By HOLLY GASKILL
In its second month of operation, LifeWise Academy at Ossian Elementary School is reaching 50 kindergarten and first-grade students during the school day.
By next week, that number is expected to increase to 64 students.
Field Director Rhonda Maller has spearheaded the program’s foundation in Ossian, with teachers Taylor Gerber and Mimi Stettner leading both classrooms, and a handful of volunteers corralling kids.
Next fall, they hope to add a second Northern Wells location at Lancaster Elementary. Local LifeWise Academy volunteers are also seeking placements at Bluffton-Harrison Elementary School and Southern Wells Elementary School.
“(The mission) just totally won my heart,” said Maller. “And I think it’s done the same for many in the community — we’ve gotten a lot of support.”
These local iterations are connected to a national organization of the same name. LifeWise Academy’s headquarters are based out of Hilliard, Ohio, where it was founded in 2018.
The nonprofit organization helps local churches use federal policy that allows public school students to be released during the public school day for religious instruction. This policy requires the release time to be elective, off-campus, and privately funded.
LifeWise Academy counsels individuals on how to appeal to the local school board, fundraise, hire teachers, and put together the program.
“It’s just amazing all they do to help you succeed,” Maller said.
At OES, the release time is about 25 minutes for both kindergarten and first grade on Tuesday afternoons. Students are dismissed during their specials rotation and are walked over by a volunteer to First Presbyterian Church’s host building for LifeWise Academy. The building was renovated to include the LifeWise Academy colors, logos, and resources.
The class begins with a Bible story video, then a brief class discussion and coordinating activity. To close, teachers ask for prayer requests and praises before leading the class in prayer.
LifeWise Academy teaches character traits through stories in the Bible through The Gospel Project’s curriculum, which is not associated with a specific Christian denomination. On Tuesday, Feb. 28, Gerber and Stettner were teaching their students about compassion through the story of Moses.
“How might we show compassion to a friend in our class?” Gerber asked her kindergarten students after the lesson. A girl’s hand shot up. “If they’re sad, we could ask if they need a hug,” she replied eagerly.
The full five-year elementary program surveys the entire Bible chronologically. Maller and other leaders hope to be able to expand their grade participation to make this possible at the elementary schools.
holly@news-banner.com
