Franklin County mansion transforming into school for struggling girls

If you travel regularly on Interstate 81 through southern Franklin County, you've seen the long-vacant Wishard mansion.

With its grand gables, copious large windows and majestic columns, it commands the view in the village of Kauffman, north of Greencastle. Frequent passers-by have likely wondered about its story and if its interior matches the outside. 

The public is getting a chance to find out. 

Rolling tours on Sunday are part of an event to dedicate the house as the home of Monarch's Way, a residential Christian school that aims to transform girls with traumatic backgrounds into confident young women. Registration for a tour is required, at eventbrite.com/.

Carissa Martin, the Greencastle woman behind Monarch's Way, said she once talked about her hopes for what the house would become with its original owner, Raymond Wishard. The house has been vacant since his death in 2005 at age 90.

Martin believes she had an encounter with Jesus, and said He told her, "no one understands why Mr. Wishard built this house, but it's for you and your ministry." A recent conversation she had with the home's architect, who is helping out with the renovation, strengthened that belief. 

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House a perfect fit

Martin is inviting the community into the home as a way to show appreciation for the contributions that have allowed her to purchase it.

She closed on the home in July after raising $316,000 of the $400,000 she set out to raise late last year. A $25,000 donation provided the momentum she needed to get to the finish line.  She got a loan for the remaining cost. 

"It's been nice watching the community get behind this and want to be a part of it," she said.

Just as the house was purchased largely with monetary gifts, much of the work to turn it into a boarding school is being done with in-kind donations. In addition to several local businesses providing supplies and labor, volunteers have been spending time on the property carrying out tasks ranging from removing old radiators to renovating part of the garage into an apartment.

However, the house overall is immaculate. 

"It was just set up so perfectly for us," Martin said. 

Built in 1995, the mansion isn't that old. Wishard designed it like an old farmhouse, which Martin said is good for the school. 

Someone standing in the kitchen - newly enlarged by the removal of a wall - can see all the way out a north-facing window in the living room on the other end of the home, where students will gather for "family meetings" every Sunday. A 6-by-11-foot island (or possibly a large table, at first) will serve as a work space in a formerly cramped room now part of a large kitchen. 

A dining room will be set up in a space that separates the garage and the kitchen and runs the length of the house. It will also serve as a gathering space for visiting groups. 

The home has seven bedrooms on the second floor, which students will share. There are also two alcove-type spaces opposite one another in the middle of the hallway that lead to porches in the front and back of the house. These spaces will become libraries. 

Each entrance to the main part of the house has an identical door made of dark wood and ornate glass. The front door opens up into a vestibule, which leads into the center of the house. 

The large backyard, which is less than the length of two football fields away from I-81, will have a fire pit, an "outdoor living space" and areas for activities.

One of the biggest changes to the house is the conversion of the wood-interior garage into a bright and modern space that will serve as a chapel. The contractor Quality Homes will provide new, glass-paneled garage doors, Martin said. 

Two handicap-accessible bathrooms will also be built on the first floor. 

Building girls up for a better life

Monarch's Way is on its way to opening in January. 

It will serve girls struggling with poverty or homelessness, abuse, bullying, mental health issues, or other types of trauma. In addition to academics, they will learn skills to cope with the things they have endured, find something they are passionate about and grow into self-assured, independent women. 

"We want to help the girl to feel successful in all areas of life," Martin said. 

Families will also be encouraged to participate in weekend visits that will include counseling and other activities.

In addition, Martin hopes to start a program that will help pregnant students choose between adoption and parenting. 

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The school is open to girls between the ages of 11 and 17. Up to eight girls will be enrolled at first, and Martin said they will likely be local. A conditional use permit from Antrim Township allows a maximum of 16 girls to attend the school. 

The idea is for students to attend the year-round school for one year. Martin said the school will be accredited - which is needed so students' credits transfer - but the timing will depend on which academic program the school chooses to use. 

The school will have a live-in educator who will be in control during school hours. A married couple will serve as house parents and lead the girls through other parts of their day, such as breakfast and dinner and evening activities. The goal is to build a real home environment. 

Enrollment at Monarch's Way is at-will, meaning no student can be forced to go there. It's a key element; as Martin noted, one has to want to improve their life in order to succeed at doing so. 

Read more about Monarch's Way at monarchs-way.org.