A PILGRIM’S JOURNEY: FROM LCS STUDENT TO LCS PARENT

For many students who attend and graduate from LCS, the relationship with their alma mater goes beyond themselves, continuing into the next generation. Nicole Carrillo is one alumna who is back at LCS as a parent with her five children, now walking the halls of a facility she watched being built during her senior year.

24 years ago, when Nicole graduated from Lansing Christian School, she walked the stage with fond memories of school spirit week, dedicated teachers, and impactful class trips and retreats. She remembers LCS as a safe place, where teachers went above and beyond their duties to foster her gifts and interests, support her faith, and equip her for the next stage of life. Nicole also remembers an especially unique senior year, as she and her classmates did not attend classes in a building, but instead in portables on the recently purchased property of the new LCS campus. 

In 1999, LCS acquired the property of our current campus and began implementing the building plans. She remembers well the moment she found out just how different her senior year would look from those that came before her, and the sacrifice needed for those who would come after. “During our junior year, our class was called to a meeting, where the school gave us Great Harvest cookies along with the news that we would be changing our location next year, meaning that our last year would be in portables while they constructed the new building. I think they felt badly and softened it a little with the cookies,” she shares with a laugh. “Really though, we all knew it just had to be done. We were moving from two campuses to one, and the building needed to be built. We used the current pole barn as the multipurpose area for chapels, cafeteria, and larger gatherings, and we had portables set up on the property for classrooms.” 

Now, she understands and appreciates what it was all for, as her children experience many of the same experiences that she herself had as a student, but what she considers even better. 

Returning as a parent has given Nicole a broader perspective on the school and the community. “When you’re a student, you don’t always appreciate what you have,” she shares. “Now, as a parent, I not only see it in a new way, but I also see how much has improved over the years, and what exactly we were aiming for when we were building the new facility during my senior year. Back then, we were two campuses, and now, having PreK-12 all in the same place has been huge for developing community across all grade levels and in the school as a whole. Being in one place has made a huge difference.”

For Nicole, choosing to enroll her children at LCS was not originally a given. “We didn’t immediately put the kids at LCS because we didn’t think it was accessible,” she explains. “I  wish we had done it sooner. Now if I know others that feel the same, I strongly encourage them to at least look into it, because God will provide a way if that’s what He wants you to do.”  She believes deeply in the mission and vision that Lansing Christian School held when she was a student and still holds today. She also sees the many ways that God has grown and improved the school, in academic excellence, community involvement, and fostering a supportive environment for each student. “I wanted my children to be a part of a community that was safe and helped shape their faith,” Nicole explains. “I wanted my kids to have an education where God was part of the curriculum, and it wasn’t just one Bible class, but was interwoven into everything that they did. We have this at LCS.”

Her experience at LCS helped shape her for her future career – she is currently the Director of RivKids (Children Ministry) at Riverview Church. “It’s always been important for me to work in ministry or volunteer with kids in church or school, as other people influenced me in that way, so I see the importance of doing it for others.” Nicole also continues to be involved in LCS, volunteering at school events, supporting sports teams, and chaperoning many of the trips that she herself took as a student. Watching her kids grow up in the same environment where she once flourished is special, and she has joy in seeing the school’s traditions and legacy continue in a new and beautiful way.