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

  • How Proactive Maintenance Can Transform Athletic Facilities into Strategic Assets for College Sports

    College athletics is entering one of the most transformative periods in its history. With NIL reshaping financial models and competitive expectations, athletic departments across the country are being asked to do more than ever with increasingly constrained resources.

  • Miami University Approves New $242M Multipurpose Arena

    Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, recently announced that its Board of Trustees has approved construction of a new multipurpose arena at Cook Field, according to university news. The $242-million project will serve as a new centralized hub for student life and create space for economic development on campus.

  • Arizona District Breaks Ground on Community Training, Learning Center

    The Tolleson Union High School District (TUHSD) in Tolleson, Ariz., recently broke ground on a new Training & Learning Center (TLC) for both district professionals and the community at large, according to a news release. The 90,000-square-foot facility has an estimated completion date of spring 2027.

  • USC Launches Major AI Initiative After $200M Gift

    The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, Calif., recently announced that it has launched a “transformational” new AI initiative thanks to a $200M gift, according to a news release. The project will leverage AI toward breakthroughs and innovations in subjects like the health sciences, business, security, and the arts.