As many of you may know, Bethany has a new comprehensive plan for holistic education and the addition of a k-3 to the existing 4-12 classes already offered. Earlier this week, I got the chance to talk to the head of school Tim Lehmen about this plan and what the final result will look like. This article is going to be addressing more the end result and less the steps that need to be taken to get there. If you are interested you can find the steps listed at bethanycs.net.
There were three main questions that I had for Tim Lehman. The first being, what is the plan for space? The second question was, what sparked this plan? And the last question I had for him was, what do you think are the biggest challenges?
When asked about the question of space, Tim responded that at this time there would be enough space for the k-3 without remodeling and just using the extra classes that the 4th and 5th-grade teachers have. However, along with using these existing classrooms, there is a high likelihood that there will have to be some remodeling done, but that there will not be a new building that gets built for the lower school.
The second question that I asked Tim was how the plan for developing Bethany and adding the lower classes first began. I was surprised to learn that the whole plan started back in 2016 when Bethany did an appreciative inquiry involving faculty and staff, parents, and some high school students as well. They talked about what Bethany’s values should be and where Bethany should be in 10 years. Then with that foundation, the Bethany Board took over and in 2019 took a year and came up with this comprehensive plan. When developing this plan, the Board looked at what had been suggested in the inquiry and also looked at what was already being done well at Bethany.
When we talked about a goal for how big Bethany wants to get, Tim said that at this point the main focus is to just boost enrollment and be ‘full’ for each class. With the enrollment part, Bethany wants to continue to find the right people who will fit in well at Bethany, and add to the already established, well-rounded community. With having all the classes full, Tim said that the goal in the high school is to have every class above 40 students. The main thing that needs to happen to help boost class sizes is involvement in the community outside of Bethany, and trying to reach more people which is also a step in the strategic plan that we were talking about.
The last thing that I asked Tim about was what he thought the biggest challenge was going to be. He said that all the logistics are a big challenge in the overall goal of adding the k-3 classes. For example, Bethany doesn’t have any desks that are small enough for a little kindergartner, and there will need to be some changes in the cafeteria since all the tables and chairs in there would be giant for the smaller kids. Another thing that would need to be addressed is getting the kids out to the art barn, because while the 4th-12th graders are good at checking for traffic before crossing to go to the art barn, the k-3rd graders might not have that awareness. So there will need to be more structure in making sure they can safely get to where they need to go. The need for more playground space was also a problem that was brought up and needing to find areas that could be modified or adapted as playground space for the new classes.
Tim also brought up the fact that Bethany’s mission statement has changed a lot over the years. For example, the first mission statement from 1955 reads, “The mission of Bethany Christian High School is to provide an excellent quality education that encourages and enables students in the development of Christian faith.” The current mission statement reads, “Preparing students to participate in God’s work in the World.” There is a huge difference. The mission statement from 1955 focused more on the Christian faith and helping students learn about and grow in their Christian faith, whereas the current mission statement from 2020 solidifies the connection between Bethany’s students and how they will participate in God’s work in the world.
Hopefully, you have found this article to be informative, and show you a little about what is coming for Bethany, and some of what has happened in Bethany’s history. For more information feel free to check out the details on the Bethany website.