These are exciting times for the students of Madison’s Lighthouse Christian School. With the beginning of the new school year just weeks away, a $1.5 million renovation of Lighthouse Christian’s new location at 6400 Schroeder Road (the old Intervarsity building) is nearing completion, and seven area churches have already committed to the capital campaign.
The gifts of these churches demonstrate growing support from area Christian churches to promote the mission of solving the achievement gap among low-income minority students.
The following churches have given gifts to the campaign ranging from $1,000 to $20,000:
• City Church – Tom Flaherty
• Asbury Methodist – Harold Zimmick
• High Point – Mike Beresford
• Global Presence Ministries – Steve Springer
• Life Center Madison – Adam Clausen
• Grace Church (New Glarus) – Roger Olsen
• Iglesia Restauración Y Vida – Pedro Ruiz Jr.
Said Pastor Marcio Sierra, President of Lighthouse Church and School (msierrajr@lighthouseinmadison.org), “The achievement gap in Madison is not something that Lighthouse Christian School can solve alone. The Christian Church in Madison has recognized that we all need to work together to promote success in our minority communities and they see Lighthouse Christian School as the vehicle through which the Church of Madison can help and get involved. I believe it’s time for the Christian community to stop turning a blind eye to the issues that our minority families are facing and take steps to help solve the problem.”
Once the building renovation is complete, Lighthouse Christian School will have 19 new classrooms, a cafeteria and gymnasium for its 160 students in the coming academic year. The new location allows for a capacity of 260 students.
About Lighthouse Christian School
Lighthouse opened its doors in 2004 and is the only Madison-area school participating in the Wisconsin Parental Choice (voucher) program. Lighthouse employs a holistic approach to education that nurtures the mind, body and spirit of all children in a multicultural bilingual program with small class sizes of about 15 students. Curriculum and standards are DPI approved and WRISA & NAEYC accredited.
Last year, Lighthouse Christian School served 95 students in grades 4k-6th who were 47% Hispanic, 28% African American, 6% Asian, and 15% White. Of these, 66 come from low-income families and 57 participated in the State’s Voucher Program. For the 2017-2018 School year, LCS will have 160 students in grades 4k-7th with the majority being low-income minority children and 115 who participate in the State’s voucher program.