April 12, 2013 - The Geneva School

THE COURIERTHE GENEVASCHOOLNEWSLETTERAPRIL 12, 2013Geneva’s 20th Anniversary AuctionWas a Roaring Success!Almost $220,000 Raised

A Night of Pizazz &All that Jazz!By Katie Deatherage, Director of DevelopmentThink Downton Abbey. If one were observing the Country Club of Orlando on March 9,2013, one might have thought that a film crew was sure to arrive given the festive and stylishrepresentation of 1920s fashion and society. In fact, it was a sea of creative guests attendingThe Geneva School’s Roaring 20th Celebration and Auction! If you are unfamiliar withthe hit show Downton Abbey let me try to paint a picture. Grand plume feathers, flowersatop each table, candlelight throughout, with black and white color all around. Add the 350guests, many wearing ’20s style dresses, feathers, cloche hats adorned with jewels, strands ofpearls, top hats and tails, walking canes, and wraps. The guests were the decorations, “pullingout all the stops,” demonstrating amazing creativity and style with old treasures from hereand there.And then the evening began! “You’ve been outbid” dinged on the handheld bidding devices;delicious food was served; the Rhetoric Chamber Choir sang; Tam Costar and Shelly Shafershared some of their Geneva moments; and our guests heard alumna Abbie Beates (’08) attestto the indelible mark that God, through the work of The Geneva School, has imprinted onher life. Hearing a student who completed all 13 years of her K–12 education at Geneva say,“God gave me my passion for education, but Geneva taught me how to bridle this passioninto lifelong learning” reminds us of one of the reasons for supporting Christian classicaleducation.A night to remember no matter the dress! You get your tickets, and we’ll do the rest!An auction lasts for about five hours. However, thinking, planning, and securing begins manymonths before. Praying, soliciting donations, inviting guests, taking photos of students, runninghere and there, stuffing envelopes, designing displays for items, speaking to our audience(whew!), and the list could go on and on. To name each one would take pages, but I wouldlike to highlight those who ran an extra mile to help make the evening what it was. JenniferPruitt, Malia Dreyer, Chrissy Martin, Kelly Mathias, and Sarah Cloke each volunteered countlesshours for the benefit of the auction. Well over an estimated 4,000 total volunteer hoursfrom both staff and parents poured in to complete various aspects of the auction process, andGod blessed the efforts of their hands.Everyone agreed, it was the bees’ knees!Those in attendance agreed that the affair was both festive and satisfying. Guests bid generouslyknowing that their treasure would benefit the school. We are truly grateful. Our guests left withitems and certificates while the entire Geneva community—faculty, students, staff, and familiesbenefitted from the great generosity of the evening. The auction raised nearly $220,000, over20% of the funds needed to meet the gap between tuition and the annual budget!Page 2By any measure, the evening was a huge success for our whole community. Over a third of ourguests were people from the greater Orlando community. Some already knew our school andwanted to see our mission flourish; some were new to Geneva and now support our vision.And so, many new faces “met” The Geneva School, many of our own community mingled andenjoyed each other’s company, and many of our 11th and 12th grade students made a stellarimpression as they assisted throughout the evening and thanked each attendee for supportingtheir school.Non Nobis Domine.

News from the Admission OfficeBy Patti Rader, Director of AdmissionI enjoy promoting The Geneva Schoolto all of our prospective families; it’s nothard for me because I love the school.However, I have had my share of toughdays at Geneva. Are you shocked tohear me say that? The truth is that weexperience the pain of living in a fallenworld no matter how much we try toavoid it. There is no perfect church, noperfect marriage, no perfect family, andour school is not perfect either. We areprivileged to live in a country that allowsus to choose public, private, or homeschool. We make decisions on what webelieve is best for our children. It is hardto pick the school that will be a “rightfit” when there are so many choices andphilosophies of education.Our family tried two other privateschools before landing at Geneva, andI served on Mayor Dyer’s EducationAction Committee many years agowhen I was considering public schoolas an option. I am thankful that Godled our family to Geneva. It has beena great fit for all five of us and, alongwith our three children, we have learneda lot from our Geneva experience. Ona personal note I can say that my faithin God and knowledge of the Scriptureshas grown, and my understanding ofwhat it is to flourish as a human beingin this culture has changed.I tell prospective families that there isno “promised land of schools,” butrather you must pick the school that is agood fit for your family and be loyal tothat school. I encourage them to learnabout the years of education beyond K4,K, and grammar school and to think allthe way to graduation day. I ask them,“What do you want in the long run foryour children?” I give families long toursthrough the building in an effort to showthem our facilities. I walk new familiesthrough the reader’s digest version ofChristian classical education as I showthem classrooms and introduce them toteachers. I love my career; and more importantlyI love seeing God at work inthe lives of my children and yours.This year’s admission season has been especiallybusy with inquiries, tours, andapplications, and we are definitely seeingan increase in interest in the school.Next year we have two full classes in kindergarten,and we are well on our waytoward filling the third. Current parentsare singing our praises to their friends,and we will be giving many referral tuitioncredits in August. It is safe to saythat we may have wait pools for studentsin certain grade levels and I am hopefulthat the school will be close to capacitynext year.It would be great if the admission departmentcould take the credit for this,but the truth is we are filling our classesfor many reasons. We are experiencingthe biblical concept of reaping what issown, and the sowing at Geneva is exceptional.Thanks go to all of you—parents,employees, students, faculty, andadministration—for your work in developinga culture of recruiting at Geneva.Thank you for your love of your school.It is because of all the nice things you sayto your friends that Geneva is experiencinga fruitful time. Please keep up thegood work.Please contact the admission departmentfor assistance with scheduling tours orgetting information for your friends orfamily. It is always our greatest pleasureto work with your friends to share informationon our Christian classical school.OUR APPLE TREE IS BEARING FRUIT!The next time you are at the ECC or the main campus you might notice a small apple tree on atable in the lobby. TGS is growing apples; each apple represents one enrolled kindergarten studentand we hope to grow 48 apples by the first day of the 2013/2014 school year. Bob Ingramcalls kindergarten the “lower 48.” Currently, we are celebrating 30 apples (students enrolled) and10 applications “in process.” As I look at each apple, I think about how blessed we are to be ableto watch every one of these students learn and grow up at Geneva. Each time you see one of thetrees, please remember to pray for all of our students. Think of the tree as a metaphor for growthand the bearing of the fruit that we work to water and nourish through the years. Our hope isthat in 13 years these 48 students will graduate as the TGS Class of ’26 with a Christian classicaleducation that prepares them for lifelong learning.Page 3

ANNUAL FUND UPDATEBy Katie Deatherage, Director of DevelopmentA drop of rain lands in a bucket … another drop falls into thebucket … fifteen more arrive in the bucket and then another nineraindrops land. At the conclusion of a storm, the bucket couldpossibly be full or quite close to it.In one sense, the annual financial need for The Geneva Schoolis like a bucket. If everyone gives, that is, adds their drop to thebucket, it will quickly fill. The school’s bucket needs $170,000by June 30, 2013, to balance the budget. The Geneva Schoolboard of governors carefully weighs setting the tuition. However,tuition does not cover all of the operating expenses of the school.And yet, the board strives to keep tuition as low as possible toafford as many families as possible a choice in education, knowingthat the remainder of the budget must be raised through taxdeductible gifts.Not only does the school need to raise the funds necessary to coverthese needs but the development office believes in 100% participationfrom among our constituencies. That is, 100% of families,100% of faculty and staff, and 100% of the board of governors.Our hope is that those who participate with The Geneva Schoolon a daily basis would do so both in time and treasure, regardlessof the amount.Why? If we could fill the bucket without 100%, why does itmatter that we reach 100% participation?It matters a lot. These statistics matter to the corporations andfoundations that we would like to approach about coming alongsideour school to help develop our mission. If we request offoundations and corporations donations from their resources toprovide for the school, they want to see evidence that those whoknow us best and are most closely connected to us are willing alsoto financially support the growth of the institution.God has clearly created each of us with different gifts and equippedus with different tool boxes (Romans 12:6). And how wonderfulthe variety is! The tapestry that these gifts create is quite a reasonfor celebration. Likewise, participation will look different for eachfamily for a variety of reasons. I do, however, ask that you considerThe Geneva School as you make your stewardship decisions,remembering the difference the school has made not only to yourown family but to other families as well. God has been faithfulbefore, and we trust he will again provide for the school’s financialneed through faithful and committed people like you.LEFT TORAISE BYJUNE 30AnnualAuctionSALTDonationsAnnualFundDonationTo make a donation tothe Annual Fund, go togenevaschool.org/giveWe have great reason to celebrate the work that God is doingthrough you, the people in the Geneva community! Thank youfor your contribution to the bucket. Every gift matters. Every giftis an expression of the gratitude for all that God has done in ourown lives, including placing Geneva in it.Page 4

An Answer to the Question—Why a Liberal Arts Education?by Kevin Clark, Academic DeanHere I offer a simple thesis, though itmay sound bold and somewhat surprising,given much of what one hearsabout education in the broader culture.The best reason for pursuing aliberal arts education is not that it produceswell-rounded persons, thoughthe breadth of human experience it affordsis expansive. Nor is it even that itfosters or engenders the kind of written,verbal, or critical thinking skillssought after by employers in industriessuch as business, finance, or softwaredevelopment, though the practice ofpersuasive writing and speaking and ofinterpretive reading and analysis lie atthe core of the liberal arts curriculum.Rather the best, and I believe the mostcompelling, answer to the question—Why a liberal arts education?—restsin the claim that it uniquely cultivatesthe qualities of common sense (sensuscommunis), taste, and moral judgment,qualities in which the Western traditionhas understood the distinctlyhuman element of civilization to consist.1 Put most simply, the best reasonfor pursuing a liberal arts educationis that it cultivates the qualities necessaryfor human flourishing. I hopeto show as well that it is perfectly attunedto our cultural moment. Beforeplacing my thesis within this context,however, I ought to define in brief detailthe qualities the liberal arts seek tocultivate.What does it mean to cultivatemoral judgement, commonsense, and taste?There is perhaps no single aspect inwhich a liberal arts education is moreobviously unique than in its purpose:the cultivation of phronesis, moral wisdomor judgment—not rational masteryof a subject, not technical proficiencyat a skill, not even the abilityto calculate, to deduce, or to processdata. We might say that phronesis is thegood sense to know what to do withtruth. Thus, earlier thinkers like Platoor Aristotle would have called it a practicalwisdom. It is skill, honed throughthe continual practice of living wisely,at living a good human life in theworld. 2 This goal of cultivating phronesisis in fact the classical ideal that liesbehind the phrase “education for life”one often hears around Geneva.How do the liberal arts cultivate thisvirtue? The honest answer is that theydo not and cannot do so on their own.Living wisely in the world takes practice.3 However, the poets and historianshave bequeathed to us the greatgift of literature—narratives historicaland fictional—where one may observethe lives of the wise and the foolish,and indeed may experience those livesvicariously by entering imaginativelyinto their stories. Through the studyof literature the student gains thekinds of experiences in life that his orher young age does not permit. Ciceroaffirms the importance of literature inhis famous oration Pro Archia Poeta.“All books are full, all words of thewise are full, and all history is full ofexamples ... I have always kept theseimages in view when serving as a magistrate,shaping my heart and mindafter them by meditating on their excellences.”For Cicero this study of historyand literature afforded by a liberalarts education not only instructed himbut compelled him boldly to act forthe common good of his community.Closely connected to moral judgmentis the quality of sensus communis. Althoughwe will render this Latin phrasewith the familiar words “commonsense,” we should recall something ofits technical meaning. 4 Of course, weuse the phrase common sense all of thetime to mean an intuitive understandingof how to get along in the world,often contrasting it with academicor specialized knowledge. (In fact,one often hears that common senseis the quality many academics generallylack.) While the ordinary meaningof the phrase is not identical to itstechnical sense, it happily flows fromit. Sensus communis actually derivesfrom classical rhetoric, where it refersto that shared, though neither provednor even often stated, understandingof the world that a rhetorician can relyon when crafting his oration. It is thatshared body of assumptions that invisiblybind together a group of peoplePage 5

and make all moral reasoning possible.Aristotle notes in the Ethics thatthe conscious transfer of this body ofshared assumptions is one of education’sprimary objectives. 5As a quality intentionally cultivated bythe liberal arts curriculum, therefore,we might think of sensus communis asa studied sense of the wisdom and insight(and indeed the prejudices andpresuppositions) of previous generationsthat creates that indefinably familiaratmosphere that settles into thestories, shapes the historical narratives,and inflects the language of a people.It is the development of a conscioussense for what is commonly, thoughimplicitly, held to be true. Commonsense is thus closely related to whatEdmund Burke famously coins “themoral imagination” in his Letter Concerningthe Recent Revolution in France,and sounds remarkably like that distinctlyhuman faculty whose loss C. S.Lewis laments in the first part of TheAbolition of Man. Philosopher PaulRicoeur also seems to be getting at thissense of the common, when he writeof the insight into life acquired via the“long detour” among the literary andimaginative works of humanity. 6 ForRicoeur, this detour is taken throughthe study of history, literature, poetry,and language. Failure to takethis detour, to run along this path, isto guarantee the short-circuit of selfknowledge.The liberal arts cultivate asense for what is held in common byour tradition.Page 6The development of taste is, in a numberof ways, the aesthetic analog tothe cultivation of sensus communis. Forto become a musician, a fine artist,an actor, a poet, or a playwright, is totake the long detour via the aestheticachievements of humanity. The cellistworks through the instrument’s receivedrepertoire, the fine artist makesmaster copy after master copy, the actorrehearses the lines countless other actorshave performed for generations. I supposewe grasp intuitively the role traditionplays in the pedagogy of the arts.Lest we fail to recognize its significance,however, it is important to see that thespecific claim of the arts in this regardis that creativity and artistic sensibilitiesare formed by attention to tradition. Picasso,to cite but one example, is highlyoriginal (to many of his time shockinglyso); yet, without the tradition of Europeanmasters, there would be no bluepaintings, no Guernica. Again, perhapswe get this intuitively; but how often dowe fail to reflect upon the actual processof artistic formation when we wonderover much that is crass, tasteless, or vulgarin contemporary culture? The developmentof aesthetic taste, like the developmentof the adult palate, is formed byexperience. As sensus communis is a studiedsense for the commonly held truthsof a culture, taste is a sense for what isfitting or decent that is cultivated overtime and experienced in the arts.The liberal arts—more timelythan timelessTo appreciate fully the contemporaryrelevance of a liberal arts educationand the qualities it cultivates, itis best to place our cultural momentwithin historical perspective. The lastcentury witnessed a tectonic shift, asit were, in the cultural and intellectuallife of Western civilization. One istempted to think only of cultural developments—theworld wars, the adventof the nuclear age, or the sexualrevolution—but the intellectual landscapechanged forever as well, mostimportantly in the abandonment ofwhat some intellectual historians havetermed “the Enlightenment project.” 7To paint with very broad strokes, theEnlightenment is an episode in the intellectuallife and culture of Westerncivilization, where on the basis of andin reaction to a number of factors—scientific, social, religious, and political—Westernthinkers experiencedan acute loss of confidence in centralelements of human tradition and inthe institutions that embodied andperpetuated that tradition. WhereasWestern civilization had been maintainedby a tensed harmony (at leastin theory) of a number of incommensurableauthorities—faith, tradition,reason, experience, community—theEnlightenment project is perhaps bestcharacterized as the attempt to securethe goods of that tradition upon morecertain grounds. A brilliant illustrationof this project is Immanuel Kant’s1784 essay An Answer to the Question:What is Enlightenment?, where he famouslydescribes enlightenment asman’s emergence from self-imposedimmaturity, an immaturity strictly definedas reliance upon such traditionalmediating structures and institutionsas books, doctors, priests, and judgesin human intellectual, physical, religious,and moral life. To be enlightened,claims Kant, is to dare to thinkfor oneself—sapere aude! (dare to bewise)—and thus his ideal human isa rationally autonomous subject forwhom reason is the sole guarantor ofhuman intellectual and moral goods.By mid-twentieth century, when therealization that the European Enlightenmenthad culminated in the mostdevastating (and efficient) eliminationof human life the world has yetwitnessed—indeed greater in quantitythan all armed conflicts in human historycombined—recognition of theEnlightenment project’s failure waswidespread. Yet, it was not merely malaiseor disillusionment that signaledthe end of enlightenment; throughoutthe twentieth century there was also asuccession of insights—notably fromthe sciences—concerning the role historicaltradition and community practicesplay in forming our philosophicaloutlook, the influence that religious (oranti-religious) presuppositions have inour reasoning, and the comprehensiveeffect that language and culture have inshaping our understanding of ourselvesand the world in which we live. Withthis succession of insights has come renewedappreciation for the displacednotions of faith, tradition, reason, experience,and community, and thus

the practices and ways of being in theworld that gave them plausibility priorto the enlightenment. Interestingly, itis this transition from enlightenmentto a new way of thinking about humanrationality that provides a renewedcontext for liberal arts education, andI think the most compelling case forits contemporary re-appropriation. Forthe historical, aesthetic, and philologicaldisciplines of the liberal arts curriculumare especially well fitted to themore robust understanding of what itmeans to be rational in our current intellectualsituation.Thinking beyond the “wellrounded”studentWe are now in the position to addressthe problem with the commonplacenotion of the “well-rounded person” Imentioned above. For it was preciselyin unquestioning response to Enlightenmentrationality that the liberalarts were first defended as the meansof making well-rounded persons. Therational and scientific disciplines, sothe thinking went at the time, set thestandards for what it means to be welleducated; the liberal arts simply makeone refined, cultured, humane. Thustaste, common sense, and judgmentwere understood to be important subjectiveor intuitive qualities for oneto develop while otherwise acquiringobjective and scientific knowledge.However laudable the intention, thisnotion is tragically mistaken for atleast two important reasons. In thefirst place, rather than maintainingthe liberal arts in something of a separatebut equal status with the sciences,emphasizing their cultural or refiningqualities actually served to relegatethe liberal arts to window-dressing.In the age of science, urbanization,and industrialization, such accoutrementwas superfluous—indeed, whenit comes to making the automobile,not only history, but art and literatureas well, are bunk. When we consideralso the spread of the democratic ideal,the very notion of refinement smacksof elitism and old-world aristocracy.Moreover, in light of the discussionabove, it ought to be clear that therelegation of the liberal arts to the peripheryof the curriculum was philosophicallynaive. It was not apparentin the nineteenth century, but we seenow that the qualities the liberal artscultivate, much more than roundingout a practical scientific education, actuallyplay a fundamental role in theacquisition of human understandingas such. The liberal arts are thus essentialto and not just an accidental elementof education.It was not apparent in the nineteenthcentury, but we see nowthat the qualities the liberalarts cultivate, much more thanrounding out a practical scientificeducation, actually play afundamental role in the acquisitionof human understandingas such. The liberal arts are thusessential to and not just an accidentalelement of education.I alluded earlier to C. S. Lewis’s TheAbolition of Man, and I will concludeby reflecting on the closing words ofthe first essay in that work where hewrites: “And all the time—such is thetragi-comedy of our situation—wecontinue to clamour for those veryqualities we are rendering impossible.You can hardly open a periodical withoutcoming across the statement thatwhat our civilization needs is more‘drive,’ or dynamism, or self-sacrifice,or ‘creativity.’ In a sort of ghastly simplicitywe remove the organ and demandthe function.” He is lamentingthe failure of modern education tocultivate the very qualities we have addressedall too briefly in this essay—moral judgment, sensus communis, andtaste. As the reader will recall, moderneducation has often rendered thesequalities impossible because it has displacedthe liberal arts curriculum withwhat is imagined to be a more practicalor more relevant curriculum. Chestertononce remarked that thoroughlyworldly people never understand eventhe world. Perhaps we should say inconclusion that thoroughly practicalpeople are never truly practical. Forit is precisely the impractical detouramong the literary and imaginativeworks of humanity that cultivates thequalities that lead to meaningful humanaction. Liberal arts education setsthis detour as its curriculum, that is, asthe course to be run.1. In enumerating these qualities inparticular, I follow Jean Grondin inhis Sources of Hermeneutics (SUNY,1995).2. For a discussion of phronesis, seeAristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, book 63. Aristotle famously comments:“Hence the young man is not a fit studentof Moral Philosophy, for he hasno experience in the actions of life,while all that is said presupposes andis concerned with these”(NicomacheanEthics, Book 1)4. Here I discuss its technical meaningfrom the field of rhetoric, which is discussedby both Plato and Aristotle (thelatter treats it extensively in both hisRhetoric and Topics). Common sensealso refers to the ancient psychologicalnotion that human beings possessa mental faculty that unifies the fivesenses into a single experience.5. Lewis notes this in The Abolition ofMan, showing that Aristotle sharesthis assumption of the role of educationwith a number of other thinkersfrom antiquity to the present.6. Paul Ricoeur, The Symbolism of Evil.Trans. and ed. Emerson Buchanan.Boston: Beacon Press,1969.7. See especially: Alasdair MacIntyre,After Virtue, 3rd edition (Notre Dame,2007).Page 7

Alumni Profile: Amanda McPhail (TGS Class of 2006)I attended The Geneva School for threeyears in high school after attending a publichigh school my freshman year. It wasa sacrifice for my family to attend Genevasince I lived an hour away, but it wasworth every bit of the sacrifice. Lookingback, I was most influenced by the relationshipsI had with my teachers, the excellentteaching, and being challenged tothink critically.Specific highlights of my time would haveto be singing in the choir with the Millers,math and science classes with Mr.Jain, English class with Mr. King, and thesports I participated in after school.Mrs. Miller challenged us to be nothingless than excellent and compared goodsinging to decadent desserts. I can’t rememberexactly why, but once the wholechoir class crammed into the men’s bathroomto sing a song. It had to do, she said,with the acoustics.Mr. Jain began the first day of class readingProverbs 1:7a “The fear of the Lordis the beginning of wisdom…” and hechanged the way I look at the world. Hemade us think critically and problemsolve as we analyzed work, circuits, oscillations,vectors, and much more.Mr. King yelled when reading his linesfrom King Lear and scared us all halfto death. I can still remember his storyabout Ella-May. He would start the storywith the phrase, “Ella-May, lovely girl”and end it with a satisfied “HA!”I appreciated the competitive aspect ofGeneva athletics, but I also look back andam thankful for my coaches pushing meto be a leader and challenging and encouragingthe team to be their best. Besidesbeing the softball catcher and team captain,one of my more memorable experienceswould be helping to start the girlssoccer team in 2005. I enjoyed playingfor Coach McAvoy and with a fun-lovinggroup of girls willing to be pioneers forGeneva’s female athletes.After graduating from Geneva, I attendedSamford University in Birmingham, Alabama,majoring in mathematics and mathematicseducation. The highlights of mycollege career were working in residencelife, being on the club ultimate frisbeeteam, my church community at Faith PresbyterianChurch, and attending ReformedUniversity Fellowship (RUF). During mysophomore and junior years, I worked as aresident assistant (RA) in a freshman dorm.In my senior year I worked on the leadershipteam as a senior RA and became a resourcefor freshman RAs. Looking back, itwas one of my most rewarding experiencesat Samford. I loved getting to know thefreshmen and being a resource to help themas they adjusted to college life. I also createda safe space where we all came togetherto share about our week and pray for oneanother. I know that I was a help to myresidents and my RAs, but they also taughtme so much about myself. I find that whenworking with people God reveals my weaknessesand shows his strength through myinadequacies. I think this job prepared mefor life after college.After graduating from Samford in 2010, Itook a teaching position in Miami-DadeCounty Public Schools through an organizationcalled Teach For America (TFA).Joining TFA has been the hardest thing Ihave done, but it has also been very rewarding.As a new teacher in inner-city Miami Ihad a huge learning curve, but I have beenchallenged and stretched in ways that haveonly made me rely on Christ all the more.At first, I wasn’t sure I could make teachinga life-time career, but after connecting withmy students in my second year and experiencingsuccess with them, I have come tolove it. I love my students’ personalitiesand find deep meaning in making a differencein their lives. When I think aboutmy classroom culture and the way I teach, Itry to model it after classical teaching basedupon the experiences I had at Geneva. Iespecially aim to encourage my studentsto think critically and defend their ideas.I also try to model Christian principles inmy classroom as a way of bringing aboutthe kingdom here on earth, and I share asmuch of my faith as possible with thosewho have not been as fortunate as I have.Amanda graduated Geneva co-salutatorianin 2006 and went to Samford University ona Presidential Scholarship awarded for academicand leadership achievements. Amandais currently the mathematics department chairat Miami Northwestern Senior High Schoolwhile pursuing a Masters in Education andSocial Change at the University of Miami.Softball 2006Page 8Amanda with oneof her students

What is a Good Life? The Western Narrative ProjectBy Dr. Edward ChandlerBeware the barrenness of a busy life.This epigraph above is attributed to Socrates(d. 399 BC), to whom is also attributed theaphorism “The unexamined life is not worthliving.” These two quotations quite nicelycontextualize the aims of the annual WesternNarrative Project: a day-long symposiumduring which the senior class and a group offaculty and administrators discuss profoundtexts from the major periods of Western history;texts chosen because they, in their ownhistorical contexts, get at the question “Whatis a good life?”Near the end of each school year, this groupsequesters itself from the barrenness of thebusy life—paradoxically enough, in a placeof business—in order to engage in just thatprescription that Socrates propounded: to examinelife. Part of examining life consists ofexamining culture, that ocean of context inwhich we, like fish, live and move and haveour being. But in order to understand our culture,we must come to some understandingof where we’ve come from—our history, ourfaith, our customs, even our language. For itwas another, much later philosopher namedGeorge Santayana (1863–1952) who said“[W]hen experience is not retained, as amongsavages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannotremember the past are condemned to repeatit.” There are people and things in ourcollective past who are eminently worthyof imitation. There is also much in ourpast that is best avoided. But whether weimitate or avoid, “retention”—our culturalmemory—is essential.Reading ListThe Book of Tobit; The Story of Ahiqar; selectionsfrom Aristotle’s Politics; Gregoryof Nyssa’s “On Perfection;” selections fromAugustine’s Confessions; selections fromDante’s de Monarchia; selections from Erasmus’Praise of Folly; Alexander Pope’s Essayon Man; selections from Friedrich Nietzsche’swritings; a portion of Dostoevsky’sThe Brothers Karamazov; and C. S. Lewis’essay “The Weight of Glory.”It is in this spirit of memory that the nineteenseniors and eight faculty and administratorsgathered on Friday, April 5, at the CNL daVinci Center in downtown Orlando. Butthe Project, though it culminates in onelong day of symposium, is the product ofweeks of preparation on the part of all theparticipants. This year, in preparation for theProject, participants were given roughly 120pages of material to read from a number ofclassic texts throughout Western history. Asthe group discussed each work, Mr. MattClark illustrated the discussion with remarkablefigures; his work is currently on displayin the upper school hallway.We never expect, as a result of one day’s discussion,to solve any problems of Western culture,much less to produce some standard prescriptionfor what characterizes a good life, for ifanything, we learn that a good life manifestsitself in many ways, ways that are particularto the person, and often at odds with contemporarysensibilities. It is a broader goal that weare after; a goal that will feed students’ abilitiesto discern what form a good life will takefor them. That broader goal of the Project isto form in our students—and in ourselves—areflective wisdom that takes seriously the lives,words, and deeds of our ancestors, not for itsown sake, but for the sake of cultivating real,tangible virtue in this next generation. For thattask is of profound importance.EdwardChandler, Jr.TimMichaudPage 9

Geneva’s athletic philosophy, mens sano in corpore sano (ahealthy mind in a healthy body), is realized in the lives of studentsin grades K4–12th. We believe that sound bodies enhance thesoundness of our minds. We are fundamentally both physical andspiritual in nature, and to be fully human we must cultivate the health ofboth. Proverbs 14:30 recognizes this physical-spiritual unity when it observes“a heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.”If our bodies lag, then our minds will follow. We therefore consider it ofutmost importance not only to exercise our minds, but also our bodies, thatthe two might support and reinforce each other. It is for this reason thatGeneva supports an athletic program that cultivates scholar athletes, who seeknot only to excel academically, but also athletically.Youth sports are offered at The Geneva School to students in grades K4–6th.Students are encouraged to participate in sports including soccer, basketball,flag football, tennis, golf, volleyball, cross country, and track, which are offeredat various times throughout the school year.One of the many benefits of offering sport programs to our grammar schoolstudents is that we hope one day they will also participate in these same sportsat the varsity level. By introducing these sports to students at a young age in asafe, competitive, and nurturing environment, we allow our young athletes togain confidence, experience a fun form of exercise, and develop their athleticskill early on.Additionally, the health benefits (both physical and psychological) and thesocial advantages that organized sports can offer a child are numerous. Manystudies have shown a direct correlation between physical activity and improvedconcentration, memory, and classroom behavior. Research also showsthat especially girls who play sports are more likely to have a positive bodyimage, higher self-esteem, and more confidence than their peers who do notparticipate in sports. Team sports help even the youngest participants work oncommunication skills, teamwork, leadership skills, and sportsmanship.Many of our upper school athletes started their athletic careers in youth sports.Fortunately, several of our upper school sports take place on campus so thereare countless occasions where our grammar school athletes can interact withand watch upper school athletes. This gives our upper school students anopportunity to act as role models, even mentors for our young students. Italso gives our younger students something to which they can aspire.The TGS youth sports program strives to offer families athletic options thatare appropriate in intensity for each age group. Our goal is to offer balancedprograms that allow students to participate, develop, and compete whileleaving ample time to explore other areas of interest. We strive to introduceeven our youngest students to a variety of activities that will hopefully helpthem establish a lifelong joy of being active.Page 10GenevaYouth SportsBy Hollie Benjumea,TGS Youth Sports Coordinator

TGS Youth Sports Relies on Parent VolunteersThank you Paul Roldan (soccer, flagfootball, and basketball coach); AllisonHendrix (basketball and track coach);AnnMarie Calo (soccer team mom);and James Rudolph (flag football andbasketball coach) for your input.Why do you and your family participatein youth sports at TGS?Coach Roldan: We participate in youthsports because it is a venue by which wecan further engage with our children ina fun, healthy, and safe environment. Inaddition, as a coach, I have found I growand mature as much if not more than thekids as a result of my direct participation.Coach Hendrix: We participate becausewe believe athletics are an integral partof a child’s physical and cognitive development.Instilling a love for athletics atan early age is important to us. We wantthem to learn to honor God in athleticsby utilizing the gifts instilled in them.AnnMarie Calo: To be honest, one factoris the convenience of practices takingplace at TGS right after school. Also,it’s great to engage with other familiesat TGS and get to know them and theirchildren better through participation inyouth sports. Since we don’t live near anyof my son’s classmates, I love that he candevelop better friendships with schoolmatesthrough his participation in theyouth sports here at TGS.Coach Rudolph: We want our childrento participate in team sports so that theyare a part of something, as well as a venueto keep their bodies and minds active. Wealso feel it is important that they learn adiscipline, and athletics is a great trainingground for that. We also participateas volunteers as a form of investment intothe sports program and in the lives ofthese little athletes.What positive benefits do you see fromyour child participating in youth sportsat TGS?Coach Roldan: There are various benefitsincluding better health, the developmentof social skills, learning and practicingteamwork skills, and working on havingpositive attitudes whether we win or lose.Coach Hendrix: My children are learningabout teamwork, training, and havinga coachable spirit. They bond withtheir friends in a different way than theydo in the classroom. They learn to listenand apply what the coaches are teachingthem. Plus, they sleep really well afterthe physical release in an afternoonpractice!AnnMarie Calo: The attitudes of boththe other parents and the students are somuch better here. You hear encouragingcheering on the sidelines and positive interactionsand support between the children.There’s no “blame game” on or offthe field if a play doesn’t go well or a mistakeis made.Coach Rudolph: They get to be withtheir friends while playing a sport. Forsome sports this can be the buildingblocks of a team later on down the road.It also offers a safe, clean, and competitiveenvironment with the other schoolsand teams in ACYS.Did you enjoy your coaching experience,and if so, why?Coach Roldan: Absolutely! I learn andgrow so much during the season. It is excitingto be part of the development ofa child even if it is just for a season. Tobe able to do that within the context ofsports adds an extra element of excitementas I am able to share in the emotionaljourney involved in the challengesof athletics.Coach Hendrix: I find joy in instillinga love for athletics in children. Seeing achild reap the benefit of working hard isa real joy. I love to encourage them andto see their confidence grow. In addition,when you coach your own child it sendsthem the message that what they are doingis important to you.Coach Rudolph: I love seeing the improvementthat occurs with each childfrom the beginning of the season to theend.Young Athletes and their Nutritional Needs:It is very important that our young athletes have a healthy, nutritious diet. Here are a few guidelines:• Complex carbohydrates are the best source of energy for young athletes! Try to getin 5–9 serving of fruits and vegetables every day!• Water is the best source of hydration for competing bodies.• Avoid high-sugar sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade• Drink fluids (water) before after and during training.• Rest is important! 6–12 year old children should be getting 10–11 hours of sleepper night.Page 11

Upper School Athlete TestimonialsGrace Natale, Grace Gunter, and Annie O’Driscoll (8thGrade)The best part of playing youth sports at TGS was that it wasfun! We were able to learn the fundamentals in a less competitiveenvironment. Playing at TGS when we were youngallowed us to see if we wanted to pursue the sport as we gotolder. Now that we’ve been playing basketball since kindergarten,our team feels more like a family. We have lifelongfriends because of all the bonding we had in grammar school.2013 Middle School Girls Basketball Champions (undefeated)Troy Jackson (10th Grade) Basketball and TrackYouth sports at Geneva gave me a great opportunity tocompete and learn to love sports. It was a great way to havefun while competing and I was able to figure out what myfavorite sport was while trying them all out. I have been ableto play basketball (my favorite sport) all the way throughmiddle school, JV, and now varsity.Brooke Riley and Emily Gunter (10th Grade)I like that when we played basketball my dad (Gunter) wasour coach and that we won the championship one year! I(Riley) started playing volleyball in third grade. It was greatto start this young and have fun learning. Because programswere offered here on campus, we were able to play them alland see which ones we really liked. We love to compete, andit was fun that even in third grade we played in a friendlytournament with The Master’s Academy. It has always beenthe right level of competition. 2012 Volleyball DistrictChampions, Regional Runners Up.Jacob Farley (11th Grade) 2013 First Team All-DistrictSoccerGrowing up, sports was always a way to connect and shareexperiences with my friends. I still remember fondly myLily Cloke (top left) and Danny Downward(goalie yellow jersey) in October 2002fourth grade flag football season and my undefeated thirdgrade baseball team, and of course the ensuing celebrations!At Geneva, I was provided with a healthy, encouraging environmentwhich has helped me form long-lasting friendships.Rachel Barker (12th Grade) 2012 Volleyball District MVP,Daytona State 2014 volleyball teamI played volleyball in sixth grade because I saw how good theplayers older than I were, and I wanted to be like them. Upperschool athletes were role models for me, and I loved thecamaraderie I always saw on their teams. I’m now pursuingmy volleyball career at the collegiate level.Danny Downward (11th Grade) Golf, Tennis, and 2013First Team All-District SoccerI had the joy of playing youth sports with Geneva from K–6th grade, including baseball, basketball, flag football, andsoccer. This was a great experience for me: it gave me the opportunityto try new things and learn the different sports in afun manner without high competitive pressure. Youth sportsallowed me to hang out with my peers and become friendswith kids in the grades above and below me. I now play golf,soccer, and tennis. I think that playing sports since I wasyounger has taught me to be competitive, show sportsmanship,and give glory to God.Lily Cloke (12th Grade) 2012 First Team All-District Volleyball,2013 First Team All-District Soccer, captain of thesoftball teamI played soccer and basketball from 1st–5th grade. I still remembersinging “We are the Champions” on the way homefrom the championship soccer game in fifth grade. We hadwon the game on penalty kicks ... and I was the goalie! Youthsports at TGS taught me how to be competitive and a goodsport. I learned how to play hard and have lots of fun at thesame time.Emily Gunter (middle of back row) and Brooke Riley(right of Emily) in 2007Page 12

Student vs. Faculty Basketball GameBy Jocelyn BakerComing off their first ever district championship, the boys varsitybasketball team took on the faculty at the annual Student vs.Faculty Basketball Game on March 14. There is always such agreat atmosphere both before and during the game. This event isan opportunity for the faculty to relive their past times of playingsports and for the basketball team to play together once again.As usual, everyone enjoyed 4Rivers BBQ before the game. As themembers of both teams were introduced, there was a lot of teasingand joking between the students and the faculty. L.J. Noelsaid, “Mr. Thigpen threatened to send me to community collegeif I didn’t let them win.” Adding to the great atmosphere of thenight, they were all just having a really good time. After they hadintroduced both teams, the boys all went over to the back walland unveiled their brand new championship banner—DistrictChampions 2013. They were all smiles as they pulled the blackcurtain down to reveal the bright blue banner hanging alongsidethe other team banners.Very early into the game, junior Eli Brodrecht shocked everyoneby taking the ball, flying across the court on a breakaway, anddunking it. It was received with loud cheers and praises comingfrom both the crowd and his team. Mr. Fraser also impressed thecrowd with his quick feet and ball skills.During halftime there was a free throw competition for everyonethat paid a dollar to play. The volleyball girls helped out by sellingtickets and monitoring the free throws. The winners were: Jay Alilin,Trey Diehl, Sarah Rudolph, James Rudolph, and Brock Seneff.After halftime, the first timeout was called and as the ‘HarlemShake’ was played, junior L.J. Noel stayed on the court anddanced. As the beat dropped, the rest of the basketball team beganto dance with him. Eli Brodrecht even hung off of the basketballhoop as they all danced below. The only faculty member to join inwas Mr. Thigpen who danced alongside L. J. and admitted, “Forthe record, I did not get to practice my dancing. It was a surprise,and I simply reacted.” The crowd went wild; it was yet anotheraddition to the already celebratory night. During a timeout in thethird quarter, “YMCA” was played, and fourth grader Jarrett Brodrechtran out into the court and led everyone in the dance.The faculty had spent a few weeks in tough practices to preparefor the game. Although they fought hard, the boys maintainedtheir undefeated streak in this annual event. The final score was53-49. It was a close game, but the boys were determined. In theend, the highly anticipated game didn’t disappoint, everyone had agreat time, and there were no hard feelings between the two teams.After the game, Mr. Thigpen reflected, “It was a blast; we obviouslyplayed a great team that has accomplished much this year. I’mlooking forward to getting the victory for the faculty next year.”Page 13

Dan Harger: Fourteen Years and CountingBy AnnMarie CaloFor a school such as ours that is often noted as being an“academic school,” we have been blessed to have such a successfulsports program over the years. Much of that program’ssuccess and prosperity can be traced back to oneman. Currently in his fourteenth year, Dan Harger, ourAthletic Director, has been at TGS longer than any otherfaculty member.Looking back on the pastfourteen years at the helm ofTGS athletics has surfaced Coaching softball,many memories for Coach spring 2006Harger. To give some perspectiveon just how long hehas been here, back when hebegan his tenure at Genevathe school was still at theRidge Road location. Theupper school then movedto Northland Church beforeeveryone settled intoour current building. Heremembers those early yearsteaching grammar schoolPE as “very rewarding.” “Those arethe kids you see the most improvementin as you’re helping them tolearn fundamentals.”These many years later, Coach Hargerstill loves what he is accomplishinghere at TGS. He’s able to balance thedemands of being the athletic directorwhile teaching PE because of the“great team of coaches around me,and the trust that Bob [Ingram] andthe board put in me to do what I do.”“I feel like we get better every year asan overall program.” Our SunshineState FHSAA school ranking thisyear would support that assessment.We are currently ranked 9th overallamongst the entire state’s 2A schools,and there are about 125 2A schools in the state.When Coach Harger thinks back on his favorite sportsmemories from the past fourteen years, he says, “If you justtake a look at the banners hanging in our gym, every one ofPage 14those has been a huge moment for us and a proud moment,for sure.” However, he does have some personal favorites.“All of our firsts were memorable: the first time we were DistrictChamps and the first time to states.” He recalls MollieJones winning TGS’ first ever individual district championshipin 2007 in cross country, and Mackenzie Wilson winningTGS’ first ever individual regional championship intrack in 2011. This year’s epic boys soccer team win againstTFA in a penalty shoot-outwas another awesome momentfor our program. “Itwas really a David vs. Goliathmoment for us.”All Saints’ DayNovember 20022003 Student vs. FacultyBasketball GameAccording to Harger, “thegreatest moment in TGSsports history” took placein 2009 when our baseballteam won the district championshipby hitting back-toback-to-backhome runs inthe 7th inning.District championships, regionalsuccess, and state academicteam awards aside, when it all comesdown to it, Coach Harger says the realstrength of our TGS sports program isthat “the coaches are able to demanda lot, to demand excellence from thekids,” because that is what our studentshere are accustomed to givingday in and day out in the classroom.“Coaching kids who are so coachableand have such strong character is sorefreshing to everyone involved withour teams. The good Lord has blessedour athletic programs richly withwonderful athletes, coaches, parents,teachers, and fans.” TGS is “a community;everyone working togetherto achieve the same goals.” Even withall of the milestones we have reachedand the goals we have met in the pastyears, Coach Harger predicts that some of the finest momentson the field and on the court are yet to come.Go Knights!

Long-time Coaches: Mike McAvoy and Rick OswaldTwo of The Geneva School’s longest-standingcoaches, Mike McAvoy (boys soccer) andRick Oswald (boys tennis), both of whombegan coaching at Geneva during the2001-2002 school year, share some of theirrefl ections of their years with TGS.Coach McAvoy: In 2001 I started as anassistant coach and noticed right awaythat helping move this program forwardwas going to be a challenge. We held ourpractices in the parking lot of NorthlandChurch with only a couple of balls, cones,and a mixture of uniform articles. WhatI did notice was that all of the players listenedto coaching points and implementedthem quickly and would do whateverwas asked of them. They also set the standardfor all future teams by establishingthe work ethic that has been passed downeach season and continues to drive thepresent teams ... the “Geneva Spirit.”Coach Oswald: When I started coachingthe Geneva [tennis] teams, I ran theboys and girls teams. We played a limitedschedule and were not very competitivein our district. There were some yearswhere we were lucky to field a full team.McAvoy: This past season was the mostsuccessful in school history with the[boys soccer] team advancing to the FH-SAA regional playoffs for the very firsttime. However, it was all of the earliersquads which helped set the foundationfor this to occur.Mike McAvoy Rick OswaldOswald: Some of my favorite memoriesthrough the years involved gettingto know the multiple players who havepassed through TGS and encouragingthem to achieve success on and off thecourt.McAvoy: When we moved the programinto the more competitive winter seasonin 2009, the team started to play schoolswith a larger base, which led to a coupleof rough seasons in the record books forthe team.Oswald: Balancing the athletic and academicchallenges that high school studentsface is a big challenge; many times we bowto the greater call of the classroom.McAvoy: Even during the tough seasons,the players continued to show the“Geneva Spirit,” and that made thosetimes a lot of fun to be a part of. Wecontinued to create memories for theplayers off the field of play as well as on.Oswald: I wouldn’t take the time frommy regular duties as a teaching professionalif it weren’t for the consistentlyamazing students and families I encounterat Geneva. The integrity ofthe students is a constant, and my relationshipwith the administration is outstanding.The best thing is the interactionwith the kids, and it is a privilegeto be coaching for Geneva.McAvoy: I have met so many wonderfulpeople—players, parents, and faculty—during my time as coach, and as I lookback I would not trade it for anything! Ican’t wait for what will come next.Oswald: A strong base has been madefor the tennis program, and I believethere will continue to be quality studentswith strong tennis skills attendingTGS. We have our top three and linefive players returning; the Knights aregoing to wield a mighty racquet nextseason.Athletic Awards CeremonyFriday, May 105:00 pmTGS GymnasiumHonoring JV and VarsityAthletesDrinks and light snackswill be served$5 per personInvitations coming soon toyour email inbox!Join the Team, Share the DreamYouth Sport • 1 Mile Fun RunSaturday, May 119:00 amRed Bug Lake Park, CasselberryProceeds will benefit TGS Youth SportsPre-register by May 9www.genevaschool.org/funrunPage 15

The Weaving of a Beautiful TapestryBy Leigh O’Donoghue, First Grade TeacherEach grammar school year at The Geneva School has its piècede résistance. From the parents’ perspective, it’s the item ontheir calendar with an asterix—the can’t-miss-event of theschool year. For the student, it’s the day s/he’s worked towardall year, and probably anticipated for years before—the daythat makes each child’s heart beat faster with anticipationand, perhaps even, apprehension. For the teacher, it’s the daythat all the multicolored and variously textured threads of abeautiful tapestry finally are woven together. The teacher, asweaver, knows that she needs calming blue to balance the brilliantyellow, and that flaming reds are given substance throughearthy browns. For now though, she has only loose threadsand a plan. In a classroom of students as diverse and uniquelygifted as a rainbow of threads, only the teacher understandsthe countless daily activities and disciplines that prepare herstudents for their special day. In first grade, our productionof The Tale of Peter Rabbit is the culmination of so much thatwe’ve studied and learned in the first three-quarters of our yeartogether. For now, though, please allow me to step back....The move from kindergarten to first grade is a big one. Itmay not quite rival Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon,but in the heart of a kindergartner it is a giant leap into theunknown. One need only step a few feet into the early childhoodcampus (ECC) building to know that it is a place of exceptionalwarmth and safety, despite its somewhat industrialexterior. The loving and gifted faculty and staff draw theircharges to them as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.Every feature of the ECC is designed with a young child inmind. There’s nowhere to get lost, no getting in the way of“big kids,” and everything is just the right size. Their time atthe ECC is precious, yet each of our ECC students knowsthat every day is another step toward the exciting, daunting,thrilling, grown-up “big Geneva School.”This year I had the privilege of joining my kindergartners asthey journeyed to the main campus for their first grade year.Just like my kindergarten friends, I was excited and a littlescared to teach first grade after eight years working in kindergarten.Leaving the comfortable known for the unknown isdaunting. Speaking not to a memory of being five years oldbut as an adult who just made the journey, trust me when Isay the move from kindergarten to first is huge. The wideeyedchild who faced me on the first day of kindergarten isan entirely different creature than the young scholar readyto tackle first grade. We begin kindergarten with alphabetbasics—each of the 26 letters has a shape and sound(s). Webegin first grade with the 70 phonograms that make up theEnglish language. Did you know that /ough/ has six distinctsounds? Ask a TGS first grader if you’d like to hear them. Thechild who starts kindergarten at the ECC is a whole new versionof herself when she walks into her first grade classroomfor the very first time. This year my sweet class and I venturedout to tackle first grade together. The Peter Rabbit play, whichas a kindergarten class we had attended last spring, loomedlike a distant beacon.Page 16

The first semester has many opportunities for our first graders topractice public speaking. They share morning news, take turns leadingtheir classmates in the Pledge of Allegiance, and in praise reports,prayer requests, and daily prayer. They select, rehearse, andperform Animal Monologues in front of an adoring crowd of familyand friends. The children memorize and recite passages of Scriptureand learn to recite them individually before their classmates. Theyalso learn to encourage and praise each other’s efforts, seeming tounderstand that those who love all eyes to be on them require differentwords of encouragement than those who are facing a fear asthey stand before their peers with a pounding heart. Each of thesemoments helps prepare them for the Peter Rabbit play.The Christmas boxes have only just been tucked away when the longawaited Beatrix Potter unit becomes a reality. We begin by learningabout the author and the world in which she lived. We learn thather beloved and now famous stories began as letters meant to bringjoy to a sick boy. In the days that follow we read and talk abouther stories. The students reenact the tales with puppets, write aboutnaughty rabbits in their journal, and begin learning and singing thebig production numbers (a mild exaggeration perhaps, they are simplysongs—adorable, catchy, can’t-get-them-out-of-your-head-forall-the-tea-in-Chinasongs). As the children learn which characterthey’ll portray, some are given the very part they wanted, and othersare stretched just beyond their comfort zone. From this moment on,the play becomes a team effort. The children work together preparing,rehearsing, reminding, encouraging, while helping each otherwith cues, lines, songs, choreography, and jitters. Some roles havemore lines, but all are pivotal to the final product. Along with participatingin rehearsals, the students are busy creating classroom gardendisplays, illustrating play invitations and programs, planting theirown real garden with science teacher Mrs. Schaefer, and measuringeach sprout as they log the growth of their plants. We continue toread Beatrix Potter stories, but now the first graders often read to apartner or individually in a cozy corner of the classroom.Finally, it’s The Day. Precious first graders are transformed into carrots,corn, rabbits, and sparrows. Each skill they’ve practiced andhoned becomes a stitch in the tapestry. Every morsel of knowledgethey’ve accumulated they now apply and extend. Each child, andeven the teacher, is aware of the brilliance of the colors and patternsof the threads they have worked to carefully weave, but now is thetime to see how they come together. The colorful, looser side of thetapestry is turned over and its real beauty is revealed. It is magical.The child who, in all honesty, would prefer to blend into the background,joyfully delivers her lines with great expression and intent.The soloist surprises even his parents with his clear, confident voice.The children delight in their achievement and in the accomplishmentof their friends. The tapestry is lovely, framed in biblical truth:first, that there is a cost to disobedience that is never worth the price,and, finally, that God’s gifts and creativity surround us—from thefirst fruit of a carefully cultivated garden to the glowing, satisfiedface of a first grader who has given his all, done his best, and blessedeveryone he’s touched.Page 17

Memories from the Florida EvergladesBy Catherine Johnson, Maddie Miller, Ben Reynolds, and Max SelvaggioEach spring the ninth grade class headsdown to the Everglades National Parkfor a week of tent camping on the bayunder the stars, while exploring theunique ecosystems and wildlife of SouthFlorida. The Everglades is the only ecosystemof its kind in America, and weare fortunate to be able to study it upclose. The students get to see in personwhat they have studied in their biologyclasses, making this an invaluable educationallesson, while the adventures theyhave together during the week make thisa wonderful time for building relationshipsand community together.Here are reviews from four of the ninthgrade students.Madeline MillerI had never been camping, and I had certainlynever had any desire to do so. Notunlike many other reasonable people, Iassociated it with a slough of unpleasantthings: dirt, mosquitoes, tents, soggyclothes, greasy hair, and road trips. I wasnot so far off track in this hypothesis,however I had failed to foresee anythingbeyond the discomfort of such apparent“misfortunes,” namely the lessons theywould drill into my very body.I remember one night, when I sat witha close friend in our tent. After we hadvowed to keep the tent flap eternallyzipped shut (except for trafficking backand forth), it had quite slipped the mindof one poor soul to do so, and mosquitoesswarmed inside our sleeping bags asthickly as they did outside. As we learnedlater on (a little too late) one unzippedinch was enough to let in as many as sopleased. But as I sat there, slapping myselfall over, and probably doing more harmthan good, I realized that this was a physicalmanifestation of my everyday spirituallife: to open the door for sin only slightly,and to be bombarded by the magnitudeof its consequences was only too routinefor me. Sometimes, it takes the smallestand most aggravating of creatures to teachthe deepest lessons of the world.The dirt was not so awful, after all. Yes, ittoo was everywhere, but it was a constantreminder of the very thing from whichwe are made, and that we are dust, andto dust we shall return. As for the greasyhair and soggy clothes—they somehowconnected us to the natural world surroundingus, exposing the faults andfortes in ourselves and others, allowingus to focus on encouraging the good inour neighbor and reacting to the faultswith grace.Even though I thoroughly enjoyed ourtrip to the Everglades, I think that Godwas not so much seen in the apparentblessings and comforts of the trip, but inthe pre-deemed “troubles” and “discomforts,”because only they opened our eyesto the truth of human nature.Ben ReynoldsAround ten canoes moved swiftly (somemore than others) through miles ofmangrove, sawgrass, and periphyton.This warm Wednesday had begun witha breakfast of eggs and bacon beforeloading into several vans. We arrived atNine-Mile Pond early in the morningand boarded our canoes.Soon we were traveling through mangrovesfull of wildlife. Then came sawgrassand periphyton. As well as beingslimy, the periphyton slowed down thecanoes. Naturally, that is where we gotslightly lost. After finding our way again,we passed through many more areas ofmangroves and some more periphytonand sawgrass before finding open water.Some friendly competition ensued beforewe returned the canoes and headedback to camp. It was a great day on thewater.Max SelvaggioOn Thursday morning we all awoke excitedand ready for what our group believedwould be the best day of the trip.Page 18

We arrived early at the marina, ate a nice picnic lunch, andthen boarded the boat. We received our gear: wetsuit, snorkel,life vest, and dive fins. Next we arrived at our first reef.Everyone paired up and jumped in. It was a very calmingexperience to see all the fish and the ancient coral.About twenty minutes later, we boarded the boat again andheaded to our second destination. This second reef was older,so it was closer to the surface. We had to make sure that wewere extra careful and that we did not touch the coral. We allfinished and headed back to the marina. The snorkeling adventurewas a very pleasant ending to a great Everglades trip.Catherine JohnsonWhen we returned to our campsite most afternoons, we enjoyedsome free time before we gathered together again in theevenings to share a meal. We also went on several night hikes,roasted marshmallows to make s’mores, and sang hymns andsongs around the campfire.On Tuesday evening, Mr. Andreasen led us on a night hiketo Eco Pond. We hiked without flashlights, so we were surroundedby complete darkness. It was a walk by faith, “for wewalk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). The hike wasan illustration of the Christian journey. There are times whenwe can only see one step ahead of us, and we must trust thatGod will show us the way. We also need fellowship with otherChristians so that we can help and encourage one another.Without any artificial light, the beautiful stars were so brightin contrast to the darkness around us. Our other senses weresharpened. When we silently stopped beside the pond, weheard crickets in the trees, mosquitoes buzzing nearby, and anoccasional splash in the water.On the way back to our campsite on Thursday, after a dayof snorkeling, we stopped at Anhinga Trail to look for alligatorsat night. About halfway down the trail, standingon a boardwalk just a few feet above the water, we observedat least twelve alligators biting off reeds and small branches.They then carried them in their mouths or on their backsto another area farther away from the boardwalk. No one,not even Mr. Andreasen, was quite certain what the alligatorswere doing, but they appeared to be building nests. Aswe continued along the path, shining our flashlights in thewater, we could see glowing, yellow-orange eyes moving offin the distance.I had not been looking forward to the Everglades trip; in fact,I had been dreading it. However, I found that it was notnearly as terrible as I had expected it to be. Of course, therewere the cold showers and the two hours of torture by mosquitoeson Tuesday night, but I was not eaten by an alligator,I did not drown on the snorkeling trip, and I did not see asingle snake!Photographs by Shelley Downward and Joshua MeyerPage 19

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What are TGS Faculty and Staff Reading Right Now?Michelle Alvarez• My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers• Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques that Put Studentson the Path to College (K–12) by Doug LemovRobbie Andreasen• Confessions by Augustine• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling• The Creationists: The Evolution of Scientific Creationism byRonald NumberJanet Baxter• Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes• The Moral Imagination: From Adam Smith to Lionel Trillingby Gertrude Himmelfarb• Hard Times by Charles Dickens• Pride and Prejudice by Jane AustenMike Beates• History of the Hobbit, Volume 2 (Returnto Bag-End) by J.R.R. Tolkienand John Rateliff• Imagining the Kingdom: HowWorship Works (Cultural LiturgiesVolume 2) by James Smith• The Secret Thoughts of an UnlikelyConvert: An English Professor’s Journeyinto Christian Faith by RosariaChampagne Butterfield• Moby Dick by Herman MelvilleHollie Benjumea• One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Love Fully Right Where YouAre by Ann VoskampShelly Bradon• My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers• Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spiritualityby Donald Miller• Why Art Cannot Be Taught: A Handbook for Art Studentsby James ElkinsGrant Brodrecht• The Ethical Vision of Clint Eastwood by Sara Anson Vaux• Social Policy and the Image of the Damaged Black Psyche,1880-1996 by Daryl Michael Scott• The Road to Disunion, vol. II, Secessionists Triumphant,1854-1861 by William W. FreehlingKelli Brodrecht• Les Miserables by Victor Hugo• The Apocrypha• Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. LewisAnnMarie Calo• Licensed For Trouble by Susan May WarrenPage 22Edward Chandler• The Great Deformation: The Corruption of Capitalism inAmerica by David StockmanKatie Faerber• Renovation of the Heart: Putting onthe Character of Christ by DallasWillard• Simply Jesus: A New Vision of WhoHe Was, What He Did, and Why HeMatters by N.T. Wright• Imagining the Kingdom: How WorshipWorks by James Smith• Daughters of Islam: Building Bridgeswith Muslim Women by Miriam AdeneyJeremiah Forshey• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by MichaelChabonAmanda Hallock• The Idiot’s Guide to Natural Childbirth by Jennifer Westand Deborah Romaine• The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten BoomKellie Harding• Digital Photo Pro Magazine• Photoshop User Magazine• Professional Photographer Magazine• The Round House by Louise ErdrichLisa Hines• The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of aBad Thing by Alfie KohnBob Ingram• Beauty Will Save the World: Recovering the Human in anIdeological Age by Gregory Wolfe• Imagining the Kingdom: How Worship Works by James SmithRavi Jain• Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson• The Dynamics of World History by Christopher Dawson• The Escondido Theology by John FrameLou Jones• Surprised by Oxford: A Memoir byCarolyn WeberJill Kong• The Reluctant Prophet: A Novel byNancy RueChristine Miller• Generous Justice: How God’s GraceMakes Us Just by Timothy Keller

Michael Miller• Praying: Finding Our Way Through Duty to Delight by J.I.Packer and Carolyn Nystrom• Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis• Ukelele in the Classroom by James HillTami Molyneaux• Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim NicholasTaleb• The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger• Flight Behavior: A Novel by Barbara Kingsolver• Life at Blandings by P. G. Wodehouse• Murderer Must Advertise by Dorothy L. Sayers• Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formationby James Smith• The Complete Works of Gerard Manley Hopkins by Gerald ManleyHopkins• Bleak House by Charles DickensBrian Polk• The Pressured Child: Freeing Our Kids from PerformanceOverdrive and Helping Them Find Success in School and Life byMichael Thompson• Mathematics for the Nonmathematician by Morris Kline• How To Talk So Kids Can Learn by Adele Faber and ElaineMazlishKristi Randall• The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of NutritionEver Conducted And the Startling Implications for Diet, WeightLoss, And Long-term Health by T. Colin Campbell• Line of Duty by Terri BlackstockJim Reynolds• The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in Godby Dallas Willard• The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God ChangesLives by Dallas Willard• Covenant and Conversation: A Weekly Reading of the JewishBible, Genesis: The Book of Beginnings by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy• A Brief History of Thought: A Philosophical Guide to Living byLuc FerryMary Chris Rowe• Letters and Papers From Prison by Dietrich Bonhoffer• How to Grill: The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniquesby Steven Raichlen.• The Naturally Clean Home: 150 Super-Easy Herbal Formulas forGreen Cleaning by Karyn Siegel-Maier.Shelly Shafer• Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln byDoris Kearns GoodwinElisabeth Sutton• Fall of Giants: Book One of the Century Trilogy by Ken FollettKamillia White• Israel, My Beloved by Kay ArthurDIALECTIC & RHETORICSPRING CONCERTSaturday, April 137:00 pmTGS GymnasiumThis concert will include performances by the7/8 Boys Choir, the 7/8 Girls Choir, the RhetoricChamber Choir, and the Repertory Orchestra.It will feature an eclectic mix of music by MortenLauridsen, Aaron Copland, Andrew Carter, W. A.Mozart, and Billy Joel.OPERA SHOWCASESunday, April 283:00 pmThe Cathedral Church of St. LukeThe Rhetoric Choir will join forces with The OrlandoDeanery Boychoir and Girls Choir, as well Cathedralsoloists (Mrs. Miller and friends), to present favoriteopera solos and choruses.GRAMMAR SCHOOLSPRING CONCERTThursday, May 166:30 pmTGS GymnasiumPlease join the 3–6 grade Grammar School Choirs,the String Explorers, and the PhilharmoniaOrchestra, as they demonstrate a year of musicalgrowth through both sacred and secular song. Thisconcert will include works by Aaron Copland,Steven Rickards, Sheldon Secunda, and Jay Broeker.Page 23

College Counseling NewsBy Scott Thigpen, Director of College CounselingAs the gardenias bloom and the daysstart to get warmer, tis the season forour juniors to take a standardizedtest…or two. Therefore I want to usethis month’s Courier edition to discussthese tests and what all the fuss is about.A college admissions officer takesmultiple things into account whenreviewing a prospective student’sapplication, one of those being howthe student performed on the SAT orACT. Although there is no hard sciencethat proves one test is easier than theother, it is important for students tounderstand the structure of both examsso they can decide which one they arebetter suited for.The SAT, originally called the ScholasticAptitude Test, is an aptitude testmeasuring literacy and writing skillsand reasoning and verbal abilities. TheSAT has 140 questions plus a requiredessay and is 3 hours and 45 minuteslong. The test is made up of threesections: critical reading, writing, andmath with a maximum score of 800 ineach section making up a perfect scoreof 2400. The writing section, added tothe exam in 2005, is still considerednew, and most colleges are interested inhow well a student fairs in the criticalreading and math sections.The ACT, or American College Test, isan achievement test whose purpose is toPage 24measure what a student has learned inschool. The ACT is comprised of foursections: English, math, reading, andscience. Each section is graded separatelywith a score range of 1–36. The averageof the four sections rounded to thenearest whole number makes up thestudent’s composite score. Unlike theSAT, which doles out a ¼ point penaltyfor each wrong answer on the multiplechoice questions, the ACT is scoredbased on the number of correct answerswith no penalty for wrong answers(or guessing). It is 215 questions longand the essay is optional; however I dorecommend that you register to take theessay, given that many colleges requireit. The actual testing time is 3 hours and25 minutes.Since the majority of colleges accepteither test, which one should you take?Let’s discuss how they are different.How do you do with science andtrigonometry? The SAT has neither;the ACT has both. However, there areonly about four trigonometry questionsthat will cover the basics such as righttriangles, sine, and cosine. In additionto this, the math portion of the ACTis all multiple choice. The SAT mathsection has some questions that requirewritten answers. As for science, thissection of the ACT will include areassuch as biology, chemistry, physics, andearth science. The SAT has no sciencequestions. Also, the grammar emphasisis a little different for each exam. Whatis similar is that students should bewell prepared to know the rules forsubject/verb agreement, proper nounusage, identifying run-ons, and so on.If you are an ardent wordsmith, you’lllove the SAT. The ACT places moreemphasis on punctuation and syntax.It also includes questions on rhetoricstrategies. Another notable difference isthat the questions on the SAT becomemore difficult as they progress. TheACT’s difficulty remains constantthroughout. In the event that you havetaken both these exams and simplycan’t earn a respectable score, there areroughly 850 test-optional schools thatdo not require that you submit testscores for consideration for admission.Visit www.fairtest.org to review the list.Finally, allow me to briefly explainwhat an SAT subject test is, alsoknown as an SAT II. These hourlongtests are content-based examsthat test a student’s knowledge in aspecific area. The majority of collegesdo not require them; however, the IvyLeague schools do, along with otherhighly selective universities such asUniversity of Virginia and Washingtonand Lee University. These tests addanother dimension to your applicationand show college admission officersthat you are aptly prepared to tacklea specific major. The College Boardoffers 20 of these subjects tests in fivegeneral subject areas: English, history,language, mathematics, and science. Itis a good idea for students to take theseexams shortly after they have completeda particular course of study so that theinformation is still fresh in their mind.For example, if a student is interestedin taking the SAT II Chemistry test,they should take it at the end of orjust after their 10th grade year. Visitcollegeboard.org for more information.What is considered a good SAT orACT score? National average scoresare around 500 for each section of theSAT and a 21 composite score for theACT. The chart on the next page willhelp parents and students gain a morerealistic picture of where their testscores place them. Thanks for hangingout on the college page. Do not hesitateto call or email if you have questions.

SAT Reading SAT Math SAT Writing ACT Composite25 % 75 % 25 % 75 % 25 % 75 % 25 % 75 %Samford University 520 630 510 630 510 620 23 29University of Central Florida 530 630 550 650 510 610 23 28Rollins College 550 640 540 640 540 640 24 29Florida State University 560 640 560 640 560 640 25 29Furman University 550 650 560 660 540 650 25 29University of Florida 580 670 590 690 570 670 26 31University of Virginia 620 720 640 740 630 730 28 32Harvard University 700 800 710 790 710 800 32 35Date source: collegeboard.orgThe 25/75 percentiles for the SAT and ACT scores show the range in which half the students scored: 25 percentscored below the lower score and 25 percent scored above the higher score. Another way to look at it is if a studentscores 600 on the SAT Reading and 600 on the SAT Math that would place them in the mid-range of Samford’sadmission class. This would make Samford University a good match for this student. Looking at Universityof Virginia with the same scores, the student would be in the bottom 25 percent of applicants. This would makeUVA a “reach” school for this student.Page 25

Faithfulness in aConfused CultureDr. Michael S. Beates, Dean of StudentsI wish I did not have to write on thisparticular subject. But with acceleratingspeed, Christians in our country arecollapsing into the cultural confusion ofour national moment. I am not sayinganything you don’t already know whenI say we now live in a sexually saturatedculture. Consider that over spring break,I saw news focused on the following:First, Victoria’s Secret has rolled out aplan to market their products towardmiddle school-aged girls. Not coincidentally,anecdotal data shows that oneof the fastest growing demographics inusing internet pornography is this samegroup of young people. And the Christiansector is by no means immune.Second, news and blogs have been focusedon the U.S. Supreme Court’s currentreview of cases revolving aroundsame-sex marriage. Sexually related saturationis almost everywhere we turn inpopular culture.The first concern above is an exampleof how our culture is pushing to everyounger ages exposure to issues bestleft to more mature young people. Ouryoung people need to remember Paul’sadmonition to Titus, “For the grace ofGod has appeared, bringing salvation forall people, training us to renounce ungodlinessand worldly passions, and tolive self-controlled, upright, and godlylives in the present age” (Titus 2:11–12).But my concern in this column is morePage 26on the second issue above. An overwhelmingpercentage of American teensand “twenty-somethings” now supportnormalization of what was unthinkablejust 40 years ago. Adding to this culturalforce are the voices of conservativepoliticians and even some quite popular“evangelical” leaders in recent days.Rob Bell, one of these popular speakers,recently was asked if he was in favor of“marriage equality.” Bell stated that he is“for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am forlove, whether it’s a man and woman, awoman and woman, a man and a man. Ithink the ship has sailed and I think thatthe church needs to just … this is theworld we are living in and we need toaffirm people wherever they are.”Of course, he and many others don’treally mean this when they say it. Theydon’t mean that they affirm all peoplewherever they are – including those whoabuse others, or who, for example, practicepedophilia or other behaviors. Thepopular movement of inclusion andacceptance is quite selective. But somethinghas happened to Christian thinkingthat has enabled so many, so quickly,to abandon historic Christian faith andpractice in these areas.What is a 30-, 40- or 50-somethingChristian parent to do?First, the American experience over thelast generation has elevated personalhappiness and fulfillment to a sacrosanctlevel. Combine this with staggeringadvances in medical and reproductivenovelty, and suddenly unbiblical combinationsof people can, in some sense(according to the wisdom of our day), beparents of children and find their happinessand fulfillment in formulas thatare contrary to all that has provided thebuilding blocks of every culture on everycontinent for the last 5,000+ years.Second, we must remember that truthis not determined by popular opinion.Truth is not the product of our subjectiveexperience, but comes from somethingobjective outside of us. I haveoften told students (with apologies tothe Francophiles among us) that evenif 99% of all Frenchmen were to decidethat 2+2 = 4.5 because they like it thatway, such an overwhelmingly popularconsensus does not in any way changereality. Politician Rob Portman demonstratedboth of these predilections inmid-March when, in an editorial, hedeclared his support for same-sex marriagebecause, “ultimately, it came downto the Bible’s overarching themes of loveand compassion and my belief that weare all children of God.”We do not have sufficient space to addressall that this brief statement says.But suffice it to say, an initial error is thatthe Bible’s overarching theme is not loveand compassion (as important as theyare). The glory of God and the salvationof lost and broken people for God’s gloryis the overarching theme. And the Bibleis quite clear that while we are all createdby God and in his image, his children areborn by faith, not biology. Jesus clearlysays that even within the religious professionals(Pharisees) in Israel, in fact,many were children not of God but ofthe devil (John 8:42–44).Walt Mueller of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding (who in the pasthas spoken to us at The Geneva School)recently wrote that when the Phariseesconfronted Jesus with the womancaught in adultery, Jesus did not say tothis woman, “This is the world we are

living in and I affirm your adultery” . . . or “love and compassiontrump the wrongness of your adultery.” Rather Jesusconfronted her sin, forgave her, and implored her to “go nowand leave your life of sin.” 1Another writer, Kevin DeYoung, summarizes that our culturehas been won over on this issue bythe concepts of progress, love, rights,equality, and tolerance. What Christiancan be against these wonderfulqualities? 2In light of all this I encourage you (andof course our students) to remembertwo things. First, the Good News of JesusChrist assumes the fundamentallybad news that we (especially Americans)tend to forget: we are all—everyhuman being—much more profoundlybroken people than we care to admit.We are all in need of the savinggrace of Christ. We seek not to live like Pharisees bound byrules and law that lack graciousness and tolerance. But neithershould we fall into the mentality of our day that approvesof things that God clearly condemns. We should, in accordwith historic faith, boldly declare that we are sinners saved bygrace and seek to live humbly, not self-righteously, in accordwith all that God has said. And we are well reminded that thelist of sins condemned by the New Testament includes (in thesame lists) not only homosexual behavior but also greed, envy,gossip, lying, drunkenness, and more (see for example, Gal.5:19–21; 1 Cor. 6: 9–10; and 1 Tim. 1: 8–11).And second, we need to encourage each other and our students,by the grace of God, according to Paul’s prayer for the Philippianbelievers: “it is my prayer that your love may abound moreand more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that youmay approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless forthe day of Christ” (Phil. 1:9). Excellence, purity, and blamelessnesssound a lot like “goodness, truth, and beauty.”We are all in need of the savinggrace of Christ. We seek notto live like Pharisees boundby rules and law that lackgraciousness and tolerance.But neither should we fall intothe mentality of our day thatapproves of things that Godclearly condemns.Only genuine love for God will spare us from the loves ofthe world (1 John 2:15–17). As parents, we are called bothto shield our children from and also to train them to resistthe world’s strongest fallen urges and passions, those whichour culture too often calls us to tolerate, accept, endorse, andeven practice. We must seek to bringour students into being bright youngpeople who love good, true, and beautifulthings, so that they might “shineas lights in the world” (Phil 2:15). Ihave counseled some of our recentgraduates, who are pressured daily ontheir college campuses to accept andendorse the current drift toward samesextolerance to reply respectfully likethis: “I understand that there has beena strong cultural shift in the last 40–50years toward normalizing and acceptingsame-sex relationships. With alldue respect and humility, I choose toabide with the truth that has guided the Judeo-Christian traditionfor the last three thousand years.” I have been castigatedby young people in Facebook conversations for such a stance.Dismissively, some have said, “You are old, and your old ideas,like slavery, will die with you.” But I gently respond that truthwill still be true whether I live or die.This is THE issue our young people will face in their generation.May God give us the grace to understand this task andto stand against the strong currents which seek to sweep ourchildren away into cultural confusion.1. Mueller’s recent blog post on this issue is worth readingat: http://learningmylines.blogspot.com/2013/03/rob-bellhomosexual-marriageand-our.html.2. DeYoung’s article, also worth reading, answers this well:http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2013/03/27/why-the-arguments-for-gay-marriage-are-persuasive/.On March 14, Geneva’s National Honor Society sponsored aJeans Day. They were able to raise over $1,500 in donationswhile student’s enjoyed a comfortable no-uniform day wearingtheir jeans. Of the money raised, $500 will be used to coverNHS expenses (including member fees and the annual inductionceremony) and $1,000 was donated to a local coalition that supportshomeless families in the Orlando area. The Coalition for theHomeless provides meals, shelter, day care, and transitional resourcesto local homeless families as they move toward employment.Geneva’s NHS was honored to provide a significant donation to thiswonderful organization and wants to thank the Geneva communityfor their overwhelming generosity.Page 27

The Geneva School2025 State Road 436Winter Park, FL 32792Up and Coming School EventsERB Testing for grades 2–8: April 15–19• 2nd grade: Monday–Friday• 3rd, 4th & 5th grade: Monday–Thursday• 6th, 7th & 8th grade: Monday–WednesdayHonor Society Inductions: Friday, April 19, 7:55 am in theTGS gym. Students are inducted into the NHS, Mu Alpha Theta,NAHS, and NTHS. Parents of inductees are invited to attend.D/R Awards Ceremony: Friday, May 17, 8:00 in the gymRhetoric Spring Formal: Saturday, April 20, 6:00 pm atInterlachen Country Club. Pictures at 6:00 pm, dinner at 7:00 pm,and dancing until 11:00 pm.Fifth Grade Williamsburg Trip: April 22–27Sixth Grade Retreat: April 22–25Eighth Grade Boston Trip: April 30–May 3Knight of Comedy: Saturday, April 27, 7:00 pm at the WinterSpring Performing Arts Center. The rhetoric drama class performsa variety of comedy skits.PSAT Strategies for Sophomores: Saturday, April 27, 2:00–4:00pm at TGS. For sophomores and their parents, Core Tutors willgive strategies to the students in how to prepare for the PSAT inOctober 2013. FREE!!YEARBOOKS ARE STILL AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE1 yearbook: $452 yearbooks: $853 yearbooks: $125Nameplate: $5 eachAutograph booklet: $5 eachPrice after Yearbook release: $50GRAMMAR SCHOOL CLOSING CEREMONIESK4: Thursday, May 23, 8:45–9:45 amKindergarten: Tuesday, May 21, 1:00–2:30 pmFirst Grade: Tuesday, May 21, in classrooms: Ralls 9:00–10:00am, Lewis 10:00–11:00 am, O’Donoghue 11:00 am–12:00 pm.Second Grade: Wednesday, May 22, in music room and classrooms,1:00–3:00 pmThird Grade: Wednesday, May 22, in classrooms: McDougall9:30–10:30 am, Smith 9:45–10:45 amFourth–Sixth Grade: Thursday, May 23, in the gym, 1:00–2:15pm with the sixth grade reception until 3:00 pmDIALECTIC AND RHETORIC SEMESTER EXAMSWednesday, May 22: 11th grade English and science examsThursday, May 23: 7th–10th grade English and science exams11th grade history and math examsFriday, May 24: 7th–10th grade history and math examsGRADUATION FESTIVITIESBaccalaureate: Thursday, May 23, 7:00 pm at All Saints Churchin Winter ParkGraduation ceremony: Friday, May 24, 2:00 pm at Willow CreekChurch in Winter Springs. Everyone is encouraged to attend.11th grade students are expected to attend the baccalaureate serviceon Thursday, May 23. All 7th–11th grade students are expected toattend the graduation ceremony on Friday, May 24. A bus will transport7th–10th grade students from TGS to Willow Creek Church.