Ученики новой христианской школы в Лансинге начнут учебный год в природном центре из-за задержки строительства

LANSING, Mich. (News 10) - Students at a new Lansing Christian school are starting the school year somewhere they may not expect. Hope Christian School is welcoming more than 120 students for its first school year, but construction delays at its permanent campus on East Cavanaugh Road are giving students a unique start at Woldumar Nature Center. The Pre-K through 12th-grade school plans to use the nature center’s 180 acres for outdoor learning while final work is completed at the school. “Our students are used to outdoor learning. It’s one of our strategic initiatives,” Hope Christian School Interim Head of School Ryan Batson said. Batson said teachers have previously been trained in outdoor learning, allowing lessons to extend beyond a traditional classroom. Woldumar Nature Center has worked with local schools for more than six decades, including public schools, private schools and homeschool groups. “Just being outdoors, there are unique experiences that you can’t replicate in the classroom,” Woldumar Nature Center Director Kevin Wernet said. “I think … there’s a sense of camaraderie that these kids are gonna develop.” The new school also comes after turmoil at nearby Lansing Christian School last spring. Nearly a dozen employees were told their contracts would not be renewed, prompting a staff walkout that closed the school for two days. Several of those departing staff members later helped establish Hope Christian School as another option for faith-based education in the Lansing area. Despite its unusual beginning, school leaders say the goal is to create a new Christ-centered Pre-K through 12th-grade community where students can grow academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually. For now, students will trade traditional classrooms for trails, fields and outdoor learning spaces as they begin the school year at Woldumar. Hope Christian School plans to move students into its permanent campus at 1101 E. Cavanaugh Road on Sept. 14. Enrollment is still open and more information can be found on the school’s website. Stream News 10 Lansing on your favorite devices! Here’s how to download the News 10+ app on Roku, Fire TV or Apple TV. Be the first to see the Mid-Michigan headlines you care about – download the News 10+ app and subscribe to our News 10 newsletter and YouTube page to receive the latest local news and weather.