It was a special night as Covenant Classical School held our New Building Land Dedication Ceremony on the grounds of where our new addition will be built. Mrs. Jane Dearing spoke of the history of our school and reminisced about the land dedication that took place 20 years ago under the leadership of our founders, David and Ann Drye. Mrs. Stephanie Prince shared Psalm 127 and spoke about our commitment to allowing the Lord to build this house. Brylan Gann, Head of our Board of Directors, spoke about the beauty and richness of the classical tradition that takes place at our school from the grammar through the rhetoric stages. Families then entered a time of corporate prayer, which was followed by the singing of two hymns, “In Christ Alone” and “How Great Thou Art.”

House Points for Students Attending:
Audacia 18pts, Fides 21pts, Sapientia 15pts

What a joy it was to watch the Class of 2017 present their senior theses!!! I know the audience learned so much.  It was evident that all of the seniors knew their material and research well and were able to confidently, eloquently, and humbly defend their theses to the distinguished panel of upper school faculty (Mr. Morton, Mr. Wilmoth, Mr. Leland) and administration/mentors (Mrs. Dearing and Mrs. Crouch).  The culmination of their classical high school education as displayed through this rigorous rhetorical exercise was a beautiful moment to behold.

Well Done SENIORS!  We are all so proud of your maturity, dedication, and hard work.

Kirby Thigpen – The benefits of having a relationship with horses through the art of dressage.
Mason Cregger – The relationship between the American cinema and the rise of the 19th century nihilism.
Nick Deane – Adjusting the Standard: an exploration of the connection between truth and money, and how our money today reflects a devaluation of objective truth.
Daniel Haycox – Wisdom in the world of dreams: a critique of dream interpretation methods.

Evan Prince – How Marxism has molded our modern culture and its effect on morality.
Emily Goddard – How the overuse of social media has shaped Generation Z.
McKenna Bandy – The effects of cultural exports on undeveloped countries.

Chandler Lawing – The importance of beauty in the life of a Christian.
Anna Johnson – The overmedication of Modern America
Sara Beth Jewell – How reconstruction in the South after the Civil War was a failure and the effects it has on America today.
Braeden Gann – The demise of modern masculinity.

Thank you House Audacia for your thoughtful gift of a “survival bucket” of water bottles for the panelists each senior thesis day.  15pts

College Commitment Day was May 1st!
Our seniors celebrated their big decision by sporting a shirt announcing their future college.
McKenna Bandy – John Brown University
Mason Cregger – College of Charleston
Nicholas Deane – Boston University
Braeden Gann – Liberty University
Emily Goddard – NC State
Daniel Haycox – Lipscomb University (Honors College)
Sara Beth Jewell – NC State
Anna Johnson – Central Piedmont Community College
Chandler Lawing – College of Charleston (Honors College)
Ashley Nault – Palm Beach Atlantic University
Evan Prince – Liberty University
Kirby Thigpen – Hillsdale College

Above, senior Ashley Nault signed her National Letter of Intent to run cross country and track with Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida. Ashley has run cross country all four years at Covenant Classical School, being coached by Charity Leland and Cindy Gann. She also trains with the North Charlotte Running Academy under Coach Jim Bennett. Ashley’s success on the course was complemented by her recognition as Most Valuable Player all four years as well as being chosen as Captain her junior and senior years. Ashley plans to study Cross Cultural Studies and Spanish while attending Palm Beach Atlantic University. Congratulations, Ashley!

Please join us this Saturday, May 20th, at 2pm to watch and celebrate with us as these amazing young people graduate!  CCS Board Chairman, Brylan Gann, will give the commencement charge.

Thank you House Audacia for continued acts of kindness:

• One Member expressed her HEART to SERVE by helping Mrs. Tardiff with the Daddy & Daughter Dance.
• Two Members lent their SERVICE to Mr. Wilmoth when it was needed.
• One Member was gracious and HELPFUL by stepping up to a LEADERSHIP role during Community Group.
• One Member displayed GENEROSITY to a teacher.
• Two Members demonstrated KINDNESS and SERVICE by helping to move tables to set up for the Geography Exam.
• One Member displayed THOUGHTFULNESS when she stopped Mrs. Cross in order to provide a weather report for her class’ Sound to Sea trip.
• One Member acted with FRIENDLINESS by taking time to be KIND and give time to a younger CCS student.
• One Member demonstrated a HEART to SERVE by helping Mrs. Sneed with some classroom cleaning.

Thank you House Fides for continued acts of kindness:

• One Member was gracious and HELPFUL by stepping up to a LEADERSHIP role during Community Group.
• One Member demonstrated KINDNESS and SERVICE by helping to move tables to set up for the Geography Exam.
• One Member displayed GENEROSITY to a teacher.
• One Member demonstrated a HEART to SERVE by helping Mrs. Sneed with some classroom cleaning.
• One Member was SUPPORTIVE of OTHERS by lending a hand to the 6th grade clean-up efforts.
• One Member showed CONSIDERATION for OTHERS by remembering the 6th grade had gone to Sound to Sea, and stopped to inquire how the trip had gone for everyone.
• Two Members displayed CHIVALRY and SERVICE by coming to the aid of Mrs. Tardiff by helping carry heavy and awkward-shaped boxes.

Thank you House Sapientia for continued acts of kindness:

• Two Members offered their SERVICE to their teachers by taking out the classroom trash.
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UPPER SCHOOL FIELD TRIP:
The rainy weather did not dampen the spirits of the Upper School Students as they visited the Biltmore!  In all kinds of weather, seeing beauty in structures, gardens, and landscapes is easy to do with friends!
Spirit points for attendance: Audacia 51pts, Fides 39pts, Sapientia 45pts

The final House Meetings for the year gave us all a chance to celebrate the outgoing and incoming house leadership with some fun and games.
The 1st game was for the outgoing and incoming House Captains and the challenge was to see how well they “listen” to their house members.  Sadly, there are no pictures to post, but the captains had to figure out what action their house members were trying to communicate to them to do in the quickest time, and the members could only use applause – and no words. 1st place Fides, 2nd place Audacia, 3rd place Sapientia

The 2nd game was for the outgoing House Prefects and one of their House Advisors.  A House System goal for next year is that the House Prefects work closer and communicate more consistently with their advisors.  A game of 4-legged race symbolized that goal.

House Sapientia took and held on to the lead with a display of impressive coordination.

1st place – Sapientia, 2nd place – Fides, 3rd place – Audacia 

The 3rd and final game of the meeting used ALL the House members in a large game of “Rush Hour Traffic” (aka a modified musical chairs game).  I wish there were pictures to show the crazy fun but no.  In the end, the 4 remaining students were 2 Audacia members, 1 Fides, and 1 Sapientia.

Later that day, House Audacia hosted a SPA night for all the upper school girls, parents, and faculty.  It was such a treat to have the fingers and toes pampered!  Thanks House Audacia for such a creative idea!

Spirit Night at Chick-fil-a had a different twist!  Instead of just getting points for attending, the Houses were able to participate in a Scavenger Hunt for points.  While enjoying their yummy chicken dinner and supporting CCS, students could get points for all sorts of things like…

Playing in the play area (quickly before they got called out on height violation!)

Giving Chick-fil-a employees “High Fives” for a job well done!

Dressing up like a cow… Way to go Braeden and Sawyer!!
Hugging and dancing with the COW!

And eating the yummy food!

And of course, they were all rewarded with a “Free Spirit Dress Pass” for attending!
It was a lot of fun and hopefully translated into an increase in $$ for the school!
Audacia 138pts, Fides 83pts, Sapientia 132pts

Current Standings:

        910pts            872pts            880pts

Thank you House Audacia for continued acts of kindness:

• One Member expressed a HEART OF GRATITUDE to Mr. Dan and Mrs. Haycox by going out of his way to communicate his thanks for taking him to serve at the Special Olympics.
• One Member demonstrated DILIGENCE by spending time and effort to develop his piano playing skills in order to memorize a song to play for his class.
• Two Members acted with INITIATIVE and HELPFULNESS by setting up the document camera for the substitute in their History class.
• One Member consistently serves others with KINDNESS by holding the door open for them, even in the rain!
• One Member displayed ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE in Mr. Wilmoth’s class.
• One Member demonstrated COURTESY and RESPONSIBILITY by communicating to Mrs. Sneed in a timely manner when she was unable to make it to morning door duty.
• One Member acted in SERVICE to Mr. Wilmoth.
• One Member demonstrated SERVICE by helping set up and clean up for the final Senior Lunch.
• Four Members acted in SERVICE to Mrs. Kuhn by helping to set up for the Open House.

Thank you House Fides for continued acts of kindness:

• One Member demonstrated SERVICE by staying behind on the bus after Special Olympics to pick up the trash left behind.
  
• One Member demonstrated COURTESY and RESPONSIBILITY by communicating to Mrs. Sneed in a timely manner when she was unable to make it to morning door duty.
• One Member demonstrated SERVICE by helping set up and clean up for the final Senior Lunch.
• Nine Members acted in SERVICE to Mrs. Kuhn by helping to set up for the Open House.
• Three Members expressed a HEART OF GRATITUDE to Mr. Dan and Mrs. Haycox by going out of their way to communicate their thanks for taking them to serve at the Special Olympics.
• One Member acted with CHIVALRY by going out of his way to open a door for a teacher.
• One Member demonstrated CONSIDERATION for others and INITIATIVE by asking Mrs. Haycox if extra help was needed to “break down” after the last House Meeting games.
• One Member demonstrated a HEART TO SERVE when he asked Mrs. Haycox if he could help set up chairs for the last House Meeting games.

Thank you House Sapientia for continued acts of kindness:

• One Member  acted in SERVICE to Mrs. Kuhn by helping to set up for the Open House.
• Two Members expressed a HEART OF GRATITUDE to Mr. Dan and Mrs. Haycox by going out of their way to communicate their thanks for taking them to serve at the Special Olympics.
• One Member acted in SERVICE to Mr. Wilmoth.
• One Member acted with great LEADERSHIP skills by initiating action and then following through with texts and reminders for her House.
• One Member consistently displays  a HEART OF SERVICE with his cheerful helpfulness in Art class.
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