Eastwood will offer religious education: LifeWise starting in the fall – Sentinel-Tribune

PEMBERVILLE This fall, Eastwood Elementary students can choose to receive religious instruction.

Students in grades K-4, with parental permission, can receive character and religious instruction during the school day.

LifeWise Academy will be held at Zion Lutheran Church in Luckey and students will be transported there once a week during their library period.

All transportation will be organized and provided by LifeWise.

Ohio Revised Code allows Released Time Religious Instruction programs, so the districts school board wasnt required to take any action on the academy, said Superintendent Brent Welker.

Eastwood Local Schools policy also states that students may be provided release time to attend a course in religious instruction conducted by a private entity off district property, provided that the following requirements are met:

The students parent or guardian gives consent in writing

The sponsoring entity maintains attendance records and makes them available to the district

The sponsoring entity provides and assumes liability

The academy also must keep students from missing any instructional time, Welker said.

The board makes no endorsement of any religious activity, nor does it interfere with the lawful exercise thereof, the policy states.

Obviously, this is with the parent consent, Welker said. I feel that the decision is 100% in the hands of the parents.

If they meet all those standards, the board cannot prevent students whose parents want them to attend from attending.

He said that LifeWise has done this in other districts.

Its really been pretty seamless, Welker said.

A search of LifeWise Academy in Ohio shows there are similar programs in the Pandora-Gilboa school district in Putnam County and Elida schools in Allen County.

Pemberville resident Eric Corns has been tapped as volunteer academy director.

Corns said that he was made aware of LifeWise from a past motivational speaker who visited Eastwood.

He said he was asked by community members to shepherd the process of bringing the academy to the district.

Corns said there has been recognition in the community that there is a need for it and he is confident it will open this fall.

Corns said while he grew up going to Sunday school, national statistics show only 25% of youngsters find themselves in that setting now.

They just dont have exposure to it like many did growing up, he said.

Roger Bostdorff, a former Eastwood school board member who is organizing the fundraising for the academy, agreed.

For whatever reason, theyre not getting the Christian education we used to get, he said about todays youngsters.

Our kids need to have a better understanding of the values the good Lord has us live by, Bostdorff said.

While the Eagle Way will teach students while in school, more is needed, he said.

Outside of Eastwood, these Christian values need to be reinforced and taught to make them better citizens, Bostdorff said about students.

The Eagle Way represents the core beliefs of the school district, which are: Do Whats Right, Do the Best You Can, and Treat Others the Way You Want to Be Treated. It has been used in the district for 14 years.

Bostdorff said the Golden Rule also has been forgotten.

It used to be when two people disagreed, they could agree to disagree, he said. Now, they stop talking to each other or hurt each other physically.

When we were growing up, we could disagree without hating the other person, Bostdorff said.

He said LifeWise Academy will teach the younger population the values in the Bible.

Classes will follow the Gospel Project, which teaches Genesis to Revelation in an age-appropriate way.

Classes are non-denomination, Corns said.

The LifeWise Academy website explains it is a Released Time Religious Instruction program which exists to provide Bible education to public school students.

Eastwood students in grades K-4 attend classes in art, music, physical education, technology and library. Those students who attend LifeWise classes will miss their library rotation.

LifeWise has been successful in moving the needle, with an average participation rate of 60% in the first year, Corns said.

For me, it was a no-brainer. How could I not be involved in this? he said.

Bostdorff said the academy has $100,000 committed toward its $150,000 goal to get the program started.

Each year after next, another $50,000 will be needed, he said.

It takes approximately $20 per student per year for the curriculum.

The objective is to make this free to the parents, Bostdorff said.

It makes the curriculum available to children during the school day, Corns said. Theres a need there and this has been demonstrated as a viable way to get character curriculum to students.

He hopes students learn what it means to be patient, responsible and grateful, and to give of themselves.

As an example, Corns said Genesis teaches God created the heavens and the Earth.

Everything we have and every thing we are is a gift from God, so the character takeaway is gratitude, he said. Were not interested in focusing on what divides the Christian community. Were focusing on what we agree on.

Character education is crucial, he said. Not only for how we get along with each other in civilized society but also for our spiritual being.

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Eastwood will offer religious education: LifeWise starting in the fall - Sentinel-Tribune