On Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, some of our Albion Middle School students were lucky enough to have a special guest from West Africa come and speak to their class.
Keith Ellenberger is a West African Christian missionary, currently visiting with the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church, and has spent his entire life in countries like Mali and Senegal. According to Ellenberger, his family has resided on the African continent for approximately 100 years working as missionaries.
According to Middle School Principal Brad Pritchard, Ellenberger’s visit comes as part of a series of enrichment classes being offered at the Middle School this year.
“We have many different Enrichment classes this year covering a variety of subjects including Art, Health, PE/SEL, and History.” Pritchard explained. “In each of these classes, students will have the opportunity to connect with special guests, all from various disciplines, whose life experiences correlate to our students’ lessons.”
During his visit, Ellenberger spoke to some of Albion’s seventh and eighth-grade students in David Skrip’s Social Studies classes about what life is like in Africa, highlighting both the similarities and differences of the areas. Though they are an ocean apart, Ellenberger helped the students draw connections between Albion and West Africa especially through agriculture.
“These visits are important because they help our students connect and contextualize the curriculum they are learning to the real world,” Pritchard said.
According to Tim Archer, a Service Learning liaison at Albion High School, the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church has partnered with the District over the last several years by providing multiple missionary guests to share their experiences and bring a new perspective to our students.
As of now, there are many other guests and projects planned for the school year, including local history field trips and a major Erie Canal project.