LANSING, Ill. (December 19, 2023) – In an effort to spread holiday cheer and reach out to the local community, Lansing Christian School (LCS) students created Christmas posters to distribute to businesses along Ridge Road.
“We want to show the community what we are doing, what we are learning, and what we believe,” said Diana Martinez, who teaches a 4th- and 5th-grade Spanish-speaking class at Lansing Christian. “I thought the poster would be a good way for the kids to participate in a group activity and show the community what we are doing in school and as believers.”
Each class designed a poster with a Christmas theme. Martinez’s class created a paper handprint Christmas tree with ornaments complete with a message written in Spanish.
Most posters were brought to local businesses by the school principal, Matt Kamien, but Mrs. Martinez’s students delivered their poster personally to the staff at Kdulche — and then stayed to enjoy snacks and drinks at the festively-decorated cafe.
“We want to keep going out to the community, to shine and to grow here,” Martinez said.
Martinez cited the school’s new initiative, Teaching for Transformation (TfT), as part of the motivation for reaching out. TfT is a framework for Christian education that teaches students and teachers to see themselves as part of God’s story, and encourages them to participate in God’s work in this world.
Staff members at LCS are currently being trained on how to use TfT framework in their classrooms. Kamien expects that next year, there will be further community projects done by various grade levels, and more community-related topics brought into the classroom as well.
“We want to have kids see how they’re part of God’s story in everything they do, and help them to live that out,” Kamien said.
And while volunteering may be a part of next year’s new TfT framework, it’s not new for LCS. At the end of November, LCS middle school students visited Tri-State Nursing and Rehabilitation Center to assist clients with new technology.
Lansing Christian School is located at 3660 Randolph Street.
