Great Oak School, a private nonprofit school in Tomball, is planning to relocate to property on Lovett Street and build a campus of its own after Tomball City Council cast its first vote for a land rezoning request Nov. 19. Great Oak School has leased space from the Church of the Good Shepherd for the last 10 years on Carrell Street, board of trustees member JR Batek said during a Nov. 19 presentation to council. However, to keep up with growing enrollment, the private school is looking to build a campus on Lovett Street less than a half mile away from the school’s existing location, Batek said. “Just like our children, we’re growing,” he said. “We’re excited about our future, but we just need a little bit more space.” City Council members unanimously approved a rezoning request and a conditional-use permit for the Lovett Street property Nov. 19, which changes the land use from a planned development district to the office district and allows a private, nondenominational school to operate, according to meeting information. Great Oak School is a Waldorf school—an educational method started in Germany in 1919—meaning students have a well-rounded, hands-on education via gardening, sewing, woodworking, fine arts, foreign languages and other courses, Batek said. He said it is the second-largest school of its kind in Texas, enrolling about 100 students age 2 1/2 through seventh grade. “Next year we’re going to go to grade eight, and then we’re going to pause, take a deep breath and then think about high school really soon,” Batek said. As the school adds grade levels, Batek said approximately 20 more employees will be added to the existing staff of 30. “Our vision is to be a full school, and what I mean by that is pre-K through high school with up to 350 kids,” Batek said. “We want to be a magnet for families, businesses and visitors to [come to] Tomball.” The school campus would be built with a main entrance on Snook Lane and feature green space, such as gardens and nature areas, Batek said. “We’ve had 10 families move to Tomball to be close to the school,” he said. “We want to keep the beauty—gardens [and] playgrounds.” The council is expected to cast a second and final vote on the zoning changes during its next meeting Dec. 3. Great Oak School 715 Carrell St., Tomball 281-516-7296 www.greatoakschool.org