Lower School Annual Report 2021-2022

By: Mrs. Heidi Sokol 
Lower School Dean
1st Grade Lead Teacher

As the school year came to a close in 2021, we, the CLC family, had an exciting but arduous task in front of us. Parents, students, teachers, and staff worked tirelessly through the summer to complete the first stage of the Mars Hill renovation project.  As a group we were able to transform a tired old building into a beautiful school that would come to hold 81 students in the upcoming year. Even though there were many challenges, there were even more successes to celebrate. Between figuring out which classrooms we would be in and then setting up those classrooms from scratch to figuring out which bathrooms students would use and meandering all the logistics of many people in a new building, the teachers, students, and staff of the CLC Mars Hill grammar school worked together with patience and understanding to complete a very successful 1st year. 

One of the highlights I noticed this past year of being in the new building was that the lower grades were united even more than before. With our classrooms all being in one hallway, one of my favorite times at Mars Hill was when I walked through the halls and delighted in the sound of the sweet voices of our students, chanting jingles, reciting poetry, and singing hymns. We were also united when students worked together to do multi-grade spelling and math games to improve and learn from each other, and they practiced their reading skills with their reading buddies. We enjoyed the 4th grade band solo concert and 4th grade play on the “new” stage, which has been a tremendous addition to the grammar school. We have a large space where all of the students had lunch together, and volunteer parents came in monthly to give the teachers time to collaborate during the lunch hour. Faithful volunteer parents, who organized the unfinished portion of Mars Hill, created a welcoming and comfortable place for students to grab a book, kick back and enjoy the wonder of jumping into a timeless tale. With the help of those willing to contribute to our Mars Hill Capital Campaign, this could be a glimpse into what may become a permanent library someday.