It took time – seven years, in fact – for Atlas Preparatory School to transform from a single-grade school into one that will fete its first graduates next spring.

In that same vein, the school’s new athletic program is beginning its journey with small steps as the Gryphons recently made their varsity debuts in volleyball and boys’ soccer. In December, boys’ and girls’ basketball teams will begin for Atlas.

The adjustment to the experience is still a work in progress.

“We started out playing scrimmages, but it wasn’t anything as intense as the games we play now,” Atlas junior volleyball player Beatriz Soto said. “This year started off in a rough patch, but things are starting to move along better now.”

In January 2015, the year-round charter school in Harrison School District 2 came on board as a probationary member to the Colorado High School Activities Association. Well before then, however, the middle school had begun to develop athletic programs.

Starting varsity athletics programs was the logical step to keep the process going as students moved into high school.

“We wanted to offer enrichment activities to our students, and as we grew out the high school, we wanted to continue to offer something for them to do after school,” athletic director Chris Stroh said. “With a small charter high school, for kids to want to stay here, we’d have to offer some of those activities. We tend to lose students to schools that have larger, built-out athletic programs.”

Without a facility on campus, the volleyball program practices in a carpeted gym at a nearby church and plays its home games six miles away at Hilltop Baptist Church.

Meanwhile, the Gryphons’ soccer surroundings have the look that belies a varsity expansion program. Five years ago, Colorado College donated a turf field for the Atlas’ soccer and middle school football programs. Last year, the team raised enough money to build a second all-turf field.

That first impression helped Teo Jackson, who started the middle school program four years ago, to recruit more than 40 prospective players for varsity tryouts.

Then came the other eye-opener: this isn’t indoor soccer.

“Coming in, none of these guys had ever played competitive, varsity soccer,” Jackson said. “Some didn’t have the work ethic, and we lost a lot of them. We might be a new program, but we’re still holding them to a high standard. It was definitely a big shock to see the level of competition over the first couple of games.”

Atlas won its debut 9-3 over Ellicott in a battle of first-year programs, before falling back to earth in a three-goal setback at Manitou Springs. Still, Jackson won’t let his team use the “expansion team” excuse as a crutch.

“We’re young, we’re in a super competitive league, and we’re excited about that,” Jackson said. “There’s a lot of skill out there. We just need the experience.”