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Lancaster Mennonite empowers lifelong learning by fostering a Christ-centered educational environment that encourages curiosity, critical thinking, and personal growth throughout a student’s entire life. The school’s diverse academic programs and extracurricular activities provide students with opportunities to develop skills that prepare them for both higher education and meaningful careers. By integrating faith with learning, students are equipped to approach challenges with resilience and a commitment to serving others. This is not only important for their future careers but also for brain health, well-being, personal relationships, growing in their faith, and actively participating in the community.
In the elementary school, students engage in inquiry-based learning, hands-on science experiments, and collaborative projects. These activities spark curiosity and build critical thinking skills, encouraging a love of learning from a young age. Programs like “Readers Workshop” develop a passion for reading, while technology integration helps students build digital literacy.
At the middle and high school levels, students are empowered through project-based learning and personalized academic tracks.
Middle schoolers work on interdisciplinary projects that challenge them to connect their learning across subjects, such as creating sustainable ecosystems or designing service projects for the community.
High school students have access to Advanced Placement courses, internships, and dual enrollment with local colleges, allowing them to explore specific interests and future career paths.
Faith formation is woven into all aspects of learning at Lancaster Mennonite. Bible and faith formation classes encourage students to explore the Bible and seek Jesus together. Chapel services provide space for worship and reflection, with guest speakers sharing insights that help students deepen their faith. Teachers also incorporate faith into everyday coursework, helping students see God’s presence in all subjects and contexts. Volunteer service is another important part of the LM experience, encouraging students to integrate faith into action by serving others. These experiences set a strong foundation for students to carry their faith with them throughout life.
A personal example of this integration can be seen in my experience as Assistant Superintendent this past year. One unexpected opportunity was teaching our orchestra students in the fall before our new string instructor, Ms. Ziegler, arrived. Drawing on my background as a music teacher, I led the students through rehearsals, which reminded me of the valuable life skills developed in a music ensemble. When making great music together, one key ingredient is irreplaceable: time.
Creating excellent music together requires time and patience—there’s no shortcut to mastering techniques, rhythms, or dynamics. Students must practice over and over before they reach their full potential as a group.
This process mirrors the journey of lifelong learning. Just as musicians cannot fast-track their way to musical excellence, students must dedicate time and effort to grow in valuable skills and wisdom.
Here at Lancaster Mennonite, we strive to help students understand that the ultimate goal of lifelong learning is becoming Jesus’ disciples. All our other learning is meant to flow from this core foundation of knowing and becoming like Jesus. Like the first followers of Jesus, this journey involves spending time with Him—listening, watching, and learning. It’s a daily process that builds over time. This results in biblical wisdom, habits, and skills contributing to God’s kingdom.
For our students to grasp this lifelong learning, it will take more than simply learning the right content. It is learning to think like Jesus, talk like Jesus, live like Jesus. As parents, teachers, and mentors who lead students, the best way for us to lead them in becoming disciples of Jesus is for us to keep growing in our own apprenticeship of Jesus as we keep spending time with our students – whether in the orchestra rehearsal room, in math class, on the soccer field, or wherever we are leading.
My heart is filled with joy every time I get to perform music with students in a concert. We get to share, as a gift, the fruit of all the many hours of intentional learning that led to that performance. As wonderful as those moments are, how much deeper a joy there is when I see our students and graduates sharing the way of Jesus in their schools, families, careers, churches, communities, and lives. This is the true fruit of lifelong learning: disciples of Jesus sharing his love and gospel to the ends of the earth.
