On Friday, May 15, over 50 households gathered together for Redeemer’s first — and hopefully last — virtual watch party. The purpose of the evening? To celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of the Logic School students, and the 8th graders, in particular. Mr. Hoch, the head of school, hosted the program via Zoom. The evening featured videos of Mrs. Leach’s awards announcements for the National Mythology and the National Latin Exams, as well as the 11 LEAP presentations from the 8th graders and ended with a Commencement Address from Mr. Hoch.
LEAP PRESENTATIONS
Mr. Hoch introduced each group of LEAP speeches by selecting a word to describe the students that would be presenting. Listed below are the LEAPs in order of appearance, in addition to the chosen encouraging word.
Audrey Davis | Creative
”Good, Strong Words; They Mean Something”
Jessie Brumfield | Thoughtful
Engineering a Masterpiece (Leonardo da Vinci)
Aubrey Velker | Adventurous
Largest Naval Battle of WWI (Battle of Jutland)
Libby Kidd | Faithful
Stronger Together
Alina Plonsky | Encouraging
Considering Science from a Christian Perspective
Silas King | Artistic
Paint: Nobody Got Time for That
Nicholas Bewall | Funny
The Great Flood: Did It Happen?
Julien Steines | Easy-going
The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of its Parts
Madeline Ladner | Inquisitive
The Magic of Music and Mathematics
James Fries | Witty
Shenandoah Geology
Nathan Dunaway | Compassionate
The Lexicon of Languages
AWARD PRESENTATIONS
National Mythology Exam
In February of this school year, all 5th-8th grade students took the National Mythology Exam. Fifth and sixth grade students completed sections on the 12 Olympian gods and the hero Perseus based on D’aulaires Greek Myths. Seventh and eighth graders tested on these two sections as well as a section based on Book 3 of The Aeneid. The following students earned awards for their performance.
GOLD (Perfect Scores)
5th Grade
Micah Cardarelli
Jonathan Eller
Charlotte Esteban
Danny Gallagher
6th Grade
Cale Allen
Wiley Hormel
Ava Hughes
Anna Kosalka
Jane Peters
7th Grade
Macy Waid
8th Grade
Jessie Brumfield
Audrey Davis
James Fries
Alina Plonsky
Aubrey Velker
SILVER
5th Grade
Hillary Arimoto
Caleb Cain
Emily Kovalenko
Chloe Ladner
6th Grade
Lillian Carpenter
Effie Eads
Anna Richardson
7th Grade
Jude Lookabill
Elijah Lorson
Emme Ritchie
Liam Velker
8th Grade
Silas King
Maddie Ladner
BRONZE
5th Grade
Alexander Bucher
Henry Suter
6th Grade
Riley Scheidt
Matthew Uribe
7th Grade
Jackson Ladner
Isabel Matter
Madison Pascarella
Joshua Uribe
8th Grade
Nicholas Bewall
Nathan Dunaway
Libby Kidd
National Latin Exam
On March 12 — our last day in our school building — our 6th-8th grade students took the National Latin Exam. This 45 minute test covers questions about Latin history, culture, and translation as well as questions about Latin phrases that we use in English and English derivatives from Latin. Every year about 130,000 students from all over the world take the Nation Latin Exam and of that number about 38% score well enough to earn an award. This year, 56% of our students scored well enough to earn an award. Our students’ performance is more impressive if you consider that most of the students taking the National Latin Exam are not in 6th-8th grades but are in public and private high schools.
GOLD: SUMMA CUM LAUDE
Latin 1 (6th Grade)
Effie Eads
Wiley Hormel
Ava Hughes
Anna Richardson
Matthew Uribe
Latin 3 (8th Grade)
Nathan Dunaway
Jessie Brumfield
SILVER: MAXIMA CUM LAUDE
Latin 1 (6th Grade)
Rhianna Crider
Anna Kosalka
Riley Scheidt
Latin 3 (8th Grade)
Libby Kidd
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Latin 1 (6th Grade)
Lillian Carpenter
Latin 2 (7th Grade)
Jackson Ladner
Latin 3 (8th Grade)
Maddie Ladner
CUM LAUDE
Latin 2 (7th Grade)
Macy Waid
Latin 3 (8th Grade)
Silas King
Alina Plonsky
Aubrey Velker
SCIENCE FAIR PROJECTS
Every spring we recognize the hard work each Logic School student puts into completing a science fair project. It is no small feat to figure out a question to test, research the topic, design an experiment with well-controlled variables and multiple trials, analyze the results, and write a conclusion. And then to put all those pieces together and explain the project to a panel of scientists from the community. Mrs. Dowdy counts it an honor to recognize 7th and 8th grader’s hard work at the spring program, and to highlight those students who compete at the regional level. This year it was a clean sweep — every student from RCS who competed at the Regional Science and Engineering Fair at JMU won an award! From Mrs. Dowdy to all the students who completed a science fair project: “I am so very proud of each of you for your hard work and perseverance.”
COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS
I now have the distinct honor of giving the 8th grade commencement address. And this year it is especially sweet, as I have had the privilege of teaching this group of students for the past two years in their Bible class.
On the surface the transition from 8th grade to 9th grade may seem relatively small. After all, you’re moving up a grade, and you’ve done that many times before with little to no fanfare. However, the movement from 8th to 9th grade is greater than the movement from one grade level to another, like you’ve experienced up to this point. It’s true that this transition isn’t as big as the one from 12th grade to college or from college to career — those are truly monumental transitions for most people. But neither is it a small thing to leave Logic School and to head into Rhetoric School.
For some of you entering 9th grade will bring with it a new school and new friends. All of you, regardless of where you go to school next year, will experience new teachers, new classes, new routines, new opportunities, and new responsibilities. And as you go through these new experiences you will notice that you’re changing as well. In other words, a new you will begin to emerge — the result of growth and maturity brought about, at least in part, by these new experiences. I don’t say all of this to cause you anxiety or to cause your parents to get teary eyed at the thought of you growing up.
Rather, I’m bringing this up to encourage you to reflect on your time at Redeemer in preparation for this next season of life. Use the change of pace and schedule that is the gift of summertime as a student to carve out time and mental space to look back on your years at Redeemer — however many they may be — and to consider the lessons that you’ve learned. Draw upon the wisdom that your parents, your teachers, your mentors, and yes, on occasion, your friends have spoken into your lives. Let that wisdom sink down deep into your hearts and minds, so that you may draw upon it when it is needed.
And in that vein, allow me to help you get started in this process by reminding you of three values that have been instilled within you at Redeemer. My hope is that this will provide you with the initial fuel for reflection, while also being of great encouragement to you.
Embrace a larger view of education
First, embrace a larger view of education. There are many today who view education as a means to an end. They will say that you need to work hard in high school so that you can get into a good college so that you can, in turn, get a good job and be successful in life. And there will be a lot of pressure on you to adopt this mindset over the next four years. I don’t want to discredit going to a good college, or having a good job, or even making a lot of money. There’s nothing wrong with those achievements in and of themselves. But I would like to encourage you to think bigger than that.
Instead of seeing education merely as a means to an end, I want you to think of education in terms of formation and flourishing. In addition to providing you with skills and knowledge that are of practical use for college and career, a true education provides you with the tools to see beauty more readily, to defend the truth more ably, to choose the good and make the right decision, to listen to others more carefully, and to express yourself more clearly. In other words, a robust education allows you to be more fully human and to lead a richer life.
At Redeemer we have sought to convey this larger, grander view of education to you on a daily basis in all that we do. We want you to desire and to pursue an education that is geared toward shaping your entire life, not just a few years at the beginning. The good news is that by embracing a larger view of education you don’t lose out on college and career preparation. Instead, you receive that in addition to preparation for all of life.
Promote Dialogue
Second, promote dialogue. We place a high value on open and honest dialogue at Redeemer. This stems directly from our confidence in and our love for truth. We believe that the truth is more powerful than dishonesty and deception, and so it will always, ultimately, be the victor. Furthermore, we believe that all truth is God’s truth. That is, all truth originates in and, therefore, reveals the one living God. As those who love and serve this living God, Christians should be committed to seeking, promoting, and defending the truth wherever it is to be found.
The quest for truth is a lifelong endeavor that requires a certain level of tenacity, dedication, and resilience, in addition to an inquisitive spirit and the humility required to learn from others. Learning from others can take many forms. At times it may look like reading a book or listening to a lecture. But one of the most profound ways of learning from others comes in the form of dialogue.
Dialogue affords us with a unique opportunity to peak into the mind of someone else and to see the world as they see it. These new perspectives often cast light into blindspots that we didn't know existed in our own thinking. What’s more, dialogue allows us to explore ideas more deeply by asking questions and dissecting the logic and mental processes of others. But in order for dialogue to work we need to actively listen to others, to think critically, to ask precise questions, to respect those who think differently from us, to be open to criticism, and to be dogged in the search for truth.
The world is short on dialogue these days. Instead it is filled with people who live within echo chambers and, therefore, talk past anyone who holds a divergent view. Our hope is that you will be different. Motivated by a sincere love for the truth and a love for others, we want you to promote genuine dialogue. And, in the process, we hope that others will be inspired by your example and will seek the truth in love, as well.
Love God
Finally, love God. The love for truth and for others mustn’t be separated from a love for God. The faculty and staff at Redeemer Classical School believe that mankind’s highest goal and greatest joy in life is found in loving God. As St. Augustine said in his Confessions, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” For this reason we endeavor to do all things to the honor and glory of God. And we hope that we have modeled that well for you.
Wherever you go, whatever you do we pray that you would give it your very best effort — not for the praise of man, but for the honor and glory of God. The measure of success that is offered by this world is fleeting and hollow. But the measure of success that is offered by God is long-lasting and life-giving. As the Apostle Paul says in Colossians chapter 3, “23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
Make this your mission and purpose in life: to bring honor and glory to the living and true God in all that you do. So long as this is your chief aim your efforts will be met with success. It may not be success according to the world’s standards, but it will be success according to the one standard that matters most; the standard that you were created to live by and, therefore, which provides you with the greatest joy. I assure you, it doesn’t get any better than that.
There you have it — the initial musings for your summertime reflection. Think deeply about and take to heart the broader purpose of education, the importance of genuine dialogue, and the value of doing all things to the glory of God — and may you be better for it.
As we draw to a close, I’d like to point out that this year is different from years past. I’m not talking about the fact that we’re hosting the Spring Program by Zoom — though, that is very different. No, I’m talking about the fact that this is the first year in which we have a group of students continuing on into 9th grade at Redeemer. Six students from this 8th grade class will comprise the first 9th grade class in school history. We are extremely excited to be starting a Rhetoric School this fall and we look forward to hosting Nicholas Bewall, Nathan Dunaway, James Fries, Madeline Ladner, Alina Plonsky, and Aubrey Velker in the newly renovated Rhetoric School building come August!
To the remaining students in this 8th grade class — Jessie Brumfield, Audrey Davis, Libby Kidd, Silas King, and Julien Steines — we will miss you greatly next year. But please know that you are still Griffins, and nothing can change that. You are always welcome at Redeemer. So stay in touch, visit regularly, and let us know if there’s ever anything that we can do to help you.
To the entire 8th grade class: we are proud of you and we wish you the very best next year and always.