Christian Academy of Campbell County History

Founded by Mrs. Edith Arnold in 1993

 

Edith Davis Arnold was born at Powell Valley in Claiborne County, Tennessee, in 1915, and then moved to Clairfield, Tennessee at an early age.  She attended grammar school in the Eagan and Buffalo communities.  She attended two years of high school at Henderson Settlement, a Methodist Boarding School, where she worked for housing and her education expenses.

 

Uyless R. Arnold came to this area from Parson, Tennessee around 1929 with Jamison Construction Company of Nashville.  They were building the road between Morley and Pruden.  He met Edith Davis, and they were married when she was fifteen.

 

Mr. Arnold later went to work for Pruden Coal Company, a deep mine.  There he worked an eight hour shift.  He worked a second shift each day by driving a company bulldozer.  He eventually purchased the dozer and began his own road construction company.

 

The Arnolds had their share of heartache.  They lost their second son in an automobile accident.  They also lost one home to fire and another to a tornado.  Through all of the tragedies, they never gave up.

 

The Arnolds stayed in road construction until around 1950 when they began their coal operation.  Mrs. Arnold began taking care of the office, and with the help of their two sons, Bill and Jim, the coal company grew into several operations in Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia.

 

The Arnolds had always been interested in education.  They sent their two sons to Tennessee Military Institute in Sweetwater, then to East Tennessee State University, University of Tennessee, and Lincoln Memorial University. Their daughter, Judy, attended Cumberland College in Williamsburg, Kentucky.

 

After four years of heart problems, Mr. Arnold died in 1974.  As a memorial to Mr. Arnold, his wife contributed to the Lincoln Memorial University Library Auditorium.

 

Mrs. Arnold had said the grandchildren are grand, and the great-grandchildren are great.  She was extremely delighted with the Christian education that her great-grandchildren were receiving from Gateway Christian School in Middlesboro, Kentucky and wanted the same for her other great-grandchildren in Campbell County.  With this heart-felt burning desire, Mrs. Arnold offered a monetary gift to start the school and the property on which to build it.

 

The School became a reality in the fall of 1993.  With the enrollment of 27 students in preschool through grade three, the school temporarily began classes in the basement of LaFollette First Baptist Church.  Mrs. Margaret Faulkner served as the school’s first headmaster.  The first Board of Directors included Mr. Larry Smith, Mrs. Judy Rice, Mr. Dave Dunaway, Mrs. Mary Lynn Ratcliff, and Rev. Bob Brown.

 

In January of 1995, CACC moved to its present location at 2709 Gen. Carl W. Stiner Highway in LaFollette.  In 1997, the gymnasium and three additional classrooms were added.  On Sunday April 20, 2008, the school celebrated the final payment on its original load with a “note burning” signifying that the school was “debt free”.

 

The first eighth grade class to graduate from CACC was in May of 1999.  The first student to complete preschool through the eighth grade graduated in May 2003.  Several students have gone on to be in the top 1% of their respective high schools with several receiving highest honors.  The school went from 27 students in 1993 to 137 students in 2007-08.

 

The school has had nine headmasters (title changed to administrator in 2001-02) during twenty-four years from 1993-2017.  Those serving: Margaret Faulkner (2 years), Otis Balcomb (1year), Nelsie Wooden (1 year), Lynn Ray, (4 years), Scott Meadows (1 Year), Donnie Poston (7 years), Ollie Medley (4 years), Dr. Eunice Reynolds (1 year) and David Wilhoit, the current administrator.

 

The Board of Directors has included:  Rev. Bob Brown, Mr. David Brown, Fr. Joe Campbell, Mr. Dave Dunaway, Mrs. Allison Foster, Mr. Gary Grey, Mr. Howard Holdredge, Dr. Andrew Howard, Mrs. Paula LeJeune, Mr. Nick Lewis, Mr. Mitch Loomis, Mrs. Amy Malicote, Mrs. Patti Mattie, Mr. Wes Mattie, Dr. Duane Mills, Mrs. Pam Olivio, Mr. Donnie Poston, Mr. Arnold Poteet, Mrs. Codi Provins, Mrs. Mary Lynn Ratcliff, Mrs. Rebecca Robards, Mrs. Amy Rutherford, Mrs. Lee Ann Sharp, Mr. Larry Smith, Mr. Chris Stanfield, Mrs. Monica White, Mr. David Winchester, and Mr. Brian Younce.