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

  • Embry-Riddle Completes Construction on Research, Lab Facility

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced the end of construction on a new research and lab facility on campus. The Center for Aerospace Engineering II (CAT II) will support aerospace research and technology development and broke ground last summer.

  • S4L Announces 2026 Education Design Showcase Winners

    Spaces4Learning is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2026 Education Design Showcase! Now in its 27th year, the annual awards program honors innovative solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction across K–12 and higher education.

  • Virginia Tech Tops Out New College of Engineering Building

    Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., recently celebrated the topping out of Mitchell Hall, which will soon stand as the largest College of Engineering building on campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with Skanska on the 285,500-square-foot facility, which has an expected completion date of winter 2028.

  • 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.