Lancaster Mennonite School is a private Christian school located in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The Lancaster Campus, east of the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, serves students from Pre-K through twelve. The high school on the Lancaster Campus is known as Lancaster Mennonite High School. In 2021, the former New Danville and Locust Grove campuses closed, and merged with the Lancaster Campus.[1]
Lancaster Mennonite School is now one campus, but was previously composed of multiple campuses, founded as separate schools.
Locust Grove Mennonite School was founded in 1939, and New Danville Mennonite School in 1940, to offer grades one through eight. The Lancaster Conference of the Mennonite Church began the development of a Christian high school, Lancaster Mennonite School, on the site of the former Yeates School in 1942. To better serve families in northwest Lancaster County, Lancaster Mennonite School then helped to start Kraybill Mennonite School in 1949, which originally provided first through tenth grade.
Although each school was founded independently, the schools shared a common mission, values, and constituency, and eventually decided to work together as a comprehensive PreK-12 system under the name of Lancaster Mennonite School. New Danville merged with Lancaster in 2001, followed by Locust Grove in 2003 and Kraybill in 2006. Hershey Christian School was acquired in February, 2015. In February 2021, Lancaster Mennonite announced it would be merging all campuses into one unified campus at the 2167 Lincoln Highway location.[2]
Key dates
1939
Locust Grove Mennonite School (now Locust Grove Campus) was founded.
1940
New Danville Mennonite School (now New Danville Campus) was founded.
1942
Lancaster Mennonite School was founded.
1949
Kraybill Mennonite School (now Kraybill Campus) was founded in the Kraybill Meetinghouse with grades 1–10 in cooperation with Lancaster Mennonite School.
1965
LMS built a junior high building on the Kraybill Campus.
1970
Lancaster Mennonite School was renamed Lancaster Mennonite High School to emphasize that it offered grades 9-12
2000-01
Middle school (grades 6–8) started on the Lancaster Campus.
2001-02
New Danville Mennonite School merged to form Lancaster Mennonite School, one K-12 school with two campuses.
2003-04
Locust Grove Mennonite School (PreK-8) merged with Lancaster Mennonite School and became the Locust Grove Campus.
2006-07
Kraybill Mennonite School (K-8) merged with Lancaster Mennonite School and became the Kraybill Campus (PreK-8).
2014-15
Hershey Christian School (K-12) was acquired.
2018-19
The Hershey Campus adds prekindergarten to become a PreK-12 campus
2019
The Hershey Campus was sold to St. Joan of Arc School and is no longer a branch of Lancaster Mennonite School.[3]
2021
Lancaster Mennonite announces they will be selling the Locust Grove and New Danville and merging all the PreK-12th grades at the main campus on Lincoln Highway East.[4]
Facilities
The Lancaster Campus has two residence halls for boarding students that together house about 60 out-of-state and international students attending Lancaster Mennonite High School. Millstream Hall, completed in February, 2015, holds the majority of students, with some choosing the older Graybill Hall.
The G. Parke Book Building, renovated in 2004, is home to specialized agriculture and technology classrooms. The Calvin and Janet High Fine Arts Center contains an 1,168-seat auditorium, music rooms and art rooms.
A two-story building provides classroom space for the middle school on the lower level and the high school on the upper level, along with the Alumni Dining Hall and library.
In 2008, the Rutt Academic Center was added, including classrooms for mathematics, business classes, sciences, and family and consumer sciences. The building also houses a welcome center and administrative offices for the Lancaster Mennonite School System.
In 2021, the Rutt Academic Center will be converted into an elementary building, with one Spanish-Immersion track and one English track.
For athletics, the Lancaster Campus has two gymnasiums, an artificial-turf soccer and field hockey field and stadium, a lighted baseball stadium, softball diamonds, and tennis courts. The school completed a new eight-lane track and field facility in the fall of 2009.
Athletics
The Lancaster Mennonite High School sports program competes in the Lancaster-Lebanon League (local public school league) and the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association.
The following high school sports are offered by Lancaster Mennonite High School:[5]
Fall
boys' and girls' cross country, girls' field hockey, golf, boys' and girls' soccer, girls' volleyball, girls' tennis
baseball, softball, boys' tennis, boys' volleyball, track & field
Lancaster Mennonite's most successful athletic program is the boys' soccer team. Since 1986, they have won eight PIAA District 3 titles and eight Lancaster-Lebanon League titles. In 2011, they won their first PIAA State Championship. In 2012, 2014 and 2017 the Blazers returned to the PIAA state title game but came up short on all three occasions. Boys basketball has also been a state-level contender: in 2016–17, the LMH boys' basketball team placed second in District III and advanced to the state quarterfinals; in 2017-18 they were fourth in the district and advanced to the PIAA semifinals.
At the elementary level, Lancaster Mennonite School formed Lancaster Mennonite Youth Athletics (LMYA) [6] as an alternative to community leagues for basketball, soccer and field hockey, softball and basketball.
Music
Lancaster Mennonite High School offers concert band, jazz band, orchestra and various choral groups. Concert Choir, Vocal Ensemble, and Campus Chorale perform concerts at the school and in local congregations. Through another partnership program, students who desire a special music focus can take classes in Millersville University's Advanced Music Program, where they take some courses with Millersville University professors . Lancaster Mennonite School provides the residential program and general education courses for students from all over the world who wish to study music at the university. Successfully completed courses are added to the students' high school transcripts.
Chapel services provide another opportunity for students to share musical abilities as they assist in worship. The elementary and middle school music programs also provide many opportunities for vocal and instrumental instruction and performance.
Spiritual life
School literature maintains that spiritual life involves every activity of the school, including student and teacher behavior in and out of the classroom. The school offers many specific and intentional activities to highlight the spiritual dimension of life. Elementary students receive daily Bible instruction and attend a weekly chapel service at their level of understanding. MIddle school students have BIble class, a weekly chapel service, and have extended times for focusing on their relationship with God. All high school students attend chapel services three times a week, and take a theology or Bible class each year. The school expects all teachers to integrate a Christian perspective into all subject areas.
According to the school's admissions office, students need not subscribe to a particular creed or doctrinal statement. The school's official hiring policies do not require faculty to attend a Mennonite congregation, but they must agree with the Shared Convictions of Global Anabaptists and the school's mission statement and philosophy of education. This document emphasizes a personal relationship with God through Christ, salvation through faith, and a commitment to following Christ's example and teachings. School promotional literature states that following Christ involves having his global perspective and commitment to justice for all people in addition to personal morality.
Academics
Originally, the promotional literature of the schools that today form Lancaster Mennonite School indicated an objective of academic parity with the best local public schools, but with a spiritual dimension. More recently, promotional literature has stressed "educational excellence." Lancaster Mennonite's curriculum focuses on: faith formation, fine arts, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math), world languages, and outdoor education.
The school's Guidance Office prepares an annual Academic Profile document that accompanies transcripts sent to colleges. According to this document, the average standardized test scores of Lancaster Mennonite School students are consistently superior to local and state averages for public and church-related schools. The reported SAT scores of Lancaster Mennonite High School students are consistently on a par with the best public schools in Lancaster County.
Annually, the school publishes an extensive Curriculum Guide for current and prospective students. According to the 2021-22 guide, numerous courses are offered in many academic disciplines, including 15 Advanced Placement courses and 3 of those courses offered through dual enrollment with HACC.[7] The high school has an agriculture program with an FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America) chapter and a number of technology classes such as welding and small engine repair. In addition to formal classes, the Curriculum Guide indicates that high school students can develop advanced practical skills through the website team, the stage crew, yearbook staff and other opportunities.
The school does not have a selective admissions policy, but accepts students with a wide cross-section of abilities. The school offers many courses that are vocationally-oriented in business, agriculture, family and consumer science, etc., and provides for students who need learning support.
Controversy
In 2010, assistant principal Steven J. Geyer was charged with eleven counts of sexual offense including five counts of felony and misdemeanor assault, three counts of felony unlawful contact with a minor and three counts of felony corruption of minors at the Locust Grove Campus.[8] Geyer sexually assaulted three South Korean exchange students ages 12 to 16[9] from 2009 to 2011 in a camper in his East Lancaster home.[9] At his sentencing a prosecutor likened him to a "sex trafficker"[9] and assistant DA Karen Mansfield stated "He specifically brought these boys to his home for sexual abuse and torture.".[9] Mansfield explained that he chose the South Korean international students because he knew that it would be shameful for them to come forward with the abuse and he targeted them because he knew their culture.
Publications
Silhouette is a student literary magazine that publishes the creative work of students. Laurel Wreath is the yearbook for Lancaster Mennonite High School. The school also publishes Bridges magazine for alumni, school families and others interested in the school.
Alumni of the Year
2021 - Harold Mast, class of 1965, Ruth Mast, class of 1966.[10] Bonnie Croyle class of 2011
The Milton Hershey School, formerly the Hershey Industrial School, is a private boarding school in Hershey, Pennsylvania for K–12 students. The institution was founded in 1909 by chocolate industrialist Milton Hershey and his wife, Catherine Hershey.
Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) is a private Mennonite university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The university also operates a satellite campus in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which primarily caters to working adults. EMU is known for its Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP), particularly its graduate program in conflict transformation.
Eastern Mennonite School (EMS) is a K-12 private school in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It is affiliated with the Virginia Mennonite Conference of Mennonite Church USA.
The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, Inc., also known by its acronymn PIAA, is one of the governing bodies of high school and middle school athletics for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States.
Archbishop Wood Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The school was founded in 1964 in Warminster Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It sits on thirty-two acre tract of land and maintains various athletic fields on its campus, as well as a daycare facility, and a home for retired diocesan priests. It is accredited by both the National Catholic Educational Association and Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
Cheltenham High School is a public high school in the Wyncote neighborhood of Cheltenham Township, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, located 0.5 miles (800 m) from the border of the City of Philadelphia and 12 miles (19 km) from Center City. Serving grades 9 through 12, Cheltenham is the only high school in the School District of Cheltenham Township. It is fed by Cedarbrook Middle School, the only school in the school district for grades 7 and 8.
Donald B. Kraybill is an American author, lecturer, and educator on Anabaptist faiths and culture. Kraybill is widely recognized for his studies on Anabaptist groups and in particular the Amish. He has researched and written extensively on Anabaptist culture. He is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Elizabethtown College and Senior Fellow Emeritus at Elizabethtown's Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies.
Hershey High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The high school is one of four buildings which comprise the campus of the Derry Township School District and serves students in ninth through twelfth grades. Along with Hershey Middle School, the high school is nationally recognized as a Blue Ribbon School.
Moon Area High School is a public high school located in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, United States. Part of the Moon Area School District, the school serves students from grades 9 - 12.
Garden Spot High School is located in New Holland, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1954, this is the only senior high school in the Eastern Lancaster County School District. It is attached to Garden Spot Middle School, making it easy for those students to go to the high school. It was joined together from six small schools, starting in 1947.
Catholic Central School is a private, Roman Catholic school in Springfield, Ohio. Part of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Catholic Central provides education for grades PreK-12 at two campuses. It was recently ranked as one of the Top 50 Catholic Schools in the Nation. The school's sports teams are known as the Fighting Irish.
Holy Cross High School is a Roman Catholic secondary school located in Dunmore, Pennsylvania. It operates under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton, and is the second largest of four diocesan high schools in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The Holy Cross School System has included five feeder schools since the 2011-2012 school year: All Saints Academy, Scranton; LaSalle Academy, Dickson City and Jessup; Our Lady of Peace, Clarks Summit; St. Clare/St. Paul, Scranton; and St. Mary of Mount Carmel, Dunmore.
Columbia Bible College (CBC) is an evangelical Mennonite Bible College in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. It is affiliated with two regional Mennonite conferences, British Columbia Mennonite Brethren and Mennonite Church British Columbia. Columbia is accredited by the international Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), and is registered with the British Columbia Private Career Training Institution Association (PCTIA).
Immanuel Schools are Mennonite schools located in Reedley, California and serving the surrounding area, including Dinuba and Kingsburg. The schools are officially dedicated to provide a religious private education on their campuses, which include a K-6 Immanuel Elementary school, a 7-8 Immanuel Junior High School, and a 9-12 Immanuel High School. Their mascot is the eagle and their school colors are red, white, and blue.
The Groffdale Conference Mennonite Church, also called Wenger Mennonites, is the largest Old Order Mennonite group to use horse-drawn carriages for transportation. Along with the automobile, they reject many modern conveniences, while allowing electricity in their homes and steel-wheeled tractors to till the fields. Initially concentrated in eastern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, their numbers had grown to 22,305 people resided in eight other states as of 2015. They share the pulpit with the Ontario Mennonite Conference but have some differences in Ordnung.
The Amish, formally the Old Order Amish, are a group of traditionalist Anabaptist Christian church fellowships with Swiss German and Alsatian origins. They are closely related to Mennonite churches, a separate Anabaptist denomination. The Amish are known for simple living, plain dress, Christian pacifism, and slowness to adopt many conveniences of modern technology, with a view neither to interrupt family time, nor replace face-to-face conversations whenever possible, and a view to maintain self-sufficiency. The Amish value rural life, manual labor, humility and Gelassenheit.
Philadelphia Mennonite High School was a private Mennonite high school in the Fairmount neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It ran from 1997 to 2014.
Amish believe large families are a blessing from God. Amish rules allow marrying only between members of the Amish communion. The elderly do not go to a retirement facility; they remain at home. As time has passed, the Amish have felt pressures from the modern world; their traditional rural way of life is becoming more different from the modern society. Isolated groups of Amish populations may have genetic disorders or other problems of closed communities. Amish make decisions about health, education, and relationships through a Biblical interpretation. Amish life has influenced aspects of popular culture. As the Amish are divided into the Old Order Amish, New Order Amish, and Beachy Amish, the way of life of families depends on the rule of the church community to which they belong.
Philadelphia-Montgomery Christian Academy, commonly known as Phil-Mont Christian Academy, is a selective private Christian school serving grades PK-12. Phil-Mont was founded in 1943 by Cornelius Van Til and others. Phil-Mont's curriculum is rooted in a christian worldview, the principles of the liberal arts, and uses some features of a classical education model. Phil-Mont currently resides in the former Springfield Township High School & Hillcrest Junior High School building, built in 1923/24. Phil-Mont purchased the unused building and restored it to working order for grades 6-12 in 1979. The property was originally part of Chestnut Hill Park/White City Amusement Park, part of which is now also Springfield Township's James A. Cisco Park and Hillcrest Pond.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
