Quid Novi
MARCH 27, 2017
VOL. 19, NO. 27
MAJORIS
THE NEWSLETTER OF NEW COVENANT SCHOOLS
Mr. Heaton is pictured here
with the students who won
prizes in the Hands & Hearts
raffle drawing as a result of
completing their sponsorship
letters. For more details, see
p. 4.
MORE MOVEMENT: SPRING SPORTS GET STUDENTS OUTDOORS by John Heaton, Headmaster
E
ANNUAL FUND
Goal: $125,000
Raised: $83,023
SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Goal: $20,000
ach spring I look forward to the sight of
but girls are playing soccer in equal numbers. Further,
students with soccer balls and lax sticks
this year we have added two additional sports to our
spread out across expansive fields turning green
program: golf and tennis.
under deep blue skies. Cherry trees in full bloom
line the field house, and chilly winds remind me that
in these sports, but courts and coaches have proven
winter still hangs on, but will soon relent and give
elusive. This year’s Academic Dean, Scott McCurley,
way to warmer temperatures. Seeing athletes from
with Nancy Hall and Earl Weaver, both parents of
grades 5-12 running drills after hitting the books is
SoR students, collaborated with Athletic Director
gratifying.
Kyle Alexander to get court time at CVCC. They have
already begun practicing at CVCC with a team that
Students who get moving in physical exercise
We always knew there would be an interest
think more clearly, sleep better, and develop more
filled immediately with seven boys and twelve girls!
fully. This year, New Covenant has encouraged more
Coaches Robie Harris and Warner Hall recruited
movement among more students than ever, with
four boys for Gryphon Golf, practicing at London
Goal: $35,000
more than 120 athletes participating. Not only are we
Downs golf course. Moreover, students will have
Raised: $22,652
fielding boys’ lax teams in grades 5-6, 7-8, and varsity,
opportunities to participate in several spring track
Raised: $18,775
HANDS & HEARTS
What’s New?
see teams, p. 4
The senior thesis project is a capstone feature of the curriculum in the School of Rhetoric. Drawing upon all of
the skills a student has acquired at New Covenant, the project requires a student to choose a topic of interest
and importance – usually, but not always controversial – and to research it carefully. The thesis is carefully constructed according to
the classical form, a six-part arrangement which has been taught to the students since their freshman year. Throughout the fall and
spring, the paper goes through several drafts, is read by a faculty committee, and is edited and re-written until it reaches its final form.
By this time it is at least fifteen pages in length, and the student stands for a public presentation often referred to as a “defense.” The
presentation may be accompanied by PowerPoint, and includes a 15-minute presentation followed by about 45 minutes of questions
and discussion by committee members. This year’s class has completed 30 theses, abstracts of which are provided in this edition of
Quid Novi. You are cordially invited to attend any of the presentations.
H O N O R A R I A
THESIS DEFENSE SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, AT 3:30 P.M.
GRAYSON RENALDS - Electronic Health
Records and the Decline of Patient-Nurse
Relationships
Electronic health records should be
reviewed and modified because the overuse
of these records is reducing the time nurses
spend with their patients and dehumanizing
their patients which is, in turn, changing the
traditional definition and role of a nurse.
THURSDAY, MARCH 30, AT 8:15 A.M.
JACOB DAVIS - Government of the People,
By the People, and For the People: or, Rather
Of, By, and For the States: Why a States’
Rights Government Better Insures Liberty
The government of the Confederate States
of America, committed to the doctrine of
states’ rights, proves itself to be a form
of government superior to the form of
democracy run purely by the numeric
majority of citizens and would better
preserve the inalienable right of liberty.
JANAE CRIST - The Necessity of Fantasy
While some literary critics have denied
fantasy as a legitimate form of literature,
deeming it “childish” or “escapist,” they do
not take into account fantasy’s ability to
rekindle the literary reader’s wonder for the
natural world and to convey transcendent
truths as revealed in The Bible.
AIDAN MORSE - The Fears of the
Federalists
The great southern statesman and political
thinker, John C. Calhoun, was correct in
his view of government and its relation to
society due to the fact that he correctly
defined the fundamental units of society, he
saw what the newly-composed constitution
would eventually evolve into, and wrote
political treatises in order to preserve the
rights of the states and of the people who
lived therein.
THURSDAY, MARCH 30 AT 9:45 A.M.
ALEX LAMAGNA - Imperial Victory at Sea
Even though the United States possessed
a moderately superior industrial complex
compared to Imperial Japan, an American
victory was never assumed because an
attritional war was never guaranteed,
for, based on Imperial pre-war strength,
current territorial holdings and defenses,
and excellent leadership within the Navy,
it can be reasonably claimed that with the
adoption of Yamamoto’s FS Operation, a
swift Japanese Victory would have been a
possibility.
HANNAH EASTERBROOK - The Benefits
and Rights of Transracial Adoption
While critics of transracial adoption believe
that these placements affect the adoptee’s
sense of racial identity and lead to “cultural
genocide,” this is an issue related to equal
rights for minorities in the 60’s and 70’s.
Today transracial adoption is a viable form
of placement for an adoptee because it
promotes racial inclusion leading to ethnic
equality, removes limitations on adoptions
that otherwise would leave children in
institutions or unstable placements, and
honors the “due process” clause of the 14th
amendment.
TYLER WARREN - The Decision to Use the
Atomic Bomb
The decision to use the atomic bombs on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki was unjust because
it caused unnecessary violence and
destruction upon the civilian population.
THURSDAY, MARCH 30, AT 11:15 A.M.
MATTHEW LAYNE - Drone Strikes and the
War on Terror
The United States is morally obligated to use
drones as they allow us to safely evaluate
situations, provide immense amounts of
otherwise unattainable intelligence, saving
the lives of both soldiers and civilians.
LAURA McAVOY - ADHD Is a Real
Neurological Disorder, Not a Myth
ADHD is not a myth, but a real neurological
disorder likely caused by genetics and
chemical imbalance.
2
TANNER OLSEN - Gun Control: An
Argument for the Right of Self-Defense
Handguns and assault weapons should
not be banned because such a ban would
infringe on the basic human right of selfdefense, and it would give criminals an edge
over law-abiding citizens.
THURSDAY, MARCH 30, AT 1:00 P.M.
MEREDITH BUCKLEY - Pharmaceutical
Corruption: The EpiPen
Mylan, the company that owns and
distributes the EpiPen, has acted unethically
by charging exorbitant prices for a necessary
life-saving drug, by abusing drug patent
laws which were intended to promote
research and innovation, and by choking out
competition.
OLIVIA NYE - Vincent van Gogh: A Suicide
or a Murder?
Vincent van Gogh clearly showed many
signs of different mental disorders not
only throughout his childhood, but also in
his relationships with his family, churches,
and many women. Although it is said that
van Gogh killed himself, there is enough
evidence to believe he was murdered.
BRAD TOWNS - Terra Incognita: The
Unknown Injustice of the Vietnam War
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, built as it
was on the uncertain and provoked Gulf of
Tonkin Incident, was merely the occasion
of a determined government elite to begin
an open-ended, unlimited, and unorthodox
war.
THURSDAY, MARCH 30, AT 2:30 P.M.
AARON EVANS - A Defense of Old-Earth
Creationism
Old Earth Creationism is a stronger way
of interpreting Genesis than Young Earth
Creationism, because the latter makes
unnecessary assumptions about Scripture,
disregards many facts science has confirmed
(only to replace them with scientific
claims that are much less sound), and has
problematic implications.
H O N O R A R I A
LAIRD WEAVER - Language and Thought:
The Words and the World
Language does not determine thought, but
it does influence it. Contrary to the strong
version of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis,
Linguistic Determinism, it is possible for one
to have a capacity for thought apart from
language. The weaker version, Linguistic
Relativity, stating that language influences
thought, proves to be plausible, but
ultimately insignificant.
Although women are called by God to
submit to their husbands, it is important for
women to hold leadership roles in society.
HANNAH NAZELROD - The Trials and
Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots
Mary, Queen of Scots, was unjustly tried and
executed in view of the extreme measures
Francis Walsinham took to entrap Mary
which he thought would result in Mary’s
consenting to an illegal rescue despite her
better judgement.
FRIDAY, MARCH 31, AT 8:15 A.M.
SYDNEY ADAMS - The Significance of Visual
Art in Christianity
Visual art that seeks transcendent beauty,
goodness, or truth, which includes, but is
not limited to religious art, is an important
part of a flourishing Christian life.
ASHLYN WILSON - The Dark Side of Youth
Sports
Youth sports have turned from simply
recreational to ultra-competitive as the
pressures from parents, coaches, and the
industry have had a significant cost to
children’s health and families’ well-being.
SARAH GILLESPIE - Original Sin and
Redemption in The Scarlet Letter
Through Hester Prynne and Arthur
Dimmesdale, original sin and redemption
are seen in varying ways that can be
compared and contrasted. Hester and
Dimmesdale demonstrate how every man
has fallen and sinned but can be redeemed
by The Lord.
FRIDAY, MARCH 31, AT 9:45 A.M.
JACKSON ANKENEY - Free Speech: Milton,
Modernity, and the Classics
The censorship of educational materials
should be discontinued because it is
unnecessary, impractical and harmful
in a variety of ways; specifically it limits
the quality of education available to the
student, harms their ability to discern truth
from falsehood and weakens the culture.
ABIGAIL ASHCROFT - Women in Leadership
Independent retailers are better for the
community because they lack these hidden
costs, provide more knowledgeable and
flexible customer service, and are more
invested locally.
CALEB HARTMAN - Miracles: Challenging
World Views through Supernatural Events
Miracles are a possible and probable part of
life in nature. They are the logical result of a
supernatural creator, they do not break the
laws of nature, and they follow God’s plan to
save the world.
FRIDAY, MARCH 31, AT 11:15 A.M.
AUBREY SNEED - To Build a Baby: An
Ethical Evaluation of Genetic Engineering
Although genetic engineering offers a great
potential for benefits, there are greater
ethical and philosophical consequences that
are articulated by the Catholic tradition.
CHARLIE VANVOORHIS - The NFL’s
Concussion Crisis
The National Football League hid evidence
of the concussion problem for a long time
and has only recently begun to address the
problem by better informing players and by
rules and equipment changes.
FRIDAY, MARCH 31, AT 1:00 P.M.
LANDON MCBRIDE - Submerged: A
Defense of Believer’s Baptism
Based on evidence presented in The
Bible, the most historically consistent
interpretation of Scripture is that baptism
is to be administered to a newly converted
Christian as a public profession of faith in
which the recipient is submerged and raised
from the water to symbolize Christ’s death
and resurrection.
WILLS TURNER - How an Independent
Retailer is Better for the Community than
the Big Box Counterpart
Although big box stores may have lower
prices and seem better for the community,
they have hidden costs at every level of
the business industry, to their suppliers,
wholesalers, customers, and even
the communities where they locate.
3
FRIDAY, MARCH 31, AT 2:30 P.M.
BRADEN MURPHY - Herman Cortes:
Civilized Conqueror or Barbarian Warlord?
The Spanish conquest and colonization
of Mexico was predominately conducted
in accordance with just war theory but
failed to completely adhere to all just war
principles.
ALLIE KITTRELL - God’s Design for
Submission and Headship in Marriage
Wifely submission and husbandly headship
in marriage is not a condition of total
constraint and oppression of the woman,
but is rather a God-ordained condition of
a partnership of mutual servitude, love,
respect, and submission to God. The
misinterpretation of Evangelical Feminists
overlooks the important differences in
the callings for husbands and wives and
attempts to redefine fundamental marriage
roles in the name of full gender equality.
KINCAID ROBINSON - Appalachia: A World
Apart
In the mid-twentieth century, Appalachia
was a backwards region in economic
shambles which inspired the War on
Poverty, a number of welfare programs the
government claimed would be the end of
poverty; but in the five decades since, the
programs have failed to ignite the economy
and end poverty.
*Please note, Trai Harris will be defending
his thesis later in April.
E T
C E T E R A
SOR REPORT CARDS will be available Tuesday, April 4, not this
Friday as the calendar states.
ART FAIR SUBMISSIONS are due THIS Friday, March 31. We
welcome drawings, paintings, photography, sculptures and video
shorts (video must be on DVD). All questions can be directed to Mrs.
Mays at [email protected].
and teachers who participated in the fundraiser to raise money
to buy hats for cancer patients who have lost their hair due to
chemotherapy.
BLACKFRIARS THEATER FIELD TRIP Ninth and tenth graders
7. The fair begins at 5:30 p.m. for viewing art and for food purchase
(to support the Mexico Missions trip). Science challenges for Middle
School and the School of Rhetoric will start about 6:00 p.m. These
events will be followed by an awards ceremony for the fair and
challenge winners.
will be traveling this Thursday to the Blackfriars Theatre in Staunton
to see Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. Students should arrive at
school by 8:00 a.m. and will return to school by 4:00 p.m. We will
be traveling by school van and teachers’ vehicles. Lunch is provided
at the Stonewall Inn and will be paid for from the field trip fund.
Students may wish to bring money to purchase a snack at the
theater. Outside food should not be brought into the theater but
could be eaten on the bus en route. Students will wear their dress
uniforms to this event. Please contact Gail Mitchell with questions.
HEAVENLY HATS PARADE New Covenant students and faculty
DVDS OF THE WINTER PLAY Jabberwock are now available
THIS YEAR’S ART & SCIENCE FAIR will be held on Friday, April
raised $262 during our recent Heavenly Hats Parade. The Middle
School Student Council would like to thank all of the students
for $10.00 at the front desk.
HANDS & HEARTS RAFFLE WINNERS
Thanks to your help and support we have already raised over $22,000 for our annual Hands & Hearts
day of service! Congratulations to the following students who won prizes in the raffle drawing after
completing sponsorship letters: Jacob Wilt - Free Chick-fil-A in the school, John Paul Gauger – Large
bear stuffed animal, Anna Burton – Free room at Locked Up Lynchburg, Jack Marotta – Fubbles
No-Spill Bubble Bucket, Josiah Thornhill – 2 lb. bag of Skittles, TJ Benson – Mossy Oak Dove Belt,
Charlotte McCarty – Large Stuffed Animal, Selah Ragland – Pull the fire drill lever with Mr. Heaton,
Noah McCormick – Ozark Trail sleeping bag, Gwen Kesler - $100 gift certificate to Portrait Innovations,
Mary Glen Morse – 2 lb. bag of M & M’s, Judah Durand – Star Wars Resistance X-Wing Fighter Lego
set (courtesy of Dr. Jimmy Burton), Caroline Corbett – Ice Cream for your class, Abigail Oppenheimer
– 2 Emoji pillows, Christian Henson – $15 iTunes gift card, Rylie Roeglin – Nerf N-Strike Modulus
Battlescout ICS-10, Shiloh Binder – Free registration to NCS Sports Camp, Peter Brophy – Mr. Heaton’s
Scooter for day, Cole Bowman – iHome color changing portable speaker, Waylon Spiva - $15 Smoothie
King gift card, Jude Vollmer - Williamsburg package – Two season passes to Busch Gardens and Water
Country USA plus a 2-night stay in Williamsburg (courtesy of Cruise Planners) Congratulations to the
10th grade for the having highest participation from the Upper School during our sponsorship phase.
The entire class will enjoy a trip to JUMP Lynchburg.
TEAMS, continued from p. 1
meets in the area.
Former New Covenant student, Tyler
Bullock, who earned a degree in exercise
physiology at LU and works as functional
movement trainer with Mike Zealand, has
been retained to offer our Wednesday Workout
& Spring Sport Training. This program serves
students in grades 7-12 on Wednesdays from
3:30-4:45 p.m., and anyone may show up to work
out under his supervision.
We would like to thank the strong
coaching staff supporting our athletes this
spring: TJ Andrews and alumna, Anna Gray
Owens (Women’s Varsity Soccer); Rachel Cooke
(Women’s Middle School Soccer); Brian Freerksen
(Jr. Gryphon Girls’ Soccer); Kyle Alexander, Alex
Wall, Dennis Layne, and Virgil Hurt (Men’s Varsity
LAX); Garrett Porte and Hunter Miller (Middle
School Men’s LAX); Kyle Alexander and Carl
Stamey (Jr. Gryphon Boys’ LAX); Warner Hall and
Robie Harris (Men’s Golf); and Scott McCurley,
Nancy Hall and Earl Weaver (Tennis).
Quid Novi is mailed free of charge
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Board of Directors
Sam Mizener • Dr. Lisa DeJarnette
Dr. Ann McLean • Wenbren
Coleman • Dr. Brian McAvoy
Amy Kowalski • Kristin Durand
Mike Duncan • David Adams
Rhonnie Smith • Amy Bonebright
Christine Kennedy • Chuck
Shaughnessy
Ex Officio
Rev’d John Heaton
Rev’d Rodney Longmire
Mission Statement
New Covenant Schools is an
educational community serving
families of Central Virginia,
providing an exceptional education
in a classical curriculum within the
framework of historic Christianity,
furnishing the student with the
tools of education and the
inspiration to be a life-long learner.