Sword & Banner
Issue #6 / Fall 2024
Board of Trustees
2024-2025
Dr. Aaron O’Kelley Chair
Dr. Todd Brady
Brian Freeman
Brad Green
Jon Putt
Ginger Williams Head of School
Dr. Robert Stacey
Our Mission Augustine School offers an education to the Glory of God that is Biblicallybased, Gospel-centered, and classically-informed.
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TA Letter from the Editor
he pastor at the church where I grew up loved nothing more than a sermon with 3 points and a catchy title. Looking back, I realize that those techniques are popular because they are great memory aids. When we began planning for this year’s Sword & Banner to come out in late November, his favorite Thanksgiving sermon title: “An Attitude of Gratitude,” kept running through my mind. Indeed, when I think about God’s generosity to Augustine School over the past 23 years, I am overwhelmingly grateful.
As Christ-followers, gratitude is not optional, nor is it only an attitude. We are supposed to feel grateful and to live as grateful people. We are to do everything in the name of Jesus, out of a spirit of gratefulness for what He has done for us: “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).
We are fortunate to be a part of a school community that emphasizes gratitude. Our faculty teach students about God’s faithfulness and generosity, show them His lovingkindness, and point to Him as the ultimate giver of “every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17). As you and your loved ones spend time in prayer and thanksgiving this holiday season, would you join us in praying for the following:
1) Praise and thank God for His faithfulness to Augustine School.
2) Ask God to guide our Board of Trustees and give them wisdom as they plan for our future.
3) Pray that our school would stay mission-minded and our focus would stay Christ-centered.
4) Ask that God would expand our resources so we can nurture our current students in the wisdom and admonition of the Lord and welcome new students as He sees fit.
We are grateful for each and every family who has been and is now a part of the Augustine community. Thank you for joining us in prayers of thankfulness for what the Lord has done as well as prayers of supplication for His guidance in the future.
With gratitude,
Susan
Foubert
Director of Communications & Development
A PRAYER for the 2024-2025 School Year
by Todd Brady, Secretary, Board of Trustees
As we look to begin a new school year, we acknowledge that you are the One, True, and Living God. We come to you in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son and our Savior, and in the power of the Holy Spirit—giving You praise, thanking you for your blessings on Augustine School, and asking that You might indeed shine your face upon us in the new year.
With the Psalmist, we say “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!” (Psalm 34:3) Indeed, you created all things. You sustain all things. And you are making all things new.
We thank you for Dr. Stacey and the rest of the administration who sacrificially serve our students. For each teacher who invests in our students’ lives, we give you thanks. We are grateful for each student and know that you have brought each one to Augustine this year.
We ask that this would be a year of great spiritual, academic, emotional, and physical growth. May each, like Christ, increase “in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” (Luke 2:52) We pray that you would give our students minds to grasp your truth, hearts to love your truth, and lives to live according to your truth. Through all our students learn and experience, may they “reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of
God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:2b-3).
With the Apostle Paul, we proclaim, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?’ ‘Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?’
For from him and through him and to him are all things.” (Romans 11:34-36) This we pray this for the good of Augustine students and their families and for the glory of our Great God. Amen.
ClassiCal Christian EduCation BasiCs
by Dr. Robert Stacey, Head of School
Some years ago, I had the opportunity to visit Mount Rushmore. Standing on the viewing platform, looking out at that magnificent construct, I felt every ounce of the awe and patriotism you might expect.
The four faces depicted on that massive structure have much in common. They were significant leaders of our country. They each faced down enormous political and social challenges that were absolutely unprecedented. And each of them confronted those challenges with courage, wisdom, and creativity. Something else they had in common: All of them were educated in the same classical Christian tradition that our students experience at Augustine School. The same classical pedagogy, the same Great Books, the same exposure to classical languages that equipped these vital leaders to solve problems and address
challenges no one had ever encountered before also shape and form our own students.
Take George Washington as an example. How did Washington prepare to lead an ill-funded, poorlyequipped, rag-tag militia against what was at the time the world’s greatest projected military power? And then, where did he go to learn how to found a country and establish a constitutional republic for which no prior example exists? Washington did not go to college and major in “Revolutionary Studies” or “Country Fathering.” Rather, he studied the same disciplines and texts that our Augustine students study. And he engaged in the same educational approach that we employ as a classical Christian school.
To be clear Classical Christian Education (CCE) is more than just a rigorous curriculum with some Latin thrown in. CCE is a full-orbed approach to education
that takes each student as a uniquely gifted, God-created person whose ultimate purpose is to love the Lord, serve the Church, and help spread the Gospel. All parts of the child—mind, body, and soul—must be cultivated together to fulfill his or her particular purpose in God’s order.
CCE is less concerned about a student’s ACT score or the U.S. News ranking of the college they attend, though classically trained students tend to do quite well in these areas. Instead, we want to know how they will contribute to and even help lead the community around them. Will they serve their local church with energy and ability? How will they love and shape their future family? The answers to these questions cannot be known upon graduation. But as parents, we know that what our children are doing with their lives 20 years after graduation is more important than a standardized test score they received in high school.
People have written entire books about CCE. I can recommend some good ones if you want to read more. But briefly, the classic approach may be said to work “with the grain” of each student as God has created us. Augustine of Hippo (our school’s namesake) identified the three natural educational stages to which CCE conforms as the Trivium—Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric.
The disciplines of the Trivium enable us to properly comprehend and represent the fundamental principles of God’s Creation—the Good, the True, and the Beautiful. In
the Grammar stage, corresponding roughly to our Lower School, children learn the mechanics of language and engage their natural acumen for memory and curiosity.
In the Logic stage, corresponding to what we often call middle school, students learn the mechanics of thought, analysis, and sound argumentation. You might say they begin mastering the “why” of creation. Finally, in the Rhetoric stage, our high school students learn to express what they are learning with eloquence and winsomeness—to instruct and persuade others with effectiveness. And they begin to take the knowledge they have acquired previously (an internal possession) and turn it into wisdom, which is outward and active.
Where will our children be in 20 or 30 years? That is not something we can really know. I can’t imagine if you had asked Washington’s parents that question they would have said he’d be leading a successful revolution against the British or helping draft a Constitution that would unify the colonies and guide the nation for the next 250 years.
Likewise, we can’t know what challenges our children will face in God’s world, but we can equip them with the same tools and wisdom that we know have served the leaders of Christendom for the last 2000 years. And that, by the grace of God, is exactly what we do at Augustine School.
natural Playground dEdiCation
The new Natural Playground spaces were dedicated Friday, October 4. Local news outlets WBBJ and The Jackson Post covered the event, which included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the unveiling of the official name: CarsonMusselman Park. Named in honor of Lower School teachers Lindsey Carson and Malinda Musselman, who spearheaded the Natural Playground initiatives, the playgrounds have truly transformed Lower School students’ outdoor play and engagement with the natural world.
The Natural Playgrounds include two separate spaces: The Early Childhood Playground, including a new door from the Pre-K classroom leading directly outside to a fenced space and a Lower School Natural Play area, including a wooden playhouse and stream bed. Introduced at Grandparents & Special Friends Day in 2023, fundraising for the Natural Play initiatives continued throughout the past school year. The Natural Play Initiatives were also the major project funded by the 2024 Spring Soiree.
in
and
“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation!”
“Outdoor play is an integral part of our school day…As we imagined our playground’s potential, we felt certain of one thing: natural play spaces were a must. Incorporating the surrounding landscape and implementing play structures made from natural materials and creative design would inspire and enrich our students’ play.”
–– Lindsey Carson
Named
honor of Lower School Teachers
project organizers, Lindsey Carson & Malinda Musselman, the Carson-Musselman Park was dedicated October 4. Donations of $500 and above were also recognized by name on the commemorative plaque.
advanCing the vision through aCCrEditation
Aaron O’Kelley, Chairman, Board of Trustees
In September 2024, Augustine School was officially accredited by the Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS). This is the culmination of countless hours of work and preparation by many individuals, particularly our teachers. Augustine is only 1 of 3 ACCS accredited schools in Tennessee!
Early in 2024, the Board of Trustees began a process of strategic planning. After listening sessions with members of our school community and in-depth discussions about the strengths, weaknesses, challenges, and opportunities facing Augustine School over the next 3-5 years, the Board produced a set of strategic goals that define our Advancing the Vision strategic plan. You will hear more about the details of this plan in the coming months, but I want to highlight the first goal for you here: stabilization.
The concept of stability has been a recurring one in our listening sessions with parents, faculty, and staff. As an institution, we are
growing and maturing. Growth and maturity are typically accompanied by change, and over the last few years we have certainly experienced our share of it. The process of transitioning to a permanent Head of School alone has brought with it numerous changes in operational procedures, with far-reaching implications that have required us all to learn, adjust, and adapt to new things.
Now that we have had three years to learn and adapt to a new structure of leadership, we believe it is time to give focused attention to stabilizing our practices, policies, and curriculum. To that end, Dr. Stacey and his team have done excellent work in the pursuit of accreditation through the Association of Classical Christian Schools, which was completed this fall with our official accreditation following a final visit from a representative in September. The process of accreditation through a trusted agency like ACCS is one
that naturally produces a stabilizing effect on a school’s policies and practices. The accreditation process has been at least two years in the making, and the value it has brought to the health and effectiveness of Augustine School has been rich. Now that we have seen it through to completion, maintaining our status as an ACCS accredited school is a matter of first importance in our strategic plan.
Change is inevitable in a changing world, but through all the changes the Augustine School Board of Trustees remains wholeheartedly devoted to our unchanging mission, namely, to partner with Christian parents in their task of training their children through an education that is biblically-based, gospel-centered, and classically informed. That is the vision that draws families to our school, and that is the vision that we will guard and advance for as long as God gives us the opportunity.
Class of 2024
The Class of 2024 graduated May 18, 2024 at Fellowship Bible Church. Valedictorian William Brady addressed the crowd of family and friends. His address captures the essence of an Augustine education.
Friends, family, faculty and staff, fellow schoolmates, class of 2024, today is a bittersweet day. Today is the day we graduate from Augustine School–the day we move on and end a key chapter in our lives. It’s bitter because of what we leave behind: today, the very life we’ve known for 18 years changes forever. But it’s what we take with us that makes it so sweet. We take with us that which God has fashioned in us.
When I first came to Augustine School back in 9th grade, I knew that the Lord was calling me here for a reason. I didn’t know what that reason was, but the Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians that “He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it” (5:24), and so I knew the Lord would accomplish His goals. And now here we are, 4 years later, at
the end of the road, and in retrospect I don’t dare to claim I know all the intricate reasons for which the Lord called me here, but He has kindly revealed some of them to me. In every circumstance I have faced at Augustine, without exception, the kindness of God has been a reverberating theme. During my high school years, I have experienced the deepest joys of my life but also the deepest sorrows I have ever faced. In all of it, the Lord has been constant in kindness.
The kindness of God is just one example of a lesson learned during sanctification. The Bible tells us in Philippians that “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (1:6). When we are saved, we do not miraculously become
MEMBERS OF THE CLASS OF 2024 (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT): Jordan Olivia Bundy (Summa Cum Laude), Blake Allen Williams, Mariam Michal Putt (Magna Cum Laude), Nicolos Robert Stacey (Summa Cum Laude), Elizabeth Virginia Lentz, Benjamin Aaron O’Kelley (Summa Cum Laude Salutatorian), Katelyn Jin Yang Prunty (Cum Laude), William Haze Brady (Summa Cum Laude Valedictorian), Zoey Faith Qing Prunty (Summa Cum Laude)
perfect, sinless beings. Until the Lord returns, day by day by day, the Lord is working out our sanctification and fashioning us to be more and more like the perfect GodMan: Jesus Christ. In my time at Augustine, I have come to see that it is a great forge and grindstone with which God fashions and sharpens His people, not just through the God-centered education, but also through the community and mentorship. In Augustine’s classes throughout the years, God has taught me the deep things of His nature and character, He has used Augustine’s community in my life to keep me on the straight and narrow way and to fight with me side by side in faith, and He has given me many fathers and mothers in the teachers of Augustine to mentor and guide me through living the Good Life to which we are called.
It’s only fitting that I take a moment to thank the teachers for their impact in my life. You are all key parts of God’s Tool with which He shapes His people. The Lord has used you in countless, eternally important ways. Dr. Stacey, thank you for leading Augustine down the path that God has laid out for us and for teaching me the intricacies of the government and the economy, showing me how perfectly our systems sit in God’s Divine Hand. Mr. Wilding, thank you for showing me the absolute perfection of God’s world that He spoke into existence in a moment. Mr. Parks, thank you for teaching me what it means to fight the good fight and to be constant in Godly repentance. Mr. Clemmons, thank you for introducing me to drama and pushing me to glorify God through hard work and diligence. Mrs. Mullin, thank you for teaching me to see and appreciate God’s beauty more and more in creation and literature. Mr. Winter, thank you for leading us to consider the lofty things of God and teaching me to value conversing about them. Mrs. Marsch, thank you for pushing me to defend my faith and to do so beautifully. Mrs. Roberts, thank you for always leading me to the extent of my artistic capability and showing me what it means to be sub-creators in God’s world. Mrs. Essary, thank you for teaching me the value of glorifying God through song. Mrs. Donna, Mrs. Freeman, and the rest of the Augustine staff, thank you for your constant work you do for this school, and while it doesn’t always go noticed, it’s vital and glorifying to God.
Mr. Vailes, thank you for teaching me to love history and culture and to see it for what it is: a good part of God’s creation. Mr. Lang, thank you for making me feel welcome at Augustine years ago and for pointing out God’s nature as displayed in the world. Mr. Errico, although I did not have you for class, thank you for being a Godly role model for me in my time of leadership at Augustine. I couldn’t have asked for a better house master. And to Mr. Winfree, thank you for your years of care which you have poured into this school and into me. The Lord has used your care and wisdom to grow me as a student, a man, and a Christian. You have changed my life and time and time again have set me on the course of the Good Life.
And so, class of 2024, our time at Augustine has come to an end. We are about to move on to the next stage of life, but we won’t be starting fresh, for we are taking with us from Augustine that which God has fashioned in us. Each one of us is absolutely ready for what comes next, because God has been preparing us through sanctification for this moment for years. And so, I charge you: remember, the almighty Lord our God is kind, so turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. Remember what the Lord has done for you at Augustine and live in light of His love. As we embark into uncertain times, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). Turn to God in all circumstances and He will hold you fast. And know that “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). He has begun this work of sanctification in each one of us, and we can trust with absolute conviction and certainty that He will kindly bring us through to the end. Class of 2024, I love you dearly, and so do your families, and so does Augustine school, but God loves you more, and only God can uphold and sustain you, so “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones” (Proverbs 3:5-8).
Thank you.
Back to School
On the evening of August 8, families gathered for Back to School Night, enjoying Rosie’s Snocones as well as an iced coffee bar. Parents returned to campus Monday, August 19 for our annual Welcome Breakfast, where attendees fellowshipped with one another and prayed for the school while enjoying breakfast treats.
Following this event, students, faculty, staff, and families gathered in the gym for Convocation, the annual service in which the Augustine community gathers to ask God’s blessing on the upcoming school year.
Homecoming
In September, Homecoming celebration plans were altered due to the untimely arrival of Hurricane Francine. Friday’s outdoor evening events were replaced by a day of exciting inschool activities. Upper School students set up carnival booths in the gym Friday morning and there were also bouncy houses. Students enjoyed an all-school pizza party as well as popcorn, cotton candy, and carnival games. High School students enjoyed the Homecoming dance in the gym Saturday night.
Grandparents & Special Friends Day
October started with a beautiful Grandparents & Special Friends Day on Friday, October 4. Lower School Grandparents and friends met teachers and toured the campus that morning, then gathered outdoors with members of the Augustine Community for a picture-perfect Natural Playground dedication ceremony.
RunningGratitudewith
An interview with Elementary Cross Country Coach, Nicoll Burleson
What is your favorite thing about coaching at Augustine?
My favorite thing about coaching at Augustine is the privilege and joy of verbally and thoughtfully including Christ and His fruits in our physical and mental disciplines, while the students learn to suffer for a good purpose and grow because of it.
What do you hope students on the elementary Cross Country team will learn from this Cross Country season?
I hope the kids feel triumphant and victorious in their perseverance through hard work in hot weather on a consistent basis. I deeply hope the satisfaction they feel from doing something good but difficult outweighs the dread of putting in the hard work. The ability to sacrifice comfort to gain strength will bless so many areas of their lives.
What is your philosophy regarding team practice and personal training?
The more you run, the better you adapt to it. Psalm 119:32 struck me a few years ago, and it has become our team verse: “I will run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.” I was a very timid kid, as well as a perfectionist. If I was not sure I could do something excellently, I would not do it. If I messed up or struggled, I would be unjustly distraught with myself. That limited my opportunities and my courage, which quenched God’s glory in me and with what He could do through me. Because of Christ, we are free to grow; and growth requires trying new things for a good purpose, and then fumbling through a process of imperfection to make adaptations toward progress. We live in a very busy culture, and a lot of times kids are just along for the fast ride, so I like to make the most of times they can learn to take ownership for something
“The parents deserve so many thanks for their integral part in a successful cross country season; from driving to meets an hour away to participating in training runs at home, the kids and I could not flourish the way we do without parent involvement. I am always blown away by the parents, and I enjoy when we also get to share running together!”
–– Nicoll Burleson, Elementary Cross Country Coach
that makes them proud. The ability to develop an individual discipline is the fuel of confidence, and our littlest brothers and sisters in Christ should be equipped with that for the good works ahead as they live the rest of their lives.
Final Thoughts?
Sincerely, I have been so very grateful for running for decades, and this reality that God now lets me coach children in my favorite activity -- in a place where we can acknowledge that in Him we live, and move, and have our being -- feels like a very personally selected gift the Lord curated for silly little Nicoll. Not everyone coaching this level of running feels so happy about it, but it is the dream job I didn’t realize I wanted. Children are my favorite people because they are innocent and free of so many things that we adults are ridiculously bound by. It’s all just a huge cycle of goodness -- I coach them... and they inspire me. And the Lord grows us all. Thank you, Augustine School!
On the morning of every race, Coach Burleson places a personalized encouraging note on the desk of each runner. In the afternoons, each student is greeted with a homemade muffin she’s prepared just for them.
FALL of 2024 4-YEAR
MILESTONES for
Volleyball & Soccer Coaches
Coach Jen Bowen developed the girls’ volleyball program at Augustine, and this is her fourth year leading it. Her Varsity High School team has played in the championship game the last 2 years; they brought home a championship banner in 2023 and a runner-up banner 2024. Zoey Prunty (’24), a star player from the 2023 championship team, signed with Grove City College to play volleyball.
This fall was also Coach Caleb Curlin’s fourth year coaching both High School and Middle School Girls Soccer Teams. Coach Curlin led the Middle School girls to a 3rd place finish in the West Tennessee Regional Conference in the 2023 season, and this fall both teams had winning seasons. Coach Curlin also led the High School Boys Soccer Team to a winning season in his first year as coach.
“Both coaches have grown their programs to close to 30 players on the respective teams, doubling the amount of student interest in a single season. It is a testament to their dedication to the sports they love and the investment they are putting into these students. They are coaches and mentors who teach athletic skills and also demand achievement in the classroom and personal character development through sportsmanship. We are truly grateful for their hard work and dedication to athletics at Augustine.”
–– Julie Price, Athletic Director
The Kevin & Liz
Teacher fund
Giving at Augustine School
Augustine School assists Christian parents in their task of training their children to the glory of God, by means of an education which is biblicallybased, Gospel-centered, and classically informed. Augustine School seeks to teach children to pursue truth, goodness, and beauty through the seven liberal arts and sciences under the universal lordship of Christ. Gifts to Augustine School help us offer a premiere education while also developing students and graduates who love God with their heart, soul, mind and strength, possess a Christian worldview, are grounded in the Western intellectual inheritance, have a genuine desire for learning, and seek to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
Lifetime Value
Augustine School doesn’t measure success by standardized test scores and college placements. Those are useful things, but there is so much more to a good life than simply getting into the college of your choice. Twenty-five years from now, we want our graduates to be using their God-given gifts to serve the Church and love their neighbors, whether they attend college or pursue other options. Today’s investments prepares our students to serve the Kingdom in the years to come. Invest today!
COLOR of MUSIC COMPETITION
Each spring, Kindergarten-8th Grade students across West Tennessee are invited to participate in the Jackson Symphony League’s Color of Music Competition. Students are given classical music selections to listen to while creating a work of art that expresses their interpretation of the music. This year’s musical selections were excerpts from Beethoven’s Symphony No 6 in F Major, Op 68: 1st Movement “Awakening of Cheerful Feelings” and 4th Movement “Thunder, Storm.”
Students recognized as Blue Ribbon Winners were: Ginny Kate Miller, Charlie Blaschke, Josiah Tilly, Makaelynn Baker, Iris Krantz, Jones Roberts, Lydia Nickell, Tessa Koenegstein, Adia Kerfoot, Chloe Bryant, Gideon Musselman, and Madi Preston. Honorable Mention Winners were Luke Walters, Madie Miller, and Emily Davenport. An awards ceremony and reception took place at the Ned McWherter Cultural Arts Center on March 9 where student artwork was on display.
Sixteen Augustine students were selected as winners, including overall competition winner, Micah Curlin (‘29). Micah won the Bravo Award, given to the student whose work best reflects the spirit of the Color of Music contest.
We are so grateful for our outstanding art teachers, Janelle Roberts and Rachel Tilly, who do such a magnificent job of encouraging our students in their artistic pursuits.
FINE ARTS CALENDAR
NOVEMBER 21-22
High School Theater Production Catbird Theater
DECEMBER 10
High School Choral Concert Cornerstone Community Church
APRIL 25
Visual Arts Night Augustine School
MAY 8 - 9
Middle School Theater Production Catbird Theater
The CLASSICAL CLASSROOM Why We Do What We Do in Lower School
Reflections by: Cathy Windham, Lindsey Carson, Kristi Pettigrew, Dr. Robert Stacey & Lee Anne Brigman
Why Do We Memorize?
Recitation and memorization are important parts of a classical Christian education. We memorize often in the Lower School. We want to strengthen the mind and nurture the soul with meaning through the practice of memory. Through hymns, scriptures, poems, and more, our students are given worthwhile and lovely things to memorize, and we trust over time it shapes their hearts and minds in Christ.
Why Do We Incorporate Liturgy in the Classroom?
Our Lower School classrooms thrive on rhythms. These rhythms shape our classroom cultures and our students. One routine you may notice in a Lower School classroom is the use of liturgy. Liturgies are reverent recitations of good, true, and beautiful things. They provide students and teachers with opportunities to peacefully and joyfully engage with the beautiful things we are encountering. They promote discipline, order, and
courtesy in our school day. Liturgy forms us, and we pray that God uses it to turn our students’ hearts and minds toward all that is lovely.
Why Do We Keep Traditions?
At Augustine School, we love tradition and have intentionally built traditions into our curriculum. Our school-wide and classroom traditions shape our culture and knit us together as a community. They are carefully chosen and passed down to reinforce the values we hold dear. Our 1st grade Knighting Ceremony upholds reverence and a heart of service. Our 4th grade Narnia Narratives encourage empathy. Our 3rd grade On-the-Nines events invite students to practice hospitality, etiquette, and the art of conversation. Traditions enrich our students’ learning and serve to create a sense of belonging and purpose. We hope Augustine School traditions - from events to celebrations, poems to liturgies - will become fond childhood memories for our students.
Why Do We Study Latin?
Some may answer this question by pointing to improvements in vocabulary or test scores, while others note how it trains the mind with order and rationality. While both are true, these are more like welcome side effects than the primary reason we study Latin. Latin was
the first truly global language in the Western tradition. It needed to accommodate the Romans’ thoughts and interactions with its entire diverse empire. Furthermore, the Romans were deeply interested in intellectually rigorous fields like philisophy and theology. They needed an expansive language to engage their world. When we study Latin today, it infuses our own language, and thus our minds, with a grammar and vocabulary that enable and encourage us to think the biggest and deepest thoughts. We study Latin to expand our thinking and ultimately to grow in our pursuit of wisdom.
Why Do We Encourage a Love of Story?
One way teachers call students to delight in goodness, truth, and beauty is by telling great stories. Stories are a powerful tool by which we gather abstract ideas, like good and evil, into concrete tales of heroes and adventure. Stories train the heart to love what is good. At Augustine School, we love timeless stories and classic literature. These stories unfold character-building narratives that celebrate the joys of childhood while upholding the righteous pursuit of good, truth, courage, and wisdom. C.S. Lewis said that education is more than filling the mind and training behaviors. It must also cultivate the soul and train the affections. Nothing captures the imagination and shapes a child’s loves quite so well as an excellent story.
sPring soirEE 2024
The 2024 Spring Soiree was a barrel of laughs! Comedian Jaron Myers entertained guests who filled Madison Downs and enthusiastically participated in live and silent auctions. Augustine alumnus Bailey Bell was joined by friend of the school and emcee extraordinaire, Katie Hale, and these masters of ceremonies presided over a lively auction. The event raised over $28,000 which helped fund the new Natural Playgrounds, new gym pads, front entrance landscaping, and Phase I of the front entrance sign project.
It takes many people to make this annual event a continued success; we are extraordinarily grateful to each student and family for donating items and funds to the silent auction class baskets. Volunteers also help by soliciting and making donations, decorating, securing sponsorships, creating baskets, setting up prior to the event and cleaning after. Special thanks to Jen Davenport, Kirsten Dement, Breanne Huguenard, Anna Miller, and Shannon Unruh as well as to Charli Groen who helped with auction website photography. Make plans to join us May 10, 2025 at Hub City Brewery for Spring Soiree 2025: Bingo at the Brewery!
DAVIS FIRM, PLLC
SPRING SOIREE 2024 RESULTS
1. natural Playground
$3,282
TOTAL RAISED $28,051
$5,717 Entrance Refresh*
Natural Playground Allocation
$19,051 Gym Pads
*$800 for front entrance landscaping
$4,917.91 towards signage
Funds raised allowed us to complete Phase I of the Early Childhood & Lower School Natural Playgrounds. These enchanting spaces have enhanced our Lower School students’ engagement with God’s creation.
2. sign graPhiC
A portion of Spring Soiree ’24 proceeds will fund new signage to more clearly mark our campus entrance on Old Humboldt Road. Additional funds from Spring Soiree ‘25 will complete the funding for this project with construction projected to begin Summer of 2025.
3. gym Pads
New gym pads with Knights logos complement the gym floor, which was refinished with proceeds from Spring Soiree ’21.
THAT GOLDEN ERA
Abbey Orwig is a 2020 Augustine alumna and a 2024 Union University graduate with her Bachelor’s in English with honors. She is currently pursuing her master’s in Classical Christian Studies through New Saint Andrew’s College and is excited to return to her classical roots and take her learning journey even further. Abbey grew her love for literature in her old Augustine days, revelling in the epics of the ancient Greeks and the fascinating worlds in the plays of Shakespeare. Some of her proudest accomplishments are completing her honors thesis on Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale and having an excerpt of her thesis published in the International English Honors Society (Sigma Tau Delta) academic journal The Review for its Centennial issue.
Most people would say that they hated their middle school and high school experience, that it was a place they despised, and that it was time spent among people who weren’t much better. When I hear their complaints underlined with pain, disgust, and indifference, I shrink and remain quiet since I cannot say that I had experienced the same thing. I don’t feel the same loathing about my school experience because, for me, that was when my soul felt brightest. That my life was at its best, among a group of people who I spent 7 years of my life with. Those 7 years each hold a special place in my heart, as I turn over pops of memories, feelings, and nostalgia, to
realize I was truly blessed.
Now that I have finished my last year in college, it is hard to believe that I spent my final days at Augustine nearly over four years ago. That chapter of my life feels like a lifetime ago, and I’ve had to learn how to grieve for the things lost to time, watching my memories begin to slip and fade away, no matter how determined I am to hold on to them. All those moments shared with my classmates will remain with me and all I can say is that I am so very thankful to have had them in my life. That golden era has long since ended and the only way that I can try to express all my innermost thoughts is through a simple letter.
Dear Classmates,
I know that we have scattered to the ends of the earth. I may not know what is going on in your lives at this point. I know that we are no longer together, even though I had vainly wished that we still could. Though we are now shuttled off and dropped in worlds of our own, I would like to send a message out into the far empyrean, even if it doesn’t reach your sphere. A “thank you” on wings.
I only remember the good moments because they mean more to me than you know.
Every day was a day of communion with you. It was too good to be true. I thought I didn’t deserve to be placed among companions such as you. For the first time in my life, I felt accepted, respected, and that I belonged. I counted myself blessed to be able to get up each morning, knowing that you would be there. It was more of a fellowship if anything else. Relationships that were built upon shared experience, laughter, and respect. Through all the paper writing, Latin learning, literature reading, recitation events, morning assemblies, class debates, capture-the-flag games, idle discussions both serious and not, we did it together. When the autumn days come, I am reminded of our homeroom walks through the woods, our chorus of feet rustling and crackling over the fallen leaves, and I smile.
But now we have grown up and gone on to chase our callings and drifted separate ways. Yet, we are still bound by a bond; tied by strings of the past shared, strings that are differently colored and some wearing thin, but that are not yet broken.
Our compasses spin. I shield my eyes to watch your distant shapes trek over the far-off hills of your futures. I wave goodbye. To the north, thank you for your life-giving laughter. To the south, thank you for your kindness and sincerity. To the east, thank you for your conversations, big and small. And to the west, thank you for your Christian fellowship, so generously given. As the sun sets and we travel through the night, allow me to offer up this prayer for you as I have learned to accept our paths diverged:
May the Lord bless your days and keep you under His protective wings. May you look up and search for His guiding light and remember His steadfast love. May the Lord grant you wisdom in all that you do, and may He grant you a heart filled with peace. Amen.
With a grateful heart,
Alumni Updates
the 2010S
Jordan Hussey (‘15) was named Teacher of the Year at Margaret Allen Middle School for the 2023-2024 school year. Last summer she transitioned to teaching high school at John Overton High School in Nashville, TN. She has also completed one year as an English Learners Fellow with Metro Nashville Public School’s Office of English Learners.
the 2020S
Luke Andre (‘20) graduated from Union University with a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity in July 2024. He works as an IT Technician for ProbityTec in Jackson, TN.
Victoria Green (‘20) graduated from Union University in the spring with a degree in She is living in San Sebastián, Spain for the next two years, helping a local church plant. She is sharpening her apologetic skills while interacting with college students, hosting new friends, mentoring high school girls, and getting to know other locals with the goal of sharing the Hope that is within her!
2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. You may also read Orwig’s reflections on her years at Augustine School on pages 26-27.
Noah Windham (‘20) graduated from Union University in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design with honors. He now works as a Graphic Designer for Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, TN.
mARRiAGeS
Benjamin Van Neste (‘20) married Alyssa Jasper on May 25, 2024. He now works as a Junior Graphic Designer at Absolutely Ridiculous Innovation for Athletes (ARiA Collective).
BiRthS
Afternoons Director, Amber Akakpo, and husband, Joshua, welcomed baby girl, Eliana Kafui, on March 29, 2024.
Benjamin O’Kelley (‘24) began the Honors program at Union University. He misses enjoying frequent classes outside, reminding us of this particular Augustine distinctive!
Abbey Orwig (‘20) had the honor of having her critical essay published by the international english honors society, Sigma Tau Delta, in their centennial journal issue. Her essay titled, “’Now Take Her Hand in Yours’: Greek Voice in Shakespeare’s A Winter’s Tale,” argues Shakespeare took inspiration from Euripides’ “Alcestis” to write the final scene in his play. Orwig compares the final scenes in both plays, noting several similarities in plot, motif, and language. She graduated with honors from Union University in May
AN AUGUSTINE ALUMNI REUNION FOR THESE UNION UNIVERSITY GRADUATES! LEFT TO RIGHT: LUKE ANDRE (ʻ20), BENJAMIN VAN NESTE (ʻ20), NOAH WINDHAM (ʻ20), VICTORIA GREEN (ʻ20), KATELYN DROWN (ʻ20), ABBEY ORWIG (ʻ20), AND AIDEN LONGLEY (ʻ20).
Have an update for us? Visit augustineschool.com/alumni to share news, announcements, or to update your contact information.
Alumni RetuRn to teAch
We were thrilled to welcome back Augustine School alumni Claire Windham (‘23) and Michael Tankersley (‘21) to teach Lower School Latin for the 2024-2025 school year! Windham is teaching 3rd and 4th grade Latin while Tankerlsey is teaching 5th grade Latin.
“I absolutely loved my time at Augustine as a student, so I was thrilled by the possibility of getting to come back and spend
SAVE the DATE!
more time here! Pouring back into a place that has formed who I am today is such a blessing. I love seeing Augustine continue to grow and flourish.” - Claire
“I am thrilled that I have the opportunity to pour into these students and give back to the school that formed me so deeply. It is a joy to have seen them grow even in my few months of teaching.” - Michael
2025 Homecoming Celebration
Friday, September 12th from 6-9pm at Augustine School
FUTURE ALUMNI
We look forward to celebrating the graduation of the Class of 2025 on Saturday, May 17th at First Baptist Church. The senior class will be celebrated the week beforehand with our annual Senior Feast on May 14th and the beloved Senior Farewell on May 15th. Friends and family are all welcome to attend!
THE CLASS OF 2025: (TOP ROW) MAXIM KLUCK, LUKE TANKERSLEY, ADDYSON BAILEY, HENRY SCHIEBOUT, JACOB PRUNTY; (BOTTOM ROW) CAROLINE LANCASTER, EMMA BOWEN
Contributors
Susan Foubert
Editor
Keely Beasley
Creative Director
Ben Williams
Graphic Designer
Photographers
Janelle Roberts
Charli Groen
Featured Writers
Dr. Robert Stacey
Dr. Aaron O’Kelly
Abbey Orwig
Dr. Todd Brady
