School has been in session for 500 students at the Gilbert Christian Schools Val Vista campus, but officials took time out recently to celebrate with a ribbon cutting at the new facility.

“I’m just in awe of what the Lord does and how he works,” GCS Board President Matt Johnson said during the event. “To be standing in this building is humbling.”

Johnson credited the builder, Willmeng Construction, for its work in getting the project completed so students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade could begin learning on the campus, 22201 S. Val Vista Drive, Gilbert.

“You know, in this era, the timetable we were looking at; challenging isn’t the right word,” Willmeng CEO James Murphy said.

“Getting here is a testament to the work our building team put in, but we're not here without the leadership from Gilbert Christian, the county and the Town of Gilbert.”

The campus is on 10 acres, and some of the features are a 51,555-square-foot main building, which houses 33 classrooms, with an additional seven classrooms dedicated to special education, according to a release.

The classroom building also contains specialized rooms for music, art, computer learning, as well as two science laboratory classrooms, a conference room, restrooms, a multipurpose room and offices and workspaces for teachers and staff.

There is an 11,310-square-food gymnasium and a cafeteria among other features.