“Good morning! Happy Tuesday!” Ms. McCullough exclaims, helping children out of their cars.  Children line up for hugs, handshakes, and high fives as they eagerly hustle to come inside. Their excitement, hardly contained, is to discover what the day has in store for them.  Welcome to The Lamplighter School.

To experience The Lamplighter School one must look at what our children remember as highlights from their seven years with us. After all, we are about serving children. Perhaps a cornerstone of The Lamplighter School and one of the most remembered spaces is the barn. In the heart of a North Dallas neighborhood thrives a school with a barn – chickens, a cow, a pig and a goat included. Nestled in the heart of our barn is a hands-on science center where children have the opportunity to study and experience environmental science. The barn is the nerve center of the creek walk, bird observation deck, green house, chicken and egg business, and many other engaging activities that appeal to children and adults of all ages.

 Certainly of almost equal importance to the children is our unbelievable playground. The Lamplighter School hosts a playground that includes a tunnel under a hill, a huge play structure, play houses, slides, observation decks, sand boxes, and much, much, more. Children use their imagination, run, play, make friends, work out problems, and most importantly laugh, smile and have fun. This pleasure and joy plays directly into the heart of The Lamplighter School philosophy of developing the whole child.

Our pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students remember being happy, cared for, and loved by many teachers. This positive feeling builds the foundation for a lifetime of learning. Our kindergarteners learn social skills and gross motor development through square dancing. Our transitional-one students will most likely remember being the “seniors” of the early childhood program and enjoying a few extra privileges in which their kindergarten friends were just “not old enough” to participate. Our first graders get excited about checking out ten books from the media center and thrive through their author studies, book publishing and writer’s workshop. Our second graders become programmers as they learn basic Logo with Microworlds, young biologists as they feed and observe silk worms grow, and experts on American geography as they study the states and make the journey across America as young pioneers. Our third graders recount fondly their study of Native Americans and the huge Pow Wow they put on for their friends at the school. They also anticipate with eagerness their fourth grade year as they choose their flocks of baby chicks.  Our fourth graders, the seniors of the school, have countless rich experiences.  They share in the 30-year old tradition of The Lamplighter Layers, a for-profit company that raises chickens and sells fresh eggs.  Our students take part in caring for the chickens, selling their eggs and running the business.  Our fourth graders also partake in the development of early robotics through our Lego Program.  Many memories are shaped in the writing, scoring, producing and performing of Senior Operas and our fourth graders also have the unique distinction of becoming alumni.

What is it truly like to experience The Lamplighter School? Come on in and experience it for yourself!