A Strategic Collaboration.
A letter from Head of School, Mike Simpson, to our Stone community regarding the launch of The Lower School at Stone: The earlier we can work with our students, the greater the impact they will have on the communities around them.
Friends of Stone,
This evening, I’m writing to our entire community to share significant and exciting news — as of July 1, 2026, Solvit Academy, an innovative K–9 school located in downtown Lancaster, will officially become part of The Stone Independent School so that we may together form the only K-12 problem-based school in Pennsylvania.
This strategic collaboration is the product of long and thoughtful dialogue, one which has been grounded throughout by our belief that the earlier we can work with our students, the greater the impact they will have on the communities around them. Internally, we have been discussing the “how” of a Lower School program for about three years; the conversation with Solvit began in January of 2025 and has, throughout, involved Sarah Hurley and our Board of Trustees, with additional discussion and feedback both from our faculty and the Solvit faculty. Back in January this really was a kind of “what-if” conversation, but as we all began to know each other better, what became clear were the many shared values which connect our programs, the many aspirations we share for the future of education.
What excites us most, of course, is what this means for our students — that from the outset of their learning career, Stone students will learn to ask open-ended questions, pursue evidence across disciplines, and use their discoveries to create meaningful work for authentic audiences beyond the classroom.
Logisitcs to Consider.
There will be, of course, many pragmatic details to work out, but it is our intention to bring these schools together in ways which feel organic, inclusive, and — of course — joyful. Both campuses will remain operational at least through the 2027-2028 school year: the Lower School (K–6) at 354 N. Prince Street, and the Middle and Upper Schools at Urban Place. Abby and I will remain Assistant Head of School and Head of School of both campuses, Solvit co-founder Melissa Groff will join the Stone Independent School Board of Trustees, and all Solvit Academy instructors will join our faculty team.
Though we will indeed be “a school under two roofs,” the work of this year will be to bring together the students, parents, and faculties of both schools to form one deeply connected, cohesive community. As written in the strategic plan, our search for a state-of-the-art campus in Lancaster will continue – we will eventually move to a unified campus which will host all Stone students K-12, and include expanded classrooms, athletic fields, a dedicated theater, all in support of robust academics, athletics, and arts programs.
(As of right now, we’re unsure how sorting will work. But rest assured: it will be in Levengood’s favor.)
Those of you who know me know that I’m the product of a K–12 school, and you know how deeply I believe in the power of that experience — the shared moments between kindergartners and seniors, the overlapping stories and seasons, the first and final chapters of the learning adventure, all the wonder and curiosity and laughter woven throughout.
There isn’t another K–12 problem-based school like ours anywhere in Pennsylvania, and it is the honor of a lifetime to partner with and lead two of Lancaster’s most innovative schools in the continued development of a learning environment where students can pursue their passions, develop their voices, and make the world a measurably better place.
To learn more, please do visit our Lower School, and read Why Research and Design Matters and Imagining Lower School at Stone. And, as ever, please feel very free to email me right here with questions, or call/text 717-468-0019.
With gratitude to you all,
Mike Simpson, Head of School
Curiously Different. From kindergarten through graduation.
Visit The Lower School here. We are so excited to continue the work of making the world a measurably better place.