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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Girls in demure dresses sat coloring in the shade while grown-ups served barbecued chicken under a tent and Mark Weaver, pastor of the Wilkes-Barre Mennonite Church, on Blackman Street, and his wife, Jean, began to lead visitors on a tour of the nearby Wilkes-Barre Mennonite School last weekend.</p><p>&#8220;At this point, it amounts to an old-fashioned, one-room schoolhouse,&#8221; Mark Weaver said, explaining 11 students, ranging in age from kindergarten through 11th grade, are enrolled for the fall semester.</p><p>&#8220;Our goal is not to turn you into Mennonites, but we will teach what we believe,&#8221; said Jean Weaver, who serves as school secretary while her husband serves as principal.</p><p>As the Weavers began to show visitors the school&#8217;s main classroom &#8212; located in the building that served as St. Boniface Elementary School from 1912 until its closing in 2007 &#8212; Joseph Sebastian, of Wilkes-Barre, poked his head through the doorway and grinned.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s wonderful, what you guys have done with the place,&#8221; said Sebastian, who used to work as a part-time custodian for St. Boniface.</p><p>Sebastian was not alone in his enthusiasm. Among the dozens of people who showed up for a chicken barbecue and open house at the Wilkes-Barre Mennonite School on a recent Saturday were several alumni, friends and former parishioners of St. Boniface, some of whom still live near the school and church buildings.</p><p>&#8220;I am so grateful they are here,&#8221; neighborhood resident Marian Faddon said. &#8220;We were blessed when St. Boniface was here and we are blessed now that they (members of the Mennonite community) are here.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s nice to see the old school building being used as a school again,&#8221; said St. Boniface alum Bob Hines, of Mountain Top.</p><p>Midway through the cookout, president of the Rolling Mill Hill Residents Association Linda Joseph arrived to officially thank the Weavers and other members of their church for contributing &#8220;to the betterment of neighborhood.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;We are so grateful you are here,&#8221; she told them.</p><p>Along with the Wilkes-Barre Mennonite Church, which holds worship services at 10 a.m. Sunday mornings and periodically hosts concerts in the church building, the Mennonite community established a school three years ago.</p><p>It is slowly growing, Mark Weaver said, explaining this fall will mark the first year for kindergarten.</p><p>As founders of the school, the Weavers listed their most important goal as a spiritual one.</p><p>&#8220;We want (children who will graduate from the school) to be Christians, followers of Jesus Christ,&#8221; Mark Weaver said. &#8220;And we want them to be educationally prepared to be good citizens, to be prepared for life.&#8221;</p><p>One of the first things a casual observer might notice about the student body is their attire, which the Weavers described as based on modesty. Girls wear navy or tan dresses that cover their knees; boys wear navy or tan pants &#8212; no jeans, sweat pants or cargo shorts.</p><p>Does the school have television? No, the Weavers said. That would be an unwelcome distraction.</p><p>Does the school have computers? Yes, they said. They can be useful.</p><p>So can an Acrobat HD magnifier which provides enlarged, crisp images for 8-year-old Harrison Jon Kolc, who is visually impaired.</p><p>&#8220;If I can&#8217;t see the words or directions, I put the paper right here,&#8221; the soon-to-be third-grader said, pointing to the front of the Acrobat.</p><p>Math, science, history, language arts and Bible studies are part of the curriculum, said student Anne Weaver, 12, who is Mark and Jean&#8217;s daughter.</p><p>&#8220;We learned adding and subtracting and times tables,&#8221; said student Tivon Kolb, 8, describing math class.</p><p>Respect for teachers and fellow students is stressed, Jean Weaver said. Physical education and occasional field trips round out the academic plan, and students pack their lunches from home.</p><p>A letter to parents from Mark Weaver says the school &#8220;stands without apology for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the highest standards of morality and Christian behavior,&#8221; and ends with the sentiment, &#8220;May God bless you as you prayerfully seek His direction in choosing a school for your child(ren).&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Pastor and principal Mark Weaver, left, said the Wilkes-Barre Mennonite School has two teachers now and more will be hired as enrollment grows. At right are student Tivon Kolb and Weaver&#8217;s wife, Jean. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL071617mennoniteschool1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Pastor and principal Mark Weaver, left, said the Wilkes-Barre Mennonite School has two teachers now and more will be hired as enrollment grows. At right are student Tivon Kolb and Weaver&#8217;s wife, Jean. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL071617mennoniteschool2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">From left, friends Anne Weaver, 12, Vance Kolb, 6, Diane Longenecker, 7, Keisha Seibel, 6, and Kianna Wenger enjoy time outside during the Wilkes-Barre Mennonite School cookout on a recent Saturday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL071617mennoniteschool2.jpg</photo1><caption1>From left, friends Anne Weaver, 12, Vance Kolb, 6, Diane Longenecker, 7, Keisha Seibel, 6, and Kianna Wenger enjoy time outside during the Wilkes-Barre Mennonite School cookout on a recent Saturday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL071617mennoniteschool3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Frank Blaum and Linda Joseph, of the Rolling Hill Mill Residents Association present Pastor Mark Weaver, who is holding 2-year-old Allison Kratzer, and Jean Weaver with a plaque of recognition from the Wilkes-Barre City Council. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL071617mennoniteschool3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Frank Blaum and Linda Joseph, of the Rolling Hill Mill Residents Association present Pastor Mark Weaver, who is holding 2-year-old Allison Kratzer, and Jean Weaver with a plaque of recognition from the Wilkes-Barre City Council. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL071617mennoniteschool4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Jean Weaver, left, watches as her daughter, Anne, and fellow students Tivon Kolb and Harrison Jon Kolc talk about their lessons at the Wilkes-Barre Mennonite School. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_TTL071617mennoniteschool4.jpg</photo3><caption3>Jean Weaver, left, watches as her daughter, Anne, and fellow students Tivon Kolb and Harrison Jon Kolc talk about their lessons at the Wilkes-Barre Mennonite School. </caption3><photoCredit3>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Wilkes-Barre Mennonites hold open house</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>About the School</strong></p><p><strong>What:</strong> Wilkes-Barre Mennonite School</p><p><strong>Where:</strong> 221 Blackman St., Wilkes-Barre</p><p><strong>Serves:</strong> Kindergarten through high school</p><p><strong>Tuition: </strong>$4,000 for the first child, lesser amounts for additional children. $1,200 for kindergarten only. </p><p><strong>Phone:</strong> 570-235-6998</p><p><strong>Email:</strong> wilkesbarremennoniteschool@gmail.com</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wilkes-Barre Mennonite School hosts recent open house, chicken barbecue