A little over 14 years after Eastern Mennonite Elementary School first opened its doors in a church basement to welcome its first 25 students, 94 students grades K-5 walked in the door of the school\u2019s first permanent facility.<\/p>\n
December 10 was a day of excitement and settling in, a few bumps, but mostly celebration.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe children were so excited but also ready to get back into their routines and lessons,\u201d reflected Maria Archer, K-8 principal who has been with the program since its inception in 2005. \u201cWe\u2019ve been unsettled for some time leading up to the move and they are ready for their new home!\u201d <\/p>\n
The mid-year move into the newly renovated building on Route 42 adjacent to the school\u2019s long-time middle and high building, came after a little over a year of transition. Last academic year and the first months of this school year, the K-5 program shared space with grades 6-12.<\/p>\n
On Friday, December 6, students of all grades were off while teachers and staff from all divisions worked together to move all the classrooms. Earlier, students had taken backpacks of supplies to their new rooms and parent volunteers moved desks and furniture.<\/p>\n
Chapel of Thanksgiving and Appreciation<\/strong> It was also a time for the older students to thank and bless the younger students in their transition. The group participated in the following litany.<\/p>\n A LITANY OF THANKS FOR A NEW SCHOOL AND OUR TIME TOGETHER<\/p>\n Mrs. Archer (K-8 principal):<\/strong> ALL: WE GIVE THANKS<\/p>\n Mr. King (high school principal)<\/strong>: ALL: WE GIVE THANKS<\/p>\n Mr. Stoltzfus (director of business affairs)<\/strong>: ALL: WE GIVE THANKS<\/p>\n Mrs. Blosser (director of development)<\/strong>: ALL: WE GIVE THANKS<\/p>\n Elementary Teachers and Students:<\/p>\n Thank you for inviting us into your space Middle and High School Teachers and Students:<\/p>\n Thank you for being so friendly Mr. Leaman (head of school):<\/strong> Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Celebration<\/strong> A little over 14 years after Eastern Mennonite Elementary School first opened its doors in a church basement to welcome its first 25 students, 94 students grades K-5 walked in the door of the school\u2019s first permanent facility. December 10 was a day of excitement and settling in, a few bumps, but mostly celebration. \u201cThe\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":25883,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[80],"tags":[40,135,133,134,141],"class_list":["post-25919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-elementary","tag-emes","tag-emhs","tag-emms","tag-support"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25919\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25919"}],"curies":[{"name":"gracias","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThe day before the move, K-12 students recognized and thanked the many local businesses, vendors, professionals, and tradespeople who were part of the building renovation during a special chapel. Prayer and a litany provided time to thank God for many blessings in this process. Nearly 30 sub contractors were on the stage for the recognition. <\/p>\n
\nFor teachers and students grades 6 to 12,
\nFor custodial, dining hall, library, business and office staff
\nWho made plans, made room, and said \u201cWelcome!\u201d<\/p>\n
\nFor teachers and students grades K-5
\nWho packed and sorted and made a big change.
\nWho said goodbye to their woods and hello to a new building\u2026<\/p>\n
\nFor architects, contractors and project managers,
\nFor drivers, excavators, floor finishers and electricians
\nFor plumbers and masons, painters and finishers\u2026<\/p>\n
\nFor visionaries, fundraisers and donors,
\nFor those who prayed, believed and encouraged,
\nFor safety, collaboration and patience\u2026<\/p>\n
\nThank you for giving us high fives
\nThank you for being role models and friends.<\/p>\n
\nThank you for making us smile
\nThank you for teaching us new ways of being community<\/p>\n
\nThank you teachers and students
\nThank you administrators and staff
\nThank you for being not only a learning community
\nBut for being a family.
\nTo God be the glory!<\/p>\n
\nThe public is invited to a January 28 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Celebration beginning at 4 p.m. Prospective elementary families are invited to tour the building and talk with teachers and current parents the same day, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Registration online<\/a> or call 540-236-6021 for more information. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"