Dear Friends and Alumni,

As you have learned from the LM Board and Administration Announcement communication, we have decided to unite our three campuses: Locust Grove and New Danville on the Lancaster Campus (Lincoln Highway) beginning in the 2022-23 school year. Our goal is to create  a community that is united, empowered, inspired together.

我们已尽最大努力预测您的一些问题可能是什么，并在下面列出的常见问题中提供信息，以及校园翻新的一些图纸、效果图和平面图。

常见问题 （FAQ）

问：每个年级将位于哪些建筑物/区域？
答：设施工作队和行政部门花时间确定了 Lancaster 不同年龄段、交通流量、学生流量和各种建筑物的可达性校园。更详细的细节尚未确定，但以下是我们现在可以与您分享的计划：

Grades PreK-5th: The elementary students will be located in the Rutt Building with two elementary streams, one English track and one Spanish Immersion track. The Rutt building location was chosen for elementary students because of its location and classroom layout, bathroom and handwashing accessibility for young children, playground location, separation from and yet accessibility to middle and high school students and other areas on campus, like the gym, cafeteria and fine arts center. 

Grades 6-8th: Middle school (MS) students will be located in the newly renovated lower level of the ‘64 education building. There will be one middle school track, grades 6-8, with renovated design and science lab spaces.  Their location will shift slightly from the current space under the dining hall to be more centrally located on the lower level of the ‘64 education building. 

Grades 9-12th: High school (HS) students will move to a newly renovated 2nd floor of the ‘64 education building and the south end of the lower level with larger classrooms. HS and MS offices will move from the south end to the north end of the ‘64 education building or under the alumni dining hall. The former office space will become larger classrooms. New science labs will be built in the current media center space and there will be a new space for the media center, yet to be determined. The Family and Consumer Science department will move to newly renovated classrooms on the second floor of the Book Building. 

有足够的空间容纳所有年级的学生 Lancaster 校园，但它需要改造和建设，以确保建筑物满足每个年级的需求。

一个美丽的新游乐场空间也将建在Rutt大楼的西侧。在Rutt Building西侧的Greenland Drive附近将为小学生创建一条新的接送车道。Rutt 大楼的小学年级允许安全的交通远离校园的其他部分。

我们邀请您帮助我们找到方法来庆祝每个校园的独特性，我们可以在 Lancaster 校园。在接下来的几个月里，请继续关注有关如何参与该过程的更多信息。  

Q: Will all courses and offerings remain the same?
A: We are excited about what we will be able to provide when curriculum and programs are unified and under one roof – new opportunities and continuity for music, makerspace, art, Spanish Immersion, athletics,  and more. 

We will be inviting teachers and parents to be part of brainstorming about programming.  This is an area where faculty and parents can participate in sharing exciting ideas, such as STEM education both indoors and outdoors. Stay tuned in the coming months for more information about how to participate in that process.  

Q: Will the Spanish Immersion Program still continue into Middle School and High School?
Yes, we will continue to provide a dedicated curriculum for Spanish Immersion students after elementary school. 6th-8th students will switch to the maintenance phase and have approximately 90 minutes of daily instruction in Spanish and the rest in English. In high school, immersion students move into AP Spanish, which can be taken for two consecutive years. One year will focus on the cultural contexts of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean and one year on South America. Students that remain in the program can expect to attain fluency in Spanish.

Q: What staffing will be required for the unified campus and programming?
A:  For the coming 2021-22 school  year, it is our hope and intent to not reduce teachers or staff or change programming before the fall of 2022, barring unforeseen major changes to enrollment. 

For the fall of 2022 there will be a unifying of campuses and reduction of elementary and middle school teachers and staff. The English track at Locust Grove and New Danville will be combined into one stream. Spanish Immersion will remain as a stream.  The Locust Grove middle school and Lancaster Mennonite middle school (LMMS) will unify. High School programming will be reviewed and revised to reflect current educational trends such as STEM education among others.

There will be a review and selection process for teachers and staff that will be a part of the unified elementary and middle school (criteria to be shared early in 2022). 

问：目前小学和初中的班级规模有多大 Lancaster Mennonite 学校？
答： 目前小学的班级规模在5-20名学生之间，如果我们现在合并班级，很少有小学年级会超过20名学生。中学的班级规模从 15-23名学生不等。 目前很难知道 2022 年秋季的入学人数是多少。 虽然较小的班级规模非常适合寻求更亲密的学习环境的家庭，但从长远来看，它们是生存能力问题的一部分，非常小的班级规模将需要显着增加学费（我们希望避免）。 我们将继续重新评估我们的教室规模和公式，以便何时需要为教师和学生增加助手和额外支持。

问：您是否考虑过保留新丹维尔和蝗虫林校区的所有选择？
答：是的，董事会已经研究了一年多的备选方案。长期的入学率下降、人口下降的外部因素、家庭对教育的选择以及经济的变化使它成为一种必要。通过积极统一校园，它为我们提供了扩大课程、加强教师协作、发展多年级联系以及加强所有年龄段的体育和美术等课外活动的机会。这将在未来几年为我们的学生和家庭建立一个更强大、更可持续的学校。

问：New Danville 和 Locust Grove 大楼会发生什么？
答：目的是出售两处房产，然后将收益用于翻新 Lancaster 校园，偿还债务，并增加捐赠基金。

一年多前，一位买家与LM接洽，希望购买Locust Grove校区。董事会已经在讨论校园的统一。这个提议并不是我们决定统一的催化剂，而是促使行政部门和董事会之间进行更深入的对话，以探索上帝为我们准备的未来。

Q: Will a competitor school be opened at the Locust Grove campus?
We’ve been working with the prospective buyer to ensure that this is not something that would happen, at least within the near future by placing restrictions on the sale negotiations.

Q: What will be done with the income from the sale of the campuses?
A: First, to renovate the Lancaster Campus, then to eliminate debt, and hopefully to increase Endowment to ensure the future stability of LM.

Q. Is the decline in enrollment and decision to unify due to COVID? And Isn’t the transfer of the Kraybill campus and the closure of the Hershey campus the reason for the decline in enrollment?
A: There has been a continuous decline in enrollment since at least 2006, especially in high school grades. Yes, COVID has impacted our enrollment this past year, but it is not the reason we decided to unify campuses. Our decision to unify campuses was in process before COVID, and it will continue to be a sound decision in the coming years to ensure a secure future for LM. We anticipate that next year we will be back in school in person and families who left because of COVID will return. International students are anticipated to return as safe international travel resumes.

问：宿舍楼会在秋季重新开放吗？
答：是的！ 随着安全国际旅行的恢复，预计国际学生将返回。 在这个大流行的一年里，我们的一些国际学生继续远程参加 LM，并渴望明年亲自返回学校。今年也有相当多的国际学生能够留在该地区的寄宿家庭，并继续在美国上学。

Q.如果您在未来几年的入学人数激增，您将如何适应这种情况 Lancaster 校园？
一个： 15年前，我们在四个校区的招生人数超过1,600名学生，其中900多名学生在 Lancaster 校园。但是，LM 和许多其他学校一样，由于家庭孩子较少、经济挑战、学校选择增加以及地缘政治影响导致国际入学人数减少，入学率下降。我们目前的招生人数约为 670 名学生，因此有许多教室没有得到充分利用。除了现在能够充分利用我们所有的教室外，我们还有扩展的空间。 Lancaster Mennonite 是一处占地 90 英亩的房产，并拥有其他房产，例如学校附近 Millstream 路对面的 18 英亩房产，如果需要，可以有很多机会进行扩展。

问：您说LM的财务状况良好，您能详细说明一下吗？
答：近年来，我们减少了债务，管理了开支，并做出了确保长期稳定的战略决策。在2019-20年度，我们的收入为$11.5M。从饼图中可以看出，学费收入是我们收入的大部分，并不能完全覆盖费用——$12.4M。

我们还希望分享我们目前的债务金额$2.8M和现金捐赠$7.8M。历史债务已大幅减少，部分原因是出售了好时校区。 这只是我们财务状况的快照，但我们想向您保证，LM是安全的，并且由于这些战略举措，LM将在未来继续存在。LM 是一个占地 90 英亩的美丽校园，拥有非凡的设施。 如果需要，校园有未来扩展的空间，但在短期内，它为所有年级的室内和室外体验式学习提供了令人兴奋的空间。

LM的财务状况稳定，出售两个校区将使我们能够翻新和开发 Lancaster 校园更有效地为所有学生服务，继续偿还债务，并建立捐赠基金。 我们还预计会开展一项活动，以帮助资助令人兴奋的项目扩展和设施升级。

Q: What are the benefits of having all grades under one roof?
A: There will be many benefits to having all grades at one location. The unification will provide increased cohesiveness around programming and community. Students will have access to the facilities at the Lancaster campus – cafeteria, gymnasiums, green house, Agriculture/Technology building, fine arts facility, and athletic areas. The outdoor space and stream provide a unique and beautiful setting and allow for more experiential learning.

如上所述，当课程和计划统一在一个屋檐下时，我们将能够做些什么，例如音乐、表演艺术、创客空间、艺术、西班牙语浸入式、体育等的机会和连续性。现在，年轻的学生将能够更容易地获得美术和体育机会。

让年龄较小的学生和年龄较大的学生靠近在一起将提供更多的同伴互动和指导机会。我们已经在 Locust Grove 和 New Danville 看到了这样做的好处，通过同伴辅导和 Blazer Buddies 与高年级学生和低年级学生建立了联系，我们期待有更多方法来刺激这一点。 

Q: Will annual tuition decrease as a result of closing campuses, selling properties, having less staff and reducing expenses?
A: The cost of education has not decreased. Annual tuition will likely follow the usual trend of 3-5% increase.  LM’s annual tuition still lags behind the cost of education. The efficiencies of one campus will allow us to improve salaries which have had only cost of living increases or no increase for the past 4 years. This will ensure we are able to retain the highest quality teachers and staff. We will also need to invest in renovations, reducing debt, and building up our endowment. We believe LM provides the best value in private Christian education in the region, and we also remain committed to providing financial assistance to qualifying families.

Q: How are faculty and staff being supported?
A: When experiencing change, processing it with someone can be helpful, and LM will continue the practice of providing EAP counseling services for faculty and staff. Dr. Tieszen is providing designated times in upcoming campus faculty meetings to allow space for questions. In addition, members of the Board and Administration are available to talk, answer any questions, and pray together. Please keep our faculty and staff in your prayers.  

Q: How are students being supported?
A: When experiencing change, processing it with someone can be helpful, and Campus IU13 counselors and staff guidance counselors are available on-site for students. We will provide opportunities in the coming year to acknowledge the transition and feelings of loss. We invite you to help us find ways to celebrate the uniqueness of each campus that we can recreate on the Lancaster campus.

问：将提供哪些交通/巴士选择？
答：目前所有学生仍然可以使用当地学区的校车。如果您居住在兰开斯特校区，这些公立学区仍然可以提供前往兰开斯特校区的校车：康内斯托加谷、东兰开斯特公司、亨普菲尔德、兰彼得-斯特拉斯堡、兰开斯特学区、曼海姆镇、宾夕法尼亚庄园、佩克亚谷、索兰科和沃里克。

LM 运营的付费路线仍可前往切斯特县、哥伦比亚、乔伊山和伊丽莎白镇。

Locust Grove is only 1.5 miles away from the Lancaster campus, and New Danville is only seven miles away. So, it’s just a little further away to school, but not out of reach for school districts or parent drop-offs/pick-ups.

问：接送服务将如何运作？
答：在校园西侧的格陵兰博士附近将为小学年级创建一条新的接送车道。同样，Rutt 大楼的小学年级允许安全的交通流远离校园的其他部分。我们希望扩大目前初中和高中年级的接送区域。

校车仍将通过校园中间在同一区域下车。校车仍将接载校园中间同一区域的所有年级学生。我们仍在制定细节，以确保我们错开学生上校车的时间，或者在高年级学生被释放之前有工作人员将低年级学生送上校车。

Q: What is happening with the upcoming fundraisers and proceeds?
A: LM’s annual fundraising events (i.e. Golf Tournament, Auction & BBQs, World Changer Day, etc.) will continue to benefit our annual fund, which allows us to keep the cost of education affordable for all of our students and families. When making donations, friends of LM can always designate their gift to be used in a particular way, including capital campaigns, endowments, or student aid. In addition to fundraising events, LM continues to raise money from individual contributions to complete Phase 2 renovations of the ’64 Classroom Wing, which will be growing into a more comprehensive capital campaign with the renovations and enhancements needed to the Lancaster campus for the campus unification updates. 

问：你说你希望我提供关于校园变化的反馈和建议。我该如何提供？
答：我们将花时间纪念和纪念新丹维尔和蝗虫林，并邀请您加入梦想新的节目和空间、文化和对学生的关怀。规划和社区工作组有一个将工作人员和家庭纳入规划的过程。

在接下来的几个月里，我们将举行焦点小组和反馈会议，听取教职员工和家庭的意见，了解每个校园的特别之处，您对LM的梦想，以及保留和转移到统一校园最重要的是什么。我们有一个占地 90 英亩的美妙校园，以及足以容纳我们所有人的设施。我们有一个社区工作组，它将提供空间来庆祝校园历史并承认这种过渡所代表的损失。

Q: If we have more questions, who should we direct them to?
A: If you have questions or concerns, you can direct them to the following individuals:

• Pam Tieszen 博士，总监 – tieszenpk@lancastermennonite.org; 直属办公室： 717-740-2422
• 乔恩·海因利（Jon Heinly），发展总监 - heinlyjd@lancastermennonite.org; 直接办公室：717-740-2425
• Kathy Beiler, LM Board Chair – beilerkr@lancastermennonite.org