Hastings Christian School

Hastings Christian School (HCS), a non-denominational special character school serving years 1-13, has a problem many small schools dream of: they’re growing. They opened in 1987 with 16 children and just one teacher. In 2023, the roll sits at 340, and with that growth comes challenges for its facilities.

“Over the years we’ve expanded our buildings, but one sticking point has been the absence of a gymnasium,” says HCS Principal, Gavin Clark. Without a gym, HCS has been forced to rent an off-site facility for student sports and school events.

That’s why in recent years, HCS has been working toward a goal of building a gym to improve the student experience, serve as a community hub, and generate an additional source of income for their growing school.

But to achieve that goal, they needed a security solution that could help them safely share their gym with the community while still protecting the rest of their school.

Flexible controls for building a community space

“The whole process started with a conversation about security,” says Eric Meinsma, who sits on both the HCS Board of Proprietor and Board of Trustees and is the brains behind the gym’s construction. “We worked with a Gallagher Certified Channel Partner, HSM Group Limited, who gave us two proposals: one was the Gallagher system, and I can’t even recall the other brand as Gallagher quickly became the preferred option because the technology was more advanced.”

Gallagher’s variety of integrations gave HCS options for locks that came within their budget, and the Command Centre Mobile App enabled them to control access remotely, making it easier for staff to manage the gym at night and on weekends. The Command Centre Mobile App also gave them the ability to specify which doors visitors could access, automation of day-to-day activities, and easier tracking of facility schedules.

And with that flexibility, opportunities to open their gym’s doors to the community grew and made the entire project more economical.