Kristen Roth, left, pre-k teacher at the Lakeland Christian Academy Early Learning Academy; and Angie Lambert, ELA director, talk about the ELA program and curriculum provided to students. Lindsay Gergely, LCA board vice president, on the right, conducted the question and answer time.

By Deb Patterson
InkFreeNews

WINONA LAKE — A celebration of Lakeland Christian Academy’s past, present and future was the highlight of a gala Friday, Nov. 1.

The future was the announcement of an $8 million building project, with a $4 million capital building campaign.

To set the tone for the announcement, stories were heard from Tim Yocum, athletic director, facilities manager and alumni parent; Eric Bowling, alum and former staff member; John Urschalitz, former/current board member and alumni parent; Joe Elrod, superintendent and current parent; and Lindsay Gergely, board vice president, campaign cabinet chair and current parent. Other speakers included Angie Lambert, early learning director; and Kristen Roth, pre-kindergarten teacher.

The announcement was made by Dr. Nate Bosch, board president and current parent; and Gergely.

Bowling, who was an LCA athlete and later dean of students, talked about how attending LCA has impacted students socially, physically and spiritually. His mother was a former administrator, he met his wife at LCA, and made good friends. “It’s hard to encapsulate what Lakeland means to me. What I speak for, generations of students over 50 years, and how Lakeland has impacted them, not only in their social and psychical but also the spiritual … I’m indebted to Lakeland Christian Academy, I love Lakeland Christian Academy …”

Yocum talked of his journey from upstate New York to LCA as athletic director. He recalled graduating from Grace Collage, where he met his wife and moving to upstate New York, hearing from a friend how LCA was seeking an athletic director. Now in his 25^th year, Yocum stated “that tells you a lot about my love for Lakeland and what I do and the kids and the whole staff and experience. … It has been a wonderful thing for my wife and for our two kids who went through Lakeland Christian and graduated.”

A video recapped the history of LCA. The school, started by visionaries, saw 42 students in the halls of its first location — Grace Brethren Church. The first graduating class was in 1978. Over the years the campus expanded from modular buildings off Wooster Road, to the campus at 1093 S. 250E, Winona Lake.

Joe Elrod, superintendent, discussed the educational opportunities at Lakeland Christian Academy.

Urschalitz, who has been involved with LCA for 29 years, spoke more about the history. In 1996 it was apparent more space was needed. The school already had 80 students in grades 7-12 with more coming. The first thought was another building on Wooster Road. “That idea quickly gave way to a bolder vision,” said Urschalitz. Dean Harman, board chairman, received permission from the LCA association to purchase property on CR 250E and plans began for a new building. Under Dave Turner, board chair, ground was broken on CR 250E in 1998. The new building was occupied in November 2000.

Elrod touched on the educational aspect of the school. He stated “from our youngest preschoolers to our graduating seniors … biblical truth in every aspect of our curriculum.” He said the school promotes critical thinking while nurturing a practical liveable Christian faith.

He stated it was during COVID that LCA merged with Warsaw Christian School, becoming a preschool through grade 12 institution. There is a staff of over 90 serving 425 students. He proudly reported all students at LCA “not only work toward earning a Core 40 diploma, but also must complete two years of foreign language and two years of fine arts.” He added movement and cross body learning has been integrated into the curriculum.

Additionally, Elrod stated LCA is 17^th in all Indiana schools for college readiness, based on average SAT scores, has a 25% AP pass rate, and over 60% of its graduates remain in the community.

He briefly spoke about the Early Learning Academy, which is not a daycare, but an opportunity for students to master advanced concepts and exceed grade level expectations, with four-year-olds tapping into skills reserved for kindergarten/first grade students. He stated the curriculum was created by LCA staff and is age-appropriate, teaching students to regular their emotions while integrating a Biblical world view into a format three- to four-year-olds can grasp and apply.

Lambert and Roth both talked about the ELA program during a question and answer session with Gergely. The programs offered to students and teaching methods were touched on. It was noted eight out of 10 ELA students are more than kindergarten ready and the ELA students are ahead of the game, academically, socially and emotionally.

Bosch announced the capital campaign to bring all students onto one campus. This is a goal the board has had since 2020. He stated for the last seven years preschool through third grade students have roamed the halls at Community Grace Brethren Church. Recently the church shared its desire to use the space differently and the lease with LCA will end in 2026. This brings a need for space for 180 students and 30 teachers.

He noted the importance of the campaign. “The new facility will allow us to partner at a deeper level, providing several services currently not offered …” He also noted the benefit of collaboration between the older and younger students and experiences for both generations.

Dr. Nate Bosch, board president, announced the capital campaign.

Bosch stated the building project will cost $8 million, raised through a capital campaign and prudent borrowing. The new building, designed by DJ Construction, will be two stories and 30,000 square feet of education space. It is designed to accommodate 100 more students than current capacity provides, and substantial growth for the ELA program. The new facility will be opened by the start of the 2026 school year.

Gergely updated the crowd on the campaign to raise $4 million. She announced grants from K21 Health Foundation to construct a playground; a $250,000 matching grant from Dekko Foundation; and a $500,000 grant from the Early Learning Initiative and Eli Lilly Foundation. As of that evening $3,050,000 had been raised toward the actual building of the facility.