The Regents School of Oxford presented plans and renderings of a new school facility on College Hill Road to students and parents on Tuesday night.

Regents is a private, Christian school serving 380 3K-12 students with a faculty and staff of over 50. Still in the fundraising phase of their campaign, Regents has raised nearly 80 percent of their $6 million goal to begin the building of the first phase of the new facilities.

In 2021, Regents self-funded the purchase of 18 acres near the current campus.

“It checked all the boxes,” said Dr. Beth Paul, Executive Director of Development. “It was in the College Hill community. It was a beautiful setting with plenty of green space, and It was close enough to our current campus to continue using these spaces.”

The four phase construction plan will take nearly 20 years and several million dollars to complete. The new facility will have outdoor spaces, two dining halls, a performance gym, a fine arts center, and an outdoor athletics facility. The design team was tasked with creating something beautiful, economical, and low maintenance.

“We have wanted to do this for many years,” said Head of School Dr. Jason Wood. “We have gotten to a place where we are ready to take this step.”

Phase 1 will consist of the building of a 45,000 sq ft upper school for 6-12, a dining hall, and a gymnasium that will seat nearly twice the capacity of the current space. Students and parents were presented the design plans and asked to do all they can to complete the fundraising goal.

“We want to start construction this year,” said Paul. “But we need that $6 million to make it happen. We need every parent, grandparent, alumni, and Lafayette-Oxford community member who cares about what we are doing to make this happen and build this new facility.”

Regents has already raised and committed $4.7 million to the phase 1 capital campaign.

“That’s about 80 percent of the funding we need to get bulldozers digging on that property,” said Paul. “This is not about a building or a number, it’s about raising kids to love God, serve others and their community.”

BankPlus has joined as a financial partner in the campaign project.

“One of the most encouraging parts of this process is having folks that don’t have an association here that want this to be a part of our community and think it’s important,” said Paul.

Tax-deductible donations to the campaign can be made on the Regents website under the Capital Campaign tab.

“We are so excited to be kicking off the campaign,” said Wood. “We are looking to raise our final funds for getting this going and getting this building built.”