Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Two Montessori Schools to Merge in Lansing, Mich.

  • By Matt Jones
  • 03/07/22

Local news reports that the Lansing School District in Lansing, Mich., will be merging its two Montessori schools into one building starting next year. Woodcreek Montessori Academy, which serves students in grades 6–8, will move into the Wexford Montessori Academy facility, which currently serves students in grades PreK–5, to create one single K–8 building.

“In this K-8 model, we have so many more opportunities to build really strong relationships with the kids, and the parents as well,” said Ariel Rodriguez-Peña, the district’s director of academies and middle years. “Those sixth- through eighth-grade students actually become the leaders of the school. They become mentors of the other students.”

The projected enrollment for the merged school comes in at about 375 students. The Wexford facility will undergo a series of renovations and upgrades this summer to prepare for the higher population, including outdoor classrooms, a walking path, new walls and renovated classrooms. Woodcreek will also be remodeled and updated to serve as additional space for district programing; the district has not named any specific projects to fill the space yet.

Local news credits parent feedback with the decision to merge the academies. Many parents who opted for the Montessori model had children enrolled in both schools and “think it makes sense to let them stay in one building until they transition to high school,” according to Fox47 News.

The move also means that Woodcreek’s sixth- and seventh-grade students will be returning to the school that they just graduated from. “All of the students that are coming back here to Wexford, I’ve been their principal already from when they were here before, and I think that will be huge with our families,” said Wexford Montessori Principal Elizabeth Bishop.

"We can work it where the older students are able to work and help with the younger students in different learning opportunities, like science projects and outside exploration," Bishop said. "They’ll be able to collaborate and work together."

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Phoenix School District Breaks Ground on New Prep Academy

    The Creighton Elementary School District near Phoenix, Ariz., recently broke ground on a campus replacement for Biltmore Preparatory Academy, according to a news release. The new space will allow the school to expand its enrollment by 50 percent for K–8 students and accommodate modern, collaborative learning styles.

  • Health & Science Building

    Health & Science Building

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The College of Western Idaho's Health & Science Building has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • Cal Poly Humboldt Starts Construction on Healthcare Education Hub

    California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt in Arcata, Calif., recently announced that work has begun on a renovation project that will turn the Stewart Building into a new Healthcare Education Hub, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Sundt Construction Inc. for construction services.

  • Surging Demand for Student Housing Fuels Major Campus Investment Opportunities

    University leaders throughout the U.S. are accelerating plans to modernize and expand student housing as enrollment stabilizes and demand for on-campus living rebounds. Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics indicates that total postsecondary enrollment is projected to grow through the end of the decade, with undergraduate enrollment alone expected to increase by more than 8 percent by 2030.