visit with the newspaper. While the new administrator currently lives in Ankeny, she is looking for a home in the Tama County-Marshalltown area.

“My early years were spent moving around quite a bit since my father served in the military,” Whitton said in a later email. “From Germany to Florida to Hawaii (and a few places in between), we eventually settled in the Bay Area of California.”

As a mother of seven, Whitton, 48, certainly has extensive, practical experience with children. All but her youngest (a teenager) are now adults and spread out across the country or overseas with two of her children currently serving in the military. She moved to Iowa just over a year ago from Las Vegas, where she served as director of the International Church of Las Vegas (ICLV) Kairos School of Ministry from 2012-2020.

A subcontractor works to install insulation on Dec. 13 at Tama-Toledo Christian School which is being built inside the old Tama Catholic church on Oswego Street. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

“I consider myself a lifelong learner,” Whitton said. “My educational pursuits include CNA [certified nursing assistant], MA [medical assistant], EMT Basic and Intermediate, Childbirth Doula, and a BS in Communication, Ministry Leadership, and Theological Studies [Southern Utah University]. Most recently, I launched a non-profit that partnered with Northwest University to offer Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.”

In addition to the partnership with Northwest University – a Christian university located near Seattle and affiliated with Assemblies of God – Whitton said she’s launched similar programs with Southeastern University, a private Christian university based in Lakeland, Florida and also associated with Assemblies of God, and Global University, a web-based Christian university in the Pentacostal tradition operating out of Springfield, Missouri.

“I’ve also homeschooled my own children for many years, beta-tested curriculum for David C. Cook, and served as a Family Pastor,” she said.

While her resume is extensive, making the move from Nevada to Iowa came about wholly for non-career reasons, she said.

“I moved to Iowa just over a year ago to support one of my closest friends of nearly 20 years. She unexpectedly lost her husband, and I was fortunate to have the flexibility to be here for her and her four children. … I didn’t have prior ties to Tama County, but I’ve loved making new connections here and look forward to building many more.”

The second and third floors begin to take shape at Tama-Toledo Christian School as photographed on Dec. 13. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Whitton said she heard about the TTCS administrator position through a friend in the Marshalltown area.

“A friend from church heard about TTCS and its search for an administrator through Dean Fisher. She thought of me and passed along his contact info. Dean and I began talking in early November, and I submitted my application, resume, and references right away. I met with the board shortly after and felt an immediate alignment with TTCS’s mission and vision,” she said.

On the newly-launched website (ttchristianschool.org/), the school’s motto is displayed front and center: “Our mission is to assist families in equipping students with a Christ-centered and Biblical worldview education, while preparing them to impact the world for the glory of God through life-long learning, servant leadership, worship, and stewardship.”

The school’s Statement of Faith is also fleshed out on the website – a statement Fisher said all the school’s staff must believe and attest to; at least one parent for every enrolled family must do the same.

In addition to a lengthy list of basic beliefs drawn from the Bible, the statement includes beliefs on the Sanctity of Life (life begins at fertilization); on Marriage, Gender, and Sexuality (marriage is between one man and one woman with absolute marital fidelity); and on Final Authority (the Bible “speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of human affairs”).

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

In the days and weeks ahead, as the calendar quickly races toward the mid-April to late June application window for Iowa’s Educational Savings Accounts (ESAs) – TTCS’s tuition will match the ESA amount, Fisher said, which for the current school year is $7,826 per pupil – Whitton’s most pressing task is marketing the new school.

“While I have already started with some early consulting work, my official start date is January 6,” Whitton explained before listing off the multitude of tasks she must assume on that date including hiring staff, finalizing and implementing policies, budget work, fundraising, and establishing ‘school culture’ – to name just a few.

“It is many hats, especially given TTCS is just beginning and in a rural community,” Whitton continued. “The board has done a remarkable job getting more than a running start over the past [two] years. I hope for the community to know how very much this team and the stakeholders who have partnered with TTCS believe in this school and have been tirelessly working towards its launch.”

To that end, Whitton and the school board will be hosting a parent information meeting on Thursday, Jan. 16, starting at 6:30 p.m. at New Life Church located at 211 W. 13th St. in Tama.

Interested parents and families are invited to attend, Whitton said, and learn more about the school including the application process.

Rep. Dean Fisher, left, Tama-Toledo Christian School board president, and Eric Slagle, CM for Hardon's and owner of VLS Real Estate, pictured on Dec. 13. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

On Dec. 13, Fisher told the newspaper that 10 Tama-Toledo Christian School students had “signed up” by that point with the board hoping to enroll about 30 students total for the inaugural 2025-26 school year.

Before ending her interview with the paper, Whitton provided a glimpse at who she is when not wearing her administrator hat, writing, “I love people and the beauty of their stories. I’m also a fan of art, culture, old architecture, and a good rainstorm. You’ll often find me cooking, baking, canning, stargazing, painting, enjoying board games or movies, traveling, or soaking up the outdoors. I also have a deep appreciation for church gatherings, feeding people, community outreach, and simple moments like [sitting on a patio] with a cup of coffee or curled up with a good book.”

Families interested in scheduling a school tour and formal meeting with Ms. Whitton are asked to fill out a form on the TTCS website: https://www.ttchristianschool.org/schedule-a-visit-and-tour, or email TTChristianSchool@gmail.com for more information.

TTCS construction update

Those who live or regularly travel along Oswego Street near the old Tama Catholic church more than likely have been somewhat inconvenienced as of late by all the construction equipment as renovation continues on the new Tama-Toledo Christian School, but according to the building’s owner, contractor Eric Slagle, it will all be worth it in the end.

Tama's Oswego/East Sixth intersection pictured on Dec. 13. Street closures have affected the area around Tama-Toledo Christian School in recent weeks as the City and contractors work on the water main. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

It was just about lunch time when the newspaper visited with both Slagle and Rep. Fisher on Fec. 13 for a progress update. As the two spoke, the sound of nail guns, drills, and other tools wailed away in the background. Since the newspaper’s last visit in September, the nearly 125-year-old building has lost much of its cavernous quality as the school’s three floors take shape.

“It will be a little inconvenient for the next five months,” Slagle admitted in reference to the road closure that, at the time, had been affecting the Oswego/East Sixth intersection from all directions for the past three weeks. “But it will be quiet at night [once the school opens]. Everything about this project improves the neighborhood.”

“And it won’t be housing, which you never know what you’re going to get,” Fisher added.

While Slagle’s team was mostly working on drywall that day, earlier in the month they had been tackling a thorny issue outside, leading to a good portion of the street being torn up in the process.

“The water main had to be replaced,” Slagle explained. “[We] needed to hook onto it. I demanded that the City find the main – their maps didn’t show that it went this far north. They spent a day looking for it.”

The old Tama Catholic church building on Oswego Street pictured on Dec. 13. The building is being renovated as the future home of Tama-Toledo Christian School. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

In the end, Slagle said the Hardon’s team ended up locating the main for the City; outside construction work has calmed considerably in the ensuing weeks.

Recent drywalling has seen the church’s interior begin to more and more resemble a school as the first floor’s five classrooms and main office plus the second floor’s four classrooms, conference room, and kitchen are built out.

Back in September, Slagle’s plans included keeping intact many of the church’s original stained glass windows along the north and south walls, but due to issues with how the window height affected the second floor rooms, Slagle has had to pivot slightly from his earlier plans.

“Seven or eight of the [original] stained glass will be moved to the [chapel] area. It’s just one of those concessions that we had to make. [The] windows were too short in the second floor.”

In addition to the TTCS project, Slagle is construction manager for six other Hardon’s projects. He was also in the final stages of building his own house in rural Chelsea on Dec. 13. To say he’s a busy man, is an understatement.

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

“I am donating a lot of my time [to the TTCS project]. Hardon’s is also donating a lot.”

Slagle said many of the subcontractors he’s been working with on the school project are only charging cost plus 10% due to the nature of the work.

“A lot of our subcontractors are reducing the cost. [For example], the drywall we got $6 cheaper than normal. I told them what it was for and they said, ‘Yeah, we’ll do that.’ … Anytime I can save, I try. [What convinces them] is it’s a Christian school. I try to use people that I know would be passionate about what we’re doing here.”

Slagle, through his VLS Real Estate LLC, continues to own the Oswego Street building while TTCS leases it. But eventually, the nonprofit school will buy out the lease.

“We’re still on track [to open in August 2025],” Rep. Fisher said.

“We had 22 guys in here at one point,” Slagle added.

Construction and renovation work of a ‘higher order’ running on time in this day and age? There couldn’t be a more successful way to close out 2024 for the Tama-Toledo Christian School.

For updates on TTCS’s continuing development, email TTChristianSchool@gmail.com to be added to the school’s mailing list. The school board also provides updates on its Facebook page.