DAVIDSON (WBTV) – Davidson IB Middle School is no more, but life has returned to the building at 251 South St. in downtown Davidson. Lake Norman Christian has set up shop and students began classes inside the school’s new home Tuesday, Jan. 3.

In 2010, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education voted to close several schools, including Davidson IB. Now, a private Christian school is paying the district more than $3,000 a month to lease the building.

“It allows us to grow,” said Sarah Beam, the school’s principal. “We’re using all the classrooms right now already, but the classrooms are large.”

Due to the increased space, Beam said she plans to increase enrollment. More than 100 students currently attend Lake Norman Christian, but the two-story building will allow more students to attend the school and increase student experiences, such as clubs.

“We have a facility where we can have a science lab now, a genuine science lab,” Beam said. “There’s just a lot of things this affords us. We have a gymnasium and our own chapel. It gives us a lot more opportunities.”

For the past four years, the school has rented and shared space with Lake Norman Baptist Church, 7921 Sam Furr Road. The arrangement forced teachers to clean their classrooms so the church could use the space for Sunday services. Teachers would have to return Sunday evening to prepare their rooms for Monday morning.

“We weren’t able to put up all of our maps,” said Beth Taylor, a Lake Norman Christian School teacher. “Or our posters or my flags have never been up.”

Parents like Holly Smith said they are excited about the move but are concerned about the condition of the building, which is about 50 years old.

“We hope that we’re not going to find any sickness,” Smith said. “Any mold or anything that’s found in an older building. I think we all have concerns, but they have assured us that it has been looked at and we’re good to go.”