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Hershey Campus to Unveil New Cafeteria and Improvements at August 2 Open House
LMS Hershey Campus students (left to right) Brig Wilson, Ruby Kyllonen, Sam Moyer, Jared Porter, Ainsley Yatsko, and Panida Suwanphiphat stand outside the unfinished cafeteria with Principal Miles Yoder (center) and Scott Burkholder from Horst Construction, the contractor that will finish the building’s cafeteria area for the start of the 2016-17 school year. For this project and other Hershey Campus improvements, Lancaster Mennonite School raised $300,000 with the help of a $150,000 matching fund.
Families who might have interest in enrolling at the school are invited to tour the facilities. Administrators, admissions counselors and teachers will be available to answer questions for anyone wanting more information about the school.
Miles Yoder, the principal of the Hershey Campus and assistant superintendent of Lancaster Mennonite School said, “The Hershey Campus community rallied to raise the needed funds for this dining hall project. We thank God for answered prayer as we see these needed renovations about to begin and for the progress we are making for student enrollment next school year.”
The project arose from listening to the wants and needs of students. After becoming part of Lancaster Mennonite School, Hershey Campus students were asked what they would like to have at their campus, and one of the top items was a finished cafeteria. In response to the students’ request, a group of parents, spear-headed by Julie Zinn, launched the Cool Café Campaign to raise money to complete the cafeteria by offering virtual cafeteria trays on line for varying amounts of money. Persons buying “trays” had the opportunity to put a message on the image of a tray on the school’s website and on a paper “tray” in the gymnasium so students could read them and watch the progress of funding.
Zinn said, “When we came up with this plan, we were hoping that this idea would bring more traffic to our benefit auction website and raise about $20,000 for the cafeteria. Never did we dream that it would turn into $300,000.”
The novel launch of the Cool Café Campaign caught the attention of a generous donor who offered to make a $150,000 gift if the amount was matched by March 1. Through the efforts of parent volunteers, Cool Café virtual tray purchases, a Coin Challenge among the students and generous donations from donors, the gift was matched and the school had enough funds to complete the cafeteria.
“This is just a cafeteria, but the hearts that will be changed because of experiencing God’s faithfulness is the true gift that we’ve been given,” Zinn added.
Hershey Campus students are quite excited by the quick success of the cafeteria project. Sophomore Morgan Furjanic said, “I am excited because I think eating together in the cafeteria will help to bring our school together.” Jian Song, grade 9, added, “I want to thank the community for getting us this new dining hall, especially the donors who helped make this possible.”
Horst Construction, Lancaster, was selected as general contractor. The shell of the cafeteria area is being dry-walled and painted, and doors, lighting and flooring are being installed. The scope of the work also includes laying vinyl composition tiling in the first-floor hallways and classrooms and painting the hallway walls. Construction should be completed in time for the August 2 open house.
The Hershey Campus of Lancaster Mennonite School offers a comprehensive K-12 education in a nurturing and diverse environment that prepares students to be lifelong learners. Centered in Christ and committed to educational excellence in a community setting, the school exists to transform students so they can change the world through Christ-like love, peacemaking and service. For more information, call 717-533-4900.
