LifeWise Academy expands to two schools
By HOLLY GASKILL
As the school year finished in May, 80 Wells County students were attending LifeWise Academy. This fall, the organization has over 575 local students registered.
The group utilizes permissions from school districts — and protections by the U.S. Supreme Court — for a “release time” from school for religious instruction. Originally based out of Columbus, Ohio, LifeWise Academy as an organization provides a pathway to coordinating with the school system, raising funds, and teaching curriculum.
Community members kickstarted local offshoots at each Wells County school district several years ago, but the program was first implemented in two grades at Ossian Elementary School last spring. Now, release time is available for all OES and Lancaster Elementary School students. The program is also offered at Southern Wells and Bluffton-Harrison elementary schools for certain grades.
“This is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,” said Rhonda Maller, the LifeWise director for Norwell Community Schools.
As the program has grown, so has its needs — LifeWise now operates three instruction locations within the district. They also use a donated Norwell school bus, now painted with LifeWise’s indicative red color, to transport students to and from the school.
Students at OES are transported to meet at a First Presbyterian Church host building, and LES students meet at one of two renovated buildings located within roughly a mile of the school on CR 300N. These spaces have been donated and renovated by community members and church partners. Maller stated there were over 400 students enrolled in the Norwell program as of Aug. 30.
At BHES, the release time is available for first and second grade students, who each split between two different instruction times. BHMSD Director Sarah Corkwell said the program most recently had 67 students enrolled. Their release time is held at Foundations of Truth, a faith-based meeting center located in downtown Bluffton.
Meanwhile, SWES is launching its program with second and third grade students, who will all come for instruction at Southern Wells Community Church during the same block time. SWCS Director Tara Frauhiger said over 100 students have currently signed up, and they will begin holding weekly instruction after Labor Day.
Both BHES and SWES LifeWise locations also received old buses from their respective districts for transport to and from the school. These buses were also renovated to match the LifeWise colors and logos.
The weekly release time is a balancing act for each local iteration. Norwell and Bluffton-Harrison allow for approximately 30 minutes, which gives narrow room for error with transportation and lesson planning. Because SWES has opted to allow entire grades for release time, students are released from the school for about an hour. However, this also requires more coordination with volunteers and teachers.
Each lesson includes a Bible story video, memory verse, discussion and application, and prayer time. These lessons are formulated by The Gospel Project, which takes students through a chronological study of the Bible, centering character development within the story. For example, a lesson about Noah and the ark focuses on Noah’s patience and how students can apply the virtue within their lives. The Gospel Project is published by LifeWay Christian Resources, which belongs to the Southern Baptist Convention.
“I’m excited to see how that’s going to affect our community,” Frauhiger said. “We’re going to encourage them to demonstrate that in their classroom at school. We’re going to encourage them to demonstrate those character qualities at home with their families … I feel like this is going to benefit our future generations in a really positive way.”
“I think there’s a need for something like this,” Corkwell said. “I don’t think that LifeWise is the answer for everything. I think that the Gospel could be the answer to everything. But LifeWise, in and of itself, as a ministry, is just one piece. I’m not really looking for this program to be something that it’s not, you know. The schools, most of them, if not all of them, already do the character development side as part of their curriculum, and so, to provide help in that, I think is great.”
Because each district has allowed this release time, technically any religious organization would also be allowed to offer a program to students. This freedom, however, is exactly why Maller said she’s appreciated this process.
“Thank God that we still have that freedom to do that,” Maller said. She stated that while LifeWise has been supported locally, there may not be the same interest in other demographics. Maller referenced how release times for the Church of Latter-Day Saints have been common in Utah, but similar programs haven’t been started locally.
“It’s not like us having (LifeWise) opened that door — the law, made in 1952, opened that door,” Maller said. “The door’s been open the last 70 years and (other groups) haven’t done anything about it, just like we didn’t because we didn’t know it.” Maller ultimately shared her gratitude that any group can work with the school board for religious instruction release time.
Additionally, all three directors expressed their thankfulness for the community’s support, both in financial donations and volunteer hours.
Referring to how the community members have rallied around LifeWise’s launch and growth, Corkwell said, “There’s just something about that that isn’t from here. That was really motivating and also really moving for me to recognize that this isn’t a movement of people — this is a movement of the Lord.”
Looking forward, Frauhiger and Corkwell said they hope to expand to all elementary grades. Frauhiger also noted that the curriculum could extend into middle and high school, potentially offering dual-credit opportunities.
As for now, however, all three districts are still securing long-term funding that would allow security with regular financial needs, like compensation for teachers and directors, curriculum, and materials.
holly@news-banner.com
