Acta Equitum – June/July 2023

Acta Equitum

Avery Abruzzo

Charles Bennett

Xavier Bradley

William Brittain

Gustavo Culp

Cailyn Davis**

Ella Hepp

Out of a class of 21 Seniors:

Elijah Jones

Jackson Lopez

William Miles

Miles Minard

Lauren Pace*

Josiah Parolini

John Schwieger

Olivia Ten Napel

Abigail Thornton

Ty Thornton

Jono Tims

Tremon Trudeau

Ava Warren

Vaughn Warren

*Valedictorian

**Salutatorian

6 were accepted into college Honors programs

5 received Presidential Scholarships based on academic merit

1 received an exclusive Air Force ROTC scholarship which pays full tuition, plus books, plus a personal stipend

1 received the highest merit-based scholarship awarded by Samford University this year

All seniors were accepted into the colleges where they applied and therefore had a choice of where they preferred to attend.

Not including financial assistance scholarships, Tennessee Promise, or Hope scholarships, the class was offered scholarships for academic merit, leadership, and athletics totaling $2,790,816

Charles Bennett and William Brittain: SEEC All-Conference football team

William Brittain: All-State Honors in soccer from TSIAA

Elijah Jones: NCSA Servant Leadership Award for baseball and basketball

Knights Athletics

June 12–16:

Girls' Basketball Camp for 8th–12th graders 2:00–4:00 pm

1850 General George Patton Drive, Franklin

$65 (includes t-shirt)

Register by May 19th

June 15 & 16:

Football Camp for rising K–12th grade boys

Jim Warren Park

No cost

July 10:

Football Practice begins for registered team members

4:00–6:30 pm

Jim Warren Park

July 10–12:

Volleyball Camp for 5th–12th grade girls

2 sessions:

6th–8th 3:00–5:00 pm

9th–12th 4:30–7:00 pm

1850 General George Patton Drive, Franklin

$85 (includes t-shirt)

Register by June 20

July 10–14:

Basketball Skills Camp for 8th–12th grade boys

5:00–6:00 pm

1850 General George Patton Drive, Franklin

$35

July 21:

Basketball Camp

2nd–5th grade girls

3:00–5:00 pm

1850 General George Patton Drive, Franklin

$20

PRESENTATIONS and CHARACTER

BLESSINGS

CELEBRATE!

2023 Awards Ceremony

Teddy Roosevelt: Leadership Lessons

On Thursday, April 27, 2023, after 30 years of teaching, Dr. George Grant, our own statesmen hero, delivered his final lecture as lead Humanities lecturer at Franklin Classical School. We thank him wholeheartedly for his leadership and devotion to this community of his founding. Below is part two of an excerpt from his final lecture.

The private life is the proving ground for the public.

This is a lesson we seem to have forgotten We put ideology or economics or policy above character The result is we have people in public life who simply aren’t fit Character is the firm foundation of the private life that is necessary to build a public life.

Leaders make the most of every opportunity. Sometimes opportunities look scarce or small. Sometimes they don’t look like opportunities at all. But leaders see glimmers of promise where no one else does And they march onward, come what may Hard work is necessary in order to lead

If you want to lead, you must read. Learning is necessary for leading. Teddy read widely. His library at Sagamore Hill on Long Island in New York is a museum today, and you can see how well used the books are.

The role of the leader is to serve as a moral compass.

The purpose of the leader isn’t to do everything No one can do everything The person who acts like a Nam-Lugal wrecks everything

The purpose of a leader isn’t to come up with great innovative policies but rather to serve as a moral compass through the situation.

A leader must overcome tremendous obstacles. This is just the nature of leadership in this poor fallen world A leader doesn’t simply assess the obstacles but assails them If you stand for anything, you will be shot at If you take any kind of controversial stand, your character and motivations will be questioned. A leader has to just say, okay this is simply a part of it.

Failure is the backdoor to success.

Roosevelt ruined his career more times than almost any other politician ever He was told not to ruin his career by going off the Spanish-American War, but he did He walked away from the Republican Party He was willing to fail in order to do what was right Failure is the back door to success. If you admit the mistakes, confess your sins, learn from your errors, in the same way the gospel offers forgiveness, failure can grow you.

A leader will always prefer to be faithful than famous.

He knew from whence his strength came and yearned to be faithful to the gospel A leader’s faith must be firmly established A leader must be accountable, connected, and plugged into a local parish and community of faith.

There is no place like home.

With all of his travels and experiences, Roosevelt still believed the best place on earth was home. Churchill used to say, "A day away from home is a day wasted " That’s actually a line he stole from Teddy Roosevelt

The White House was like a zoo, literally, with ponies, zebras, peacocks and chickens, and sometimes when they were in the house. Teddy would take a little Shetland pony into the residence quarters and take his children on pony rides through the White House.

With great privileges come great responsibilities. Roosevelt understood that because of the privileged position he had in many people’s eyes, if he stumbled and fell or became either prideful or complacent, it would be devastating As a result, he showed us what is possible when a great man leads the way

"Faithfulness is a virtue rarely produced in a state of calm, unruffled repose It flourishes in adversity It kindles in the hour of danger and rises to deeds of renown "

Thomas Chalmers

Three Generations of the Grant Family are part of FCS.

"And gladly wolde he lerne "And gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche." and gladly teche."

Geoffrey Chaucer, Canterbury Tales

More than 35 FCS alumni attended Dr. Grant's final lecture on April 27th.

A special FCS tradition: Dr. Grant sharing with the seniors the Bible verses he prayed over each one throughout the school year.

The 2022–2023 Upper Division with Dr. Grant following his final lecture at FCS

Dr. Grant delivers the Commencement Address.

The Robert Charles Sproul Blessing

Every so often, God raises up someone who makes waves in history. And more often than not, these waves are the gentle ripples that dissolve stone hearts and redirect the courses of mighty rivers R C Sproul was such a man R C Sproul was a man for his time A man who God called and equipped for His good purposes.

Through R C Sproul, countless men and women in the Church were strengthened and mentored in the bountiful love and grace of our Lord. He was prolific and tireless in his dedication to teach and equip the people of God through his sermons, books, lecture-series, podcasts, and through personal and individual mentorship. He understood the consequences of ideas, the weighty significance of worldview, and the unrelenting, healing power of the gospel

His legacy is best seen in the legacy of every soul he touched; in every life he shepherded; in every person he equipped; in every family he strengthened; in every disciple he lead. Samuel Johnson says, “The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good ” Dwight L Moody once said, “The measure of a man is not how many servants he has but how many men he serves. ” And Marcus Aurelius reminds us to “Bear in mind that the measure of a man is the worth of the things he cares about.” These are all expressly true for R C Sproul And if these are true of Sproul, then they are especially true for the recipient of the R. C. Sproul Blessing, our founder, our teacher, our mentor, and our friend, Doctor George Grant.

Written and presented by Mr. Carson and Mr. Scherrer to Dr. George Grant on May 19, 2023, at the FCS Night of Blessings.

An Alumni Tribute to Dr. Grant

We know of no other way by which to keep the love of the world out of our heart, than to keep in our hearts the love of God and no other way by which to keep our hearts in the love of God than building ourselves up on our most holy faith.

Thomas Chalmers

How do you sum up the impact Dr Grant has had on hundreds of FCS students for over 30 years in just a few words? My family first met Dr Grant when my mom was pregnant with me We attended his Micah Mandate classes for years before I ever attended FCS. But very quickly after entering 9th grade in 2003, I realized this pastor & teacher was not just another educator.

I have no idea why I first asked him to coffee in the summer of 2004, but I did during a tumultuous time in my life. He listened intently and advised wisely for all that was happening in my life at that moment. That started more than 19 years worth of coffees, dinners, and conversations. He later officiated Jenna's and my wedding in 2011.

See, Dr Grant has always made time for his students, both current and graduated He's modeled exactly what the Chalmers quote above says. He's built up others in the faith and loved people fiercely. He's poured out the love of God daily through his many ministries and in his Humanities classroom.

I would not be the man I am today without Dr. Grant's influence and mentorship. It’s bittersweet to know his final Humanities lecture as the primary lecturer has come and gone, but I am excited to watch both him and his wife step into this new season the Lord is leading them toward.

Dr Grant closed out his final lecture with these words, “In the same way the gospel affords us the freshness of forgiveness, failure can be the best thing for us in the world. Making sure the inward life matches what we desire for the outward life. It’s living these things out, knowing that ideas have consequences. That worldviews matter. Knowing that culture is simply religion externalized ”

All FCS alumni are the consequences of the worldview & legacy that Dr. Grant championed for decades. I look forward to the next rendition of that legacy manifesting through us all.

Thomas Coghlan FCS Class of 2007

Current FCS Parent

June 2

Mr. Brian Hatcher

June 3

Mrs. Mary Hamann

June 4

Kenzie Browning

Benjamin Jenkins

June 5

Elizabeth Thornton

June 8

Micah Morrison

Sam Toski

June 9

Owen Hervey

June 11

Tolan Trudeau

June 19

Charlotte Strong

June 21

Greyson Hervey

June 23

Beau Barnes

David Corning

June 27

Jeremiah Avila

Will Jebasingh

Jude McNeil

June 28

Mrs. Connie Michael

David Van Liere

June 29

Hailey Corning

July 1

Mrs. Niki Thiessen

July 3

Olivia Bennett

Preston Sapp

July 5

Richie Lupescu

Mrs. Jamie Parolini

Danielle Richter

July 8

Siena Strayer

July 9

Ansleigh Hurt

July 13

Scarlet Hagopian

July 16

Ian Ruzicka

July 20

Avenlea Medina

July 22

Oliver Dykstra

July 23

Grace Lott

July 26

Isabelle Dake

Boone Minard

July 27

Daisy Schlapman

July 29

Olivia Rapo

July 31

Zach Harlow