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	Photo by Sam Yu Students at the Friends Meeting School in Ijamsville took to the stage in their new 21,000-square-foot, $3.5 million building Friday afternoon to sing the school song during dedication ceremonies. Purchase this photo

That vision became a reality Sept. 8 when a new building welcomed 11 members of the pioneering Class of 2013.

"When we purchased the land, we looked for a piece of land big enough to handle a high school building," Head of School Annette Breiling said Tuesday. "We looked at other schools and most seemed to have around 32 acres or more."

With the construction of the high school building, Friends has three structures on its 54-acre Green Valley Road campus.

"We started in a little church down the road with 4-year-olds through sixth grade," Breiling said while seated in her office in the building known as Founders Hall. Chelsea Hall, home to fifth- through eighth-graders before this year, opened in 2001.

Breiling laughed when she mentioned the school's master plan to one day accommodate 1,000 students.

"We call it our 100-year plan," she said.

About 100 students attend the school. Overall enrollment is down a bit this year; Breiling attributes this to the flailing economy. But enrollment is up in higher grades. School officials budgeted for nine freshmen and went over that by two.

Seventh- and eighth-graders have always been in one class together, but numbers increased enough this year to split the group into two classes.

Maria Fotopoulos has five children who attend Friends Meeting School.

"They all enjoyed the first week so much they were disappointed when Saturday rolled around," she said. "I came in today to get my daughter for a doctor's appointment, and she didn't want to leave."

Her son Peter is one of the pioneering freshmen.

"He feels so privileged to be in the first high school class," she said. "It has been difficult for our family to have all of our children here, but we have decided the sacrifice was worth it."

Tuition at Friends ranges from $13,850 to $15,800 for full-day pre-kindergarten through ninth grade. About 31 percent of students receive financial aid, according the school's website.

The new 21,000-square-foot school building cost about $3.5 million. It houses office space and general classrooms, as well as a gymnasium, a cafeteria and a stage that opens up to both rooms.

When enough money is raised, the second floor will be finished. From the exterior, the building looks like it has two stories. The second is just a shell sealed off from the first.

Breiling said the original plan was to add ninth-graders this year and then add a class each year until the school had all four high school grades. But the new school has sparked enough attention that she and her staff are considering adding both 10th and 11th grades next year.

"That would put a lot of work on our staff to get two curriculums approved by the state for next year, but we think we can do it," she said.

Back in May it seemed the rain would never stop. The weather wreaked havoc on the construction schedule. But crews pulled together and at times worked seven days a week to get the project back on track, Breiling said.

"There were times when there were 60 people here working on this school," she said as she gazed at the facade. "There are still a few things that have to be ironed out -- the contractor is still working on a punch list.

"But we have a high school."

And, she added, the naming rights are still available -- for $1 million.