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THE COURIERTHE COURIERTHE GENEVA THE GENEVA

SCHOOLSCHOOLNEWSLETTERNEWSLETTERNovember 30, 2012November 30, 2012

Lessons and Carols

December 14, 6:30 pm

FESTIVAL OF LESSONS & CAROLSLed by grades 4–8 and the Rhetoric Chamber Choir

Cathedral Church of St. Luke130 N. Magnolia Avenue

Downtown Orlando

December 20, 6:30 pm

FIRST LESSONS & CAROLS

Led by grades 1–3

TGS Gymnasium

Christmas is about the birth of Christ, even though there are people who do not know this, have forgot-ten it, or want to make it mean something diff erent. And we have very little excuse for not knowing what Christmas is about, because so much of the music that we encounter at this time of year tells and interprets the events of the nativity in song. Singing carols or attending concerts can be great fun, and for many, Christmas simply isn’t Christmas with-out doing so. But Christmas is not about carols; carols are about Christmas! Carols can teach and show us a great deal about our faith and can help us in our pilgrimage through life, reminding, cajoling, and inspiring us to take the incarnation of Jesus seriously and to live our lives in the marvelous light of the love that God shows us by sending Jesus to us as savior.

Excerpt from O Come, Emmanuel, by Gordon Giles

What will Th e Geneva School look like one hundred years from now? It is a common and valuable practice for those in positions of leadership to formulate strategic plans that shape the goals and activities of an organi-zation for a three to fi ve year period. Often, this planning process is shaped by a broader statement of vision or purpose, and augmented with state-ments of mission, objectives, and ac-tion plans. Th e Geneva School board of governors, working with the head-master and school administration, practices and embraces these meth-ods. But what is it that determines and shapes all these formulations in the fi rst place, that characterizes all of our programs and activities, and which will determine whether these values persist over an extended period—say one hundred years? From an eternal perspective, the answer is the Holy Spirit and the sovereignty of God. At a human or organizational level, it is a matter of identity.

What is it, then, that uniquely iden-tifi es Th e Geneva School, that repre-sents what it was established to be, and what, Lord willing, it will be-come? By defi nition, it is a school—an organization seeking to provide instruction; but in doing so it should irreducibly exhibit the following three distinct, but intertwined and interdependent themes or character-istics:

• a commitment to authentic ref-ormational Christianity

• a passion for classicism, and re-imagining the great tradition of the liberal arts

• a dedication to excellence: fi rst and foremost in education, then in life

Christian commitmentTh e Geneva School unasham-edly embraces and asserts the truth of God’s Word and its ap-plication to all areas of human life and study. Our study of God at work is not relegated to de-votional interludes or marginal electives—it permeates all areas of our curriculum and provides the context and foundation for everything we do. It enriches our study of literature, deepens our understanding of the fl ow of hu-man history, and enhances our

understanding of chemistry, physics, and calculus. We understand that human achievement in any domain is only possible or fully realized when it is undertaken in light of the gospel. Th is stance shapes not only what we know, but also who we are and how we live. One fruit of this belief is that we expect the school to be character-ized by an atmosphere of grace and civility, seeking both to serve and engage the world. We also expect all our endeavors to be submitted, in all humility and fervent prayer, to God’s providence and sovereignty.

Th e Geneva School unreservedly af-fi rms the theology of the Protestant Reformation, sharing its name, logo motifs, and motto with Geneva, Switzerland, the major geographical locus of that historical movement: Post Tenebras Lux—”After Darkness, Light.” Th e Reformers, in confront-ing the errors and excesses of their day and shaping their beliefs and ac-tions in submission to Scripture, re-discovered authentic, historical, and biblical Christianity (what C.S. Lew-is referred to as “mere christianity”).

A Question of IdentityBy Gordon Cloke, Board Member

IDENTITY ...

Th e set of characteris-tics by which a thing is defi nitively recognizable or known as a persistent entity.

Th e distinctive biblical doctrines that re-emerged during the Reformation represent the only solid foundation for a serious, obedient pursuit of God and an education that embraces a complete (that is, Christian) conception of truth.

Looking beyond the modern “evangelical ghetto,” we therefore foster a sense of historical connectedness, seek-ing to establish continuity with our forebears in Christ. We do so not only with the events and characters of the Reformation, but with believers (saints) of every age, with whom we share the same confession—that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!

Classical FocusTh e method of instruction used at Th e Geneva School is designed to embody the tradition of teaching that origi-nally took shape during the classical period and which has emerged consistently throughout history as the pin-nacle of human achievement in the realm of education. Th e classical approach may be defi ned in terms of its characteristic content, method, and result.

Th e content of classical teaching is most often associated with the study of Greek and Roman language and cul-ture, or more generally in an emphasis on the great books, history, or the humanities. In fact, less intuitively but just as powerfully, the classical approach extends also to mathematics, athletics, science, and theology, when they are taught in a holistic and interdisciplinary man-ner—not artifi cially separating the arts and sciences, but uniting them all within a Christian worldview. We understand ourselves to be re-covering the noble tradition of the liberal arts, but also re-imagining and re-applying its enduring principles for this generation and generations to come.

Th e method of classical teaching embraces the trivium—a time-proven framework for achieving educational com-petency using a three-stage developmental approach. First, the basic facts and techniques of a subject are mas-tered (grammar); then the student is encouraged to fo-cus on applying that knowledge in analysis, debate, or problem-solving (logic/dialectic) and fi nally, to critique, synthesize, and innovate from that knowledge in a com-pelling manner (rhetoric). Th is approach, which has emerged throughout Western history in association with academic achievement, is applied to the individual stu-

dent, to the study of a particular discipline, and in the overall structure of the educational program at Th e Ge-neva School. Beyond the trivium, the classical method of teaching emphasizes participatory learning that engages all the student’s faculties—a trait sometimes described as “hands-on” or “incarnational”—and, while it seeks the best possible tools and materials, intentionally avoids over-dependence on text-books or worksheets. Classical learning is a matter of discipline and study, but, crucially, it is also experiential.

Th e result of classical teaching is students of all abilities, passions, and backgrounds with an authentic under-standing of the subjects they have studied and how to ap-ply them, both in life and in the continued lifelong study for which they are both equipped and motivated. When combined with our commitment to Christian character, this is why we aspire to graduate virtuous scholars.

Vision for excellenceMany claim to strive for excellence, so called. Few de-fi ne it well, and yet fewer achieve it. Th e Geneva School pursues excellence in all areas of school life, knowing that whatever we do, we do it all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Looking beyond temporary cir-

cumstances, we fi x our eyes on what is unseen and eternal (2 Corinthi-ans 4:18), and strive for academic, moral, and personal excellence in all things.

As a school we fi rst and foremost seek excellence in the classroom. If our eff orts, be they ever so diligent and well motivated, result in an edu-cation that is unremarkable, we have

failed in our main purpose. Teachers and students are therefore continually spurred on to higher achievement in their academic, athletic, and spiritual pursuits so that the whole world might be amazed at what God can do with faithful men and women committed to excellence.

As an organization, we seek excellence in leadership, ad-ministration, and governance. Th ose responsible for di-recting the school are called to the same high standards, in their domain, that we demand in the classroom. Only if they achieve it, will the school be able to sustain its suc-cess over an extended period.

As individuals we seek excellence in life and in all things, not only in our direct participation at the school. Only if the lives of those involved at Th e Geneva School are

If our eff orts, be they ever so diligent and well motivated, result in an education that is unremarkable, we have failed in our main purpose.

transformed in this way will we achieve our broader goal of transforming culture.

We reject, therefore, apathy, mediocrity, and measures that are merely relative. While celebrating academic achievement and thanking God for his good gifts, for which we feel a burden of stewardship, we also reject the worldly pitfalls of intellectual, social, or fi nancial elitism. Looking beyond even excellence, we strive for the per-fection to which the body of Christ is called (Matthew 5:48), and most of all for the perfect love which Scripture commends as the highest good (1 Corinthians 13:13).

Sine Qua NonTaken together, these themes represent, in summary form, the necessary and suffi cient conditions for the con-tinued existence and prosperity of Th e Geneva School. Without any one of them, the school will cease to be what it was established to be.

At any given time, including today, the school does not entirely fulfi ll its promise in all of these areas. Th e pursuit of excellence and perfection is never complete. We pray, however, that it will increasingly fulfi ll that promise as the school progresses from its current infancy to a greater realization of these values that we affi rm. Even today, the school exhibits these characteristics in many areas, providing a wonderful foretaste of what it can become, and also an enormous blessing to all those who believe in what it is striving to do, and to their children. A fam-ily’s participation at Th e Geneva School can last a decade

or more. Our success in serving those families year after year, decade after decade, if achieved in recognition of this identity, will serve to ensure that Th e Geneva School of tomorrow, or a hundred years from now, will recogniz-ably be Th e Geneva School.

A Community of Faith and LearningAs we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Th e Gene-va School, we have much to be thankful for and much to which we can yet aspire. Among many other things, we have learned that living out this identity cannot be successfully realized as isolated individuals, but depends crucially on a committed community: bonds of love and aff ection that unite us in seeking these ends and sustain us in working through the many challenges we must overcome (not least our own limitations). Together as a school community, we hold these ideals in sacred trust, to each other, to our children, and to the Lord.

Ultimately, the school affi rms and celebrates the fact that our individual and collective identity is to be found in Christ alone, a name higher than all other names (Phi-lippians 2:9). It is for that reason that we love to sing together: Non nobis Domine, sed nomini tuo da gloriam—Not to us, O LORD, but to your name give glory.

Psalm 115:1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

What Is and Why Do Christian Classical Education?Monday, January 21

7pm at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church

Susan Wise Bauer is an American author, English instructor of writing and American literature at Th e College of Wil-liam and Mary, and founder of Peace Hill Press. She holds a Master of Divinity from Westminster Th eological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA, and a Master of Arts in English and a Ph.D. in American Studies from Th e College of William and Mary. She received her B.A. from Liberty University. She has been a member of the English faculty at Wil-liam and Mary since 1993.

Mrs. Bauer is the author of Th e Well-Educated Mind: A Guide to the Classical Education You Never Had, a guide to reading the great books, published by W. W. Norton (2003); a four-volume world history series for children, Th e Story of the World, published by Peace Hill Press; and the fi rst two volumes of a forthcoming four-volume world history

series for W. W. Norton. She co-authored, with her mother Jessie Wise, Th e Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, published by W. W. Norton in 1999 and revised and updated it in 2004 and 2009. Th is text established Bauer as a central fi gure in the modern classical education and home education movements. She is currently at work on Th e Complete Writer, a K–12 writing program for home educators and private schools.

An Evening with Dr. Susan Wise Bauer

Kevin Clark, who teaches philoso-phy, apologetics, and theology to rhetoric students, and Jenna Bag-noli, who works as a teacher’s aide at the early childhood campus, both embody Geneva’s goal, ex-pressed in the school’s value state-ment, “to instill in the educational community ... an enduring love of learning.”

Jenna will graduate this Decem-ber from the University of Central Florida with a Master of Science degree in Early Childhood Devel-opment and Education and will re-ceive a Certifi cate in International Global and Comparative Educa-tion next summer. She earned a B.A. in Psychology from the Uni-versity of Southern California and has served as the K4 aide at our ear-ly childhood campus since the fall of 2009. Mrs. Lorrie Stewart, the K4 teacher, appreciates her patient and loving manner with students. Mrs. Heidi Heinsch, director of

early childhood, praises Jenna for her keen insight into children and service, “a rarity for someone her age,” and notes that she is beloved by students, parents, and colleagues alike for being knowledgeable, car-ing, and lots of fun.

At the end of October, Kevin suc-cessfully completed comprehen-sive written and oral examinations in pursuit of a Doctor of Liberal Studies from Georgetown Univer-sity in Washington, DC. Th is is an important milestone in his studies since it marks the end of course-work and allows him to advance to candidacy. In early November he was invited to present a paper at the Society for Ricoeur Studies an-nual conference in Rochester, NY. In mid-December, he will return to Georgetown to be recognized as one of the student-authors whose work is being featured in the sixth volume of the university’s Writing Across the Curriculum publication.

TGS Welcomes Malia DreyerMalia Dreyer offi cially joined the Th e Geneva School development team on October 23. In the spring of 2012, while a senior at Rollins College, she worked at Geneva as an intern with a primary focus on the annual auction. Although never a student at TGS, Malia is no stranger to the school. Malia’s sister, Ellie Dreyer (a senior this year), began at TGS in fourth grade. Th rough watching Ellie and her experiences at Geneva, Malia grew in appreciation for the impact a Christian classical education has on a student’s life.

Malia graduated from Trinity Prep and earned her B.A. in Psychology from Rollins College in 2012. She enjoys volunteering in the children’s ministry program at her church and was thrilled when the opportunity arose to join the Geneva family!

Life-long Learners

What makes for a successful Auction?

Volunteers

Guests

Prayer

Donations

Sponsorships

CelebrateThe Geneva School’s

20th Anniversary

If you are interested in helping please contact Katie

How can you help?

Volunteer before or during the auction

Ask for or make Donations

Buy a sponsorship or ask a company to sponsor a table

Pray Fervently for the Auction

Attend the Auction and bring friends

An Auction Benefiting Geneva Students.

March 9, 2013

with any aspect of the auction, Deatherage at 321.422.0220

Th e National Letter of intent is a binding agreement between a student athlete and National Letter of In-tent member institution. Less than 4% of high school athletes nationwide will play their sport in college, and only 2.5% of high school female volleyball players will play at the collegiate level. Today, we are here to re-joice with Rachel and the commitment she has made to Daytona State College. Daytona State is part of the NJCAA Division and the Mid Florida Conference.

Th is past season Rachel Barker led the volleyball team to their fourth district championship, posting 44 kills in the postseason alone and a .28 hitting percentage. Rachel also posted a school record this season with 28 kills in one match. Coach Hollie Benjumea is incredibly honored that she was just as committed to playing here at TGS as she was to be-coming an outstanding athlete.

Rachel started her volleyball career here at TGS in 6th grade. We are thrilled she is able to fi nish her career where she start-ed. She has posted over 294 kills this season alone and more than 46 blocks. Rachel was named varsity captain in 2011 at Colonial High School and again here at TGS this season. Rachel was also named the Most Valuable player of the Dis-trict this year.

Rachel Barker Signs with Daytona State College

Fall Sports Round-UpVolleyball, Golf, and Cross Country

JV Volleyball: Th e JV volleyball team had a season of growth and prepara-tion, playing against strong public

school programs and challenged in pre-mier JV tournaments. Th e girls were pushed

to organize and execute varsity-level concepts while continuing to develop varsity characteris-

tics—teamwork, selfl essness, encouragement, belief, per-severance, determination regardless of outcome—all of which could be attributed to these special young ladies coached by Quynh Nguyen.

Th e JV Lady Knights fi nished the season with a 10-7 re-cord and wrapped it up by celebrating a victory over the boys of Th e Geneva School in the 4th annual boys vs. girls fundraiser. As the off -season begins, many of these players will continue their athletic pursuits, participating in winter and spring sports at TGS—great cross-training for next volleyball season. Th e future is bright. GO LADY KNIGHTS!

Middle School Volleyball: Th e 7th/8th grade team con-sisted of twelve players; fi ve of whom were returning play-ers from last year’s team. Many of the new players had lit-tle to no experience in volleyball and needed to start with the basics. Th is dynamic presented a few challenges and

the team had to work very hard in order to get the new players up to speed with their teammates in time for the fi rst game against a very competitive St. Luke’s team. After a slow start, losing their fi rst two games, they worked tire-lessly to rally back, fi nishing the season with six wins and three losses.

Geneva was seeded third going into the end-of-season tournament and advanced to the semifi nal round after beating Central Florida Christian Academy. In their semi-fi nal match they faced Central Florida Prep, to whom they had lost in the regular season. Th e match was diffi cult, but the girls proved victorious and advanced to the fi nal round. Th ey fi nished the tournament as runners-up, los-ing to Faith Christian Academy by just four points in the tiebreaker game. Overall it was a great season and their coach, Cludeen Roundtree, is very proud of the girls ac-complishments and the awesome trophy they brought home to Geneva!

Varsity Volleyball: Th e varsity volleyball team coached by Hollie Benjumea fi nished the season with the outstanding record of 20-7. Th e team held on to their title as district champions for the fi fth consecutive year.

Th e season began with the exciting news of the return of

the Barker sisters—Rachel and Sarah. Not only did this add a signifi cant amount of height to the team, but both girls brought a positive and exciting energy with them. In addition to this, the return-ing athletes worked hard and gained valuable experience in the off -season. Jade Kong and Lily Cloke were named to the All-District team and Rachel Barker was named the district’s most valuable player.

Th e fans might say the most exciting part of the season was the regional quarterfi nal match against Saint John Lutheran School from Ocala. While this match proved to be an important milestone in a successful season, most of the girls would argue that their service project at Give Kids the World was an equally important milestone in their lives. Our team served dinner, cleared tables, volun-teered in the castle, and helped work the carousel for chil-dren with chronic and fatal diseases. Th is kind of project characterizes the varsity volleyball team at TGS. While the 2012 volleyball team was a fi erce competitor in the Central Florida 2A division, earning great wins and suff ering few losses, the young ladies never lost sight of the more valuable lessons learned by competing in a team sport.

Th roughout the season the team had other memorable moments and signifi cant accom-plishments. Th e beginning of the season was marked by a fun tournament in Stuart, Florida. Th e team competed alongside other large pub-lic high schools and fi nished third overall. Th e team also took a victory in the Swing for Cure

Classic Tournament, winning the championship title in the silver division.

Although the team is losing two wonderful seniors, Lily Cloke and Rachel Barker, the rising senior class is strong in leadership and numbers. All returners are participat-ing in some way with club volleyball and will certainly be prepared to make it to the regional playoff s in the 2013 season.

Girls Golf: Rebuilding seems to be a theme in the Ge-neva golf program this year. Th e girls number one, two,

and four golfers from last year’s team had graduated after collecting three district runner-up trophies. Even though golf is a team sport, the individual scores are what are most important and learning to play golf is very diffi cult. All golfers play the same course; there is no left fi eld in golf where a beginner can hang out until they get the hang of it.

So, Coach Polk pulled out all the stops. He had the golfers hooked to lasers and repeatedly videotaped their swings until they slowly improved. From the fi rst match to the last, they were able to cut the team score by almost 40 strokes, or roughly 10 strokes per golfer. Th ey also won a few matches along the way, beating Crooms and Or-angewood twice each. By the time the season was over, they had a record of 4 wins and 5 losses. Th ey fi nished fourth in the district tournament, one spot off advancing to the regional competition. Coach Polk was very proud

of his girls as our district has some very talented teams. Coach Polk com-mented, “Our girls have a great deal of potential—it is now up to them to work as hard in the off -season as they did this fall!”

Boys Golf: Th e boys season was very much a transition season. Th ree players graduated last year and four new players were added to the roster: Chris Cox (returning after a year off ), Austin Manuel, Luke Pollard, and John Allen. Returning athletes were Patrick Chandler, Danny Downward, David Allen, Andrew Gunter, and Andrew Mathias. Th ere was tight competition within the team, with the fi rst spot going back and forth between David Allen and Chris Cox, who averaged in the upper 40’s. Th e next spot alternated between Patrick Chandler and Aus-tin Manuel, who averaged in the lower 50’s. All the other players improved as the season progressed. It is often said that the goal is improvement, and these boys, through their hard work and dedication defi nitely improved.

Boys golf is very competitive in Central Florida and our boys played against some teams that are exceptional. Speaking competitively the boys team won all the matches they were expected to win. A highlight of the season was taking four golfers to the district tournament. Beginning last year, the district instituted a qualifying average to play in the tournament—a stroke average of 50 for nine holes. By the end of the season, four were able to go. Th e TGS boys didn’t place, but Coach Hickok was extremely proud of their accomplishment.

Girls Varsity Cross Country: With the goal of returning to the state championships following a one year hiatus, the girls varsity cross country team sought to build mo-mentum through the early season meets and peak for the State Series. In the Class 1A District 6 Championships, the team dominated the race on their way to the champi-

onship trophy by placing six runners in the top ten fi nish-ers. Advancing to the Class 1A Region 2 Championship in Gainesville, the team fulfi lled their season goal with a 4th place fi nish to qualify for the state meet. In Tallahas-see at the Class 1A Final, the team fi nished in 14th place with a strong showing by all the runners. Th roughout the season, this team was led by senior Sarah Brodrecht who fi nished as the team’s top runner in every race, highlighted by her runner-up fi nish at the district championship.

Th is year’s team was well balanced with both senior expe-rience and youthful potential. Seniors Sarah Brodrecht, Shannon Riley, Ellie Dreyer, and Megan Miller provided great leadership and consistent strong fi nishes through-out the season while underclassmen Carrie Sloan, Laura Shriner, Shelley Downward, and Cassidy Goble contin-ued to grow and develop through the season, consistently fi nishing in the team’s top fi ve and showing outstanding potential for many years to come.

Boys Varsity Cross Country: With a youthful and talented group of new runners, this year’s team improved through-out the season, gaining valuable experience and showing great promise for the future. In the Class 1A District 6 Championship, the team brought home the runner-up trophy, fi nishing behind state power Trinity Prep. At the Class 1A Region 2 Championship, with the top six teams advancing to the state fi nal, the team came up just short, fi nishing in 7th place—the highest team fi nish in school history. Th is year’s team was led by sophomore Nicholas Gonzalez who fi nished 2nd in the district championship and 11th place at the regional championship, which ad-

vanced him to the state meet as an individual qualifi er. At the Class 1A State Final, Gonzalez put forth an outstanding eff ort and set a personal best time of 16:38 to fi nish in 13th place, and earning 2nd Team All-State honors.

In addition to Gonzalez, Isak Davis consistently fi nished among the Class 1A elite, with strong top ten fi nishes in the early season meets, and missed qualifying for the state championship by a mere two seconds at the regional meet. Talented newcomers to the varsity team who showed great promise and consistently fi nished in the team’s top seven included Ethan Brodrecht, Austin Rader, Ben Rader, Alex Kallinger, and Asher Davis. Closing out the varsity team roster was senior team captain Gabe Pederson, who demonstrated outstanding leadership and eff ort.

Boys and Girl Junior Varsity and Middle School Cross Country: With the largest JV and middle school team in school history, the team showed a lot of potential for the upcoming years, with promising progress and development throughout the season.

Highlights for the JV season included the season-ending trip to Gainesville for the Last Chance JV Championship where nearly ev-eryone set personal records. Th e JV boys were led by Jordan Prince, Eli Brodrecht, Stephen Miceli, Andrew Etter, and Joshua Meyer, while the girls JV team was led by Emma Var-gas, Amanda Goble, Moira Cloke, Pa-tricia Abely, Brianna Goble, and Anna Meyer. Th rough the season they con-tinued to improve their times while gaining valuable experience for var-sity competition in the years ahead. Th e middle school girls team fi nished in 3rd place in the Open Division at the Middle School State Champion-ship. Th ey were led by Taylor Hunt-er, Sophie Vargas, Hannah Guzman, Anna Classe, Corinne Smith, and Ellie McDaniel. Th e boys middle school team was led by Th omas Bro-drecht, whose season was highlighted by a 37th place fi nish at the Middle School State Championship.

Th e future of Geneva Cross Country looks great. With many experienced runners returning next year and lots of promising talent coming through the ranks, Coach Mark Caulfi eld and Assistant Coach Lou Jones could not be more proud.

On Saturday, November 24, Nicholas Gonzalez traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina to compete in the Footlocker South Region Cross Country Championships. Th is meet brings in top runners from 16 states throughout the southeast United States. Nicholas fi nished in 19th place in the Sopho-more Boys Division setting a new school record of 16:22 for the 5000 me-ter race, and earning All South Region honors. Congratulations, Nicholas!

Twelve years ago, seven teenagers were preparing to make history—they would be the fi rst students to graduate from Th e Geneva School. In May of 2001, at the Orlando Gar-den Club, Brent Berry, Caroline Candeto, T. Cason, Tim Fridsma, Nathan Patton, Anna Tiscione, and Alyssa Yount walked across the stage to receive their diplomas. Since then a lot has happened—at Geneva and in the lives of those pio-neering students.

We recently caught up with Th e Geneva School Class of 2001 to see how God has directed and guided their lives over the past 12 years.

After graduation Brent Berry attended Mercer College for one summer semester and then transferred to Reinhardt College for two years. He then moved back to Orlando to pursue a career in the construction industry. Brent worked for several local builders and gained experience in new con-struction, residential renovations, and commercial build-outs. After receiving his general contractors license in 2006, he started his own company, Berry Construction Group (formerly known as Berry Homes and Renovations, Inc.). Brent was hoping to complete his bachelor’s degree this year, however his business has exploded during the last half of this year so it will probably be next year before he is able to fi nish.

In 2008, Brent married Amanda. Th ey had their fi rst child, a son Mason, in August 2010 and are expecting a daughter in March 2013. Currently, Brent and his family reside in Winter Park.

Caroline (Candeto) Newkirk graduated from UCF in 2005 with a B.A. in French and Spanish, and married Matt a few months later. Matt earned an M.Div. from RTS Orlando in 2008, during which time Caroline worked in the offi ce at Geneva and as a French and Latin teacher at the school. In the summer of 2008, the Newkirks moved to the Chicago area for Matt to begin a Ph.D. program at Wheaton College. Th ey also took a vision trip to Nagoya, Japan, where God confi rmed their call to serve at a seminary and church plant there long-term. Caroline taught Latin for a year at a Chris-tian classical school in Wheaton and graduated with an M.A. in Intercultural Studies from Wheaton in 2010, two months before their daughter, Lydia, was born. In January 2011 the Newkirks returned to Orlando to care for Caroline’s siblings and for her mother Robin Candeto, who died in May of that year. Matt will graduate from Wheaton with his Ph.D. in Old Testament this spring, and the Newkirks are joyfully expecting their second child in June. Matt has worked at a number of diff erent churches in NC, FL, CA and IL and

Where Are They Now—Class of 2001?

Brent Berry

Caroline (Candeto) Newkirk

is now an Assistant Pastor at St. Paul’s in Orlando. Caro-line enjoys being a stay-at-home mom and serving in church ministry wherever they are located. Matt and Caroline are now studying Japanese in anticipation of serving as career missionaries to Japan several years from now.

Following his graduation from Th e Geneva School, T. Cason earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from the University of Florida followed by a Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin, Texas. Shortly after graduating from law school, T. married his college sweetheart, Melissa, whom he met at UF while taking a course in Chaucer—the fi rst and last 8 am class of his academic career. He still appreciates Mr. and Mrs. King making him think it was worth waking up that early to study medieval literature.

After law school, T. took his fi rst job in New York as a securities lawyer with Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, the nation’s second-oldest law fi rm, where he oversaw the issu-ance of over $2.2 billion of high yield bonds. T. and his wife recently moved to Dallas, Texas, where T. practices in mergers and acquisitions for Vinson & Elkins LLP, rep-resenting a mix of public and private companies and pri-vate equity groups, while Melissa is pursuing her career as a family law attorney. Melissa and T. like Dallas and very much enjoy the quintessential Dallas pastimes of eating, shopping and traveling.

Tim Fridsma entered Th e Geneva School as a freshman in 1997. After graduating from Th e Geneva School, he at-tended Covenant College outside of Chattanooga, Tennes-see. Th anks to a love of reading bolstered by the tutelage of Mr. and Mrs. King, he graduated in 2005 with a B.A. in English Literature. Tim stayed in Chattanooga for several years working at Covenant College. During his fi rst day as a student at Covenant, Tim met his now wife, Sara, though they did not date until several years after they both gradu-ated. Th ey were married in August of 2008 and are settled in the suburbs of Atlanta. Tim and Sara have two children. Jane was born in May of 2011 and Tobias was born in No-vember of 2012. Tim picked up cycling in 2006 after com-peting in a triathlon in Chattanooga with his mom and has been riding ever since. After becoming engaged, he took the opportunity to change cities and industries. He currently works as the Store Manager for the Roswell, GA location of Performance Bicycles. While primarily a mountain bike rider, Tim hopes to return to competing in triathlons after a several year hiatus.

After graduating from Th e Geneva School, Nathan Patton went to Furman University where he majored in English. He went from there to live and teach in Harlem with Teach for America. He earned his Masters in Teaching at Pace

University in New York City. Nathan is now the 9th grade English teacher and Dean of Instruction at a charter school he helped start last year in Newark, NJ. He has been mar-ried for two years to Karen Sandberg Patton whom he met at Furman University. After earning her PhD in school psy-chology at the University of Georgia, she is now the Direc-tor of Special Education at the TEAM Schools Network in Newark, a network of fi ve KIPP schools.

T. Cason

Tim Fridsma

Nathan Patton

Anna Tiscione joined Th e Geneva School the end of her freshman year of high school. After graduation, she continued her educa-tion at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL while working full time in retail. Since then, she has focused her career in visual mer-chandising in the fashion industry. She now fi rmly plants her feet in Brooklyn, NY. She has recently started

working for a luxury apparel brand, AllSaints, focusing on visual presentation and training and development of teams, and oversees twelve retail locations within the northeast district. She has no kids, no pets, but has a “throbbing green thumb.” She has become a typical New Yorker (or should we say Brooklynite?), and thrives off the fast-paced, cultured, ever-changing environment.

Alyssa (Yount) Smith attended Th e Geneva School for 11th and 12th grades. Since graduation in 2001 Alyssa spent a term abroad in Japan. Shortly after her return she suff ered a back injury followed by two years of surgeries and rehabilitation. In the wake of recovery, Alyssa pur-sued college coursework but ultimately chose to prioritize marriage and family as a high demand, high reward career. Alyssa and her husband Adam have been married for seven years and have three children ages 6, 4, and 2 and a fourth due in late January. Alyssa is currently homeschooling her two eldest children. In the midst of family life, Alyssa has discovered an interest in the fi eld of health services. Since 2011 she has pursued entrance into the radiography pro-gram through Valencia College. With the Lord’s blessing and a great collaboration of schedules she hopes to com-plete a radiography degree in the next two years.

Why aren’t you doingBeowulf this year?

By Lisa Hines

“My child was so disappointed when he heard you weren’t doing Beowulf.” “You aren’t doing Beowulf? Th at is my favorite show!” To be honest, I was a little disappointed, too. I wrote that show for the current 10th grade class when they were fourth graders, and it is full of memories for me. However, after looking at the calendar with the fourth grade teachers, we real-ized that trying to wedge Beowulf in the schedule was going to cause a lot of undue stress on the students.

Th e purpose of the plays is to teach the students about literature or history through performance, to teach them personal responsibility, teamwork, how to follow directions—the list is extensive, but does not include “because that play is full of good memories for me.” So we looked for another solution. Since the students are studying the medieval era, we decided that I could write a few simple Mystery Plays, plays that have Bible stories as their subjects, and have the students perform them outside. Th en, we had a new problem: how could I split into four diff er-ent people for each class and work with each group? Fourth graders are still too young to be given a script and disciplined enough to work on their own. So, to solve the problem, we decided that I would assign groups of my rhetoric drama students to produce the shows, while I oversaw their direction. It was risky, but I am so thankful that we took the risk!

It was interesting to watch my high school students rise to the occasion and direct the fourth graders. Th ey would ask me for advice on how to help the younger children feel more confi dent: “I know she can do this part. How do I help her see that she can do it?” I am not sure which group learned more from the experi-ence.

Th e week after the shows, as I watched the upper school students play a kickball game against the fourth graders, I realized that it was ridiculous for me to be disappointed about not doing Beowulf. An answer to one of the questions I gave my rhetoric students, What do you wish you realized before you began? sums it up best: “How wonderful this experience would be.”

Alyssa (Yount) Smith

Anna Tiscione

Feeling somewhat nervous, I walked into Mrs. Kinsman’s fourth grade classroom, followed closely by three of my Drama I classmates. Mrs. Hines had given us the job of choosing, casting, costuming, and directing a play, to be performed by a group of fourth graders. On November 1, the entire fourth grade (directed by the entire rhetoric dra-ma class) came together to perform a series of Bible stories in the medieval cycle-drama fashion—performed on the vil-lage green, of course (the TGS fi eld)!

I had never directed a play before, or worked with Geneva fourth grade students. I wondered what it would be like to teach the children I had seen so often in the hallways, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Would they be rowdy? Well-behaved? Talented? Excited? Would they cooperate with us? Could we handle a group of fi ve fourth graders?

As we greeted them and introduced ourselves, I realized that we would soon know all of this and more. We were high school actors no longer. Now we were directors.

I looked around the room and smiled. Th e children were laughing, full of energy, and talkative. Th is shouldn’t be too hard, right?

Th ey look excited about their new play. In fact, they were very excited. Th ey shot a salvo of questions at us, one after another. What are our parts? How long is the play? When do we get cast? Do we have costumes?

As we got to know these fi ve fourth graders, we discovered that they were a very energetic group of children. Th ey grad-ually came out of their comfort zones, and we watched stu-dents who read well perform even better. I was surprised by their appropriate choices of gesture and the expressions on their faces while they were onstage. Th ey were really doing a great job. And, what’s more, they didn’t grumble when I

announced we had to run through the play again. Th ey were always cheerful and enjoyed rehearsing our play, “Jonah and the Whale,” every Tuesday and Th ursday. One of their fa-vorite parts of the whole production was the trying on and wearing of their costumes.

My favorite part of the whole experience was the friend-ships we formed with the students. We would pat them on the head and give them hugs and tell them what a fantastic job they were doing, and they began to come up to us in the hallway and give us hugs back. Th ey shared stories from their world—stories about their cats, siblings, and their own brave adventures, and with smiles we attempted to bring order by announcing that they had to speak one at a time!

Making the transition from actor to director was an inter-esting experience for my friends and me. We had a lot of new responsibility. We had to keep track of who went to the bathroom, and which parts they were playing, and which line belonged to whom. We learned that they had to be re-minded to memorize lines, use the props correctly, and bow at the end of their performance. And we had to remember to be kind, but fi rm; excited, but orderly; and encouraging, but honest.

As a director it was diffi cult not to notice when the students made mistakes. Sometimes they exited in the wrong direc-tion or skipped a few lines. It was tempting to interrupt their performance every time a mistake was made and fi x the problem, instead of saving my comments for the end. But my friend and co-director Kara Hellweg reminded me what this experience was really all about: learning how to perform theatre in a way that glorifi es God.

I am happy to say that all of us, both the directors and the students, enjoyed this experience very much.

Learning How to Direct in the Right DirectionBy Maddie Noll, Freshman

Our job as educators at Th e Geneva School is not just culti-vating scholars but virtuous scholars, students whose moral character is informed by what is good, true, and beautiful. For our sixth graders this journey, the strengthening of their inner man, is not always easy. We ask them to engage with diffi cult material, but in the struggle we, as their teachers, enjoy the privilege of watching them grow.

One such experience is the play our sixth graders are doing this year, I Never Saw Another Butterfl y. Unlike its prede-cessor, Alice in Wonderland, this production is an emotional drama that places our sixth graders at the center of the Ho-locaust in the Czech ghetto of Terezin. One day each week since September our students have stepped back in time, stepped into the shoes of Jewish children their own age, and shared in the trials, sorrows, and hopes of their characters. Th e students have done all this in preparation for the night that they will share this powerful story with friends and family. Th ey do not pretend that this has been easy—for

many the empathy they feel with the characters they play has aff ected them on a deep emotional level. We have been encouraged to see them grapple with the tragedy and harsh sorrow of the past, allowing it to transform who they are and how they think about the world.

Our students have responded to the complete loss the chil-dren of Terezin faced with hearts more fi nely tuned to the blessings in their own lives, hearts more fi nely tuned to giving thanks for things big and small, hearts more fi nely tuned to the reality of suff ering and the ability of God’s love to bring light to darkness. Th ey are more alive to the pres-ence and need for hope and faith at all times. For us as their teachers, the cultivation of these just sentiments is worth far more than a knowledge of the horrors and atrocities of the Holocaust. It is the reason why we ask them to struggle with diffi cult things; so that through the struggle their characters may be conformed more and more into the image of our Savior, who knew ultimate suff ering that we might be free.

Cultivating the Good in TerezinBy Amanda Hallock (6th Grade Teacher)

Student Refl ections

“Th is play has made me feel very thankful for what I have. I have started to notice and be thankful for things such as getting a snack whenever I want one or brush-ing my teeth. Being part of this play has made me see how easy my life is.” –Ashton Holt

“I enjoyed learning this part of history. It touched me because I have relatives that are Jewish. It made me much more thankful for them. I think the play is good for us. It has helped us to not take advantage of things. Th is play has helped me to realize how fortunate I am and has encouraged me to help kids who are less fortu-nate.” –Madison Bullock

“Our play is very meaningful. Seeing how little the children had makes me more thankful for all of my blessings. Even though the Jews were in such a hor-rible situation, they made the best of it. Th e Jews were very strong because even though they had nothing they still were happy. To me our play is a touching story of strong Jews fi nding happiness in the worst situations.” –Christina Hering

“Th is play is diff erent than any other play I’ve ever done. It is deep and depressing, but now I look at the world and see all the blessings that I didn’t notice before. Th is play will make you look at life diff erently.” –Cole Foreman

“Th is play encouraged me to encourage others with God’s love. When I think of the children not able to be with their parents, it makes me want to help others. Like in the play, Irena’s daughter was torn away from her; but every time she helps another child, her child laughs. I want to do that, help others with God’s help and God’s love.” –Sally Park

“I feel that this play is sad but meaningful because I lost my dad, but the kids in the ghettos lost everything.” –Andrew Byerly

“I Never Saw Another Butterfl y has impacted the way I think about the world. It has made me realize how lucky I am for all the little things in life such as clean water and a bed.” –Madison Mathias

“Today we can try to think about what that would feel like, to have everything you loved taken away; but we can’t really go back to Terezin and relive that experience. Th is is why doing the play is good for us. We can reenact how those children could have felt and feel grateful for everything we have today.” –Sarah Rose

“Th is play makes me see how I have so much and should be thankful for it.” –Isaac Shifl ett

“I think that I Never Saw Another Butterfl y is signifi cant because it shows how fortunate we are to have freedom, a home, and even school.” –Austin Erdemoglu

“When I play the part of Irena, I really feel like I am her—that I am living her life again.” –Saff ron Pollard

“I think this play is a good reminder of all the hardships in the world.” –Lauren Chandler

“Th is play made me realize that I can be thankful for things I never thought of before; like dirty dishes mean I ate and had something to eat on. I am really thankful that Mrs. Hines picked this play because it has made a huge impact on me.” –Kayla Stairs

“I have really enjoyed doing this play. I have learned how, despite the horrors of the ghetto, they tried to live normal lives; how some people risked life and limb to help each other; how they endured the worst thing imaginable, but still carried on with life. It has taught me not to complain.” –Donovan Weir

Th e second grade students present Eeyore’s Friends Build Him a House each year while reading Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne. Putting on a play is not only a lot of fun, it is a wonderful opportunity to serve family and friends through artistic endeavors such as artwork programs and thank you notes, or singing favorite songs to delight an audience.

Th ere are many academic and social benefi ts, as well. Memorizing lines for a play requires a great deal of reading and re-reading. Th is has a positive impact on reading fl uency, especially as a child practices reading the lines with expres-sion. Childhood is also a time when a great deal of information can be acquired through playful activities. A child’s participation in a play can demonstrate to them just how much they can remember and how a strong memory can become a powerful tool for learning. A play is also a chance to develop public speaking skills, speaking slowly and clearly, and looking someone in the eye while speak-ing. After the play, second grade students work diligently on thank you notes to

Eeyore’s Friends Build Him a House

all those who helped with the undertaking, learning to compose a friendly letter with ease.

Th e positive reaction of a crowd can be a tremendous encouragement to a young actor. Th at experience can really drive home the importance of timing as children learn to wait for an audience to stop laughing before they deliver their next line. For a truly memorable play to occur, students must learn to work well in a group. As they wait for a friend to deliver his lines, build a house together, or link arms to skip around the stage, teamwork skills are enhanced. What a great opportunity to work together on a project packed with so many advantages!

I have yet to see an ad for 4Rivers Smokehouse. But I have stood for a very long time in line, often in the sweltering heat of a Florida summer day, patiently waiting my turn to enjoy a beef brisket sandwich, baked beans, fries, and sweet tea. And this is the norm at each of their restaurant locations. In fact, patrons have come to expect the line as part of the dining experience. No one grumbles about the wait; rather, folks make new friends chatting in line and often times decide to sit down and enjoy their meal together once they have been served.

Th e secret? Word of mouth. Ubiquitous bumper stickers. Word of mouth. Incredible food. Word of mouth.

Word of mouth advertising works. It accounts for about 90% of all new Geneva families and students each year. Th e testimony of a satisfi ed family is a powerful incentive for another family to tour the school and enroll their chil-dren. One of the best ways to start a conversation with a prospective family is by simply wearing Geneva apparel. Curiosity will be piqued and inevitably the question will

be asked, “Can you tell me about Th e Geneva School?” What a great opportunity to speak well of the school, its Christian faith, staff , curriculum, sports and arts.

If you don’t yet have any of the new apparel that debuted at the Fall Festival, stop by the school offi ce and fi nd the color, size, style and look that best suits each member of your family. And then use the power of word of mouth to advance Th e Geneva School to friends who are not yet enrolled.

Check out the TGS store online on the Support TGS

pulldown. You can look at all the colors and sizes and even

download an order form.

TGS Apparel—a Great Conversation Starter!

How do you defi ne success? How would your friends describe you? Or better yet, what person has had the most infl u-ence on the person that you are today? Typically these are not easy questions to answer, especially when one is unpre-pared. Such was the reason for our mock interview night for our senior class this past month. Many selective colleges and universities will extend an interview to a prospective student as part of the ap-plication process. As director of college counseling, I want each of our students to be able to enter any interview with confi dence and comfort that comes from preparation. Th erefore I am grateful to a handful of volunteers who gave up their free time one Wednesday evening to in-terview, critique, and encourage our se-nior class.

Geneva senior Ellie Dreyer commented on her mock interview experience, “I was nervous in the beginning because I had never interviewed before. I didn’t know what to expect or what questions I would be asked. Th e interviewers did a great job coaching me. I have gained confi dence in my ability to present my-self and will feel comfortable with future interviews.”

As far as the importance of the interview, “it’s a critical piece of the application,” says Paul Roldan, Princeton alumnus and Geneva parent of two, who inter-views prospective students who are ap-plying to Princeton. Paul further com-ments, “Many applicants will look very similar on paper; the interview gives the applicant an opportunity to elevate or diff erentiate him or herself from the pool. It gives prospective students a chance to show their personality and discuss their passions that are unique to them; we want to know what they will contribute to the community and how they will fi t into the incoming class.”

So how did our seniors do? “Th e stu-dents we had did a really good job and

it was most encouraging to see the fruits of God’s grace, parental infl uences, and a Geneva education,” says Crosland Stuart, a member of Geneva’s board of governors. “I think this is an incredibly valuable experience for the students and that there are lessons to learn in this en-vironment that can help them for many, many years to come.”

One of our interviewers, John Riley, comments on his experience, “What struck me was the confi dence the stu-dents came in with. No detection of nerves. Also absent were the ‘you know, uh, and like’. However, more impres-sive was the moral fi ber that simply worked its way into the conversation. It was never overpowering or off ensive (to a potential secular interviewer), just a confi dent faith that was refl ected in most responses.” Well done seniors, well done!

Elsewhere in the college department:

• Th ank you to parents of sophomores and juniors for participating in their respective parent college sessions this past month.

• Monday, December 3, Mrs. Kong and I will be assisting the seniors in Bright Futures registration.

• Wednesday, January 9, J. Carey Th ompson with Rhodes College will be at Geneva at 7 pm to give an informational session on the Free Application for Student Federal Aid (FASFA). Th is is a must-attend event for parents of seniors.

As our seniors continue to submit applications and hear back from colleges, may the Lord bless them with guidance and discernment as they choose the place to which God is calling them. Many thanks for reading the college page. Stay tuned as we continue to update you on what’s happening at Geneva in the college counseling department.

College Counseling NewsBy Scott Th igpen, Director of College Counseling

Geneva has many hopes and aspirations for its graduates.

Th e full portrait of a Geneva graduate can be found on the school website (genevaschool.org/about-us/mission-vision-values/graduate). It is Geneva’s hope that through the offi ce of college counseling each senior will be better equipped to:

“Pursue(s) his/her calling under the intention that all of life might be redeemed. As an ambassador of Christ in this world, students will pursue their vocation with the hope that they will be a reconciling agent for the Gospel in all relationships and circumstances.”

Th is fall my recreational reading has included Peter Kreeft’s book Th e Philosophy of Tolkien: Th e Worldview Behind Th e Lord of the Rings. In this enjoyably readable book, Kreeft (who teaches philosophy at Boston Col-lege) gives an understandable intro-duction to philosophy using Tolkien’s epic to demonstrate how areas of phi-losophy can be seen in life and sto-ry. And, since Kreeft also loves C.S. Lewis, the reader is treated to almost as many examples from Lewis as from Tolkien. Can it get much better?

Just before Th anksgiving I read his chapter entitled “Epistemology” and almost immediately decided I needed to borrow liberally from his thoughts as I write this column.

Even though Kreeft deals with epis-temology in the middle of his book, it is often the opening subject in philosophical studies. Derived from the Greek word epistēmē (meaning “certain knowledge”), epistemology considers not the content of knowl-edge, but more fundamentally how we know. Th us, before we can talk about the things we know (metaphys-ics, theology, anthropology, etc.), we have to talk about how we know.

A couple of major schools of thought have dominated Western culture

with respect to how we know. Ratio-nalism focuses our knowing on the realm of the human mind and rea-son. Descartes’ “Cogito ergo sum” (“I think, therefore, I am”) perhaps best captures this concept. He is joined by other important rationalists like Spi-noza, Leibniz, and Hegel. Th e other school is Empiricism which holds that knowing derives primarily from our human sensory experience. We associate Bacon, Hobbes, Locke, and Hume with this school. Some have said that Rationalism places empha-sis on the “eye of the mind” (i.e., we know by thinking about the world) and Empiricism emphasizes the “eye of the body” (we know the world through our fi ve senses).

Kreeft points out that both of these Western approaches to knowing “ig-nore a more ancient organ of know-ing: intuition” (p. 122). Th is “third eye”—the “eye of the heart”—takes a more subjective, intuitive perspec-tive of our world, akin to the biblical eye of faith. We see this perspective articulated by Pascal when he said, “Th e heart has its reasons which rea-son knows nothing of.”

Intuition is not merely sentimental-ism. And we all know how foolhardy it can be to “follow your heart”! Th e Scriptures are replete with warnings about the nature of our hearts: e.g., “Th ere is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Prov. 14:12) and “Th e heart is de-ceitful above all things, and desper-ately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). Just as our minds may misinterpret data or err in reason-ing; just as we can be fooled by our feelings or err by thinking our sinful

experience must be right; so also, our intuition, our heart, can lead us to ruin.

Again, Kreeft summarizes this well: “For this ‘third eye,’ unlike reason and sense experience, depends on moral goodness; it is trustworthy only in the virtuous. So virtue is part of epis-temology! Epistemology depends on ethics; knowledge (of the highest and most important things) depends on goodness” (p. 123). And this is where the redeemed heart of faith comes in.

Biblical faith is more than knowing certain information (rationalism); it is more than what we see and agree with from our senses (empiricism). Biblical faith demands a deeper level of trusting and surrendering. Classi-cally these three phases of faith have been called “notitia” (the data and in-formation), “assensus” (acknowledg-ing or agreeing with the truth of the data), and “fi ducia” (trusting). Too many people think they have faith when all they possess is either some knowledge or perhaps even assent to the truth of some knowledge. But the letter of James tells us that even the demons believe, and they shudder (James 2:19). Th ey know the infor-mation of God’s story and they know it’s true. But they do not surrender to it nor do they trust it. Th ey rebel. Biblical faith demands that third eye of the heart to believe most fully and savingly.

Kreeft agrees (happily!), when he says, “Jesus makes childlike trust the prerequisite for entering His king-dom: ‘Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven’ (Mat. 18:3) ...

The Eyes of the HeartDr. Michael S. Beates, Dean of Students

Faith is not foolish or irrational” (p. 126). And again, we must be careful at this point. Jesus commends “childlike” faith. To be “childlike” is not the same as to be “child-ish”—the fi rst assumes a degree of innocence, the latter a degree of willful stubbornness.

With childlike faith, we are called to know (with our minds), to understand (which requires an element of ex-perience), but more, to trust (which requires redeemed intuition) that God seeks a relationship with us through Christ as Savior. C. S. Lewis said, “You are no longer faced with an argument which demands your assent, but with a Person who demands your confi dence ... the as-sent, of necessity, moves us from the logic of speculative thought into what might perhaps be called the logic of personal relations” (“On Obstinacy in Belief ” in World’s Last Night).

Of course the goal of knowledge is the apprehension of Truth. Lest I be misunderstood, I am not one who con-demns the rational mind. It’s a gift of God. Nor do I say experience is solely bad. In God’s providence, even sin-ful experience can teach us of God’s goodness and grace. Aristotle said it quite simply, “When one says of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not, he speaks the truth.” But in the realm of faith, there are times when we say that something is true, and the world’s rational-ism and empiricism say we are fools to believe. Consider Christmas.

As we celebrate Christmas, we see in Mary (in Luke 1:37-38) such a demonstration of biblical faith, seeing with the eyes of the heart. When an angel appears (irrational to the rationalist) she is told she will conceive a child though she is a virgin (against all sensory experiential evi-dence to the empiricist). But the angel tells her it would be so, saying, “For nothing will be impossible with God.” Mary’s response is biblical faith: “Behold, I am the ser-vant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” She accepted God’s word to her.

She was called by God, as are we, to see with that third eye of the heart things that are true, despite what the mind and the experience of the world would affi rm as true. Israel looked for a conquering king; instead God gave them a fragile baby. Th ey wanted existential salva-tion from the slavery and oppression of Rome; instead this baby brought them (and us!) the prospect of salva-tion not from merely a temporal worldly power but from the eternal condemnation of our own enslavement to sin and death.

God hardly ever does things the way we expect. And this is the call of faith in Christ. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might be-come the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). So, as we give and receive gifts at Christmas, we can be thankful for his indescribable gift to us—even Christ, our hope and salvation. Foolishness to the world, but the wisdom and goodness of God to us. Th anks be to God!

Th e Philosophy of Tolkien: Th e Worldview Behind the Lord of the Rings

ISBN-10: 1586170252

Available at Amazon for $10.85

Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and at the King’s College (Empire State Building), in New York City. He is a regular contributor to several Christian publications, is in wide demand as a speaker at conferences, and is the author of over 67 books.

On Saturday. November 3, over 400 friends came out to have some old fashioned fun. Th ank you to our many volunteers! Th is year’s festival was a huge success! Th e Boston Tea Room added an element of sophistication to the festival and those who visited loved the op-portunity to sit, eat yummy food, and relax with friends. Th e games and pony rides were enjoyed by children and adults of all ages and provided competitive fun for all. Th e line for 4Rivers BBQ was steady all day and the aroma was heavenly. Th e Celery City Strings band was “gooder than dirt!” (so it says on their business card). Th e cake walk was an aerobic experience as children and adults com-peted for and won homemade pies and cakes. Th e bake sale added a festival touch as children enjoyed caramel apples and fall-themed cookies and cupcakes. Th e dunk tank gave us a chance to dunk some of our favorite faculty and seniors. Face painters made many chil-dren very happy as they so artistically painted their faces.

FALL FESTIVAL

No festival would be complete without some shopping and this year’s 20th anniversary shirts did the trick. If you did not get to purchase a shirt at the festival, it’s not too late. Check out the shirts hanging in the main hallway, ask at the front desk, or go to www.genevaschool.org/support-tgs/tgs-store. Show your TGS spirit all year with a TGS shirt!

One of the many benefi ts of being at Th e Geneva School is our community. Th e Fall Festival is a time when we come together as a community to celebrate and have fun. We are already looking forward to next year!

NOVEMBER 3, 2012

Th e Geneva School2025 State Road 436

Winter Park, FL 32792

Up and Coming School-Wide EventsDialectic & Rhetoric Semester Exams: Semester exams will be given to all 7th–12th grade students on the last two days of the semester, December 20 & 21. Semester exams are given in English & Science (Th ursday) and History & Math (Friday). Th ese 1.5 hour exams typically account for 20% of the semester grade.

Lessons and Carols: Friday, December 14, 6:30 pm at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, 30 N. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando. Call time for singers (grades 4–8 & Rhetoric Chamber Choir) 6:00 pm.

First Lessons and Carols: Th ursday, December 20, 6:30 pm in the TGS gymnasium. Call time for singers (grades 1–3) 6:00 pm.

6th Grade Performance of I Never Saw Another Butterfl y: Friday, December 7, 7:00 pm at the Winter Springs Performing Arts Center.

Last Day of First Semester: Friday, December 21. Th is is a half day. No lunch is served this day and there is no Aftercare.

Rhetoric Twelfth Night Feast: Saturday, January 5, 5:30–9:30 pm at St. Albans Cathedral, 3348 W State Road 426, Oviedo.

First Day of Second Semester: Monday, January 7.

FAFSA Information Meeting for Parents of Seniors: Th ursday, January 9, 7:00–8:30 pm in the music room.

Parenting From the Heart: Th ursday, January 17, 8:30–10:00 am at the early childhood campus. For parents of young children.

Prospective Parent Event at ECC (K4 & K): Saturday January 19, 9:00–10:30 am.

Prospective Parent Night (K4–12th grade): Th ursday, January 31, 6:30–8:00 pm

Order your yearbook NOW! 1 yearbook: $452 yearbooks: $853 yearbooks: $125

Nameplate: $5 eachAutograph booklet: $5 each

Price after Yearbook Release: $50

Th e fi nal deadline to place an advertisement in the Yearbook is Sunday, December 16

Full Page – $200Half Page – $125

Quarter Page – $75Eighth Page – $50Single Line – $5

www.genevaschool.org/arts/yearbook

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