Christchurch School Viewbook

Great Journeys Begin at the River

ON THE COVER: Christchurch students help to establish an oyster habitat in nearby Urbanna Creek as part of the sustainability initiative Restore Urbanna Creek. For more information about this project, visit www.restoreurbannacreek.com

There are a lot of unknowns in life.

What will the world be like when you’re an adult? What kind of work will you do? What types of problems will you have to solve? What will bring you joy?

It’s very likely that the world of your adulthood will be different from the world today in ways we can’t even begin to predict. In order to be prepared, you’ll have to know how to get information, and how to use that information to make connections and find meaning.

You’ll need an authentic education, one that pushes you—inside and outside the classroom—to dive deeply, to discuss, to think, to write, and above all, to understand how what you’re learning in school applies to the real world.

Think of your education as a journey on which you’ll encounter new ideas and learn how to examine them. To begin this journey, you’ll need the heart of an explorer, and the courage to challenge yourself.

Christchurch students visit Lodi Gardens in Delhi, India, during Exploration India, an educational adventure offered through our Global Education program.

“ Inspiration and growth only come from

challenge from stepping away from what’s comfortable and familiar, and stepping out

into the unknown. ” – Ben Saunders, Arctic explorer

A TOOLKIT FOR ADULTHOOD Your high school experience should teach you more than just how to memorize facts. You’ll need skills that will help you succeed not only in college, but for the rest of your life, in jobs that don’t even exist yet. Every CCS student graduates with a set of skills built in all of our programs: academics, athletics, activities, and residence life. We call them exit skills, but they’re really skills that will help you enter adulthood.

• critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration • communication and information literacy • initiative and self-direction • spiritual exploration and character development • leadership and civic responsibility

LEARN OUTSIDE! Because some of the most powerful lessons are learned outside the classroom, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed is an important component of all CCS classes; science, of course, but also English, math, and foreign language.

We’ve found that combining single-teacher classrooms and our region’s natural and social resources makes learning fun and lessons stick. Hands-on projects and creative, outsidethe-box thinking create an academic experience that’s engaging, emotionally charged, and meaningful.

WHAT ARE IMMERSION TRIPS? Immersion trips are exactly that, off-campus study experiences that use the local environment to immerse you in a concept you’ve been exploring in class. You’ll conduct hands-on experiments, explore the region, and interview residents to understand their history and the challenges their communities face. Every year, each grade investigates a different part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed through a three-day immersion trip. Longer immersion trips focus on international destinations like Africa and India.

Immersion trips will make you a better problem solver, they’ll teach you how to find answers by asking the right questions. But most important, they’ll give you a better understanding of your place in the local and global community.

YOUR VERY OWN HOME BASE Every CCS student is assigned to an advisory group, a small group of students headed up by a faculty or staff member. Think of your advisory group as a home base—a safe place to learn, to grow, to work through consequences, to ask questions, and to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Best of all, an advisory group functions like a family; students attend chapel and assembly with their advisors, share a meal together twice a week, and meet weekly for activities and reflection. Of all the roles CCS faculty and staff fulfill, the most important, and most rewarding, is that of advisor, so it’s no surprise that advisors often stay in touch with their students long after graduation.

OUR CAMPUS IS OUR COMMUNITY Ask any CCS boarding student, the dorm is a great place to grow. Each of our dorm halls functions like a family; we study together and relax together. Many teachers, coaches, administrators, and their families live on campus, creating a small-town atmosphere where everyone knows everyone and people take care of each other. Dorm parents are always available for guidance and support, and student leaders are assigned to each dorm to help new students.

We’ve created a “home away from home” atmosphere in the dorms, where it’s easy to make lifelong friendships and develop skills that will prepare you for college and beyond.

A WARM-UP FOR COLLEGE The academic day at CCS is similar to a typical day at college. For starters, classes don’t begin until 9:00 am, because research indicates a later start time results in a more alert, awake, and productive teenage brain.

Classes are 85 minutes long, allowing more time for your teachers to design in-depth lessons, and for you to apply concepts and take advantage of resources outside the classroom. The school day includes three classes separated by assembly/chapel, lunch, or club time—no bells, no running from class to class like rats in a maze. Instead of having the same classes every day, classes are scheduled on alternating days, so more homework time can be devoted to fewer subjects each evening. Besides more sleep, how is the CCS schedule better for you? It will teach you how to manage time, it offers more communal time to interact with fellow students and faculty families, and it will prepare you to productively manage the free time you’ll have in college.

twentyquestions.christchurchschool.org

our place in the world

Christchurch School’s

OYSTER

AQUACULTURE Where our students learn about sustainability by working to restore the native oyster population

Built in 2010, the Puller Science Center is

LEED SILVER CERTIFIED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design)

Scott Dorm: completely renovated using

ENERGYEFFICIENT SYSTEMS and sustainable materials

Bishop Brown Hall: built in 1921, updated in 1998 with

GEOTHERMAL HEATING AND COOLING (geothermal is 600% more efficient than traditional heating and cooling systems)

photo by Dean Hawthorne, class of 1965

The Rappahannock River and Chesapeake Bay Watershed are

LIVING CLASSROOMS where we learn through hands-on exploration

a “no mow” zone, also known as our

HABITAT RESTORATION PROJECT CANCOLLECTING LOCATION where we recycle old cans for money to buy young oysters for our oyster farm

a state-of-the-art waste water treatment system that’s

SAFE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT and efficient

where we study science

an

ORGANIC GARDEN AND GREENHOUSE provide produce for our dining hall

TRAVEL TIME TO: Richmond, VA: 1 hour Hampton Roads: 1.5 hours Washington DC: 3 hours Raleigh/Durham, NC: 3 hours

UNDERNEATH ALL THIS ORANGE AND BLUE, WE’RE GREEN. Our commitment to reducing our impact on the environment started with oysters. Back in 2009, we began working to improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay by increasing the dwindling population of the bay’s native oyster, Crassostrea virginica. Since then, we’ve planted more than half a million oysters on the reef at our waterfront. Each adult oyster can filter up to fifty gallons of water a day—that’s up to 25 billion gallons of clean water heading down the Rappahannock watershed to the Chesapeake Bay, every day! We raise the money to purchase “spat” (baby oysters) by collecting and recycling cans through our Cans for Oysters program. In addition to restoring native oyster populations, improving water quality, and promoting recycling, Cans for Oysters brings the concept of environmental stewardship to life by demonstrating how a relatively small effort directly impacts the local ecosystem. Speaking of recycling—it’s a campus-wide initiative at CCS. By replacing one landfill dumpster with two recycling dumpsters, we’ve reduced campus waste disposal by 25%!

LET’S GO ON AN ADVENTURE! We believe that connecting with the natural environment can make you a better student and a better person. Our home, the Rappahannock River and Chesapeake Bay Watershed, happens to be the perfect place to work toward these goals. We’ve designed a program that creates a meaningful relationship between our school’s community and its location. The program will help you understand the connections between social and natural systems by giving you the opportunity to direct projects on behalf of the community and the river. Weekend adventure trips will expose you to a whole new world of natural and social systems, from the river’s clear-flowing headwaters in the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the pastoral hills of the Piedmont plateau, to Virginia’s low country and the Chesapeake Bay.

WHAT’S THE SUSTAINABILITY FRACTAL? Sustainability is at the heart of all we do as a community and the sustainability fractal is at the heart of our approach to sustainability. Students use it as a tool across the curriculum for exploring communities and systems by gauging sustainability in terms of equity, economy and ecology.

Here’s an example: deep in the heart of the Chesapeake Bay, our juniors explore a community dependent on the bay for survival. Life on isolated Tangier Island depends on a plummeting population of crabs and oysters.

Our students investigate Tangier to find answers to key questions about its future. They interview watermen, their families, and community leaders, then use their experiences from the trip and sustainability fractal tools to develop, document, and defend their opinions.

A FEW FACTS ABOUT OUR RIVER The Rappahannock is the longest free-flowing river in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, extending a total of 184 miles from its origin at Chester Gap in the Shenandoah National Park in western Virginia to Stingray Point in the Chesapeake Bay. The Rappahannock is historically significant; its banks were the site of several Civil War battles and the home of early Native American and colonial settlements, mill sites, and navigation canals and locks. The river’s name is of Algonquian origin, from a word meaning “quick rising waters.”

GREETINGS FROM THE MIDDLE PENINSULA Christchurch School is located in Middlesex County, in Virginia’s historic Middle Peninsula region. Established in 1673, the county covers 132 square miles of land and 135 miles of shoreline.

It’s bound by the Rappahannock River to the north, the Chesapeake Bay to the east, and the Piankatank River and Dragon Run Swamp to the south. Abundant tidal wetlands provide habitat for mammals, marine birds, and migratory fowl; our tidal waters are flush with croaker, trout, flounder, bass, and shellfish; and our roadways bloom with crepe myrtle, flowering pear, azaleas, and rhododendrons. The county’s only incorporated town, Urbanna, is a charming port village best known for its annual Oyster Festival. Every year, to honor a longstanding and much-loved school tradition, CCS faculty, staff, and students volunteer community service hours at the festival. On weekends, Urbanna is the perfect walking/biking destination for students to enjoy local food, shop, and explore historic sites.

THE MOST POPULAR MEMBER OF OUR COMMUNITY ISN’T A PERSON While the Rappahannock provides a stunning backdrop to our daily life, the river is so much more to us than just scenery. The river and bay are living classrooms, where we learn about the geography, ecology, economy, history, and culture of our region through hands-on exploration. The river is also an ever-present reminder of our responsibility to the natural environment. Every day, it inspires us to be good stewards of our local natural resources. And of course, the river is fun. It’s the perfect place to make friends and discover new interests through activities like sailing, crew, adventure trips, and class outings.

twentyquestions.christchurchschool.org

500,000

oysters we’ve planted on our reef in the Rappahannock River

21 honors courses offered

BILLION

gallons of water these oysters can filter each day

Christchurch School

FOUNDED IN

1921 by the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia

125 acres of riverfront campus in Virginia

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students from 13 states and 10 countries

alumnus is a Nobel Laureate

FIVE MILLION cans we’ve saved from landfills through our recycling program

OUR ATHLETES WON

21 state championships in the last five years

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RANKED

th in the nation

for fleet and team sailboat racing

by the numbers

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sailboats on campus

alumni have won the Pulitzer Prize

THE LARGEST HIGH SCHOOL FLEET IN THE U.S.

% 100 of CCS graduates are accepted to college

81% of our faculty have master’s or advanced degrees

WHAT DO YOU DO FOR FUN? It’s easy to imagine boarding school life as all work and no play, but the truth is, you’ll probably have more opportunities here to travel, try new things, and meet new people than you would at home.

There’s always something to do at CCS, and it’s never boring. We kick off the school year with a carnival on campus. Throughout the year, we go on weekend adventure trips, camping, kayaking, and visiting local areas of interest. We fish, sail, and explore the Rappahannock River. We go to the movies and the malls.

We meet other kids at school mixers and dances.

And because our community is close and connected, fun seems to happen spontaneously—at a game of foursquare, an impromptu barbecue (home of the astrodog!), or a pick-up basketball game.

HOW’S THE FOOD? The food here may not be what you’d expect from a school dining hall. This means cooking primarily from scratch with fresh ingredients that are locally sourced—you can’t get more local than our school garden—and organic whenever possible. But a meal at CCS is about more than just food. In much the same way a family gathers in a kitchen, the community that is the CCS family gathers three times a day in our dining hall to relax and share a meal. Every table seats 12, and no one eats alone. Twice a week, faculty advisors have lunch with their student advisee groups. Day students are welcome to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And at the end of every meal, we observe a long-standing CCS tradition by thanking the dining hall staff for preparing our food.

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE THE NEW KID? We know what it’s like to be the new kid—we were all new to CCS once—which is why you won’t feel new for long. Every student comes to our school with a unique perspective and something to offer. We’ll make it easy for you to find your place in our community, and we guarantee, it’s a place where you can be you.

IT’S A CCS TRADITION Whether they graduated last spring or last century, our students share a set of traditions that are unique to life at CCS. And while they’re often simple, informal ways to gather and connect as a community, they become the foundation of every graduate’s memory of his or her time on the river. Here are just a few: we sit on stoops (often the Headmaster’s front porch), we swing in hammocks, we gaze at the stars. We begin the year with a picnic on the waterfront, we roast s’mores over an open fire, we make pizza together on Friday nights. Freshmen trim the Christmas tree at the Headmaster’s home every December, seniors end their time here by ringing the bell at graduation. And as a sign of friendship and good will, we greet everyone we pass on campus, whether we know them or not.

AN EXTENSION OF YOUR OWN FAMILY There’s a reason we say the CCS community is like a family, and it has to do with geography.

Most of our faculty, coaches, and staff members live on campus, if not on dorm, with their families. So you won’t just see them for a few hours each week in class, you’ll see them all day, every day—in class, in the dining hall, on campus, on dorm—and really get to know them.

Their families start to feel like an extension of your own family.

FIVE GOOD REASONS TO ATTEND BOARDING SCHOOL Boarding school is a good choice for many reasons. Some of them, like small class size, quality of faculty and resources, and rigorous academics, you’ve heard before.

Here are a few good things about boarding school you may not have considered: 1. You’ll learn how to take responsibility for yourself and make the right choices.

2. You’ll live in an environment where it’s easy to try new things and challenge yourself.

3. You’ll make friends with interesting people from diverse backgrounds.

4. You’ll have unlimited access to adults for mentoring and support.

5. You’ll be part of a proud, close-knit community for the rest of your life.

twentyquestions.christchurchschool.org

This is how we learn:

the importance of an indicator species Oily, bony, and not terribly appetizing, the Atlantic menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus, may be the most important fish in the Chesapeake Bay. During their junior year Immersion Trip, CCS students investigate two local waterman communities by studying the menhaden as a sustainability indicator species. Our investigation includes talking with representatives of the interest groups from both sides to learn about ecosystem maintenance and the tough decisions that government officials make every day. In the end, we understand the complexity behind all resource use and the balance that’s necessary for a decision to be truly sustainable.

Good question!

What’s an Indicator species?

The menhaden is a sustainability indicator species, meaning the health of these fish is an indicator of the health of the entire watershed.

Menhaden are critical to the ecosystem, filtering pollutants out of the water and forming an essential link between the lower and upper levels of the food web. Menhaden are an essential source of food for larger fish species— everything from bluefish to humpback whales.

Fish-eating birds such as ospreys, pelicans, and bald eagles also rely on menhaden as a source of food.

This is how we learn:

how a local industry works Learning at CCS is hands-on! Christchurch School runs its own oyster farm, following oysters from larvae to market. We purchase young oysters from a hatchery and grow them in our upweller system until they’re large enough to place in the river. As the oysters grow, our students sort and clean them, and make sure they have a high flow rate of water and enough room to grow. In addition to following the oysters from the larval stage to market, students involved with the oyster program help create, build, and improve the systems and equipment used by the farm, and gain a complete understanding of the local oyster economy.

Good question!

Why are oysters called “the workhorse of the Chesapeake”?

For centuries, the Chesapeake Bay’s native oyster, Crassostrea virginica, was the bedrock that supported both the economy and the environment of the bay. An oyster reef becomes a habitat for sedentary creatures such as mussels, sponges, and barnacles.

Crabs and small fish seek refuge in the crevices between shells.

This “aquatic buffet” attracts larger fish that gather to forage. In addition to providing a vital habitat to the bay, the unassuming oyster is actually an anatomical marvel built of pumps and filters.

Each adult oyster can filter pollution from the water at a rate of up to 50 gallons per day. As currents flow past four rows of gills, tiny hairs filter bits of mud and sand from the water.

WE ARE ALL CREATIVE Creativity is an innate part of human nature; we all have artistic ability. Our fine arts faculty create an environment where students discover and develop their talents as artists, actors, and singers. Visual arts students draw inspiration from our natural surroundings, learn how visual and graphic arts apply to real life, and develop ways to express the connection between art and the environment. Our theatre serves as a proving ground where students find their voice and come to understand the value of teamwork, confidence, and clarity of vision. Music brings our community together through weekly performances of The Chapel Choir and Cantorion, the signature CCS Choral Ensemble.

AN ALTERNATIVE TO AP Instead of Advanced Placement courses, CCS has chosen to offer challenging, in-depth, weighted, college-prep courses called honors courses. These courses offer rigorous preparation for college learning, just like AP. The difference is, our honors courses allow you to explore a subject more thoroughly and learn more meaningfully by focusing on depth of content and quality of thinking. They’re the type of courses you need to be prepared for college.

THE HONORS COURSE EXPERIENCE Honors courses at CCS are college-level courses designed to offer advanced students a stimulating, rigorous experience. In order to be considered for an honors course, you must submit a petition to the appropriate department chair, meet a series of prerequisites, and be willing to make a commitment to daily, rigorous preparation and focus. In addition to a deep level of intellectual exploration, honors courses will provide you with the transcript record you need to show selective colleges that you have challenged yourself in high school.

GO, FIGHTING SEAHORSES! Sports are more than activities at Christchurch School, they’re part of the curriculum. Like the classroom, the playing field offers our athletes daily opportunities to develop critical skills and values. We’re committed to creating an environment that encourages all students—both the experienced, competitive athlete and the student who’s looking to try something new and have fun—to participate and compete at the highest level possible. And while we strive to win, we think sportsmanship, teamwork, commitment, and strong effort are just as important.

Our ultimate goal is to help our student-athletes develop self-confidence, purpose, and identity.

Sports teams at Christchurch School include: • sailing • boys and girls soccer • volleyball • crew • field hockey • boys and girls basketball • cross country • indoor track • baseball • boys and girls lacrosse • golf • swimming • football

SAILING AT CCS Since its founding in 1921, sailing has been a treasured tradition at Christchurch School. What began as a small program is now a sailing powerhouse. CCS has the largest high school fleet in the country, and is one of only two schools in the Virginia Interscholastic Sailing Association (VISA) to have its own fleet and on-site venue.

In recent years, our sailors have snapped up local, regional and Mid-Atlantic wins. They were the 2014-15 VISA champions for fleet and team racing, and the MASSA (Mid-Atlantic) champions for fleet and team. They finished 6th in the country at the 2015 Baker National Team Racing Championship in Chicago.

WHAT ARE CO-CURRICULARS? CCS students are never bored, thanks to the many activities available through our co-curricular program. We call them co-curriculars because they supplement and complement academic learning. Like academics, they play an important role in developing our students’ cultural, social, and aesthetic sensibilities—think of them as out-of-class learning opportunities. Our goal is to offer you the chance to develop your strengths and explore new interests. So, what will it be for you? Sports? Community service?

Fine and performing arts? The outdoors? This is the place to find out.

twentyquestions.christchurchschool.org

object lessons 1

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“Knitting is my creative outlet. It’s gratifying to make something that’s both beautiful and useful.”

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“I’ve traveled a lot with my family; we’ve been to Zambia, Australia, Thailand, and Germany, so far.

Seeing other parts of the world and learning about other cultures has given me a new perspective on my life in the U.S. Some-

times you have to travel far from home to truly appreciate it.”

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“My faith is important to me. The fig tree is one of the most symbolic trees in Israel. Whenever I see a fig tree, it reminds me of my connection to the Holy Land.”

“The Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell, taught me that

talent is usually developed through lots of hard work.

Success doesn’t always come easily; you have to be willing to put in the time.”

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“I can’t imagine life without sailing. My dad used this boat plug when he won the Central American Sailing Championships.

He gave it to me when I competed in the National Championships, and I

won. I live by the words of UK sailing legend, Paul Elvstrom: ‘You haven’t won the race if in doing so, you lost the respect of your competitors.’ “ 6

“I like small animal figurines, especially this fox necklace. My mother gave it to me when I left for CCS. Whenever I miss her, this little fox reminds me that she loves me.”

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“I love the sand and sea, and being active at the beach. Now that I have boogie boarding down, I want to learn how to surf.

I think it’s important to spend time outside, to never get too far away from nature”

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“The Book Thief, by Markus Zuzak, opened my eyes to the power of the written word and the resilience of

For thousands of years, objects have been used to tell the story of mankind.

Here, a few of our students tell their stories through meaningful objects.

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the human spirit. We all have the capacity to find beauty in the midst of horror and destruction.”

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“I’m from Guatemala, and I often wear a bracelet like this. No matter how far away I travel, it always reminds me of the history and beauty of my home.”

10 “I made this bracelet at summer camp. Each bead

represents a core value of is full of interesting places our camp. I wear it as a waiting to be explored.” reminder of what makes someone a good person.

12 “My grandmother gave me None of us is born perfect; this guitar when I was 10. we have to work at it every It’s broken, but I still play it day.” sometimes when I want to remember her. Music can “When I was seven, we comfort and heal.”

11 moved across the globe to New Zealand. It opened up 13 “This year, I discovered art a whole new world to me. I and design. I love the feelcarry these native coins to ing of putting my ideas remind me that the world into something visual.

Whenever I’m preparing to create a new piece, the words of my art teacher, Mr. Peterson, inspire me to stay true to my vision: ‘do you.’ ” 14 “I’ve had these football gloves since 5th grade. My hands were always big, so they still fit me. When I put them on, they show me how much I’ve grown as a person. They’re a reminder that hard work pays off.”

15 “I’ve played lacrosse since I was a little kid, and while I’ve always noticed how the sport has made me stronger and faster, I’ve recently started to realize that it’s also made me a better communicator and a more supportive teammate.”

“ It may be that when we no longer know which way to go that we have come to our real journey.

The mind that is not baffled is not employed.

the impeded stream is the one that sings.

” – Wendell E. Berry, writer, cultural critic, farmer

– Ben Saunders, Arctic explorer

IS IT A RELIGIOUS SCHOOL? Christchurch School is an Episcopal School.

Unlike a parish church, Episcopal schools are pluralistic—they consider themselves not just communities for Christians, but ecumenical and diverse ministries of educational and personal development for students of any faith, and no faith. Episcopal schools exist not just to educate, but to reveal the unique worth and beauty of all human beings in the graceful and inclusive manner that has been the hallmark of the Anglican approach to education for centuries. All this means is, when it comes to faith, we won’t tell you what to believe, but we will help you develop your own moral compass. And while you’ll become familiar with the Christian tradition through our worship, core values, and theology classes, our goal as a school is not to indoctrinate, but to teach you to participate, think, and decide what’s right for you.

IF ENGLISH IS YOUR SECOND LANGUAGE: Our ESL Program was developed to provide support for international students to successfully meet the academic and social demands of a college-preparatory boarding school, and gain increased understanding of the perspectives, customs, and contributions to the world community of English-speaking cultures. International students at CCS improve their English skills through intensive work in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, while building skills in six key cross-curricular areas. Outside the classroom, they participate fully in community life, including athletics, social activities, clubs, and community service. The ESL Program staff is committed to providing a structured, supportive learning environment where students of diverse needs and strengths can develop communication skills, habits of active learning, and cultural and social competency in preparation for success at CCS, in college, and beyond.

A COMMITMENT TO SERVING THE COMMUNITY We believe a direct path to joy can be found through helping others. Community service isn’t just an activity at CCS, it’s an important part of campus life, and often inspires a lifelong commitment to serving those in need. Every CCS student completes at least 10 hours of service each year through activities and organizations like tutoring, nursing home visits, Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, our local food bank, and river clean-ups—just to name a few!

IS SUPPORT AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DIFFERENCES? Our renowned Learning Skills Program has been a part of the CCS curriculum for more than 30 years. LSP is a scheduled support program for a limited number of students who have been diagnosed with specific learning disabilities or learning differences. The program helps students improve their ability to meet the demands of the regular college-preparatory program and to achieve independently in college. Students who attend the Learning Skills Program range from athletic MVPs to drama participants; from chorus members to student leaders. Many students in the program achieve Dean’s List and Headmaster’s List status. All go on to four-year colleges or universities.

REINVENTING THE LIBRARY What are the skills most valued in today’s information economy? Creativity, imagination, and innovation. This got us thinking about our library—what it could be, and what it should be.

A school library should be an information and application epicenter, an idea design lab to help students contribute to their own future collegiate work and to society, a place to develop confidence and curiosity about the world in order to make it a better place. We want our library to be the center of the CCS experience, a place where students learn how to research across disciplines, and how to discover ideas and implement them—an intellectual hub for an academic community.

IT ALL STARTED IN 1921…

In 1921, the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia founded Christchurch School on the Eastman Farm, in Middlesex County. The simple intention of this “venture of faith” was to provide a comprehensive education at reasonable cost. On September 28, 1921, we opened our doors with a few local students and ten boarders. While staying true to our original mission of creating “high character, pure and healthy bodies, well-furnished minds, and the spirit of unselfish service,” CCS has kept up with the times. Our updated mission statement embodies the direction, values and aspirations established by our founders almost 100 years ago, while charting a course for growth and opportunity in the future.

twentyquestions.christchurchschool.org

object lessons

Learn about our Headmaster, Jeb Byers, through a few objects that carry special meaning for him.

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“I wear this orange cap whenever I cheer on CCS at athletic events. Go, seahorses!”

“I’m on my way to India and can’t wait for the international immersion experience. I love to travel but am a perfectly content homebody, too. My favorite place in the world is wherever my family is.”

“My life changed in August of 1972 when I met my wife, Lexi. (This photo was

taken during her freshman year of college.)”

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“In Defense of a Liberal Education, by Fareed Zakaria, is a must-read for anyone who is college bound. I studied Latin and English in college. Rather than major in a subject related to a specific job, I pursued my interests, and it worked out fine. After college, I was in the business world for almost 10 years before beginning a career in education. A liberal arts

degree didn’t prevent me from being perfectly capable in business.”

1939 graduate of CCS. The fact that he was a student here and walked the same campus paths that I walk every day makes my connection to CCS all the more meaningful.”

5 “This is Astro, our first dog.

(We currently have four.)

I love dogs, especially corgis.”

8 6 “You’ll always see my wife and me walking our corgis on campus, well-accessorized with their CCS leashes!”

7 “These folding eyeglasses belonged to my father, a

“Digging in the dirt is fun.

I like to garden, and I am pretty good at clearing brush and weeding, if I do say so myself. I also like to cook and watch sports.

When I have a little free time, I’ve been known to enjoy what I call a serious nap.”

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“I am interested in my profession—independent secondary education—it’s fascinating in every detail.

My job is ideal for me. It is the privilege of my life to be the headmaster of Christchurch School.”

10 “I admire resilience and grit as much as natural greatness. I recently hiked to the top of a 12,000 foot mountain. I am not a hiker, and it was tough, but the thrill of reaching the top was worth every minute I struggled to get there.”

CHRISTCHURCH SCHOOL Great Journeys Begin at the River

Co-educational boarding and day, grades 9 through 12 49 Seahorse Lane, Christchurch, Virginia 23031 804-758-2306 | twentyquestions.christchurchschool.org

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