Summer of Recommitment at Classical Christian Conference in Kentucky
This was a summer of renewal. With earnest prayer for guidance and direction for Providence Classical School, our administrative team and staff strengthened our commitment to Classical Christian Education (CCE). One of the highlights of this recommitment was attending the Classical Christian Teacher Training Conference in Louisville, Kentucky This annual conference was hosted by Highlands Latin School, a flagship classical Christian school.
Our staff had over 145 breakout sessions from which to choose as well as six plenary gatherings that emphasized the value and advancement of CCE The breakout sessions were especially helpful to the new faculty members Kimberly Sowell, Grammar and Upper School math teacher, stated, âIâm a veteran teacher, but new to classical education These sessions offered guidance for adopting a classical educator mindset â Kindergarten teacher Jennifer Crotts agreed: âAttending the conference gave me a thorough overview of the curriculum It helped me to make connections and fill in gaps of understanding â
Veteran teachers and administrators left the conference revitalized Upper School teacher Danielle Russo said she felt âbetter equipped to defend classical education and help [students] understand the value of their hard workâ and was âreminded of the benefits of the classical model and encouragedâ for the next school year
IN
CLASSICAL CONFERENCE:
Summer teacher training
NEW SPORTS BILL
CLASSICAL IQ
SPOTLIGHT
SUMMER SERVICE TRIPS:
Greece and Athens
SUMMER CAMPS:
Arts and Sports
UPCOMING EVENTS
CEBRAâS CORNER
Most of our staff agreed that one of the main highlights was Leigh Loweâs lecture on âSchool Culture â Amanda Patterson stated, âLowe embodies the lifelong learner that classical Christian education seeks to develop Though CCE certainly prepares students for a prestigious college and a career, the main goal is to assist students in forming their worldview that will serve them as they fulfill the will of God in their lives, whatever it may be!â
Also this conferenc just as important a school The rigorou be valued not just f be formed in the st 5:3-5, â we rejoice produce enduranc character produce disciplined, joyful knowledgeable ad disciplined adult!
FRONT ROW: Tara Blackmer, Jace Grauel, Layla Burkes, Jennifer Crotts, and Lauren Koch SECOND ROW: Dee Bridges, Kimberly Sowell, and Tammy Nelson THIRD ROW: Neal Nelson, Amanda Patterson, Danielle Russo, Richard Cebra,andAdrianSwain
New Sports Bill Allows Private School Students to Tryout and Participate in
Public School
Sports
ProvidenceClassicalSchoolispleasedtoannouncethepassingof SportsBill4125whichwasofficiallysignedbyGovernorMcMaster onJuly4
Mostsmall,privateschoolsdonothavethecapacitytoofferan expansivevarietyofsportsThisbillwillgiveourstudentsand otherprivateschoolstudentsacrossSouthCarolinagreater opportunitiestoplaythesportstheirschooldoesnotoffer Theprovisoforprivateschoolstudentsincludes:
1.Thestudenthastoresidewithintheattendancezone boundariesofthepublicschool.
2Theschoolthatthestudentattendscannotbeamemberof theSouthCarolinaHighSchoolleague(Providencedoes qualify)
3Theschoolattendedbythestudentdoesnotofferthe particularsportthattheyaretryingoutforatthepublichigh school
4Parentsofthestudentmustnotifythesuperintendentofthe publicschooldistrictinwritingofhisintenttotryoutinthe particularsportasarepresentativeofthepublicschoolbefore thebeginningdateoftheseasonforthesportinwhich wishestotryout
5Studentswillhavetopayforallsport-specificfeeschargedby thepublicschoolsforanindividualstudenttoparticipatein thesport
6.Thestudentwillhavetomeetallpublicschooldistrict eligibilityrequirementswiththeexception:
a.Schooldistrict'sschoolorclassattendancerequirements. b.Classandenrollmentrequirementsoftheassociation administeringtheinterscholasticsports.
7.Thestudentandthestudent'sparentorguardianagreeforthe studenttobesubjecttothecodeofconductofthepublic school
8.Thestudentwasnotexpelledfromthesamepublicschool duringthesameacademicyear.
9Thestudenthastomaintainthepublicschoolâscertaingrade pointandgradelevelforparticipatinginthesportsteamfor whichtheyaretryingout
Classical Christian Education:
Facts & Figures
Why Choose a Classical Education?
In the latter part of my 30 years teaching in public schools, it was challenging to uphold traditional standards. Though my students still had the same intellectual abilities as students from the 1990s, the lower expectations and â21st century skillsâ they had developed in earlier grades left them ill-prepared for my senior class, for college, and for productive citizenry.
I made public school my mission field for three decades, but wanted to devote my remaining career to classrooms where I can do more than indirectly point to God and uplifting themes
My wife Tammy, also a 30-year veteran teacher, and I set a quest to find such a school Months later, we landed upon Providence Classical School. After four visits and a few days of subbing, we knew we had found our new home In every classroom we observed or even walked by, we witnessed respectful, engaged students On closer observation, we noted the strong classical curriculum that not only promotes academics but builds characterâChristian character.
As a new teacher at Providence -and to the classical Christian model I look forward to teaching English (literature, composition, grammar) and the classical epics through a systematic method that has stood the test of time instead of being asked to change my methodology every five years with the newest fad in teaching that never seemed to work.
Adding the Christian component, we challenge ourselves to study the literary canon of traditional texts by viewing them through a Biblical lens to assess their characters and themes from our faith's perspective This rigorous curriculum helps our students to not only learn and know what every school should teach but also equips our youth to wisely evaluate texts they will encounter in the future while also defending their belief system in their future classes, families, communities, and a world that needs to hear more Christian voices.
Tammy and I look forward to helping graduate students strong in academics, character, and the love of God
There are more than 1300 classical Christian schools and over 677,000 classical education students in the U S , and numbers are
Arcadia Education
Neal Nelson UpperSchoolEnglish Teacher
SPOTLIGHT Leadership
Mrs Cheri Rudolf is our Spotlight person of the month for Leadership Mrs Rudolf, a seven year veteran teacher, has spent her last three years at Providence Classical as PE Teacher Her daughters, Gianna and Juliette, students at PCS, were her call to action to advocate for Sports Bill 4125, which gives non-public students the opportunity to play sports in public schools.
Mrs Rudolf's quest soon reached beyond her daughters and Providence Classical Rudolf stated, âWhat started out as a journey to help my two daughters, who play travel softball, to be able to try out for their local high school team, turned into something so much bigger and more meaningful I saw the need across our state Too many students have to choose classical education or sports in another school to help them pursue their dreams of college sports â
This two-year effort took her and dedicated Providence Classical students to the State House in Columbia for five separate public hearings. âI am so very proud [my students] came with me to speak It was not easy to stand in front of people that did not support us We have a special group of students here at Providence â
Mrs Rudolfâs diligence and steadfastness were rewarded on July 4 when Sports Bill 4125 was passed and officially signed by Governor McMaster
Greece: A Journey through Ancient Ruins & Soul Restoration
In June, 15 Providence Classical School students and four chaperones spent a week in Athens, Greece serving a local city community and enriching their knowledge of Ancient Greece Fourth Grade teacher Paige Oliver led the team along with fellow Fourth Grade teacher Janna Lambert, Upper School teacher Colton Guffey, and Dr Marcie Davis founder and former head of school.
Service trips have various purposes, the first being cultivating a servantâs heart and selfless attitude in our students By participating, they are better equipped to love others, help build Godâs Kingdom, and share the Gospel with the lost A second reason is to expand the studentâs worldviews, to see the world from anotherâs perspective. There is also an aesthetic purpose behind travel We want our students to experience the
FRONT ROW: Elizabeth Kiehn, Paige Oliver, Dr Marcie Davis, Kylie Davis, Abby Opala, Gabrielle Randle, Sophia Randle, and Anna Baxter SECOND ROW: Janna Lambert, Adah Lambert, Harol Sarmiento, Maya Losee, Mr Colton Guffey, Kate Roberson, and Xavier Burt THIRD ROW: Isaac Martin, Caleb Davis, Bryson Lahr, and Chase Peterson
beautyoftheworld,inparticulartheancientculturesthathavebeenaprominentthemeintheirclassicaleducation.
Providence staff and students had a wonderful time fulfilling the first purpose of travelâservice They partnered with and served alongside the Greek International Mission Board (IMB) in a variety of waysâeverything from stepping in to run a music festival, whichallowedtheIMBteamtimetotrulyconnectwiththeGreeksthatattendedthefestival,toservingat"TheBunker,"asafespace createdforGreekteenagerstocomeandspendtimetogether,toworkingatarefugeecenter-anopportunitynonehadexperienced before Studentshadtheimmenseprivilegetomeettworefugees,onemanfromIranandonemanfromIraq
The Providence team served with a missionary family from the IMB. There was an interesting exchange of knowledge between the twoteams ThefamilywaspleasantlysurprisedtofindsuchhardworkingAmericanChristians Theyhadneverhadayoungteamlike ours who eagerly served without complaining and genuinely loved the Greek people Upper School teacher Colton Guffey said, âThe studentsweresoopentodowhateverwasaskedofthemandwerereallyopenandhonestabouttheirgrowthintheLordonthetrip.â OurteamlearnedmuchaboutthereligiousconditionofGreece.LikefartoomanyEuropeancountries,GreeceisChristianinname only On paper, 90% of Greeks identify as Greek Orthodox; in reality, most Greek people are nominal Greek Orthodox at best, and many,especiallytheyouth,donotseetheimportanceofhavingarelationshipwiththeLord.
The Providence team experienced many blessings along the way. Some of Guffey's favorite moments centered around the historical Athens Hesaid,âBeingabletosetfootongroundwheresomuchofWesternCivilizationhaditsbeginningandwherePaulpreached on Mars Hill was a sublime feeling â Teacher Paige Oliver really enjoyed the refugee camp âOne of the biggest blessings of this trip wasbeingabletohearfromtheIraqirefugee.Iwassothankfulthestudentswereabletohearhistestimonyandhearhowthisman hasriskedhisfamily,hisjob,andevenhislifetobeafollowerofJesus Nevertheless,heurgedthestudentsthatChristisworthitall,â statedOliver.
All of the IMB and Providence chaperones were extremely proud of our students. Paige Oliver stated, âI was BEYOND proud of our PCSstudents!Theyrepresentedourschoolsowell,butmoreimportantly,theyrepresentedtheLordandHispeople â
Paulâs Speech to the Unknown God
The Greek team was blessed to have visited The Areopagus--located not far from the Acropolis--the site where Paul gave his famous speech to the Unknown God as recounted in Acts 17
23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: âTo the unknown god.â What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you
24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything,sincehehimselfgivestoallmankindlifeandbreathandeverything.
Anna Baxter leans a hand cleaning, serving with a smile and happy heart
Xavier Burt, Kate Roberson, Janna Lambert, Dr Marcie Davis and crew spruce up the sidewalks for better curb appeal
Chase Peterson helps with cleaning and landscaping
MEET OUR ALASKA TEAM
Alaskan Hospitality & Serving Others
At the end of May, 18 students and three Providence chaperones traveled to Sutton, Alaska, for a nine day service trip The group was led by Amanda Patterson, PCS Academic Advisor and Events Coordinator, along with Grammar and Latin teacher Kristen Rahalewicz and Scott Davis,parentandformerBoardChair
Our team served alongside Fireweed Ministry, a community-oriented Christian organization in Sutton, Alaska, that serves the community through their parks ministry Students and staff worked Monday to Friday Most days involved crafts, games, and Bible lessons Students also made lunches to take to the park each day, loaded and unloaded vans full of supplies, and more importantly, interacted with the kids whileinthepark.Risingjunior,AnnaRoberson,statedthatoneofherbiggestblessingswasâgettingtoknowthekidsthatweministeredto at the Bible School summer camp and bonding with them over the week â Rising sophomore Nick LaSala said that âan opportunity to share mybeliefswiththekidsinAlaskaâwasoneofthehighlightsofhistrip
James and Jennifer Bodolosky, leaders of Fireweed, hosted our staff and students The Bodolosky's seven children served with our students each day. This family and several other kids joined forces in the park ministry. Students were blessed to fulfill the purpose of the trip: to experience truth, goodness, and beauty through serving God, serving others, and experiencing His amazing creation âI really enjoyed the hostfamily Mr Bodoâs[sic]morningdevotionswerethehighlightofmyday HetaughtushowtostudytheBibleinsteadofjustreadingit, said rising junior Katherine Ford. Rising sophomore Levi Burt agreed: âSome of the best blessings we experienced was the hospitable stay withtheBodoloskysandtheamazingsceneryandviews â
Andintheirdowntime,studentstooktotheoutdoorstoobservefirsthandGodâsbeautifullandscape Whentheywerenotserving,theyhad opportunitiestohikeandexperiencethebeautyofAlaska OneofthemostmemorableexcursionswasatriptoEklutnaLakenearAnchorage
Leadersweregreatlyencouragedastheywatchedstudentsstepuptimeandagaintoserveandstepoutoftheircomfortzones,bethatinthe ministrywheretheyovercametheirnervousnessinpreparingBiblelessonsforlargegroupsofpeopleorsomethingasordinaryaslearningto shareabathroomwiththeentiregroup Manystudentsnotedtheirownpersonalgrowthinwitnessingtoothersandpromotingthecampby goingdoor-to-doorinvitingpeopletojointheirBibleStudygroup.
One of the best blessings was seeing students' relationships grow âWe watched students leave their phones on the porch in the evening as they ran around and played games together This was done by them not forced by the leaders It was simply amazing!â said Amanda Patterson
FRONT ROW: Ben Wetli, Levi Burt, William Stewart, Aiden Killian, Samuel Fichtinger, David Franey, Colin Davis, Amanda Patterson, Kristen Rahalewicz, Elizabeth Rahalewicz, and Kaiyah Fite BACK ROW: Savannah Worley, Emmylou Lambert, Nick LaSala, Ian Brink, Anna Roberson, Katherine Ford, and John David Ferebee StudentsattheBodoloskyhosthome
PCS students play a game of âPon Ponâ with several local Sutton Elementary School students
LeviBurt,IanBrink,NickLaSalahikingat EklutnaLakenearAnchorage
Savannah Worley, Katherine Ford, Emmylou Lambert, Anna Roberson, Elizabeth Rahalewicz, and Kaiyah Fite go on a short hike around the Matanuska Glacier State Recreation site right after their arrival in Alaska
ElizabethRahalewiczandKaiyahFite Afterchurchon Sunday,studentsvisitsEklutnaLakeforarigoroushike andtoenjoythegorgeousviews
Summer Close to Home
Summer Art Camp: Teaching Students to Be Salt & Light
This was the inaugural year for Providenceâs Salt & Light Art Camp The camp, led by art teacher, Mrs Gina Sibrans, had two sessions June 11 - 13 and June 18 -20 Each session had approximately ten rising First through Fifth Graders who attended three hours a day.
Students were exposed to different mediums that they usually do not encounter in their typical art class. Mrs. Sibrans stated that one of the purposes was âto give the students a space to explore art in new ways, outside of what we can usually do in class We focused on clay sculpting and painting, which are not materials we typically use in weekly art classes.â
Students began camp by studying Matthew 5:13 -16 learning about salt and light for the world Each of the various art projects incorporated some aspect of salt or light. For example, one of their projects had them painting a seascape canvas and adding salt for sand texture and glow-in-the-dark paint on the sun In addition to the ocean canvas, the budding artists painted kindness rocks, sculpted and painted tea light holders, and sculpted naturally-dyed clay into beads and then strung them into keychains
Though all the art activities were fun, some of the studentsâ favorite projects revolved around working with clay Rising Fifth Grader, Caroline Koch said, âBeing able to use [my] hands shaping the pottery was a lot of fun â Mrs Sibrans stated that one of her best moments was âwatching the students be creative and watching them show their parents their completed artwork on the last day â Caroline reiterated the same sentiments: âArt is important because you use multiple senses and you get to make beautiful pieces that you get to keep for a long time â
FRONTROW:AnnaThomas,MadelineRollins,NatalieHelms,EllieRollins,andCharlie Koch BACKROW:PeytonParker,BellaJohnson,CarolineKoch,JackRollins,Finn Abbuhl,andartteacherGinaSibrans
After serving during the day, the team has a postdinnerhikenearbytheirhostfamilysproperty
Summer Sports: Agility & Plyometrics, Volleyball,
Cross Country, &
It was a fun and busy summer for Providence athletes! Between the Agility and Plyometrics Camp, the Volleyball Camp, the Basketball Camp, and workout sessions in volleyball and cross country, we had more than 60 students participating
We were blessed to have so many coaches help with our athletics this summer Athletic Director, Brandon Eiff headed the Agility Camp with Melissa Wyatt and Destiny West leading the volleyball workouts, Collin Wade aiding Mr Eiff in basketball, and coaches Caleb Thompson, Heather LaSala, and Matthew Thomas leading the cross country students.
Eiff stated the camps were âto improve [students] overall athletic ability while also getting first class coaching in our two major team sports of volleyball and basketball. It is also a way for new students and current students to become familiar with the culture of Providence Athletics.â
This was the first year for Agility and Plyometrics Camp which took place at Riverwalk Outdoor Greens The camp had four sessions that lasted from early June to early August. Each session was broken down by grade levels The youngest group consisted of rising 3rd-5th graders, the middle group 6th-8th graders, and the oldest group 9th-12th graders
I i l l h Th ili i i h d
Basketball
believes she reached her goals She stated, âIt was awesome to to see how much I improved on the ladder and hurdles from the start of camp to the end of camp I felt faster and stronger in the end â
This was the second year for both the Volleyball Camp and the Basketball Camp Volleyball camp was at Davidson College, and workout and tryouts took place at Hope Fellowship Church, and basketball will be held at the Rock Hill Sports Center in August
Rising sophomore Kerrington Adams participated in the volleyball workouts which lead up to tryouts on June 25 and July 29 Adams, who made the 2024-2025 team, has been playing volleyball for three years She believes that one of the purposes of the workouts was getting âa preview of what the season should look like and what is expected from usâ but her greatest personal benefit this summer was âthe opportunity to make friends and bond with my teammates â
Cross Country workouts began in early July and will continue through August, meeting four days a week. Coach Thompson welcomed fifth graders and above to join these morning workout sessions. To avoid the 90 degree temperatures, these early practices began at 6:30 each morning
The commitment and diligence of our PCS students were evident throughout the summerâbe that in agility, volleyball, basketball, or cross country And we are thankful for all the hard work of our coaches
TOP: Destiny West, Caityln Alcron, Katherine Ford, Anna Roberson, Melissa Wyatt, Adah Lambert, Elizabeth Rahalewicz, Maya Losee, Elizabeth Kiehn, Sara Tillman, Elizabeth Ford, Kennedy Kashmer, and Lilian LaPorte at Volleyball camp at Davidson College BOTTOM:Crosscountrydevoteesdonotlettheraindetertheirearlymorning workouts
TOP: Macey Daniel, Olivia Daniel, Grayson Knecht, and Coach Brandon Eiff at Agility Camp BOTTOM LEFT: Olivia Daniel races around the cones BOTTOM RIGHT: Micah Thompsonleadsthepackduringcrosscountryworkouts
REMINDERS & UPCOMING EVENTS
BASKETBALL CAMP
August 12-15
SUMMER ASSIGNMENTS
SCHOOL SUPPLY LIST
PARENTVOLUNTEERFORM
Cebraâs Corner
PARENT ORIENTATION: Thursday, August 15 6:30 pm-7:30 pm
MEET THE TEACHER: Friday, August 16 10:00 am-12:00 pm
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL & OPENING CONVOCATION:
Tuesday, August 20 8:05 am in the Sanctuary
Dress Uniforms Required
Very Special for Kindergarten
Parents
A Principled Defense
When we consider the principles behind classical Christian education, we can begin by looking at the purpose of education itself British classical scholar and educationist Sir RW Livingstoneinhis1916bookADefenceofClassicalEducationstatestheintentsoclearly that I thought it would be good to share it with you here: âOne of the chief objects of educationistotrainflexibilityofmind,tomakeamanquicktocomprehendotherpoints ofviewotherthanhisown Obviously,nopowerismorenecessaryindealingwithmen To beabletodiscardforthemomenthisownopinions,andseetheworldthroughtheeyesof otherclasses,races,ortypes,isasindispensabletothemerchantasitistothestatesman; formenarehardlytobecontrolledorinfluencedunlesstheyareunderstood Andyetno powerisrarer Itisalmostnon-existentamonguneducatedpeopleâ(Livingstone,29)
Livingstoneâsexaminationsaregood,true,andbeautifulgoalsfortheindividualclassical student The day-to-day classical education of the young scholar imparts these very abilities to think and reason through perspectives based on lessons that have been tried andtrueformanycenturies
One might ask, âHow does the classical method promote these abilities? What actually happens to the young mind as it progresses through a classical Christian education?â MemoriaPressauthorTracyLeeSimmondsinâCitizensofaLargerWorldâgivesusthe answer:âTheclassicallyeducatedbecomeâinterestedâpeople--andinterestedpeopleare,in theend,âinterestingâpeopleâ
So,thisbringsustothequestionofâtowhatend?âInmyreading,Icameacrossthequote where Plato is referring to the ideal politician in his classic Republic I believe this description also fits nicely with the model classical Christian student and gives us an answertothequestionofidealendresult
âWho have safely passed through all temptations, and distinguished themselves in all spheresofactionandknowledge,andwho,concentratingtheeyeoftheirsoulontheIdeal Goodwhichisthelightoftheworldandmakingittheirpattern,soordertheirownlife andthelifeoftheircommunityandofindividualmembersâ(Plato,540)
Memoria Press, the publisher of our curriculum, has a tagline in all of their corporate literature,whichreadsâSavingWesternCivilizationonestudentatatimeâ Itâsaworthygoalthatweshare Keeplookingup.
Allthebest, RM Cebra