BUCYRUS – A new religious education program in Crawford County is looking to expand – the next step in its journey to introduce the Bible to students in the public school system.
LifeWise Academy – already underway in the Bucyrus, Wynford, and Colonel Crawford districts – is hoping to also reach elementary students in Galion, Crestline, and Buckeye Central schools, according to Patrick Hord, board chairman for LifeWise Crawford County.
“We feel it dovetails well with some of the programs already in the schools,” Hord said of the pilot program, which kicked off in January. “It’s really kind of catching fire. It’s picked up momentum and is spreading in Ohio and other states.”
LifeWise, Hord said, is a Released Time Religious Instruction (RTRI) program that provides Bible-based character education to kids during the school day but at locations off school property. It’s privately funded and requires parental permission, he said.
Colonel Crawford second-graders enrolled in LifeWise are taken to nearby St. Paul’s Lutheran Church for their classes, Hord said. Second-graders at Bucyrus walk over to the Outreach Center on Hopley Avenue, while Wynford first graders are bussed to the same site, he said.
About 100 students countywide are enrolled so far, Hord said, but the program’s goals locally are to increase enrollment, hire a part-time executive director, and eventually get approval from the remaining school districts to adopt the LifeWise curriculum.
“The schools have been very supportive so far. Each administration has been great,” Hord said. “In order for this program to grow, we’ll also need additional teachers and volunteers. We want to do everything we do with excellence, one of the program’s core values.”
Bob Laipply, a retired Bucyrus educator, is teaching the Bucyrus classes, with Rhonda Shifley at Colonel Crawford and Janel Hord teaching Wynford students. About 30 volunteers help in the classroom, and with the weekly sessions, Patrick Hord said.
The LifeWise philosophy, according to its website, is to offer practical Bible-based education for the betterment of students’ academic performance, character development, and mental health, especially to those without a church or Christian background.
Launched in 2018, the LifeWise curriculum takes students through the entire Bible, beginning with Genesis, over the course of five years. The program’s website states it serves for the good of the schools and the community while adhering to federal, state, and district policies.
Steve Ritzhaupt is the interim LifeWise director, and Robin Hildebrand serves as volunteer coordinator.
Anyone interested in the executive director position is asked to send their resume, cover letter, and three references to Crawford County LifeWise Academy, P.O. Box 448, Bucyrus, Ohio 44820.