J
The Highlands
ournal
A QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF HIGHLANDS LATIN SCHOOL
Winter 2019
Dr. Bailey conducts the Madrigal Choir at the annual Upper School Christmas Cantata on December 20, 2018, at Crescent Hill Baptist Church.
Dear HLS Community, “Are we there yet?” Generations of parents have heard this familiar question at some point on a long road trip. The honest answer depends on your location, while the sarcastic reply depends on the frequency of the question! As I have stated previously many times, a school year is a journey together. The 2018 portion of our journey has passed, but the second part of our venture is well underway. While the start of most trips is filled with excitement and eagerness, it is at the midway point where questions of doubt creep into our consciousness, and we begin to ask, “Are we there yet?” or “How much longer?” I am reminded of Mrs. Lowe’s speech in which she likened the pursuit of a classical Christian education to that of climbing a mountain. Standing at the foot of this mountain
Crescent Hill Campus 2800 Frankfort Avenue Spring Meadows Campus 10901 Shelbyville Road Southern Indiana Campus 2023 Ekin Avenue
A D M I N I S T R AT I O N Cheryl Lowe, Founder Shawn Wheatley, Head of School Kelly Booker, Principal Matthew Dickie, Upper School Asst. Principal Jason Borah, Grammar School Asst. Principal Sean Brooks, Director of the House System Jennifer Wathen, College Counselor Chelsea Murray, College Counselor Mary Melchior, Office Manager Mary Dick, Administrative Asst. Krista Lange, Lead Teacher of So. Indiana
and preparing for the ascent is enticing, exciting, and even romantic. We can easily envision ourselves at the mountain’s summit before we ever take a step—but the actual climb is rigorous, arduous, and real! It can be monotonous, boring, and sometimes not at all what we envisioned. The top of the mountain is out of sight when you are on the path and in the grind. Is there a more confusing place to be than the midway point in a long journey? You can rejoice because you are closer to the top, or you can fret because you are not close to the top. “Are we there yet?” What if we stopped thinking about the top of the mountain or the end of the journey? What if we began our journey knowing that this task would never be completed? Would we be excited to start a never-ending quest? In Mrs. Lowe’s speech, she never revealed what was at the peak of this classical Christian educational mountaintop. She did not believe we should strive to individually stand atop any peak, but she relished the journey and she loved the process. She was encouraged by the fellowship and the struggle strengthened her resolve. The journey with friends is both the point and the reward! Each May, the members of the senior class meet in the empty sanctuary of Crescent Hill Baptist Church to practice for the annual graduation ceremony. It is here when students actually confront what is happening. Some are weary. Most are very excited, but the realization that their “climb as a class” has reached an end is always overwhelming. They have helped each other. They know they have not all reached the same point on the mountain, but none could have ascended to where they stand without each other. So, each year, each class looks at the spot where they receive their diploma, they cherish the familiar sanctuary, and they reflect on their classical Christian educational experience with tearful eyes because at that point, they just want the moment to last a little bit longer. Sincerely, Shawn Wheatley Head of School
22
A LU M N I SPOTLIGHT
What are your fondest memories of HLS? I don’t think I was able to fully appreciate how amazing the teachers were at HLS across every subject. I had already been receiving so much of the liberal arts education that Hillsdale offers at HLS! As for memories, I always looked forward to the Upper School Men’s Retreat. It was always a welcomed reprieve from the toil of winter and spring trimesters. Our senior year retreat stands out mainly because we lured a goat into the cabin … but I won’t explain much further than that, I suppose. What have you enjoyed most about your college experience? I’ve done many things at Hillsdale that I would not have anticipated, such as leading student Catholic ministry, delivering a research paper at an academic conference, and learning German (and still keeping up Latin, don’t worry!). The best surprises have been the friendships I’ve developed with professors. At Hillsdale you see your professors in front of you in the classroom, next to you in the pew, behind you in the checkout lane at Kroger, and they’ll greet you every time. Hillsdale profs make it clear that they’re there to help you develop not only academically, but spiritually and emotionally, and the wisdom I’ve received from professors young and old over my years here is beyond measure. Describe your study away experiences, both abroad and domestic. I’ve been to the Holy Land three times, once as a participant and twice as a student fellow with a group called Passages, an organization dedicated to taking Christian college students to Israel to see the land of Jesus, the Jewish roots of our religion, and the modern political situation in the region. One of my HLS teachers once called Jerusalem the boundary between East and West, and I think that identification encapsulates the nature of the Holy Land. You will never find a more fascinating mixture of foreign and familiar, ancient and modern, hallowed and exhilarating all interwoven with the three Abrahamic religions into one incredible country. My favorite spot in Israel is the Church of the Annunciation, a cathedral built over a crusader church, which is built over a Byzantine church, which is built over a small first century cave home with an altar inside that says in Latin, “here the Word was made flesh.” These opportunities have been the greatest blessings of my collegiate experience. I’ve also traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in academic colloquia at Catholic University of America as a Röpke-Wojtyła Fellow.
Sammy Roberts HLS Class of 2015
Sammy Roberts began HLS in the 1st grade, only a few years after the school began hosting classes at Crescent Hill Baptist Church. “I stuck it all the way out to graduate in 2015—twelve long and challenging, but also fun and exciting years!” he said. He currently attends Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, where he will graduate in May with a degree in history. For the past two summers Sammy served as an intern at Memoria Press. In this role, he (and several other HLS graduates who also worked as interns) answered phones and helped homeschool families build curriculum packages for their children, worked in the warehouse processing orders and stocking shelves, and received hands-on publishing experience. Sammy says his MP experience was “not only a great internship, but also a great way of giving back to the school and the memory of a headmistress who did so much for each and every one of us.”
TheLatinSchool.org
How do you think HLS prepared you for college? HLS allowed me to make the most out of my liberal arts education at Hillsdale and become a competent academic interlocutor. While I might not have grasped all the complexities of Greek myths in 3rd grade or those of the Iliad in the 7th, HLS instilled a familiarity with the great characters and themes and laid a foundation that allowed me to engage with these texts at a whole new level in college. My study of Latin made it far easier to learn German and gave me an edge in my history scholarship, as I now often produce my own original translations of hitherto untranslated Latin documents from the early modern period. What do you value about your classical education? Both HLS and Hillsdale have championed an understanding of education as the integration of all humane sciences for the purpose of moral rectification. English, chemistry, history, physics, classics, biology—all of these are the diverse paths by which the human knower approaches unchanging Truth in its various manifestations, and only an education that appreciates each of these disciplines can properly orient the self to God, society, and the world in which we dwell. Moreover, every academic endeavor is, as HLS and Hillsdale recognize, not for the mere sake of acquiring knowledge, but for learning what the good life is and how we might partake in it. Aristotle said that the mark of an excellent human being is genuine happiness, and my teachers at HLS and Hillsdale have always affirmed, and I myself have genuinely experienced, the joy derived from joining with others for the study of and discussion about the permanent things. What’s next for you? I’m investigating routes to go back to school in a couple of years to study the literature, poetry, and philosophy of Dante Alighieri. HLS first fired my love of Dante, and an incredible Dante seminar at Hillsdale this semester helped me to realize that I could spend the rest of my life studying his words. Don’t be afraid to study and do what you love, HLS students—what else is our time on this Earth for, and how could you better glorify God?
3
Faculty Favorites: Great Literature Whether they teach literature or math, or are in the Upper School or the Primary School, great works of literature are appreciated and valued by each member of the HLS faculty. Here are a few of their favorites: KING LEAR (Shakespeare). Shakespeare’s great tragedy portrays the deepest darks of human pain, and still the light in it shines brighter. It therefore displays the greatest poetic skill. Furthermore, there exists no better expression of the necessity of fiction for true education, for redemption grows in the soil of a fertile imagination, and so this play is an English teacher’s right arm. If I could teach only one book, I would teach King Lear and lack nothing: “Thy life,” it says, “is a miracle.” | Kyle Janke: Classical Studies, English (SM) HANNAH COULTER (Wendell Berry). I love this book for its poignantly written truths about finding beauty in every stage of life, no matter how bitter or sweet or simple the moment may be. | Faith Liebing: 2nd Grade (SM) THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE (C. S. Lewis). This has been a favorite of mine since I first read it in late elementary school. I love how C. S. Lewis uses a parable format to communicate powerful truths. Every time I reread it, something new stands out and is impactful to me! Teal Wigginton: 1st Grade (CH)
ANNA KARENINA (Leo Tolstoy). Tolstoy’s masterpiece articulates the depths and nuances of human experience—from the darkest corners of the human heart to the brightest peaks of joy and beauty. No other novel I have read so seamlessly and subtly weaves such deep and lasting truths into such a rich and captivating narrative. New truths appear, as Tolstoy puts it, “like gold in the sand” with each read. | Chelsea Murray: English (SM)
CONFESSIONS (Augustine of Hippo). It is one of the great treasures of church history and the Western tradition. In the form of extended prayers, Augustine’s life and theology of God’s grace are beautifully displayed. | Jonathan Swan: Greek (CH) MY ANTONÍA (Willa Cather). My Antonía is an easy book to love. It gently unveils the beauty and goodness of the tangible things of this world— land, work, food, friends—but all of this is primarily revealed through Cather’s deep depiction of her characters. Necessarily, these characters experience change, just as the earth they hold so dear also changes, yet they retain the ability to inhabit, participate, and grow through change, not in spite of it. My Antonía, ultimately, is a call to love: to observe and quietly delight in the world around us. | Rebecca Willis: 6th Grade (SM)
OF MICE AND MEN (John Steinbeck). Though the characters are rough, the story reveals each character’s hopes and dreams as well as exposes the human need for companionship. The story painfully reminds the reader that we live in a fallen world and that dreams for some are impossible. Maggie Windhorst: English (SM)
Why do we read the classics? We read classical literature to better understand the trials and triumphs of mankind. Studying classical literature is essential in developing virtue. The books we read at HLS have formed the hearts of men and women from generation to generation.
?
We know it is important to begin early with quality literature, not only to develop the ability to read great works but also to develop the interest in and appreciation for them. Early introduction to great literature provides the student comfort with stylistic language, virtuous themes, and rich meaning. What a student reads matters. Each book builds on the next in language, meaning, and allusion. The steps are small, but they are formative, well-thought-out, and necessary.
in case you were
WONDERING
It is also important to consistently offer quality literature to develop discernment—to create proper appetites. Like food, if we introduce quality early and routinely lead a child to it, he will begin not only to recognize it, but to seek it. He will discern what is excellent and build his diet around it.
Furthermore, it’s a responsibility assigned by our classical tradition to offer our students the same literary experience as previous generations. We must build cultural literacy in our students. We should introduce them to the shared acquaintances known by all educated people—both the heroes who show us virtue and the villains who show us vice. It is not accidental that Horatius, Achilles, Hamlet, even Wilbur and Charlotte have weathered the passing of time. These characters teach us about our human nature. Seeing a story play out in its entirety, the student recognizes virtue and vice clearly in great literature and hopefully is both afforded a victory and spared a heartbreak for it.
4
Classical literature has been vetted; it is time-tested, eternally and repeatedly rewarding. Good literature offers us a new lesson, a better perspective, and a fresh kernel of truth with each reading.
Focus on Faculty:
Brian Davidson Brian Davidson began teaching Greek in 2013 after learning about the open position from a former HLS teacher, but the calling came well in advance. As a construction inspector in Gastonia, North Carolina (his hometown), he recalls the specific moment.
“I very clearly remember one morning in 2002 when I was sitting on a job site waiting on the day to begin. I was listening to a preacher, who also worked as a seminary professor, talk about the sound of students walking up and down the halls reciting their Greek and Hebrew paradigms as they were heading to class. I was enchanted by the thought. I had the overwhelming sense in that moment that what God was calling me to was something that I would enjoy.” Mr. Davidson worked as a construction inspector for six years while simultaneously earning a bachelor’s degree in religious studies at Gardner-Webb University. During that time, the teaching and preaching of John Piper influenced Mr. Davidson to “expound and reflect upon the New Testament with reference to the language in which it was originally written.” He made multiple requests to the GWU Religious Studies Program administration to add biblical language classes, but was told those c l a s s e s we r e o u t s i d e t h e scope of the night program in which he was enrolled. Still, Mr. Davidson’s goal was to eventually attend seminary and learn how to read Scripture in its original languages. His pastor (and mentor ) at the time recommended Southern Seminary, and when Mr. Davidson graduated in 2007 he headed straight to Louisville. “Shortly after arriving in Louisville, I found someone that would serve as a new mentor over the next several years—Jonathan Pennington, my first Greek teacher. During the Master of Divinity days, I took seven or eight classes with Dr. Pennington, and he not only taught me how to read Greek, he shaped so much of how I read and understand Scripture,” said Mr. Davidson. “I took six semesters of Greek and six semesters of Hebrew during those years, but at the end of the master’s degree, I felt like I was just scratching the surface. I wanted more, so in 2011 I began a Ph.D. program focusing on the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, originally written in Hebrew
TheLatinSchool.org
and Aramaic. During this time, Peter Gentry profoundly impacted the way I think about and teach biblical languages.” Around that time, Mr. Davidson learned of the open position at HLS to teach Greek and began his role at the Crescent Hill campus soon after. “My first year at HLS I taught only Greek II (8th grade) and the 9th grade morning Greek elective in which we read the New Testament. I absolutely loved it, and immediately wanted more classes. Over the next three years, I slowly picked up more and more classes.” Mr. Davidson and his wife, Leslie, whom he married in 2009, soon began a family. Beau was born in 2013 and Noelle in 2015. When his life became more full with both family and work, he stepped away from his doctoral work to invest in his career at HLS. “It is easy to think of HLS as the school where the academically gifted have the opportunity to soar, but it was Mr. Brooks’ formation talks over the past three years—especially last year as we talked about the true, good, and beautiful— that really impressed upon me what makes HLS stand out. The school exists to help students become better, more Christ-like people ... I’ve come to understand that this is the number one goal at HLS. That’s the vision. Latin, Greek, math, classical studies, retreats, formation talks—all these things are means to an end, and the end is to produce people of character. I love that vision.”
Today, Mr. Davidson teaches two sections of Greek I (7th grade), two sections of Greek II (8th grade), and three sections of logic (9th grade). He teaches both morning Greek electives, Greek III (New Testament Reading) and Greek IV (Classical Greek), as well as Latin at the cottage school on Monday and a few Latin and Greek classes online in the evenings. “I absolutely love teaching at HLS,” he said. “I remember seeing Mrs. Lowe in the hallway a couple years ago, and she said to me, ’Now, don’t you leave us.’ In that moment I said, and have said ever since, ’I certainly don’t plan to.’” Mr. Davidson is married to Leslie, and their family, including Beau (6) and Ever Noelle (3), attends Sojourn Community Church.
5
Dressing the Part
Costuming for My Fair Lady Dr. Rebecca Shelburne, who has taught Upper School science for over ten years at HLS, has recently stepped into a new creative role. The HLS Drama Troupe has expanded rapidly in recent years, requiring more team members to get each production from concept to reality. Over the summer, Dr. Shelburne approached Drama Troupe Director Teresa Boling and asked if any help was needed in the costuming department. After a resounding “Yes!” from Mrs. Boling, Dr. Shelburne set right to work. She costumed “Anne of Greene Gables” this fall, and is currently busy working on costumes for “My Fair Lady.” Most of the costumes are originally purchased at Goodwill. “It is the mecca for costumes,” says Dr. Shelburne. “I do a lot of alteration, deconstruction, and redesign to turn hand-me-downs into costumes.” Her favorite piece for the upcoming show is one of Eliza Doolittle’s dresses. With only two days to find and alter the costume for an approaching promotional photo shoot, Dr. Shelburne visited every Goodwill in the city. At her last stop, she found the perfect dress. “I took the dress I had purchased for Eliza Doolittle back to school and just started fearlessly cutting it down. The entire costume room was covered in tulle and taffeta. Once I had stitched it back together, it looked great and was a great fit. I love it!” When asked about the overall vision for this show, she says, “I can’t help but think in terms of color. The first part of this play is brown, but as Eliza becomes more self-aware I want to add more color. Henry Higgins will always be in brown, but Eliza is a very colorful character. I am trying to keep the costumes as close to period as possible. It is set in 1910, and it is a time when fashion is changing. Women’s skirts might show their ankles and young men dressed a little more colorfully.” Dr. Shelburne is not the only person costuming this show; behind her is an eager team of 9th grade girls (Isabel Daniel, Mia VanOuter, Ally Ormsby, Annika Monson, Olivia Vickery, Kellyn Boyd). “They are a hardworking group of girls and super fun to work with,” she says. Over the next few years, she hopes to continue teaching the girls more about sewing and the technical aspects of costuming. “The best part of this job is spending time with all of these great kids and not demanding they learn science and do homework and take tests—we just have fun. I get to invest in them in a different way. It is demanding but rewarding when we make it work.” “My Fair Lady” will be performed March 22-24 at the Clifton Center. 6
502-742-4789
PRESERVING OUR CULTURAL TOPSOIL by Martin Cothran Originally published in The Classical Teacher Summer 2017 issue
M
ost people think topsoil is just dirt. But it is far more than that. When people lived closer to the land, they knew this, but now farming is mechanized and we have an industrialized food system. To most people, this all seems just fine. Food is easy to get—and cheap. What else matters? What few people hear about is the degradation of the soil that produces our food. According to many reports, we are losing topsoil at an alarming rate. According to one expert we are losing “30 soccer fields of soil every minute.” In an article in Time magazine, John Crawford at the University of Sydney says we are “stripping the topsoil of nutrients at 10 to 40 times the rate that it can be naturally replenished.” Over-farming. Over-grazing. Deforestation. The use of artificial chemicals. “Simply put,” says Crawford, “we take too much from the soil and don’t put enough back.” Harry Caudill, a writer who worked for years as a country attorney in the hills of Eastern Kentucky, described how topsoil is formed: The first layer is made up of clearly recognizable leaves from the most recent autumn. The next layer is less recognizable, the one after that formless, and finally there is a rich mass of unremembered mold from remote times. But the plant atop this composition grows out of it all, is nourished by it all, and contributes to it all. The composite layer is the plant’s heritage.
According to Scientific American, it takes a thousand years to produce an inch and a quarter of topsoil. Through proper care of their land, farmers can help in this process by continually giving back to it. But it still takes a long time.
www.TheLatinSchool.org
“A culture,” says Caudill, “is accumulated in the same manner, an accretion deposited by each generation.” Six or eight generations back, the deposits become formless, but the influences persist. We cannot escape the consequences of what those old dead generations did and left to us. Daily we confront in others, and ourselves act out, influences whose social beginnings were old in Europe when Caesar’s legions sailed for Britain.
Culture is lost and degraded in the same way as topsoil—through the failure to preserve and replenish it. Instead of inculcating in each new generation a knowledge and appreciation of the ideals and values that constitute the underlying layers of our Christian civilization—a civilization with deep roots in Greek philosophy and poetry, Roman social and civil order, and the Hebrew nation’s record of its dealings with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—we increasingly use up the benefits of our past without putting anything back from which future generations can thrive. We used to have a way of preserving our cultural topsoil. It was called “education.” We grew each new generation out of the richness of our past so they could add back to the cultural soil. But our industrialized education system no longer considers passing on our heritage to students to be a priority. The primary purpose of classical education is to pass on the accumulated wisdom of Western civilization. And it does this through the proper cultivation, not of the soil, but of the soul—a practice that not only uses the heritage we have been given, but adds another layer to it.
7
WORK HARD, WORK SMART F I V E WAY S T O H E L P I M P R O V E H O M E W O R K T I M E
Time during school is precious, and time outside of school is even more precious. In order to educate students to the highest standards of the classical tradition, homework time should be time well spent. Hard work is good, but we want to work smart, too. We want to help you maximize the time you spend on assignments and review outside of school, so here are five ways to help improve homework time:
1) Put Away Distractions Not only our homes, but our vans and pockets are filled with screens. Removing distraction for studying used to mean turning off the television or maybe moving to another quiet room. With the advent of smartphones and ubiquitous internet, we need to go out of our way to turn the screens off and put them away. Going to a quiet room is still a good first move, especially if you have younger siblings running around and playing, but in our present day, putting away distractions means, first and foremost, putting away the screens.
2) Get Organized Once you’ve separated yourself from distractions, get organized. First, clear off a space and dedicate it to completing your work. If the noise level is appropriate, the dining room table is a great place to get this done. You might need to help others in your family put their things away before you can begin, but it’s always good to help out around the house. Next, empty your backpack. One of the most helpful first steps is to make sure you have everything you need. Leaving things in your backpack for extended periods of time lulls you into forgetting what’s there and possibly forgetting to complete an assignment. Finally, get materials you will need and have them ready. This should include pencils, notebook paper, and your workbooks. It could also include a whiteboard, dry erase markers, or even sidewalk chalk for some review activities.
3) Be Ready to Write
Be prepared to write when you otherwise might have simply spoken. Writing things down helps to improve memory and retention. Here are some ideas: In geography, don’t just read the country and tell yourself the capital. Write it on a blank piece of notebook paper. In Latin, don’t just verbally recite your new paradigm, write it down. Need to practice your long division but have the jitters? Take some sidewalk chalk out to the driveway and divide away! Get a small whiteboard, and when a parent is helping you study by verbally asking you questions, try and not answer verbally. Write down your answer on the whiteboard. Printing off extra worksheets, maps, and speed drills is also a great way to study not just by speaking, but also by writing.
4) Set a Routine With sports, church, chores, and dinner, finding a regular time to study is a challenge—but it’s a challenge you need to meet head on. Just like you cleared a space on the dining room table, clear a space in your day. Homework time doesn’t just happen. You’ll need to make it happen. Also, as you establish your routines, distinguish between written assignments and regular review. One is something you will need to turn in to your teacher for a grade, while the other is simply going over material for an upcoming quiz or perhaps a quick review of Latin flashcards. (Make sure to include more writing for this type of study!) Get into a routine to get your written assignments finished first, followed by your regular review. Studying the right way is important, but making that a habit is the goal. Routines matter. 8
502-742-4789
5) Ask for Help You can always benefit from help during homework time. Always remember, though, that the goal is to develop the habits and skills of studying such that you become less and less reliant upon that help. When you’re younger, your parents (or perhaps an older sibling) can help you in a number of ways. First, they can read questions to you. This forces you to quiet down and listen. Remember to balance how you answer those questions with both speaking and writing. Second, your helper can show you questions or problems that you must read. This forces you to focus on what they are showing you and read it. Again, answer with speaking and writing. Vary it up. Many times you will benefit the most from someone just being there to listen to you recite and also check your work. The more focused, organized, and smart you are about your homework, the less your precious time will be wasted. The better we spend our time doing our schoolwork, the more time we will have to do other fun things and spend time with our family and friends.
Student Spotlight:
The Catalysts For Audrey Dick (11th), AJ Mangione (10th), and Samuel Haddow (10th), music is a crucial part of their lives. The trio plays in The Catalysts, a worship band based at Middletown Christian Church. The first to join the group, Samuel began playing in the band about four years ago, when his guitar teacher told him about the opportunity. When the band needed more members, Samuel asked Audrey to join. Then, on the 2016 Meet the Teacher Day, Audrey asked AJ if he would be interested in joining the band. Now, two years later, the group is still regularly rehearsing and performing, not only at Middletown Christian Church, but at other churches in the area as well.
The Catalysts have filled in for services at various churches in order to provide the regular band some needed reprieve. While playing music together is fun and enjoyable, it has also provided all three of them much opportunity for growth and learning. “Being in a band forces me to practice more than I would on my own, because other people depend on me. I’ve gotten much better at playing guitar because of this,” says Samuel, who sings and plays acoustic guitar. The trio practices together once a week. AJ Mangione plays bass guitar for The Catalysts, and says the band is important to him “because it allows [him] to play music and worship God at the same time.” As a classical school, HLS understands the value of music, for it completes the triad of universal languages and expresses thoughts and emotions with an almost divine power to touch the soul. For Audrey, AJ, and Samuel, The Catalysts gives them the chance to put this core principle of their classical education into action.
www.TheLatinSchool.org TheLatinSchool.org
9
“SEMPER PARATUS” According to longtime HLS parent Carrie McGraw, “Semper Paratus” is her family’s motto. This year, the 12th grade girls have put this Latin phrase meaning “always prepared” into action. Nine girls from the senior class are enrolled in an intensive eight-week combat course and attend class once per week at Core Combat Sports in order to learn skills necessary for proper self-defense. When asked about her favorite part of the experience, Carrie’s daughter, Rachel, said, “I enjoy learning how to properly defend myself and, when the situation calls for it, how to incapacitate my opponent before retreating to safety.” Mrs. McGraw’s eldest daughter, Abigail (HLS Class of 2016), participated in the same course during her senior year. “With Rachel approaching college and the Rome trip, I wanted her and her friends to have the same level of preparedness,” she says. A treasured HLS tradition, the senior class will be traveling to Rome over Spring Break to experience firsthand much of the classical art and history they’ve been learning in the classroom since Primary School. Thanks to the self-defense class, these girls will be well-prepared.
HOUSE UPDATES
In December we were the first House to turn in all our books for the Christmas book drive! Sydney Windhorst brought Christmas decorations from her house for St. Andrew to decorate our curio stand, and she even hosted our House Christmas party. Since the New Year, the House has been spending lots of time together. We had a pizza party before the alumni game on January 4 and have had a House lunch every other week. Avery and Marlowe Hanel hosted an extra fun Super Bowl Sunday party at their house for us with snacks and games. This month we’re finally gonna kick off our mentorship program, which will encourage Christian community between older and younger students within the House. Keep on being red hot!!!
—Danielle Fuller
Our House movie is well underway. We have the script written and the character and location portfolio done. Our next project is the storyboard, then filming. Our last social event was the Christmas party. We watched a movie and played board games in Cooke Hall. We do not have any other events planned, but we are working on a date for another movie party. House of David is currently in fourth place, but we are not far behind! —Madison Miller
This past trimester for the House of George has been very fun and eventful. After coming back from Thanksgiving Break, we had a “Christmas Party” at Crescent Hill where we ran around in the dark playing hide-and-seek games. We had successful attendance in the Christmas book drive, and our House sweatshirts are on the way. Our movie project is going smoothly—we pulled together a great character/location portfolio, and the storyboard and movie poster are in the works. We have some catching up to do in points, but I’m sensing a comeback in the second half of the year! Go George! —Kate Burnett
The House of Patrick is currently in second place, not too far behind Andrew. Before Christmas Break, our guys won the volleyball competition, and since then we have been doing really well. In January, we had an ice skating party with the House of George. I can’t wait to see how we do in the next couple of weeks!
—Hattie Hume
CURRENT HOUSE POINTS
10
House of Andrew....................1850.2
House of George..................1544.25
House of David..........................1490
House of Patrick...................1744.55 502-742-4789
News, Honors, and Awards FACULTY Tony Hernandez (Upper School Math, Science) and his wife, Katie, welcomed their son Daniel David on December 8.
Emily Steen (5th) was in Louisville Ballet’s The Brown-Forman “Nutcracker” at the Kentucky Center for the Arts in December. This was her third year participating. She was a soldier.
Jennifer Wathen (College Counseling) and husband, John, welcomed their daughter Bowen Marie on January 29.
Earlier this year, 7th and 8th grade students took a written geography assessment. The ten students with the highest scores competed in the National Geographic GeoBee for HLS on January 18 at the Spring Meadows campus. The finalists were as follows: CH—Clayton Nau, Allie Pierre, Ronnie Pierre, and Oliver Real.
STUDENTS
SM—Micah Faught, Noah Hawkins, Anthony Holder, Samantha Kang, James Mardis, and Mary Claire Vonderheide.
Micah Arnold (8th) played the role of Amahl in “Amahl and the Night Visitors” with the Kentucky Opera—a short familyfriendly opera about a poor young boy and his mother who host the three wise men on their way to find Jesus—in November.
Tanay Neotia (11th) earned a perfect score of 36 on the ACT in December. Only 1/10 of 1% of all students who take the ACT achieve this impressive goal.
Sammy McCall (9th) and Lee Ryan (4th) competed in the Speedo Eastern Swim Classic Championship in Atlanta, GA, January 18-20. The same weekend, Johnny and Charlotte Crush (7th, 5th) swam in a meet in Indianapolis. Both consistently placed in the Top 15 in their respective age groups.
Greta Miller (5th) competed in the Mid-America Oireachtas (Irish Dance Championship) over Thanksgiving Break. She placed 27th out of 13 states, earning a chance to compete at the National Irish Dance Competition in Vancouver, B.C. this summer.
Michael Broniak (4th) was awarded the Parvuli Dei medal from BSA and the Archdiocese of Louisville.
TheLatinSchool.org
Ronnie Pierre (7th) was the winner of the GeoBee at HLS. He took an online assessment to determine his qualification for the State GeoBee, which is held in April. Congratulations, Ronnie!
Levi Shinabery (11th) received the University of Michigan Book Award for demonstrating outstanding “character, scholarship, leadership, and involvement.”
11
HIGHLANDS LATIN SCHOOL 10901 Shelbyville Rd. Louisville, KY 40243 502.742.4789 TheLatinSchool.org
Highlands Latin School Drama Troupe Presents
March 22 & 23 7:00 P.M. March 24 2:00 P.M. Clifton Center 2117 Payne Street Louisville, KY 40206 Director: Teresa Boling Musical Director: Dr. Louie Bailey Choreographer: Janice Murdoch
Tickets: $8 General Admission TheLatinSchool.org
Illustration by Emily Grace Haner, Class of 2021
Featuring Josiah Gomez as Henry Higgins
Danielle Fuller as Eliza Doolittle on Friday & Sunday
Meg Booker as Eliza Doolittle on Saturday