On March 12, Rick Bernhardt, senior administrator of Lititz Christian School (LCS), breathed a sigh of relief. The school had sent a group of senior students and teachers as chaperones to Guatemala, and on March 12, the day before Gov. Tom Wolf announced that schools were closing due to the COVID-19 crisis, that delegation landed in Newark, N.J. "God was so good; He brought them back safely," said Bernhardt.
Bernhardt and the administration and teachers at LCS were not very surprised the next day when they learned that schools would be closing; in fact, they had spent the week of March 9 through 13 preparing for such an announcement. "The week before schools were canceled, we brought in substitutes and we trained all our staff members to do online teaching so that Monday (March 16), we were up and running," explained Bernhardt, who noted that prior to that time, LCS was not utilizing online learning. "It speaks so highly of these teachers," he said. "We were overwhelmed with how the faculty and staff adapted."
With LCS students resuming classes so quickly after school was closed, Bernhardt anticipates the school will finish the academic year in early June. "We are running the full year," noted Bernhardt. "We are committed to a rigorous education. We are committed to doing this well and finishing strong."
The LCS campus, 501 W. Lincoln Ave., Lititz, includes a kindergarten-through-12th-grade school of 232 students and an Early Learning Center (ELC) with 195 students. About 86 faculty and staff members work on-site. Four administrators, in addition to Bernhardt, oversee the programs: elementary and middle school principal Allyson Harmon, high school principal Ryan McCracken, ELC director Jamie Esbenshade, and ELC assistant director Jess Daugherty. Niki Cadwalader serves as admissions director.
ELC teachers are volunteering their time to offer young students online story times until the center is allowed to reopen per state regulations.
In addition to the focus on academics, the school wants to maintain a social element. Cadwalader began utilizing the phrase "Let's Stay Connected" to encourage LCS families to keep in touch during the stay-at-home period. "As a parent, I feared people would feel disconnected," said Cadwalader, whose daughter is a junior at LCS. "We started using social media so people didn't feel so alone." Staying connected has included sharing photos and videos. "We pride ourselves on being a family community that sticks together even though we are physically separate."
Bernhardt agreed, adding that the school posts on Instagram and Facebook regularly. "We think instead of social distancing we should be physically distant and socially connected," he stated. "We don't want to be socially distant."
Going forward, LCS is determined to give the Class of 2020 a graduation ceremony. Contingent on state regulations, the graduation ceremony that was slated for Friday, May 29, may be held outside in July. "Our parents and graduates want it to be as traditional as possible but also realistic," said Bernhardt. "They don't want a virtual graduation." He noted, "We will have a few elements that are different but awesome. We have some really creative ideas to make it something that no other class has ever experienced."
Bernhardt said that LCS also hopes to reschedule the spring musical, "Willy Wonka," for a fall date if restrictions are lifted. Bernhardt noted that seniors who had parts in the show will be at college at that time, but the school has a goal of working around seniors' schedules to bring them home for the presentation.
Cadwalader is currently taking prospective students and their families on virtual tours of the building. "We had a virtual kindergarten day, and we also had a virtual preview day for any family that has shown interest," she said, adding that video meetings with school principals have also been held. For preschoolers whose parents are considering LCS, a teacher read a story and asked students to draw a picture to send to her.
Readers who would like to know more about LCS may visit http://www.lititzchristian.net, search for "Lititz Christian School" on Facebook, or find @lititzchristian on Instagram.
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