Quid Novi
NOVEMBER 2, 2015
VOL. 18, NO. 11
MAJORIS
THE NEWSLETTER OF NEW COVENANT SCHOOLS
Middle School Finalists gather
for a group photo following A
Latte Poetry. For a complete
list of participants and winners,
please see p. 2.
CELEBRATING TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF NEW COVENANT SCHOOLS
v
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New C
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new covenant
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he year was 1991. It was a fine September
morning, and Nancy Sattler was driving
her children to school on opening day.
Throughout the summer months, Nancy, her
husband, and a small group of friends worked
feverishly to make ready a new school. The school
would be both Christian and classical—a school
focused on truth, beauty, and goodness that would
give students a transformative education instead of
merely preparing them for prestigious jobs. They
called it New Covenant, and it would meet in the
picturesque Reformed Episcopal Church of New
London.
No doubt many things were going through
Nancy’s mind that morning, but none of them
included misgivings about this new venture even
though the concept was still experimental. Nancy
is an optimist, and her response to most challenges
has always been, “Well of course we can do that.”
by Mary Ruth Mizener
Her daughter, Abigail, and her son, John,
had no first-day-of-school anxieties either. After
all, they already knew the fifteen other children
who would be their fellow students. They knew
all five teachers, too. That’s because, one way or
another, everyone in that group had ties to Liberty
University’s biology department.
Textbooks were on order, but as it turned
out, they wouldn’t arrive for another three weeks.
Teachers improvised. Students brought sack
lunches and, if the weather was nice, they ate
outdoors in the church cemetery.
In short, when this small band of pioneers
entered the little white church that day, they
didn’t see themselves as trailblazers. They weren’t
stepping into a revered history. There was no
smooth-running organization. There were no
stories. There were no rituals. There was almost
see Anniversary on p. 4
JOIN US THIS SATURDAY FOR OUR ST. CRISPIN’S DAY FESTIVAL
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, from 10-2
All are welcome to come celebrate 25 years of New Covenant Schools this
Saturday, November 7, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. New Covenant’s St.
Crispin’s Day event is open to the community and will include games for
kids of all ages, medieval music, archery contests, medieval re-enactments,
trebuchet launching, authentic artisan crafts and so much more! Homemade
chili and apple cider will be available for purchase. Admission is $2.00 for
kids, $5.00 for adults, or $10.00 per family.
H O N O R A R I A
A LATTE POETRY RECAP
5th GRADE
6th GRADE
Adam Ellett * Lauren Holloway Brie Olson
Ellie Walker
Tessa Hackenbracht *
Children’s Party..........Ogden Nash
Jayne Edwards
Warning...............Jenny Joseph
Michael Niedzialek
Crawford Long & William Morton........Rosemary
& Stephen Vincent Benet
Janna Renalds
Raisin Pie.......Edgar Guest
8th GRADE
Elizabeth Matney A Little Song..................Amy Lowell
John Schepens *
At the Window................A.A. Milne
Annie Alban
Dolly Madison.....Rosemary & Stephen Vincent Benet
Jude Vollmer
Peregrine White and Virginia Dare.............Rosemary & Stephen Vincent Benet
7th GRADE
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MIDDLE SCHOOL POETRY FINALISTS
The Wind............J.R.R. Tolkien
A Wanderer’s Song...........John Masefield
King Henry VIII................Eleanor Farjeon
P.T. Barnum........Rosemary & Stephen Vincent Benet
Josh Buckley
The West Wind...........John Masefield
Ethan Dupin * ** Peter Stuyvesant...........Stephen & Rosemary Vincent Benet
Kayla Haley
The Adventures of Isabel.......Ogden Nash
Olivia Kalafian
The Naming of Cats.............T.S. Eliot
Lily Kowalski
Arithmetic..................Carl Sandburg
Lausyn McBride
Definitions..........C.J. Dennis
THIS WEDNESDAY,
NOVEMBER 4, there is no
school for students in Grammar,
Middle and Rhetoric. This is a
change from the Master Calendar,
which indicated that School of
Rhetoric would have classes that
day. Parent-teacher
conferences for Grammar and
Middle School are scheduled for
Wednesday from 12:30-6:00 p.m.
Sign-up sheets for teachers in K-8
are posted in the lobby. No signup sheets will be posted for School of
Rhetoric conferences. If you would like
a conference with a School of Rhetoric
instructor, please call the office or email
Congratulations to the Middle School poetry winners.
the teacher to schedule one.
A BASKETBALL PARENT MEETING
for all 7th-12th grade basketball parents
will be held this Thursday, November
2
Held Friday evening, October
23, this year’s Middle School A Latte
Poetry Recital showcased the twentieth
century, with selections from wellloved poets such as T.S. Eliot, Stephen
Vincent Benet, and the always-hilarious
Ogden Nash.
Guests enjoyed lively recitations
from 18 finalist representing grades 5
through 8 and, as judges tallied scores
and the evening came to a close,
John Schepens (5), Adam Ellett (6),
Tessa Hackenbracht (7), and Ethan
Dupin (8) took home the top prizes for
their grade levels. Ethan Dupin also
claimed the Jefferson Cup as the overall
winner. Congratulations to all of the
participants!
Thank you to our Master of
Ceremonies, Mr. Cameron Ford, as well
as to Mrs. Linda Cooper. Mrs. Starlet
Baker and Mrs. Tess Stockslager for
serving as judges.
*denotes first place finishers; **denotes cup winner
5, at 5:30 p.m. in the Workman
Fieldhouse. 7th-12th basketball
practice starts today. You must have
your athlete registered and have
a current physical on file before
your athlete may attend practice.
Practice times are listed on the
New Covenant Athletic Webpage.
Junior Gryphon Basketball (5th/6th)
will not start until Wednesday,
December 2. This is a change from
the original schedule.
PANACHE PRODUCTIONS of William
Shakespeare’s Henry V are this Friday
and Saturday, November 6 and 7, at 7:00
p.m. Please call the office to reserve your
E T
tickets as seating is limited. Tickets are
$5.00 each.
ST. CRISPIN’S DAY is this Saturday,
November 7, from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Homemade chili and apple
cider will be available
for purchase. Admission
is $2.00 for kids, $5.00
for adults, or $10.00 per
family.
C E T E R A
(Soccer, Volleyball and Cross Country), and
their families, are invited to attend New
Covenant Schools first Athletic Awards
Dessert Banquet on Friday, November
13, at 7:00 p.m. in Moomaw Gymnasium.
Dress is church attire. We look forward to
celebrating our athletes’ achievements.
THE SCHOOL OF RHETORIC
FALL DANCE will be held at Tresca
(724 Commerce Street in
Lynchburg) on Saturday,
November 14, at 7:00 p.m.
Tickets are $10.00 and will
be for sale from a student
senate representative
beginning today, November
2. Your student will receive
instructions explaining how
to purchase tickets during
Matins.
ALL FALL SPORT
MIDDLE SCHOOL
ATHLETES are invited to
a pizza party and season
recap with their coaches
on Wednesday, November
11, from 3:15-5:00 p.m.
After a quick snack ,we will
gather in the fieldhouse
where each team will
be recognized, and the
coaches will recap the
season. Athletes are asked
to bring $5.00 to cover the
cost of the pizza as well
as either a 2-liter drink or
dessert to share. Parents
are welcome to attend.
ALL FALL SPORT
VARSITY AND JV
ATHLETES who
participated in Fall Sports
THE SCHOOL OF
RHETORIC POETRY
FINALS will be held on
Congratulations to the Varsity Volleyball Team who captured a 4th place finish
out of 11 teams in Division III in last week’s NACA tourney.
Congratulations also to the Varsity Soccer team who captured the
championship in Division III NACA play last week.
ANNUAL FUND
SCHOLARSHIP FUND
LAST WEEK
$9,460
LAST WEEK
$2,955
THIS WEEK
$13,363
THIS WEEK
$2,955
GOAL
$250,000
GOAL
$20,000
3
Friday, November 20,
from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. in
Moomaw Gymnasium. This
is a change from previous
years, in which the poetry
finals were an evening event
in the courtyard. However,
due to the number of
weekend activities throughout
November (St. Crispin’s Day
Celebration, Henry V and
Fall Dance), we felt it wise
to change the event for this
year. Since the performances
are during the school day, all
School of Rhetoric students
will be in attendance. We also
hope that, with this prior notice, many
parents will attend.
THANKSGIVING BREAK There will be
no school from Monday, November 23
through Friday, November 27. Students
return to school on Monday, November
30.
122 Fleetwood Drive | Lynchburg, VA 24501 | 434.847.8313 | FAX 434.455.0214
www.newcovenantschools.org
ANNIVERSARY, continued from p. 1
no money and very few supplies. Instead, there
was a group of creative men and women who
loved children and cared passionately about
teaching. They were also men and women
of faith who believed that truth and God are
inseparably entwined. Together these adults
and the students would shape the beginnings
of New Covenant’s rich history. They would
achieve academic excellence. They would create
delightful stories, and they would inaugurate
cherished traditions.
Fast-forward twenty-five years. Once
again it’s a bright fall day, but the changes
are nothing short of mind-boggling. This
year’s ninety-one new students began their
New Covenant careers a few weeks ago.
As they wait in the long drop-off line, they
see a beautiful campus. Its buildings are
modern and functional, but details like the
prominent cupolas evoke the feeling of classical
architecture. Adjacent to the school are wellmanicured athletic fields. As cars ease to the
curb, the headmaster opens vehicle doors and
greets each child by name. Their neat blue
uniforms call to mind time-honored
conventions. While the ladies and gentlemen
head to their well-equipped classrooms, an
upperclassman hoists American and Virginia
flags up the flagpoles.
So many things have changed,
yet so many things remain the same. Each
day still begins with Scripture and prayers
acknowledging our need of God for all things
true, beautiful, and good. The curriculum is
still rigorous, and teachers are still passionate
about loving and nurturing their students. Most
of the time their caring is shown through small
gestures like surprise treats on the desks of the
little ones. Occasionally, a gesture goes above
and beyond, like the teacher who literally took
a course that equipped her to teach calculus
II for a class of just three students! Alongside
the tales of hard work, there are stories about
having fun—pranks being played on students,
on teachers, and even on Mr. Heaton. There are
stories of long-standing rituals like each senior
class painting the Gryphon at the end of their
high school careers—hopefully in a way that
surpasses all previous Gryphon incarnations!
There are stories about community and about
treasured friendships.
The new students of 2015 have
entered a long and worthy history, yet they
too will become its creators. They will achieve
academic success. They will add to its beauty.
They will birth new traditions. Their lives will
be transformed, and they will leave behind
wonderful stories. New Covenant will be
enriched by the unique gifts they bring.
Welcome to the family!
* Mary Ruth Mizener is a past member of the board of
directors at New Covenant Schools. She is a long-time friend
of the school and is writing a memoir of its history for the
25th Anniversary year. This article is an excerpt of her work.
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Board of Directors
Chuck Shaughnessy • Dr. Carl
Curtis • Warner Hall • Dr. John
Olmsted • Josh Oppenheimer
• Sam Mizener • Dr. Lisa
DeJarnette • Dr. Ann McLean •
Wenbren Coleman • Dr. Brian
McAvoy • Amy Kowalski •
Kristin Durand • Mike Duncan •
David Adams • Rhonnie Smith
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.