GAC 3D art teacher, Tim Baker, was recently looking through the art storage room on campus and uncovered an unfinished sculpture by former student, Christo Heotaky. From the class of 2007, Christo was in a tragic motor accident in 2005 at just 17 years old. 

When Tim found his piece, he remembered Christo’s original goal for the stone carving was for it to be a lion head. So, he felt a calling from The Lord to bring the vision to fruition, while leaving Christo’s handmade chisel marks intentionally untouched. 

When it was finished (in its perfectly unfinished way), the Heotaky family was invited to campus to hear the story of “Christo’s Lion” and to take the precious sculpture home where it belonged. This was the family’s first visit back to campus since the accident - 15 years later, almost to the day. 

With a warm welcome back, President Scott Harsh, High School Principal Shane Woodward, Tim, and others reconnected with the family. Tim shared the story of how the carving came to be and they all reminisced about favorite GAC memories. As an extra thoughtful detail, the wood base mounting the sculpture was made from an art table Christo used in class. 

Today, “Christo’s Lion”, created by both his namesake and Tim, now sits proudly on display in the entryway of the Heotaky family home.