State of the School 2023

Dear Regents Community,

It is a great blessing to share our annual State of the School with you as we ponder the present and gaze into the future. The purpose of the State of the School communication is to give you a snapshot of what we have been working on and what is ahead. Overall, the strength of Regents lies in a strong community striving together to serve and pursue our mission under the Lordship of Christ.

Over the past year, we have set course on our strategic plan ONWARD, released the Christ and Culture report, and shared a new campus master plan. I am hopeful this update will encourage you that we continue to cultivate and steward Regents in a direction that honors the Lord.

Personally, I have experienced a series of events in my own life recently that have shaped my leadership considerably. Life is precious. We are called to serve the Lord with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind as well as love our neighbor (Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; and Luke 10:27).

Now, more than ever, it is a joy to serve as your Head of School. I am happy to meet with you to answer any questions you may have.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Dan Peterson, Ph.D. Head of School

CONTENTS

ONWARD Strategic Plan Initiatives

» Advance Accountability for Academic Excellence

» Foster an Enduring Community

» Cultivate Thought Leadership within the Classical Christian School Movement

» Expand Service in the Austin Community

» Build Needed Campus Facilities

» Develop Essential Financial Resources for Sustainability and Affordability

General Updates

» Campus Safety

» Re-enrollment Invitations/Deadline

» Director of Athletics

» Spring Speakers

» Save the Date - Spring Events

ONWARD Strategic Plan Initiatives

Advance Accountability for Academic Excellence

Faculty Training

We encourage our faculty and staff to be lifelong learners by providing them with internal and external speaker sessions during our in-service training each year. This year, we have welcomed Aaron Howard and Angel Adams Parham, alongside our very own Head of Rhetoric Josh Simmons, 7th grade Dean Allison Jackson, and Director of Residency Ryan Lister.

Curriculum Review

The Composition Curriculum review is now complete. Associate Head of Grammar Jen Bryce is leading the Foreign Language Review, Head of Grammar Ronnie Long is leading the Physical Education Review, and Head of Logic Stephen Steiner is leading the Literature Review.

Foster an Enduring Community

Director of Community

Director of Community Liz Benigno began her work last fall to enhance the K-12 parent experience and foster community and involvement throughout the whole journey. We are working to engage our alumni, alumni parents, grandparents, and families through our speaker series, hosting events for alumni and alumni parents, inviting alumni moms to monthly Moms’ prayer, and welcoming grandparents on campus as volunteers. We are also working on building an alumni app to enable alumni and their families to stay in touch.

Cultivate Thought Leadership within the Classical Christian School Movement

ACCS Regional Summit

Regents was one of 12 locations nationally that hosted ACCS classical Christian educational leaders in the fall. We welcomed 27 guests from 14 schools - 19 of whom were here the day prior observing classrooms and participating in Q&As with our staff. Director of Residency Ryan Lister gave the keynote entitled “The Courage of Counterformation,” and Dr. Peterson led a situation room to collaborate amongst fellow school leaders.

Regents Podcast - Spring Schedule

The Regents Podcast is currently in Season 5. This spring, we will feature episodes with guests Hillary Ferrer from Mama Bear Apologetics, bestselling author and speaker Vicki Courtney, and Dr. Angel Adams Parham. From our own community, you can expect to hear from Head of Rhetoric Josh Simmons on the Europe Trip, Chief of Security Collin Fallon on Campus Security, Capital Campaign Chairs Will Davis and Julie Thomas on the Capital Campaign, and more.

Residency Program

Director of Residency Ryan Lister has been building out our newest initiative to help equip and disciple future educational leaders in the truth, goodness, and beauty of classical Christian education. Dr. Lister has been creating curriculum and structures to equip leaders and teachers interested in the “how and why” of Regents to join us for a year-long discipleship and mentorship program. The hope is to use the Lord’s gifts at Regents to help grow—and respond to–the exponential growth already happening in the classical Christian movement here in Austin, the state, the U.S., and beyond.

Expand Service in the Austin Community

All School Food Drive

Together through the November 2022 K-12 Food Drive Regents was able to donate 1,346 pounds of food to the Central Texas Food Bank. Thank you to all who donated!

SOL Ministerium

Logic students spent their fall Ministerium Day providing food and necessities to the local homeless community and serving throughout Austin at organizations like Down Home Ranch, Angel House, Center for Child Protection, Hill Country Thrift & Senior Center, and Mueller Lake Park. Students also served on the Regents campus, picking up trash and repairing and developing stone walking paths through campus.

Buddy Letters

In the fall, students K-12 paired up to write over 1,000 letters to send to nursing homes, Travis Country neighbors, veterans and active military in the Regents community, first responders in the Regents community, our local fire/EMS stations, the local police substation, military on the border, and our on-campus officers. We have received so many positive comments from neighbors and our community members in response to these sweet letters.

SOR Service Council

In the fall, Regents competed with other local schools to collect hoodies for Mobile Loaves and Fishes. We collected over 750 hoodies.

Build Needed Campus Facilities

Campus Task Force Report

In the fall, we released the Campus Task Force Report, the culmination of an 18-month process to develop the new Regents School of Austin Campus Master Plan. We invite you to view the Campus Task Force Community Forum that was held last semester to hear from members of the task force and architectural firm PAGE.

Capital Campaign

Next month, we will be launching the capital campaign to raise the necessary community funds to carry out the plans detailed in the Campus Task Force Report. Please be on the lookout for additional information on the campaign from Director of Advancement Kirk Avery. Our hope is that 100% of our Regents community will participate.

Develop Essential Financial Resources for Sustainability and Affordability

Annual Report

In December, the 2021-2022 Annual Report was released outlining the Regents revenue and expenses for the 2021-2022 school year.

Friends of Regents

Friends of Regents serves a unique purpose in allowing families to donate to one place and bless all of the faculty and staff at Christmas time. This year, families were so generous that two gifts were given to faculty and staff, one in December and one in January. Year after year, our employees have been blessed by this outpouring of love and appreciation.

General Updates

Re-enrollment Invitations/Deadline

As a reminder, re-enrollment for the 2023-24 school year is due on Wednesday, February 1, and must be completed through FACTS. Click here to begin re-enrollment. If you have any questions about the re-enrollment process, please contact Kristen Sewell at ksewell@regentsaustin.org.

Campus Safety Chief of Security

We hired Chief of Security Collin Fallon to lead the implementation of our comprehensive safety and security plan. The purpose of this position is to strike a balance between oversight and implementation of security while providing regular surveillance of our campus. If you have any questions about campus security, please reach out to security@regentsaustin.org.

Fencing

We have been blessed with a beautiful 82-acre campus, but it is also very open. We are currently in the process of obtaining a permit to install black iron fencing around the north and east sides of the campus. This will include the north side of campus that backs up to the woods and trails and the east side of campus that runs parallel to Republic of Texas Boulevard. Click here for a map of the proposed fence.

Director of Athletics

We recently announced that Director of Athletics Beck Brydon will be leaving Regents School of Austin after 25 years. Brydon has accepted the role of Director of Student Impact and Varsity Head Football Coach at Second Baptist School in Houston. We are grateful to the Brydon family for their service to Regents over the last 25 years. Brydon will be transitioning to his new role at Second Baptist this spring. We have begun the search for a new Director of Athletics.

Spring Speakers

Dr. Angel Adams Parham

Dr. Parham visited Regents during our in-service in January. She presented “Classical Education as Crossroads and Conversations” where she discussed the criticisms that many have about classical education. You can view her talk here.

Hillary Ferrer with Mama Bear Apologetics

Last week, Hillary Ferrer visited Regents to discuss her book Mama Bear Apologetics Guide to Sexuality. If you were not able to attend, you can view her talk here

Save the Date — Spring Events

Moms for Moms | Saturday, February 11, 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m. | Register here

Vicki Courtney joins us to discuss the troubling trend of our young people walking away from their faith and/or identifying as “nones” and “dones.” The message highlights three key things parents can do to raise kids who are “grounded” in the faith. Coffee and breakfast tacos will be served. Vicki will begin at 8:45 a.m.

Grandparents Day | Thursday, April 6

We are thrilled to welcome our grandparents to the Regents Campus for Grandparents Day! Please fill out the Grandparent & Special Friend Form in FACTS to ensure your grandparents receive an invitation.

Regents Cup | Monday, April 17

Join us on April 17 to raise funds for Athletics and Fine Arts not otherwise met by tuition dollars. Get a golf or pickleball team together for a day of fun and fellowship! More details to come.