Recruiting Our Own: Is the grass always greener?

This week our Advancement Team hosted two recruiting events here on campus.  We gathered the 8^th graders one day and 5^th graders the next.  Our goal was to encourage excitement about entering high school and middle school.  Often in the enrollment world we see students at these ages begin to gain interest in other school options.  This is very natural in that this is often the time when students are broadening their social connections through activities outside of school and begin to learn about other schools where their friends attend. Hence the title of this blog “Is the grass always greener?” somewhere else?

Our desire is to love our students well and to encourage them to think back on the things they have gained by being here at LCS and to look ahead at what they have to look forward to.  There are certainly things about school that can be gained no matter where you attend.  But there are definitely things that make an education at LCS unique. 

We invited several high school students to come and speak with our younger students about their own LCS experience.  They did a fantastic job answering specific questions that our students had about entering middle school and high school.  It was amazing to hear these three seniors talk about gratitude for the strong education they have received here at LCS,  the richness of the relationships they have experienced with both their peers and faculty, how prepared they feel as they are about to graduate and head out to their next phase of life and possibly most importantly how consistently they were pointed to Christ and gospel-centered living.

The following are a few especially significant points that the seniors shared as they were asked the question “what advice would you give these younger students as they look toward entering middle school and high school?”

• Get involved!  Investing time and energy in the people and wealth of opportunities both in and outside the classroom will only enrich your time here as a student. 
• Learn to respond, not just react.  School is challenging.  Like anything in life there is hardship right along with blessing.  Learn to be thoughtful and respond to challenges with a desire to learn and grow, not just react with anger, fear or worry. 
• Don’t be so anxious or worried about the small details ahead that you miss the enjoyment of learning together with your friends.  You are all experiencing new things as you go through middle school and high school together.  You are not alone and along with your friends, there are so many faculty and staff who are here for the very purpose of investing in your life and helping you navigate your journey through LCS.

We are grateful for our students and their families and it is our prayer that reenrollment is an opportunity for us to say . . .  PLEASE COME BACK NEXT YEAR!  Our community will not be the same without you.