Spirit of the Lake recently purchased the old Lester Park United Methodist Church at 54th Avenue East and Superior Street in Duluth. -- By Adelle Whitefoot
Spirit of the Lake Community School sixth grade teacher Suzanna Didier quizzes students in a classroom in the school’s new Lakeside location Thursday. (Photo: Steve Kuchera)The Spirit of the Lake Community School has been renting space since it opened its doors in 2012. Seven years later, the Waldorf-style school has a home to call its own in the Lakeside neighborhood. Spirit of the Lake recently purchased the old Lester Park United Methodist Church at 54th Avenue East and Superior Street in Duluth. The church held its last service in April 2018, closing its doors due to the small size of the congregation. But the abandoned church now has new life as school serving grades one through eight. The school's director of enrollment and community relations Ivy Nelson said it's made a big difference to own a space for the 30 students. “We were outgrowing rental spaces as we were gaining more children and more classes,” Nelson said. Nelson said the consistency, comfort and safety that comes with having a home base for the children was really important. “I was driving two of our then fifth graders to an event that we were doing last year and they've been with the school since kindergarten, so they've moved the most,” Nelson said. “So I asked them what they think of us getting our new building, and one of them said, ‘I'm so excited that we finally get to go home.’” When looking for a space of their own, Nelson said the school wanted something that would be easily accessible to parents and students but also have the nature aspect that is important to the school’s values. “So that's how we ended up looking up here. We own a strip of creek, we are able to use the community center and their woods and the sixth grade students go to Lester Park almost every day,” she said. “We've just really fallen in love with being in the Lakeside community. There's a lot of really wonderful welcoming neighbors.”
Students in Waldorf schools don't learn from traditional textbooks but instead delve into subjects and write about those studies in self-styled workbooks, melding art and academics. Instead of issuing grades and report cards, teachers provide families with regular updates on the progress of each student. Teachers stay with their students each year, moving with them to a higher grade each fall. Perin Ellsworth-Heller is a first grade teacher this year. He said he’s enjoying the new space. “It really makes all the difference (having our own space),” he said. “To be in someone else's space where you can't just go and repaint a wall or paint a tree that reflects the fall leaves on this wall, and now to just have that creative license and the children to have that creative license to do that is great.” Ellsworth-Heller and Nelson said there have been some hiccups with the new space but thanks to a dedicated parent base, it's really coming together. “It's just a huge project to move into a new space,” Ellsworth-Heller said. “So really right now our classrooms are closer to where we want them to be and the rest of the building is an ongoing work in progress.” The offices and classrooms are being used for just that. The former great hall is being used as a gym area for students as well as a community meeting space. The former sanctuary hasn’t really changed much, Nelson said. “We are using the sanctuary for our assemblies and plays,” she said. “All of our children participate in theater, so that's been really wonderful to have that space already there with a stage.”
To learn more about the Spirit of the Lake Community School, visit slcsduluth.org. From The Duluth News Tribune
Spirit of the Lake Community School sixth grade teacher Suzanna Didier quizzes students in a classroom in the school’s new Lakeside location Thursday. (Photo: Steve Kuchera)The Spirit of the Lake Community School has been renting space since it opened its doors in 2012. Seven years later, the Waldorf-style school has a home to call its own in the Lakeside neighborhood. Spirit of the Lake recently purchased the old Lester Park United Methodist Church at 54th Avenue East and Superior Street in Duluth. The church held its last service in April 2018, closing its doors due to the small size of the congregation. But the abandoned church now has new life as school serving grades one through eight. The school's director of enrollment and community relations Ivy Nelson said it's made a big difference to own a space for the 30 students. “We were outgrowing rental spaces as we were gaining more children and more classes,” Nelson said. Nelson said the consistency, comfort and safety that comes with having a home base for the children was really important. “I was driving two of our then fifth graders to an event that we were doing last year and they've been with the school since kindergarten, so they've moved the most,” Nelson said. “So I asked them what they think of us getting our new building, and one of them said, ‘I'm so excited that we finally get to go home.’” When looking for a space of their own, Nelson said the school wanted something that would be easily accessible to parents and students but also have the nature aspect that is important to the school’s values. “So that's how we ended up looking up here. We own a strip of creek, we are able to use the community center and their woods and the sixth grade students go to Lester Park almost every day,” she said. “We've just really fallen in love with being in the Lakeside community. There's a lot of really wonderful welcoming neighbors.”
Students in Waldorf schools don't learn from traditional textbooks but instead delve into subjects and write about those studies in self-styled workbooks, melding art and academics. Instead of issuing grades and report cards, teachers provide families with regular updates on the progress of each student. Teachers stay with their students each year, moving with them to a higher grade each fall. Perin Ellsworth-Heller is a first grade teacher this year. He said he’s enjoying the new space. “It really makes all the difference (having our own space),” he said. “To be in someone else's space where you can't just go and repaint a wall or paint a tree that reflects the fall leaves on this wall, and now to just have that creative license and the children to have that creative license to do that is great.” Ellsworth-Heller and Nelson said there have been some hiccups with the new space but thanks to a dedicated parent base, it's really coming together. “It's just a huge project to move into a new space,” Ellsworth-Heller said. “So really right now our classrooms are closer to where we want them to be and the rest of the building is an ongoing work in progress.” The offices and classrooms are being used for just that. The former great hall is being used as a gym area for students as well as a community meeting space. The former sanctuary hasn’t really changed much, Nelson said. “We are using the sanctuary for our assemblies and plays,” she said. “All of our children participate in theater, so that's been really wonderful to have that space already there with a stage.”
To learn more about the Spirit of the Lake Community School, visit slcsduluth.org. From The Duluth News Tribune
