If we lift our vision a little higher and peer into the future visualizing entry by troops, then the answer is a resounding "yes!"  With the future in our view, we should maintain all the schools we have and seek to expand the network of school facilities locally and nationally.

When we seriously ponder on the training of our children and youths in the Bahá'i culture, the importance of schools and retreats becomes very clear.  Increasing the number of Bahá'i schools over those serving the National Spiritual Assembly would be helpful in providing education to new Bahá'is and for the training of their children and youth.  As they step out of their homes, young children today are surrounded by the crass secular society and bombarded by the arrows of temporal temptations.  This reality should give us pause.  We cannot fail our children!  Otherwise they would become a major source of unhappiness for all of us.

Bahá'u' lláh placed the responsibility for the education of children with the parents, and by extension on the community.  He says, "...education and training are recorded in the Book of God as obligatory and not voluntary ...  Should they neglect this matter, they shall be held responsible ..."(The Revelations of Bahá'u' lláh, volume 3, p. 328)

Surely we will not leave our children and youth to the confusion and uncertainty of a disintegrating society, will we?  Nor should parents be left to confront these difficult times without help from our Bahá'i institutions and communities.

Is it not time to build more schools for the education of the young people who will soon assume responsibility of advancing the Faith?  As the future custodians of the Faith, it is essential that we all - parents, grandparents, and entire families be unified behind efforts to provide them with secure places for their schooling.

The Bellemont Bahá'i School aspires to become that safe haven and hopes to share the task with Bahá'is everywhere.  The school is Bahá'i-owned.  It has the potential of expanding with the growth of our communities.  But more people need to take charge of school operations, design curricula, and administer programs.  We need qualified teachers to instruct and nurture the students, not only from Bahá'i families but from all families seeking Bahá'i education.  All must help to raise the money for construction of buildings necessary to a fully functional school.

The Bellemont Bahá'i School Property Committee, formed in 1986, was given a mandate to develop and manage the school.  With the committee's direction and help from a great many Bahá'is the school can grow to meet the needs of our Faith. Jason Eslamieh with his associate Patte Lanus of JE Design and the members of the school committee worked for over a year to produce a new master plan for the school.  The Flagstaff Local Spiritual Assembly has approved the plan.  The School committee has consulted on means to raise money, identify and prioritized goals, involve more people to plan greater usage of the school, and develop effective advertising to reach a larger Bahá'i community in Arizona and beyond in order to increase the base of support for the school.

A more immediate goal is to offer the friends in Study Circles the opportunities for service.  The Bellemont Bahá'i School is one of many institutions that can give people opportunities to serve and teach.  If you are interested in lending your support to the Bellemont Bahá'i School, please contact us: