As we are about to graduate our second senior class, I can't help but reflect back to the Summer of 2020 when we were preparing to launch the first year of our high school. The details were overwhelming: curriculum, teachers, books, facilities, new traditions. As one wise parent commented to me recently - we were building the plane while we were flying it! One of the many initiatives we launched that year was our Guidance Counseling Program.

As with every initiative we have at Stonehaven, we wanted the foundation of our Guidance Counselor Program to be Biblical and support the mission and vision of our school. I, along with other staff members, began to meet with parents and students to discuss their immediate futures (what classes should they take) and dream about how their lives would look after graduation.

This is one of my favorite roles at Stonehaven. As a guidance counselor, I encourage parents with the truth of God's sovereignty ("The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." Prov. 16:9). I remind students that God already knows the plans He has for them ("For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:20). And I have the privilege of watching as God reveals his plans by closing some doors and swinging others wide open. I love it when God gives students multiple choices and then I get to encourage them with the truth that God will be with them wherever they go because they are a child of the King!

Even though we meet with parents and students multiple times in their four years of high school, we can't possibly cover all aspects of planning for their futures. For this reason, we started The Calling, an annual evening workshop for high school students and their parents. Each year we explore an aspect of God's Calling. This year's theme is Ordained Opportunities. If you are the parent of a high school student, we highly recommend you attend this year's event.

As we recognize Martin Luther King Jr. day, the Bible verse that comes to mind is from the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus challenges his followers saying, "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44). In reading Jonathan Eig's excellent biography King: A Life, you learn that King faced as much opposition from within his own camp as he did from outside. In other words, he had a lot of practice loving his enemies.

King's life demonstrates the power of Christian love. God does not love us because we are worthy of it. This form of love is not the result of goodness or kindness in another, its true source is the love of God working in and through us (Philippians 2:13).

In a 1957 speech, King would express these ideas saying, "When we speak of loving those who would oppose us, we speak of a love which is expressed in the Greek word agape. Agape means nothing sentimental or basically affectionate. It means understanding, creative, redeeming goodwill for all men. It is an overflowing love which seeks nothing in return. It is not set in motion by any quality or function of its object. It is purely spontaneous, unmotivated, groundless, and creative. It is the love of God operating in the human heart. When we rise to love on the agape level, we love men not because we like them, not because their attitudes and ways appeal to us, but we love them because God loves them."

On a Friday this past October, I was stopped at a red light on my way home from Stonehaven. As I waited at the intersection, a car turned into the lane opposite me. As the car slowly rounded the corner, the driver locked eyes with my eyes. I noticed a look of disdain come across the man's face and a reluctance to look away. My initial response was cynicism assuming that this man was trying to pick a momentary fight. "What's wrong with this guy? What did I do to him?!" It was surprising how much this brief interaction rattled my internal disposition.

About five minutes later, I caught a glimpse of my face in the rearview mirror. I was startled by the face looking back at me. It was at this moment that I was reminded that four hours prior I had been pelted in the head by some of our Upper School students with colored flour bags during the school's annual Stonehaven Stampede. One of the more dominant colors on my face and shirt was red. My disgusted friend on the road might have been wondering if he was witnessing a man fleeing the scene of a bloody crime.

For the remainder of my drive home, I considered why it was that I assumed the worst in this individual (and how I had forgotten my ghastly appearance!). Based on a three-second interaction, I was quickly convinced he had something against me personally. As I continued home, the Holy Spirit challenged me to remember how important it is to guard against cynicism and assume the best in others.

As parents, it is normal that we will at some point confront a budding cynicism in our children. It can manifest itself when a child feels unfairly treated by a friend, a parent, a teacher, or a sibling. In the younger years, it is easily understood when a child assumes that their sibling did some sort of behavior "on purpose." Gus complains, "Mom! Rachel pushed me on the playground and she did it on purpose." A quick investigation often finds that Gus has made a hasty conclusion. Our children often begin narrating a factual sequence of events but easily slip into assuming unjust motives of the offender. "I know why Riley is doing this. He's just mad because I'm better than him at basketball." "Mr. Gradgrind just doesn't like me so he wants me to fail his class."

When we consider Biblical categories, cynicism is one of the greatest obstacles to loving our friend and neighbor well (1 Corinthians 13). It is not patient nor is it kind. The great Anglican bishop J.C. Ryle said, "There is no surer mark of backsliding and falling off in grace than an increasing disposition to find fault, pick holes, and see weak points in others." It lacks grace and compassion for others and holds to a pride in our own righteousness. Rather than assuming the best in others, it assumes the best in oneself.

How do we parent our children when they exhibit the sin of cynicism?

First, we need to see and confess our own tendency as parents to make assumptions in our own favor. If we are careful to assign unfair motives or accusations, our children will notice and imitate this gracious behavior. One of our greatest opportunities is how we navigate conflict with our spouse. Do we show charity with our spouse in front of our children? In his book Seeing Through Cynicism, author Dick Keyes reminds us that, "God knows everything about you, and He is not cynical about you." When our middle school children forget to complete a chore or fail to plan ahead for their school work-for the millionth time!-how are we responding in a way that both maintains high expectations but demonstrates patience for their struggle? There is certainly a lack of obedience and discipline that needs to be repented of, but let us not respond as if they are doing it to make our lives miserable. A Biblical response shows compassion, patience, truth, and perseverance.

Second, we need to be consistently helping our children through conversation to assume the best of their friends, siblings, teachers, and neighbors. Our goal is to see others in the way God sees them. When our children proclaim a sinful motive to another person, we should be ready to challenge their assumptions. "Do you know for sure they were trying to be mean?" "Is it possible there is more to the story?" "Maybe they felt attacked by something you or someone else said or did." "Can you think of reasons, assuming good in them, why they are being so unkind?" As we ask these questions, our goal is not to excuse the poor behavior of others and assign all the blame to our own children. The goal is to challenge our children to think compassionately about others and see them the way God sees them: a person fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God.

On this day in 1878, the great Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon said in a sermon, "Such poor creatures are we that we may lose our peace of mind even by a word or a look. Peace, in the form of perfect calm and serenity, is a very delicate and sensitive thing, and needs more careful handling than a Venice glass." How quickly we can transition from a place where our soul is still, resting in the Lord, and enjoying the goodness of God to a state of emotional anxiety and frenzy.

As we return to school and the rhythms of our daily routines, we will be confronted once again with the complexities of human relationships and the brokenness of our world. Even though peace can feel elusive, the Lord promises rest to those that pursue Him. "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:28-29). There is no qualifier making this promise conditional on things outside of our own control. It does not say, "Come to me and if your boss decides to change his rotten attitude you might find some rest." The Lord will give rest to those that come to Him.

The Scriptures are keenly interested in the idea of peace evidenced by the fact that the word Peace is used more than 400 times. I'd imagine that the normal person struggles to remain in a perpetual state of peace. Even Spurgeon admits to his own struggles with depression saying, "I know what it is to suffer from terrible depression of spirit at times; yet at the very moment when it has seemed to me that life was not worth one single bronze coin, I have been perfectly peaceful with regard to all the greater things. There is a possibility of having the surface of the mind lashed into storm while yet down deep in the caverns of one's inmost consciousness all is still: this I know by experience."

In his sermon, Spurgeon elaborates on the "three rules" that Paul provides for pursuing peace in Philippians 4, "Three rules are then added by the apostle, which you will be sure to recollect. He tells us to be careful for nothing, to be prayerful for everything, and to be thankful for anything. Anyone who can keep these three rules, with the other two, will be quite sure to have a peaceful mind."

To be careful for nothing is an admonition to leave our cares and burdens with God. We are too easily burdened by things which ought not burden us. Let it go. Give it to God.

Next, Paul calls us to pray. Commune intimately with our Lord in a continual conversation. Express your cares and burdens to our faithful savior and ask that he would free you from the bondage of them. Spurgeon says so well, "A trouble prayed over is a dead lion with honey in the carcase."

Last, the apostle Paul calls us to make our requests known, "with thanksgiving." He says, "Thankfulness is the great promoter of peace; it is the mother and nurse of restfulness."

As we begin this new year, let us start well by fleeing to God.

The allure of Santa Claus is certainly rooted in its superficial and festive similarities to the true Christmas story. The secular version of Christmas promises that Santa is "coming to town." The cheerful St. Nicholas will come to bless the world with gifts, joy, and peace. In his annual coming, he will spread his generosity, kindness, and laughter to the whole world. The main problem though is that Santa isn't coming to town. In 1989, my sister and I confirmed this with an elaborate system of strings connected to pots and pans surrounding the Christmas tree. The alarm bells remained silent that night. Despite the many movies that challenge us to believe the opposite, Santa did not come and is not coming.

At the end of our Christmas celebration, what kind of hope are we giving our children? A cheap hope built on the fleeting pleasures of a Santa Claus Christmas? Or are we feeding their souls with Christmas experiences centered on the story of Jesus. As Pastor Tim Keller emphasizes, "The point of Christmas is that Jesus Christ really lived, and He really died. It happened in history. He did these things. He said these things." One of the beautiful things about attending Stonehaven is partnering with a school that will reinforce a right focus for our "holy" days. At our Christmas concert, during Advent chapels and morning meetings, and in our class activities, we seek to center the minds and hearts of our children on the true story of Jesus who came to town (Luke 2:11) and will come to town again (Matthew 24:30).

As I gaze out my office window, the world currently looks very gray and bleak. It brings to mind one of the more memorable quotes from C.S. Lewis in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, "It is winter in Narnia and has been for ever so long... always winter, but never Christmas." When done right, the joy of Christmas morning isn't dependent on sun, snow, or comfortable temperatures. The spirit of Christmas comes from the sweet communion of our families around the dinner table or by the Christmas tree as we celebrate that Christ came to this world and will come again. One of the quickest ways to make it always winter in Marietta is to celebrate Christmas the way the world does. The world takes the superficial traditions of presents and Santa Claus and wonders why it all feels hollow in the end. How do we bring Christmas to winter? The most meaningful celebrations of Christmas integrate rich experiences and activities that can point to the ever-shining light of Christ. As parents and a school community, we invest our time and energy into intentional activities that disrupt the dreary monotony of our world. Why do we light candles, build gingerbread houses, read beautiful stories, decorate trees, wrap gifts, unwrap gifts, sing Christmas carols, and bake cookies? We do this because it brings sunshine to our world and the worlds of our children. I hope and pray that your family enjoys a winter that is for ever Christmas.

It is interesting to consider what I recall from my initial tour of Georgia Tech; the guide likely said many wonderful things about the school's stellar academic program but what I remember most were the stories related to the school's unique traditions. From the legend of the fictitious George P. Burdell (a hard-to-find member at most Atlanta churches) to the clandestine escapades to remove the T from Tech Tower, these stories captured my imagination. Undoubtedly, traditions play a crucial role in the life of an institution.

One of the beautiful things I have witnessed over the years is the development of the special Stonehaven traditions that contribute to the rich experience of our community. In any school, there are three types of traditions. There are the sacred traditions that have become essential to the culture and identity of the school. Second, we have the valuable traditions that have made a strong case to be preserved but with strategic enhancements could be made even better. With said enhancements, they might even ascend to the sacred category. Third, we have lifeless traditions that contribute little or even have an adverse impact on the culture of the school. The dead traditions need to go but are often carried on by a very small minority who refuse to let the dream die.

A Stonehaven Christmas tradition that I would place in the valuable category is our annual Christmas Bazaar. This event has been thoroughly enjoyed by our students as they learn to take the initiative in buying Christmas gifts for their loved ones. This year's version of the Bazaar, rechristened the Stonehaven Handmade Market, is an example of how to improve an already valuable tradition. Over the past two weeks, my fourth grade entrepreneur Ruby (Rubadubdub Inc.^TM) has been excited and busy developing the products for her booth at the market. Her two older siblings have of their own volition provided assistance and support for Ruby's nascent handicraft business. I can only imagine that similar crafting and creating is happening in other Stonehaven households. Is this not a great way to encourage entrepreneurship and creativity in our children? Along the way, they will learn valuable lessons about sales, marketing, profit margins, competition, and maybe even failure. "Why didn't anyone buy my leaf balls?" or "I can't understand why they don't see the value in these pinecone fire starters?" Might we see future mergers or acquisitions between students? Could we take a "best of the best" to the Marietta Square Farmers Market? The possibilities are endless.

How did the Christmas Bazaar originate? What about the ideation of the Handmade Market?

Both the Bazaar and the Handmade Market were ideas from Stonehaven parents; including Tara Harvey, Connie Powell, and Karisa Hughes. Great examples of what parent partnership should look like in a school. These were not initiatives that came from the brains of administrators or even staff members. These parents approached us with these creative ideas and we partnered with them to make it a reality. Not only did these parents pass along the ideas, they have volunteered many hours of their time to managing and executing the event.

It is possible the Bazaar/Handmade Market continues into Stonehaven's future and we could visit the school in twenty years and see a hustling and bustling market that was once a small "seed" of an idea. How do such traditions begin? It starts with someone raising their hand and making a commitment to turn an idea into a reality.

In this season of thanksgiving, Stonehaven is particularly grateful for our local churches. By my most recent count, we currently have families worshiping in at least 55 different area churches, across a wide range of different denominations and traditions. Included in this number are about a dozen area pastors who have entrusted Stonehaven with the education of their children. We are so grateful for these partnerships even as we continue to dream about ways we can strengthen these ties and bless our local churches.

One very simple but powerful way we aim to support our local churches is through prayer. In a new tradition this year, every Monday in Lower School Morning Meeting we pray for one or two of the local churches attended by Stonehaven families (this morning, for example, we prayed for Eastside Baptist Church and for their lead pastor, John Hull). By the end of the school year, we will have prayed for all of our churches and their pastors by name!

As Mr. Carrenard reminded us at the Symposium, Stonehaven is not a church, and therefore it is critically important that every family belongs to the Body of Christ in the context of a local congregation. For it is precisely in the collaborative work of church, parents, and school, all rowing in the same direction, that forms a threefold cord anchoring our children in the faith. This Thanksgiving, let us be sure to give thanks for the many faithful churches and pastors that God has placed in our communities. May God richly bless our local churches!

Class of 2024. Congratulations and thank you. Thank you for the multitude of ways you've invested in our school, for your patience and resilience as we've built this program, and for the years of camaraderie our community has enjoyed with you all.

As we have looked forward to this moment, an opportunity to celebrate, to look forward to your future endeavors, and to send you off, I'd like to begin by reading the final lines of George Eliot's novel Middlemarch. Speaking of the story's protagonist, Dorothea, Eliot ends with the following words, "But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs."

These lines both encapsulate the story's overarching themes and speak to the incredible worth of seemingly small, often unrecognized acts of goodness and faithfulness. Middlemarch, set in a small English town in the early nineteenth century, tells the story of Dorothea Brooke, a young woman of deep conviction and unbridled idealism. Dorothea grows up hoping to make a visible impact on the world, and yet her life unfolds in ways she never could not have imagined. She marries an older man and scholar, Edward Casaubon, whose work she thinks will upend the way that people think about the world. Dreaming of an intellectual partnership and grand contributions to his work, she soon finds herself nearly invisible to him, and her dreams unfulfilled.

In parallel, the novel tells the story of an ambitious young doctor named Tertius Lydgate who arrives in Middlemarch driven by a passionate idealism to revolutionize medicine and transform lives in his community. He too, finds himself disappointed - seemingly unable to accomplish what he hoped, his ambition stifled.

And yet, throughout the novel, Eliot beautifully demonstrates the ways in which these and other striving, hopeful, but often disappointed characters act in ways that shape their relationships and community in profound ways. Dorothea, Lydgate, and others come to recognize that their most powerful impact comes not in grandiose acts seen by all, but in small, everyday acts that were often hidden, and recognizable only in hindsight.

Eliot's story reminds us that the "growing good of the world" - or for us, the building of the kingdom relies on those invisible contributions and quiet faithfulness. Her story reminds me, and I hope you all, that the Lord uses all things - triumph and hardship, successes and failure, for the growing and building of his kingdom. These words are not meant to discourage you from going and doing great things, but to remind you that so many of your formative moments come from the small acts of faithfulness of you and those you surround yourselves with.

As you leave today and move on from your time at Stonehaven, my hope and prayer for you all is that you remember that your actions, regardless how small or seemingly insignificant, matter. The relationships you build, the kindness you show, the integrity with which you conduct yourselves, all these "unhistoric acts" will contribute to the betterment of your community.

To encourage you in those efforts, I have three pieces of advice to share with you: wake up, show up, and go to bed.

Wake up. First, but not foremost, I do mean that literally. You'll be more successful if you commit to a routine that recognizes the gift of waking up in the morning. But more importantly, wake up to the realities of the world around you. Recognize the yearning for connection, the brokenness, and the opportunity you have to serve others in need. Acknowledge and embrace the Lord's call on each of you to be salt and light in the places God is sending you. Actively resist the temptation to fall into self-centeredness, futility, and distraction. Know that you have a very real opportunity to contribute to the growing good of your world.

Show up. Again, part of this is literal. Go to class. Get to know your professors. Pursue excellence in your studies. Show up to church. Join the church. Be part of a church - not just as a consumer, but as an active part of the body, looking for ways to serve and care for others. You'll benefit from building relationships with people in different ages and stages. You'll be reminded that the world is bigger and the need is greater than you think. Show up for your friends. Whether it's providing a listening ear, speaking words of truth, or embodying the fruits of the spirit, your witness and your impact will be determined by the ways in which you show up for the people you love.

Go to bed. Yes, there will be times when it's right to stay up late - whether to finish a paper, or to go to that concert with friends. But as a general rule, go to bed. Rest so that you may faithfully live out your calling. Rest in the knowledge that He who is faithful and just is the one at work. You are his instruments, but the growing good of the world is not dependent on you alone. Know your limitations, trust the Lord is working in and through you and will not abandon you. Be a safe haven for those who are struggling, who need to be reminded that the Lord is gracious and compassionate. Rest in the knowledge that his mercies are new every morning and that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.

Wake up. Show up. Go to bed. Trust that in these small acts of faithfulness, the Lord is working to foster a community where goodness can flourish. Remember the Lord's words to his people in Jeremiah chapter 29, verses 4-7. "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare."

Seek the welfare of the place where God is sending you. Pray to the Lord. Serve the Lord on its behalf. In its welfare, you will find your welfare. While you may not be going into exile, you are stepping into new and unfamiliar territory. As the Israelites walked into the unfamiliar, God's call was to continue in the everyday acts of faithfulness that they were called to at home.

Cultivate your relationships with care. Be the friend who stands by others, loves deeply, and speaks truth; The family member who models gratitude, and remains faithful when things get difficult, the classmate who collaborates generously and uplifts. Your presence, your actions, your very being-these are powerful influences. Understand that these relationships are opportunities to contribute to the greater good of the world.

In the years to come, you will find yourselves facing challenges and disappointments, just as Dorothea and Lydgate did. You will encounter situations where your efforts seem unnoticed or unappreciated. In those moments, remember Eliot's words. The measure of your impact will not always be visible or immediate. Trust that the Lord is using your faithfulness in small endeavors and that it adds up, a testament to the immeasurable goodness of God.

So many of these things, on so many occasions your teachers, parents, and friends have seen you embody. I'm grateful for your witness, and we're all grateful for the ways in which you've modeled these things at Stonehaven. Know that the Lord is at work and will continue to use those small acts of faithfulness to draw others close to Him.

As you embark on a new chapter, remember that you are part of a larger story. Your actions, no matter how small, can contribute to the "growing good of the world." Live faithfully, embrace the hidden acts of goodness, and trust that your impact, though perhaps unseen, is incalculably diffusive.

Congratulations, Stonehaven Class of 2024. We love you and we're grateful for you. Go in peace.

In our modern political climate, it is easy for our children to get a warped view of the place of politics. Those involved in the classical Christian school movement will often talk of the Augustinian concept of "ordo amoris." This is a Latin phrase meaning the "ordering of our affections." It refers to the principle that virtue results when our loves are properly ordered. My love for books is no longer a virtue when it exceeds my love for God. As we navigate tomorrow's political events, we are presented with a teachable moment for our children. How are they to order their political affections?

One of the books that helped me order my political passions was Nancy Pearcey's book Total Truth. She argues that "politics is downstream from culture... the most effective work is done by ordinary Christians fulfilling God's calling to reform culture within their local spheres of influence-their families, churches, schools, neighborhoods, workplaces, professional organizations, and civic institutions." I was fully persuaded that if I really wanted to impact culture, I needed to prioritize cultivating Christian virtue in my family, participating faithfully in a local church, and fervently supporting a beautiful vision of Christian education.

Too many people in our world have placed their ultimate "hope in princes" (Psalm 146:3). On both sides of the aisle. When looking for the culprit for the immorality of our secular culture, Christians are tempted to blame political turning points. If not politics, where should we point the finger?

Is it not more honest to attribute our current moral crisis to the slow spiritual decay of our families, churches, and schools? Individually and corporately, we have turned away from God. As we navigate the very important election activities tomorrow, let us make sure our children see their parents living in peace with the sovereign plan of our ever faithful God (Romans 8:28). Even if the results are not what we want, they are certainly what we deserve.

Should our Christian worldview impact our political worldview?

An argument to order appropriately our love for politics is not an argument that politics is not important... nor does it deny that a Christian worldview must inform our political worldview. Politics is vitally important to establishing a virtuous society. Our children should participate in politics. They should vote. They should run for office. They should canvas communities in support of virtuous candidates. They should debate the issues. Not all political candidates are equal.

However, as they participate in politics, they must always remember to order their affections appropriately. They should recognize that the greatest impact they can have on our culture will be through steady and mundane acts of personal faithfulness. Want to change the world? Do the next right thing. Greet your neighbor. Listen patiently to your sister. Obey your parents. Find a good wife. Raise up a family. Eat dinner together. Pursue the friend that is suffering.

As George Eliot argues in her book Middlemarch, "But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs." Our children can have a significant impact on this world as they live "faithfully a hidden life." As parents and teachers, our responsibility is to show them what this ordered life looks like.

Over the month of October, Stonehaven has welcomed more than thirty prospective families through tours and Preview Days on both campuses. At the end of our Lower School Preview Day event, a guest commented that she didn't realize how in-depth the Preview Day experience would be. After watching an adorable and impressive presentation from our Kindergarten students, prospective parents hear a talk from Mr. Edwards which he has perfected over the years. Many of our parents are familiar - he opens with a story about brick masons, moves into a description of "What is Classical," (hint: Love, Grain, Tools, Tradition), mixes in a little Chesterton's fence, and concludes with a winsome description of Stonehaven's answers to "what," "how," and "why" we are doing this work. That riveting oration is followed by student ambassador and parent guided tours through classrooms and common areas on campus. Why do we go through the trouble to orchestrate such an event? Couldn't we just produce some great videos, print some brochures, and answer any questions they have? We are looking for families who are ready to partner with Stonehaven in the education of their children. We want parents who are excited by the in-depth experience at our school and ready to help cultivate a love of learning in the hearts and minds of their children.

Each time I listen to Mr. Edwards give his well-honed talk starting with the brick masons, I find a new appreciation for what I've been doing as a parent here for the last 13 years. I've been learning along with my children. I've been watching the building of a metaphorical cathedral under the guidance of amazing teachers. I've been growing in my ability to love that which is true, good, and beautiful. I may not be able to read the Aeneid in the original Latin with my senior daughter's AP Latin class or name the Cantos of Dante's Inferno with my 10th grade son, but I'm interested and engaged in what they are studying. I've watched them grow as image-bearers of God. These are the things that we hope to inspire in prospective parents as they consider their school options.

Stonehaven was a smaller community when my kids were in the grammar phase. It was easier to connect and feel known at school events. Growing larger is not a negative thing - we are following God's calling to provide a classical Christian education to more students, and it is an honor. However, it does require that parents make a more concerted effort to partner with the school, and that may look different than it did ten years ago. Our Keystone event, The Stonehaven Symposium, is coming up on November 12th. All parents are strongly encouraged to attend this event to hear from Mr. Carrenard and grow deeper in your understanding of how we cultivate truth in the hearts and minds of our students. Each of our Cultivate seminars are designed to provide thoughtful opportunities for classical enrichment for parents in a small group setting. Reading to grammar students in the library or attending a field trip or Pathfinders outing will connect you to the character formation and passion for learning that your children are receiving.

At our admissions events, we aim to give prospective parents a glimpse into the richness of the Stonehaven community. When a family is enrolled at Stonehaven, our hope is to encourage and inspire them to partake in the feast of truth, goodness, and beauty that we offer through continued partnership and a life-long love of learning with their children. I hope you have marked your calendars for November 12th - we pray that you'll be encouraged by Mr. Carrenard and enriched by the fellowship of the Stonehaven community.