Saturday morning April 28 saw a group of 50 persons from LMS participate in the 14^th Race Against Racism in the City of Lancaster. It included students, parents and staff from all our campuses.

We were encouraged to participate by our Wellness and Safety Committee with the dual purpose of encouraging exercise and witnessing against the sin of racism. It was good to be part of more than 4,000 persons running and walking through our city with a positive message.

In these days following the killing of Travyon Martin, the racial divide has become apparent in our country. I hear too many stories from friends who have felt the negative impact of racism in our community, in our churches and in other communities across our country.  These stories compel me to speak on behalf of racial justice and healing.

One of the priorities of our sponsoring church is to “undo racism and to advance intercultural transformation.” It is rewarding to see a community at LMS that begins to reflect the biblical vision of persons from every, tribe, language, people and nation gathered together by Jesus, the Lamb of God.

The outcome of the race on April 28 was summarized on the back of the shirts that were distributed to participants: “The Winner will be Humanity.” Indeed, when we are united across the human divides by Jesus the Lamb of God, we all win and the Kingdom of God is advanced.

This is the season of senior presentations, a capstone requirement for graduation. At this time, LMH seniors reflect on their lives, those who nurtured them and their futures. Our culture shortchanges reflection, but I believe this reflective time is important as seniors anticipate life after high school.

On Monday evening, I was excited to see the Lancaster Campus parking lot filled with friends, parents, relatives, pastors and others who came to hear senior presentations. These presentations are often inspirational times and can feel like “holy ground” as we celebrate the outcomes of a holistic education.

Seniors reflected about:

• Growth in Christian ethics and moral values
• Service to others
• Micah 6:8 as a motto for life
• Growth by experiencing poverty through a mini-course
• Leadership experiences
• Passion for sharing the gospel and social justice
• The importance of chapel
• Challenging academics
• Future plans including political science, broadcast journalism and business
• Seeing the world through the eyes of others
• Spiritual life and growth
• Community at LMH
• Loving parents

This capstone project demonstrates the value of a planned PreK-12 curriculum and provides a time to celebrate the outcome of a transformative educational experience that is centered in Christ and committed to excellence. What happens throughout the elementary, middle and high school years all comes together.

We have much to celebrate as we prepare to commission this class to a life of Christlike love, peacemaking and service at Commencement 2012.

Spanish Immersion is a new program this year for grade 1. Next year it will expand to include both grades 1 and 2. All of the core subjects are taught in Spanish, and students learn this international language the same way they learned their first language — by hearing and then beginning to speak.

I was so impressed with what I saw happening in the classroom that I started documenting it on my i-phone notepad.  I wrote:

• Amazing
• All Spanish
• Positive atmosphere
• Seems like I am in a Spanish-speaking country
• All students fully engaged
• What a wonderful opportunity for students
• Helping local and global to meet

We celebrate that each campus is unique in the way it provides a strong core educational program. We are pleased to offer a Christ-centered education that transforms lives and changes our world.

At the turn of this century ten years ago, Facebook, Twitter and other social media did not yet exist. However, today they are primary ways that youth and young adults communicate. There are many conversations on how the new technologies are changing education.

Yesterday I was with a group of school administrators discussing how technology will change education. During the past few months I have been considering these questions and have been reading on the subject. Below I am offering some of my tentative conclusions and I would love to hear from you in this conversation.

1. Technology is not central to education but it is an important tool to help us engage our students in learning.
2. Technology expands our classrooms to other parts of the world.
3. Learning will always have enduring qualities that have little or nothing to do with technology, but technology has become an important part of delivery of instruction.
4. The workplace requires persons with oral and written communication skills, the ability to solve math problems, the ability to think critically, an ethical approach to life, positive character traits, the ability to work with others, the ability to access and analyze information and to live with a sense of curiosity, wonder and mystery. And of course basic understandings of technology are a 21st century job skill.

I believe that while most, if not all, high school students will take some online classes in the future, it is still the trust relationship that educators have with students that will continue to form the core of education. In a Christ-centered school, discipleship happens primarily through the relationship between student and teacher—following the example of the master teacher, Jesus, with the disciples. Doing so will empower our students to follow Jesus in this digital world.

Every LMH student is a member of an advisory group that is lead by the same faculty member throughout the student’s high school experience. The goal is that each student, by having a group of ones own, will develop the value of school community within the larger school “family.”

Recently my junior advisory group had an opportunity to meet with a freshman group to answer questions about the school and help the ninth graders adjust to the new academic year. It was a blessing to observe juniors reaching out to freshman with words of encouragement as new friendships were formed. The hope is that these kinds of community-building experiences will lead to continued positive connections when students see each other in the halls, in classes and at school activities.

We believe every student is created by God and brings special gifts to school. Juniors investing in the lives of freshmen is one way we work at helping students adjust to new opportunities, build self esteem, and experience the Lord working among us.

Thank you for your prayers as we partner with parents and congregations to pass Christian values to the next generation.

– Miles Yoder

Persons at times question the value of an LMS education. There have been numerous studies that have looked at Mennonite Schools in general as well as LMS in particular. All of the studies have shown a positive value for schools like LMS.

Now a Canadian study reported in Christianity Today has compared outcomes of students who graduated from school 6 to 21 years ago. The study compares students graduating from four different categories of schools and also from home schools.

The study shows that students graduating from schools most like LMS:

• want a job that is helpful to others and fulfills their Christian calling
• read the Bible
• are leaders in their congregations
• were prepared for relationships
• were prepared to deal with the problems of life

Students graduating from public schools were least likely to feel prepared for relationships or a vibrant spiritual life, home schooled graduates were most likely to be divorced, and graduates from non-religious private schools were most likely to marry later in life.

Once again a significant survey shows the value of the holistic education we provide. It is an education that Sustains Hope!

Last week an LMS family who is establishing an academic endowment as part of the Sustaining Hope Endowment Program shared why they value LMS. To them the academic excellence, spirituality, relational skills learned and the relationships students develop are precious and worthy of investment.

During the conversation they said that, while they highly value the educational excellence LMS provides, they are even more pleased that LMS prepares students in a holistic way to live a transformed life that changes the world. We celebrate the many persons who are sustaining hope through the holistic educational mission of Lancaster Mennonite School. What do you most value about an LMS education?

During our first day of school on Tuesday, we experienced the largest earthquake on the east coast in a century. Therefore, what we experienced was new for everyone in the school, regardless of their age.

On Tuesday, students were interested in talking about the quake from the day before. As I was talking with an elementary class at the Kraybill Campus and then at the middle school chapel, I made reference to the earthquake and said “Our School Rocks!”

Since then, I have reflected on the words from Hebrews 12 which reference
things that can be shaken reveal what cannot be shaken. The chapter concludes “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and worship God…”

There seems to be much shaking in the postmodern times in which we live. Most polls show a decline in the influence of religion in American life. The number of Americans confessing to having no faith is on the rise. In these times a LMS education based on the only solid foundation of Jesus Christ (see I Corinthians 3:11) gives our students an unshakable foundation for their future.

At a more mundane level, the earthquake also resulted in our revising our emergency plan to include earthquake preparedness. We will long recall this “Back to School” day which included the earthquake of the century!

“What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.” Many in my generation are fond of this quote from the 1967 film, Cool Hand Luke.

Too often I have been told that Lancaster Mennonite School is one of the best kept secrets in Lancaster County and that we have failed to communicate the value of the opportunities that LMS offers our local community and the world through Graybill Hall (LMS residence hall). The purpose of this blog is to provide another venue to communicate LMS stories and my personal observations and experiences related to the value of schooling and Christian formation.

Hopefully, through following this blog, you will catch glimpses of  LMS transforming lives and changing our world as we provide an excellent education in a community where Jesus is the center of our life together.