THE COURIER THE GENEVA Graduation - The Geneva School

THE COURIER THE GENEVA
SCHOOL
NEWSLETTER
MAY 14, 2010
Graduation. This is a very
significant word in the lexicon
of The Geneva School. Its
significance stems not so much
from its origins in Latin (that
classical über-language), but more
so from the unique way in which
its usage captures the cooperative
nature of the educational
enterprise that culminates on
Graduation
A Community Celebration
From the Desk of the Dean of Students, Dr. Edward Chandler
Graduation Day. What do I mean
by this Well, if you will forgive
an incurable linguist, perhaps a
short lesson in semantics will do
the trick.
In current English, the verb to
graduate can be predicated both of
the person receiving the diploma
and of the institution granting it.
For example, it is just as legitimate
to say
“The Geneva School will graduate
twenty-two seniors this May”
as it is to say
“Twenty-two seniors will graduate
(from The Geneva School) this
May.”
Please join us as we celebrate the graduation of
The Geneva School Class of 2010
Baccalaureate Service
Thursday, May 27 ~ 7:00 pm
All Saints Episcopal Church, Winter Park
Homily by Rev. Gregg Heinsch, father of Taylor Heinsch, class of 2010
Commencement Exercises
Friday, May 28 ~ 2:00 pm
Reformed Theological Seminary, Oviedo
Commencement address by Dr. Nathan Hatch, president of Wake Forest University
A charter bus will transport the Dialectic and Rhetoric students from school to graduation.

The verb to graduate occurs in the former sense
(with the institution as the subject) as early as the
1400’s, meaning that it has been a word of very
stable meaning. The latter sense (with the student
as the subject) is much more recent, only entering
the lexicon in the early 1800’s. This much more
recent usage has largely, but not entirely, displaced
the verb’s passive usage, which would be expressed
this way:
“Twenty-two seniors will be graduated from (or by)
The Geneva School this May.”
In this passive usage, what is implied is that the
student is the beneficiary of other people’s time
and effort on their behalf. The School itself—those
other people—is the agent, i.e., the one putting
forth effort. It is this passive sense of the verb that
has given rise to the still-common English noun
graduate, which designates someone who has been
graduated in the same way that the noun “initiate”
designates someone who has been initiated, or
“licentiate” someone who has been licensed. It is this
third, passive, sense that I would like to focus on in
this short article.
To be graduated is, without doubt, a significant
milestone in one’s life, but the very sense of the verb
indicates that it is not something done in isolation.
Far from isolation, in a very real sense, as a graduate,
something has been done to you. At graduation, you
are the passive recipient of the symbol—i.e., the
diploma—of an education, a symbol that represents
years of being poured into by others. This pouring into
is primarily done by teachers who, at The Geneva
School, understand their task with respect to our
children not so much as education per se, but rather
as formation: of the mind, to be sure, but also of
the character and spirituality of the student. That is
to say that graduation is very much something done
in community, as the TGS faculty and staff e-mail
tagline constantly reminds us: Celebrating 17 Years
of Faith & Learning in Community.
Whose community Ours. Yours and mine. Whoever
is receiving this Courier and is reading this article is
in some way a part of the Geneva community. And in
some way, even if you, Dear Reader, don’t know any
of our seniors by face or by name, as a member of this
community you have played a role, however remote,
in assisting our seniors toward being graduated.
The closest level of community at The Geneva
School is the community of the classroom. I’ve
already mentioned the teachers who inhabit this
level of community, but it obviously goes farther.
Students are, to one degree or another, co-laborers
in the academic vineyard (to cop a biblical image),
such that it is not uncommon even for freshmen to
share elective classes with seniors. Community then
radiates out from this closest level, to the hallways,
to chapel, to clubs, to the playground, to athletic
teams (which this year included even some sixth
graders on varsity teams), to siblings, to parents, and
to non-parent fellow-travelers of/donors to/prayers
for The Geneva School. If you fall into one of these
categories—and if you’re receiving this newsletter,
you most assuredly do—then whether in some
substantial or some tenuous way, you have a stake in
the accomplishments that are sealed and honored on
every Graduation Day.
However, the significance of the occasion is not merely
summed up in the graduation ceremony, though that
occasion is without doubt the primary focus. Because
The Geneva School sees its mission in explicitly spiritual
terms—not a spiritual add-on, but Spirit-infused—we
understand ourselves to be a worshipping community.
Even if we worship separately in more than 90 area
churches on Sundays, we do worship together in
Chapel, we disciple each and every student, we study
the Bible, and we pray for and with one another. It
is only fitting, then, that our services begin the night
before graduation with our Baccalaureate Service,
which is a public service of worship offered to the
glory of God, with thanks for the seniors’ pursuit of
learning, and with prayers for their continued growth
in knowledge, wisdom, and humility.
This is why, as something done in community,
Baccalaureate and Graduation are in no way intended
to be private services of recognition for the senior
class and their families and close friends. Rather, as
public services, they are intended for the benefit of
the entire Geneva community. You need not have
received an invitation in order to have the privilege
of attending. If you are of Geneva, then you are more
than welcome. You are encouraged to join the Board,
Faculty, staff, and students of The Geneva School in
honoring our seniors on these two occasions.
Consider yourself invited.
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Baccalaureate and Commencement Speakers
Dr. Nathan O. Hatch became Wake Forest’s thirteenth president on July
1, 2005. He previously served as Provost at the University of Notre Dame,
where he was also the Andrew V. Tackes Professor of History. Throughout his
academic career, Dr. Hatch has been drawn to challenges that involve people
and building organizations.
Dr. Hatch has long been influential among scholars of the history of religion
in America. He received national acclaim for his 1989 book The Democratization
of American Christianity, in which he examines how the rise of popular
religious denominations following the American Revolution challenged traditional
religion and helped shape American culture and democracy in the early
nineteenth century. He is also the author or editor of seven other books on
history, religion, and culture.
He and his wife, Julie, have three children and four young grandchildren.
Five years ago Rev. Gregg Heinsch left a large, reproducing church he
and his wife, Heidi (one of Geneva’s Kindergarten teachers), had planted
in Wisconsin over twenty years prior in order to help launch the Vision
360 church planting network and to serve as Dean of the Bill and
Vonette Bright Global Training Center in southeast Orlando. In addition
to these positions, he also pastors a church-plant in Celebration,
Florida (www.celebrationcommunitychurch.com).
Gregg holds a B.A. in business and theology (Bethel University, 1981) and
a Master of Divinity degree (Bethel Theological Seminary, 1985). He completed
a three-year pastoral internship under John Piper, and was ordained
in 1987. He has also served as a youth pastor, adjunct seminary preaching
professor, church planting coach, and all-around sports enthusiast. Gregg and
Heidi have been married twenty-nine years and have three children: Luke
(25), Leah (23), and Taylor (18).
Top of the Class of 2010
Valedictorian: Michael Reynolds
Michael graduates summa cum laude. He is a National Merit
Scholar and plans to attend the University of Oklahoma, in
Norman, Oklahoma.
Salutatorian: Sarah Ikegami
Sarah graduates summa cum laude. She plans to attend the
Savannah College of Art and Design.
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Reflections from the “Sen10r” Sponsor
by Brian Polk
Jill Kong: “Will you be the senior sponsor next year”
Brian Polk: “Sure, sounds fun, what do I have to do”
Thus began my year as the class of 2010’s faculty sponsor,
and I must say that it has been a wonderful year, filled with
lots of great memories and meaningful conversations.
From the Doug and Bug show at the Lake Yale Rhetoric
Retreat last fall to our upcoming senior trip and pending
graduation, there have been many special moments that
have made this a terrific year to be the senior sponsor.
One of the reasons I was willing to be this year’s senior
sponsor is the special place this class has always held in
my heart throughout my four years at Geneva. During
my first year at Geneva, I taught this class Biology. I will
always remember this group as the one I took on my
Brian Polk with most of the senior class.
Can you tell who is missing
first trip to the Everglades, where 12 guys slept in a sixman
tent and we cooked all of our food on one burner.
The following year we were together again for Chemistry.
I have also had the pleasure of teaching some of them
again this year in my environmental science class. Prior
to coming to Geneva I taught at the college level for five
years, so I always think of this class as the class that broke
me in.
It is always hard for me to see students transfer out of
Geneva because I know how great the senior year can be.
If the Ghost of Geneva Future could visit them in their
sleep, they would see that the senior year is a victory lap
and that they are treated in a very special manner. As
Mr. Ingram always says, we give honor where honor is
due. The first occasion on which we saw honor given
this year was the Fall Senior Dinner in September
at Interlachen Country Club. Aside from the fact
that I didn’t get to squeeze in nine holes beforehand
(it was in the middle of golf season), it was pretty
much a perfect night. The students arrived, all
looking very nice in their suits and dresses, but they
were also extremely nervous. It seems that giving a
five-minute speech in front of their peers, parents,
and the Board of Governors was a little intimidating
for most of them. I was in the same boat. For
reasons unbeknownst to me, I had volunteered to
give a speech of my own that night. I then spent
the next few weeks praying for the right words to
say to these young adults as they embarked on their
final year at Geneva. All in all it turned out to be an
enjoyable night and a great chance for me to bond
with the students.
Another highlight of the year was the day we picked
up a free breakfast at IHOP. For the price of a tip and
a 45-minute wait in line, we were able to consume
our cholesterol quota for the day. When I asked
Mr. Wood if I could take them, he replied, “Why
would I approve this” To which I simply stated
that we were “making memories.” Unimpressed by
my rhetoric, he still permitted us to go, and another
memory was made.
Our next adventure together was hosting the
Valentine’s Dance as a fundraiser for our upcoming
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senior trip. I had been very successful at dodging dance
chaperone duty up until this point, but I knew that this
would have to be a team effort, so I agreed to go along
with it. We set a very ambitious goal and had a good time
meeting it. To see the seniors pull off the dinner before
the dance, transform the gym, and clean up afterwards
was a great experience. I remember feeling very proud of
their hard work as the praise rolled in. I must say, I was
almost surprised by how hard they worked and what they
accomplished. Their perseverance and positive attitude
was good to see and reminded me that education is as
much about forming character as it is about training the
mind. These are skills that will serve them well.
Now the year is winding down. By the time this is
published, the seniors will have finished their AP exams
and will have nothing left to complete but a few remaining
papers and maybe a semester exam or two. However, we
do have a few last memories to make together before The
Geneva School Class of 2010 walks across the stage to
receive their diplomas—the Spring Senior Dinner, the
Senior Prank (which we have been working very hard to
prepare for!!), the Rhetoric Spring Dance, and the much
awaited Senior Trip. We also have a few more weeks with
them to point them towards the Lord. Having spent
so much time with this class over the past four years, I
have gotten to see plenty of the good and the not-sogood
in each one of them—and vice versa. But I have
also had the very wonderful privilege of seeing God at
work in their lives and have been able to encourage them
to hear His voice. This has been the greatest blessing—
not just during their senior year, but for all four of the
years I have spent with this class. I have seen them grow
from awkward ninth graders to young adults, and I wait
eagerly to see what God has in store for them in the years
ahead. I look forward to hearing stories of what He is
doing in their lives and how their work is benefiting the
Kingdom of God. I also look forward to reliving the
memories we have made together back when they were
in high school. Thank you, seniors, for sharing your lives
with me this year.
Great Conversations with Friends of Geneva:
Guest Speaker Mr. Jim Seneff
Speaking to over 300 guests at Willow Creek Church in Winter
Springs on April 14, Mr. Jim Seneff shared with the Geneva community
a follow-up to last year’s Great Conversation on the state
of the American economy. He reviewed points from last year’s talk
and further discussed the current cultural changes we are facing.
He identified signals in our world-wide economy that foresee a
sovereign debt crisis. He warned that nations and states will not
be able to meet their financial obligations because of having to
absorb the looming liability of pension plan payments. Because
we have lived with prosperity for so long, people are still not preparing
themselves for the “down-side.” Mr. Seneff shared how the
faithful presence of the church has never been more important
than it is now.
Jim Seneff had just returned from Washington D.C. where he was one of
ten honorees inducted into the Horatio Alger Association. The Association
inducts new members every year to recognize personal and professional
success despite humble and challenging beginnings. Mr. Seneff
joins a long line of extraordinary individuals who have been inducted
into the Association. The Geneva School is blessed to have Mr. Seneff as
Chairman of the Board, sharing his wisdom and insight with the community
during these uncertain times.
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Achieving Humility
Dr. Grant Brodrecht
Grant Brodrecht delivered the Honor Society
Induction Ceremony Address on Thursday,
April 29, to the entire Rhetoric School.
Over the years the book of Proverbs has
been a constant source of instruction and
encouragement to me for godly thinking
and doing, helping me keep my bearings
when I begin to drift. More often than not
it has served as a mirror, revealing both
the good and the bad about me. Several
Proverbs came to mind as I gathered my
thoughts for this address. The first is 20:11:
“It is by his deeds that a lad distinguishes
himself, if his conduct is pure and right.”
The second is from 27:2: “Let another
praise you, and not your own mouth;
someone else and not your own lips.” And
finally, 11:2 reads: “When pride comes,
then comes dishonor, but with the humble
is wisdom.”
Taking these Proverbs as my point of
departure, we are here to praise and honor
the inductees for their deeds. Each of you
is being recognized for exhibiting hard
work, godly character, a commitment
to his calling as a student, and service to
others. The flipside of this recognition,
however, is the need to keep it in its proper
perspective. Thus I remind you that
there is a distinction between legitimate
gratification for a job well-done and an
undue sense of self-sufficiency that forgets
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you are but a creature of God and one
who has been assisted along the way by
many other people.
This event is a good thing – for you and
your families, but also for society and
the school. As individual as this award
might seem, it is ceremonies like this
that strengthen bonds among us and
remind us that we are, in Aristotle’s
famous words, “social animals.” Such
an award presupposes living with others
and being recognized by others. Your
membership tangibly signifies that you
have been approved by the faculty and
distinguished among your peers.
Mrs. Wise suggested that I share
some Navy stories—since everybody
loves stories—but also, I suppose, if
anybody knows how to honor folks, it
is the military. I was in the Navy for six
years during the 1980s, when we were
constantly preparing to fight a war
against the Soviet Union. I had a buddy
named Luis. Prior to coming to my ship,
he had served aboard a diesel-powered
submarine. Diesel submarines were much
less detectable by the enemy than nuclearpowered
submarines, thus they were often
assigned so-called special projects—like
sneaking into Soviet waters. One never
quite knew what those submarines were
up to. This was also right around the time
that Tom Clancy’s Hunt for Red October
came out—a gripping novel about U.S.-
Soviet submarine activities during the
Cold War. I remember those days as kind
of exciting—in a very naïve, youthful
way—imagining us actually fighting
the hated Soviets. So Luis arrives aboard
our ship, proudly wearing on his dress
uniform a presidential citation ribbon—a
ribbon that represented a medal, we later
discovered, that he had been awarded
personally by President Ronald Reagan.
Luis never completely revealed to us
the top-secret circumstances around the
award. It left us curious, to be sure, and it
filled us with admiration and respect for
him; it also inspired us to perform well
and strive for excellence regarding our own
responsibilities. I must admit though, like
Bilbo Baggins and his desire for the ring
and its power, as I noticed the attention
Luis received, I wanted just a little bit of
it for myself.
Awards do signify things to others, and,
like military honors, your induction
signifies much. The National Honor
Society is a prestigious and respected
organization. Allow me to provide a little
historical background. The National
Honor Society was founded in 1921, with
World War I fading into the background
for many and the so-called “roaring
twenties” just beginning. It is no accident
that such an organization appeared when
it did, following “The Great War”—a war
whose purpose was, at least in the words of
President Woodrow Wilson, to make the
world “safe for democracy.” Democracy,
as you likely know, literally means rule
by the people. Americans during the first
decades of the twentieth century were
thinking anew about the sustainability of
their own democracy and ability to govern
themselves. You must remember that since
the nation’s beginning in 1787-1788, when
our Constitution was written and ratified,
many Americans had long regarded their
democratic republic with a wary sense of
its fragility. Could it last What would the
people do with the power that had been
wrested away from the British With deep
roots extending back through the history
of Western Civilization to the Greeks and
Romans, the Founding Fathers anxiously
knew that placing sovereignty—that
is placing supreme political power—
in the hands of the people was a risky
venture. By the 1920s, more people than
ever were participating in the political
process within an increasingly national
economy and society—an economy and
society that provided more time and
luxury to more people than ever in the
nation’s history. The twenties were really
the beginning of American-style mass-

consumerism—you could call it the
democratization of consumption. And
also recall that the nineteenth amendment
to the Constitution, which gave women
the right to vote, had just been ratified
in 1920. It seemed to some to be an
historic democratic moment – thoughts
about democracy, citizenship, and the
American way of life circulated widely.
Among some, however, that longstanding
wariness about democracy—about people
governing themselves—lingered. In their
early-twentieth-century context, America’s
schools thus increasingly came to be seen
by many as the crucial institutions for
sustaining American democracy. Virtuous
citizens – the kind of folks who deny their
own interests on behalf of the good of the
whole – are made, not born. The aim of
the National Honor Society—“To create
enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate
a desire to render service, to promote
leadership, and to develop character in the
students of secondary schools”—makes
sense in this context.
Why do I tell you all of that At the
beginning of the twenty-first century, such
an aim is even more important than in
1921. There are serious questions facing us
regarding the character and sustainability
of our democratic republic. Can we
govern ourselves Can we transcend and
transform a culture whose ethos tends to
value autonomy, self-gratification, selfachievement,
and self-aggrandizement
above all other things You have been born
into and are growing up in a culture that
has lived well beyond its means, in luxury
and conspicuous consumption, for too
long—a culture that is, perhaps, just now
beginning to pay the piper. It is the type of
culture that some of the Founding Fathers
feared—well-versed in the history of
classical Greece and Rome as they were—
would cause people to forget their social
obligations and destroy the republic.
Inductees, you have been recognized for
your deeds—your scholarship, service,
leadership, and character. And you must
bring those to bear on the problems facing
us in our time. In a sense, you are being
handed responsibility for cultural and
economic problems you did not really
create—although, perhaps, you, like
the rest of us, wittingly or unwittingly
perpetuate those problems. What, then,
is the significance of your scholarship,
service, leadership, and character for this
historical moment
First, scholarship—what are you going to
do with your brain power Do you love
learning I hope you do. But for what end,
or purpose To understand and master
the world I suppose that’s good if such
a desire is actually infused with love of
God and neighbor. But don’t think that
you can solve every problem, that you
can really and completely understand and
master the world. To think so, the ancient
Greeks surely would have recognized as
hubris and the Hebrews as the height of
... as the island of your
knowledge grows, so too
does the shoreline of
your ignorance.
folly. You are all bright young men and
women, but if your education is truly
successful, you will recognize—forgive me
for the trite saying—that as the island of
your knowledge grows, so too does the
shoreline of your ignorance. I really do
believe that a good education, first and
foremost, must reveal this to you. There is
plenty that you and I don’t know—now
go, continue to learn, with a mind to love
God and neighbor above yourself and a
mind to serve society.
Concerning leadership and service—
how and where will you lead and serve
others Your leadership and service will
manifest itself in many ways, and this
often depends on your personality. Some
people are forceful and vocal; others less
so, preferring to lead and serve by a quiet,
diligent example, day in and day out. In
either case, where are you leading and why
are you serving others Is it for what are,
at bottom, personal ends—or is it for the
end of loving God and others Recognize
that even the best motives and things one
puts his head and hands to are very often
mixed up with self-interested desires. Be
aware and be wary of yourself. You must
always evaluate the reasons for where you
are headed and what you are doing.
The fourth criterion for membership in
the National Honor Society is character.
I suppose you could say that it is really
the basis for the other three. The word
character comes from a Greek word that
means “to engrave,” such that it comes
to mean a symbol, a distinctive mark. It
means your individual pattern of behavior,
the qualities that make you who you are.
Your lives have been recognized as having
a distinctive mark. But who are you Is the
person we see the same person you know
and God knows even better Is there an
integrity to your life Does the outside
match the inside What do you really live
for
As you are inducted this morning, we are
praising you for your deeds. Let our mouths
do this, and not yours. The second Proverb
I quoted at the outset—“Let another praise
you, and not your own mouth; someone
else and not your own lips”—strongly
implies the importance of humility. The
opposite of humility, of course, is pride—
pride being the inordinate valuation or love
of self, characterized by vanity, ambition,
and presumption (Richard A. Muller,
Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological
Terms, 280). The praise you are receiving
is good, pride about it is not. It is perhaps
ironic that pride in an accomplishment
can spur a person on to do many good
things. We seem to believe that God can’t
do without us—and we work feverishly on
his behalf. C. S. Lewis comments in that
regard, “It is a terrible thing that the worst
of all the vices can smuggle its way into
the very center of our religious lives” (C.
S. Lewis, The Joyful Christian, 166). Even
we Christians often crave honor and glory.
Several places in the Scriptures indicate
that God hates pride. The Book of James
captures the psychology of sinful pride so
well, counseling us to be diligently aware
of the poison of proud, selfish ambition, as
it is the source of so much conflict. Lewis
rightly refers to pride as “the essential vice,
the utmost evil.” “It is the complete anti-
God state of mind” (Lewis, 164). And it
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is a sin, I might add, that will destroy you
if it overpowers you. But like the power
of the ring, its power is often subtle and
imperceptible.
Acknowledgement of the incredibly
deadly nature of pride has been a constant
throughout the history of the church. Pride
is the polluted spring for the remaining
six deadly sins, with envy and anger most
closely bound up with it: envy is nothing
less than sorrow over the good of another
arising from a prideful estimation of self;
and anger is an inordinate appetite for
revenge, which manifests itself in aversion
to and indignation toward others (Muller,
280f).
Let me illustrate the interrelationship
among these three sins from the story
of Saul and David (1 Samuel 18). Saul
was king, and David was out fighting on
his behalf. David returned from battle
victorious, to the songs and praise of Israelite
women: “‘Saul has slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands.’ Then Saul
became very angry,” Scripture says. Saul
was good; David was better. Saul was being
overpowered by his own pride, envy, and
anger. Saul was good; David was better. In
such a state of mind, the story continues,
“an evil spirit” came upon Saul, driving
him mad—so mad that he even sought to
kill David. Listen to C. S. Lewis one more
time: “Pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up
the very possibility of love, or contentment,
or even common sense” (167).
Perhaps you think I have lost my common
sense this morning. Wait a minute,
you might say, how do we get from this
ceremony to such a situation Well, many
of you will go on to do great things and
receive all sorts of new honors, I have little
doubt. Many of you will surpass us, your
faculty, in your accomplishments. I hope
so. But for better or worse, it is the practice
of our culture to record your achievements
on a resume or C.V. and paint a certain
picture of yourself to others. It’s as though
we must do this just to get along in the
world. We are enculturated to brag about
ourselves. When I was in the Navy, prior
to receiving an annual evaluation from
our superiors, we had to fill out a “brag”
sheet that listed all of our achievements
during the year. Such a practice was a
socially acceptable outlet for being overly
concerned with one’s self and getting
ahead. Deep down, I suspect, if we went
around the school to the faculty, most of
us would be fairly pleased—though we
would try hard to disguise that pleasure—
to let you see all of our awards, honors, and
degrees. If you insist, we would say.
I am telling you from personal experience
what the Greeks, Romans, Hebrews, and
Christians knew themselves—proud
ambition is deadly. If it doesn’t cause you to
destroy others, it might destroy you. Don’t
think you are immune. Like Tolkien’s
ring, it can lure you in, cause you to grasp
it willingly, and then overpower you.
The greater the things you do, the more
acknowledgement you receive, the greater
the temptation there will be to live to be
noticed and approved by others—and the
greater the temptation to think you have
done it all yourself. Augustine, following
Paul, knew that such a tendency resided
deep in the heart of every man. Remember
with Paul, do not “think more highly of
yourself than you ought” (Romans 12:3).
To you who have been inducted,
congratulations really are in order. And
you do live during an historic, and perhaps
troubling, moment for our country and
civilization. It is a moment for you to act
well in very constructive ways. You have
been gifted and called. Use your talents and
abilities to serve the Church and society—
but keep your wits about you as you go. Be
like Frodo delivering the ring—recognize
that you are in a fight. Pray; go to church;
read the Scriptures; surround yourself with
friends willing to tell you honest things
about yourself. These are the ordinary
things we all must do. Finally, believe and
remember with Peter, “God is opposed to
the proud but gives grace to the humble. .
. . Be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil
prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking
someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:5f).
National Art Honor
Society
Cameron Belcher
April Jackson
Alyssa Shriner
Amelie Streer
Julia Talley
Bronson Tate
Amanda Wilkes
TGS 2010 Honor Society Inductees
National Honor Society
Lucy Candeto
Michelle Closson
Katee Gmitro
Page 8
Caroline Gray
Justin Hamil
Janzen Harding
LesLeigh Herzog
Michael Ikegami
April Jackson
Daire Jansson
Caleb Julin
Michaela O’Driscoll
Ian Seddon
Alyssa Shriner
Emily Walker
Natalie Wayne
Amanda Wilkes
A.J. Selvaggio
John Youderian
Mu Alpha Theta
Vashti Bishop
Lucy Candeto
Michelle Closson
Katee Gmitro
Caroline Gray
Janzen Harding
LesLeigh Herzog
Michael Ikegami
April Jackson
Daire Jansson
Caleb Julin
Sam Knight
Ansley Miller
Michaela O’Driscoll
Chad Sconnely
Ian Seddon
A.J. Selvaggio
Alyssa Shriner
Amelie Streer
Julia Talley
Emily Walker
Natalie Wayne
Amanda Wilkes
Matthew Yates

Thank You from the National Honor Society
by Michael Reynolds, 2009/2010 NHS President
As Christians, we are called not only to give
to our Lord but also to our fellow man.
Giving can include service and time as well
as material items. Fortunately, the National
Honor Society does both.
This year the Geneva chapter of the NHS got
off to a flying start with the Operation Christmas
Child shoebox drive, in which we collected
over 135 boxes filled with brand new toys and
hygiene items, plus money towards postage. Then
we collected eight boxes of towels and blankets
for the Humane Society and one box of coats for
the Longwood Sharing Center. In conjunction with God’s
Hands and Feet, the NHS members spent a day putting
together individual bags for homeless people, including
socks, hygiene items, a drink, and a meal. Student members
from Geneva met in the gym one Saturday
afternoon and showed the Disney movie
Up in order to raise money for disaster
relief funds in Haiti. The material benefit
of this was a $1,156.20 donation to Open
Door Haiti; the spiritual benefit, I’m
sure, will be much greater. More recently,
students also collected 268 toothbrushes
with toothpaste to be placed in Easter baskets
by the Longwood Sharing Center.
This is all part of our commitment to service
as National Honor Society members and to
giving of ourselves as followers of Christ. The
2009-2010 Geneva School National Honor Society
would like to thank you for your support in helping us
reach out to our community!
Open Door Haiti Fundraiser Report
The National Honor Society held a movie night earlier
this year showing Disney’s Up in order to help raise
money for the people of Haiti after the catastrophic
earthquake that shook the already destitute and unstable
country. The funds were presented to an organization
ministering in Haiti called Open Door Haiti, a
ministry close to the heart of senior Justin Hamil, who
has been on numerous mission trips to Haiti with Open
Door. Open Door Haiti is a vibrant, growing ministry
based on the northern coast of Haiti in Bois de Lance, a
rural farming village nestled among the mountains. The
ministry is led by Pastor Wiljean Compere, who began
the work in 1994. He is a man of great faith and hope
for the people. He is a man with God’s vision for Haiti
and intentionally invests in the care and education of
the children of Bois De Lance. In addition to a church,
Open Door Church, there is a school, a feeding center,
and a medical facility. The Open Door ministry has provided
hundreds of Haitians with many necessities along
with the message of salvation.
Prior to Haiti’s devastating earthquake on January 12,
2010, the impoverished country of only 9 million had
380,000 orphans (more than 1 in 24 of the entire population).
With estimates of well over 200,000 people
killed in the quake, those numbers will grow substantially.
Will there be 50,000 more orphaned in this tragedy
100,000 With many of Haiti’s already established
orphanages destroyed on January 12, the need for orphan
care is overwhelming.
Open Door Haiti will use the money
raised at the movie night fundraiser for
this endeavor. The National Honor Society
would like to thank everyone who
helped and who gave to this fundraiser
to support the people of Haiti.
For more on Open Door Haiti visit their
website at www.opendoorhaiti.com.
Page 9

A Sixth Grade Lake Yale Adventure
by Stephen Miceli
I could not believe it—
Jackson and Niklas in their
canoe were being torn
away from the dock by the
malignant current. As I
tried following their canoe
along the shore, nervous
and panicked anticipations
raced through my head.
How is this happening
Can they row to shore
Will they survive Why
can’t things be less wild, like on
Wednesday, the day before
On Wednesday morning, I had
arrived at The Geneva School, soon
to be loaded onto the bus. I didn’t
feel particularly safe on the bus, as
it was tall, skinny, full of emergency
doors, and required to stop before
crossing railroad tracks.
When the journey to Lake Yale was
finally over, we got off the bus and
divided into four teams: Lime, Teal, Gold, and
Purple. I was on the Lime team, along with Ethan,
Rowly, Madeline, Lisa, Cameron, Ben, Britney,
Emma, Mackenzie, Sarah, and Jacquelyn. We held
contests for the smallest bag, the largest bag, and
the best team cheer in order to be the team with
the most points. No sooner had we finished the
contest than we packed into our dorms. I shared
the room with Jackson, Jason, and Mr. Budnik.
Once we were done settling into our dorms, we
returned outside to play games with our teams.
Next, we had a tasty lunch at the cafeteria, followed
by a group message given by Dr. Chandler. Shortly
afterwards, we started
constructing our rockets,
which we would launch
on Friday.
Dinner wasn’t quite as
good as lunch, but I still
liked it a lot. When we
had finished dinner, we
listened to our second
Page 10
message. Immediately after the message,
we went stargazing outside. To see the
contrast of pitch black sky and shining
stars was truly amazing.
Thursday morning began with a delicious
breakfast of pancakes and bacon. We
planned to go canoeing once we had
finished our third session, but after Niklas
and Jackson (the first ones to try to go
canoeing) drifted out, we resorted to a safe
(but fun) game of kickball. Niklas
and Jackson’s tenacity eventually
paid off, and they finally reached
the shore.
Having eaten lunch, we spraypainted
the rockets we had built on
Wednesday. Then, we played a few
fun water balloon games. Minutes
later, we did the only thing wetter
than water balloons: swimming!
Our fourth and final session was
held once we had finished
dinner, summing up an
outstanding series on the
Beatitudes. To me, the
retreat was a great spiritual
experience, not just a getaway
from school; I truly grew in
my knowledge of God.
To end the day, we watched
the movie October Sky.
Waking up on Friday, the
last day of the retreat, was
pretty hard. As soon as we
had finished breakfast, we
held the event that everyone
had been waiting for: the
rocket launch. My rocket landed, as I
pessimistically predicted, in the lake. I
still had fun in the swimming pool,
despite the disappointment. Once we
had finished lunch, we loaded on the bus
to head home. I couldn’t wait to tell my
family about the prodigious time I had
at Lake Yale.

Fifth Grade Williamsburg Memories
On April 5-10 the fifth grade students, Mr. Wood, Mr. Rowe, Mrs.
Burrows, and nine parent chaperones all travelled to Virginia for a
field trip dedicated to the study of early American history. While
there they visited:
• Jamestown: Site of the first permanent English settlement in
America.
• Yorktown: Scene of the climactic British surrender in 1781
which effectively ended the Revolutionary War.
• Colonial Williamsburg: America’s largest living history museum
and the capital of Virginia during the American Revolution.
• Shirley Plantation: A large plantation established in the early
1600’s, still in the family of the original owners.
• Monticello: Thomas Jefferson’s architectural masterpiece and a
World Heritage site.
• Battleship Wisconsin and Nauticus Museum, Norfolk: Self-guided
tour of the Wisconsin and the Battle Blast program in the
museum.
• Mariner’s Museum: Tour of the museum and program dedicated
to the early explorers.
In many ways this trip summarizes the course of study in fifth grade,
from early U.S. settlements and colonial life to the founding of our
country and its early beginnings. The day spent in Norfolk brings
the story up-to-date and forms a bridge to the American history the
students will study next year in sixth grade.
This year’s trip was a little warmer than usual with tempertautres
reaching into the 90s. But our Florida kids did not seem to mind
too much and a great time was had by all.
Page 7

The Rhetoric Drama Class A Knight of Comedy, April 9
Geneva in
Fourth Grade Knighting Ceremony, April 29
Page 12

Pre-K Three Piggy Opera, May 4
Action!
Kindergarten Mother’s Day Tea, April 29
1st Grade Mother’s
Day Boat Tour, May 5
Page 13

SPRING SPORTS
Track: Our track teams, although
small in number, had some
outstanding results this season.
On the girl’s team, Grace Andrews
ran a personal record (PR) in the
200m at the District Meet. Julia
and Mia Acker steadily improved
their PR’s in the 400m during
the course of the season. The District
Meet proved to be exciting as the 4 x 400m
relay team of Grace, Julia, Mia, and Rachel
Lopdrup placed 5th. Mackenzie Wilson also
placed 5th in the 1600m, crossing the line in 5:31, which
ranks her as the #3 sixth grader in the state. Several runners
also qualified for the Regional Meet by finishing in the top 4.
Regional qualifiers were Rachel Lopdrup (3rd in the 800m),
Mackenzie Wilson 3rd in the 3200m, and our 4 x 800m relay
team of Mackenzie, Mia, Julia, and Rachel rounded out the
regional qualifiers by also finishing 3rd.
At the Regional Meet Mackenzie proved to be worthy of her
ranking as the #1 sixth grade 3200m runner in the state as she
improved her PR by 13 seconds and missed our school record
by one second, placing 6th with an incredible time of 11:47.
The 4 x 800m relay team, although seeded 11th, secured ribbons
by finishing 7th in a season-best time. Rachel ran valiantly and
narrowly missed a ribbon by placing 9th in the 800m.
The middle school 4 x 400m relay team of Mackenzie, Julia,
Mia, and Grace also qualified for the Middle School State
Meet on May 8 at Holy Trinity in Melbourne by winning the
Middle School Regional. Mackenzie also qualified by winning
the 800m and had previously qualified in the 1500m and
3000m. She went on to place 6th in the 3000m at the Middle
School State Meet.
On the boy’s team John David Mitchell and Landon Belcher
ran the 800m and 1600m during the season and steadily
set new PRs. John David eventually garnered a ribbon by
placing 8th at the District Meet and finished as the 3rd ranked
8th grader in the state in the 1600m and 6th in the 800m.
Landon finished ranked 13th and 15th respectively. They both
qualified for the Middle School State Meet by finishing 1st and
2nd in the 1500m at the Middle School Regional and John
David went on to place 8th in the state. Cameron Belcher
ran the 800m and 400m during the season and showed much
improvement over last year. Edward Chandler finished the
year as one of the top 15 freshman in the state in Class A in the
discus and also participated in the shot put.
It was an outstanding season for a great group of student
athletes!
Baseball: The Knights baseball team opened the 2010
campaign as defending district champions and regional
runners-up. Due to some unforeseen problems, only nine
willing players started the season making it an almost impossible
task to defend the title. Nine seniors had graduated last year
and the team was “rebuilding.”
The squad battled valiantly and posted a record of 3 wins and
5 losses. The team was led by seniors Steve Candeto, Taylor
Heinsch, Chris Roberts, Andrew Sarnicki, and Trent Sconnely.
Other players were Luke Brown, Kyle Delk, Austin Manuel,
Jacob Natale, Luke Pollard, and Ben Turner.
When school projects, family plans, injuries, and other
obstacles presented, two players from the tennis team joined
the squad and the guys did their best to fulfill the schedule.
However, the “hill” was too high to climb and regrettably half
way through the season it was determined that they could not
continue to compete.
We are prayerful that the Lord will bless this program with
new participants next season and that we might continue the
Geneva baseball journey.
Softball: The season once again was a successful building
season for a very young team. A total of 22 young ladies
Page 14

ATHLETIC ROUND-UP
participated this year, with
3 ninth graders giving
leadership to the team.
The season consisted of
10 varsity games and 7
middle school games,
and the Lady Knights
won a total of 5 games
(2-middle school, and
3-varsity). Most of the
games were high scoring
affairs, and were extremely
entertaining contests.
The Lady Knights
never seemed to have a
problem hitting the ball. Realizing
that pitching is a key component
in winning ladies’ fast pitch softball
games, a total of 5 players pitched
this season, 3 for the first time ever.
Coach Dan Harger was once again
impressed by the dedication and
work ethic of the players. The entire
team seemed always to be upbeat, and
definitely had a lot of fun playing and
practicing together. Their hard work
and Christ-like attitude was always on
display, and the team received many
compliments from much older players
on large school teams as to how they
carried themselves and how hard they
played. The Lady Knights softball team
will be a force to be reckoned with over
the next few seasons as this young team
continues to play together and gain
experience.
Tennis: The varsity and JV girls tennis
team had a smashing 2010 spring season.
In fact, the girls varsity team finished
third in the District this year! With
returning players Meredith Robinson,
Megan Miller, Michelle Closson,
Rebecca Wise, Lindsey Caldwell, and
Brooke Riley being boosted by new
players Lydia Miller, Paige Breslin-
Clark, Laura Shriner, and Katherine
Taylor, our opponents encountered the
most experienced team
Geneva has put forth
thus far. Each match was
played with a minimum
of 5 singles and 2 doubles
with the majority ending
in our favor! The girls
brought home wins over
Montverde, Master’s,
Orangewood, Pinecastle
Christian, Windemere
Prep, Hagerty High, and
Winter Park varsity B
team to name a few! The opponents
who gave us the most difficulty went on
to compete for the State Title.
Under the continued direction of
Angela Robinson, a top-rated Tennis
Professional, the ability and strength
of the players has continued to surprise
our District. Adam Miller joined
the team as Assistant Coach and
immediately added to the players’
development.
We will say a sad good bye to two
seniors, Rebecca Wise and Lindsey
Caldwell, but are excited for the
returning players and their commitment
to strengthen their game for the next
level.
The Geneva School boys tennis team
enjoyed a successful season going 5-5
with key wins over Orangewood and
Circle Christian. The Knights courted
their best finish to date: 4th in the
District Tournament. With a young
and strong core of players slated to
return, look for the boys tennis team
to raise the bar and achieve even better
results in the next few years.
Seniors David Closson and Trent
Sconnely played positions 1 and 4
respectively and held the 1 doubles
line. David was also team captain
and provided valuable leadership and
guidance to the team. The remaining
regular starting line-up were Chris Cox
(line 2), Blaine Miller (line 3), and
Caleb Cox (line 5). Chris and Blaine
were also the line 2 doubles team. John
Youderian, Danny Downward, and Ben
Turner completed the varsity team.
Rounding out the team were Jacob Farley,
Trip Tressler, Chad Sconnely, Caleb Julin,
Keller Bright, and Tyler Reece. In
order to challenge for a varsity spot
next season, they will need to work
hard over the summer, but Coach
Rick Oswald, having glimpsed the
potential his team holds, is ready to
drive the team to strive for excellence
on and off the court.
Page 15

Sports Banquet Awards
Girls Varsity Golf
Most Improved Player: Isabella Seddon
Most Valuable Player: Janzen Harding
Christian Leadership Award: Olivia Nix
Boys Varsity Golf
Most Improved Player: Michael Ikegami
Most Valuable Player: Gant Anderson
Christian Leadership Award: Ian Seddon
Girls Cross Country
Most Improved Player: Calli Bigham
Most Improved Player: Megan Miller
Most Valuable Player: Mollie Jones
Christian Leadership Award: Mackenzie Wilson
Boys Cross Country
Most Improved Player: Isak Davis
Most Improved Player: Gabe Pederson
Most Valuable Player: Landon Belcher
Christian Leadership Award: Luke Pederson
Varsity Volleyball
Most Improved Player: Lily Cloke
Most Valuable Player: Sophie Meyer
Most Valuable Player: April Jackson
Christian Leadership Award: Sarah Grogan
Girls Varsity Soccer
Most Improved Player: Chandler Picerne
Most Valuable Player: Kassie Abercrombie
Most Valuable Player: Alana Parish
Christian Leadership Award: Lily Cloke
Boys Varsity Soccer
Most Improved Player: Danny Downward
Most Valuable Player: Chris Roberts
Most Valuable Player: Jordan Stewart
Christian Leadership Award: Evan Pederson
Christian Leadership Award: Michael Dumas
Girls Varsity Basketball
Most Improved Player:Jayme Bryant
Most Valuable Player:Janzen Harding
Christian Leadership Award: Michaela O’Driscoll
Boys Varsity Basketball
Most Improved Player: Trent Sconnely
Most Valuable Player: Michael Reynolds
Christian Leadership Award: David Closson
Girls Varsity Tennis
Most Improved Player: Meredith Robinson
Most Valuable Player: Megan Miller
Christian Leadership Award: Rebecca Wise
Excelsior and Athlete of the
Year Awards
Boys Varsity Tennis
Most Improved Player: Blaine Miller
Most Valuable Player: Chris Cox
Christian Leadership Award: David Closson
Varsity Softball
Most Improved Player: Lydia Meadows
Most Valuable Player: Rachel Barker
Christian Leadership Award: Lily Cloke
Varsity Baseball
Most Improved Player: Luke Brown
Christian Leadership Award: Chris Roberts
Varsity Track and Field
Most Improved Player: Landon Belcher
Most Improved Player: Grace Andrews
Most Valuable Player: John David Mitchell
Most Valuable Player: Mackenzie Wilson
Christian Leadership Award: Rachel Lopdrup
Excelsior Award: Presented to a male and
female athlete who exhibit the highest
moral character, exemplary sportsmanship,
and Christian leadership.
Male Excelsior Award: David Closson
Female Excelsior Award: Maddie Francis
(Pictured to the left)
Athlete of the Year: Presented to the top
male and female athlete at TGS as chosen
by the athletic director and the coaches.
Co-Male Athletes of the Year: Chris
Roberts and Michael Reynolds
Female Athlete of the Year: Sophie Meyer
(Pictured to the right)
Page 16

Introducing New Staff for 2010/2011
Ruth Bingham is excited to be returning to The Geneva School as a Pre-K
teacher after a few years of absence, and looks forward to providing an encouraging
and nurturing environment in which to challenge the minds of her
young students. She has a passion for young children and feels that God has
gifted her with an ability to connect with them and engage them in the educational
process. She loves to see the light go on in students when they understand
a new concept and experience the joy of learning.
Ruth is a graduate of The King’s College, New
York, and has over ten years of experience teaching
Pre-K–3rd grade in Christian schools, along
with several years of related experience as a Director
of Christian Education and home school mom.
Married for over 28 years, she and husband George
have two daughters, Jenna (18) and Emily (14).
Ellen Geer will move across the hall next year to join Heidi Heinsch and Leigh
O’Donoghue on the Kindergarten team. Ellen earned her degree in Family and
Child Development from Virginia Tech, and next year will mark her 17th year of
teaching young children and her 4th year at Geneva. She has fallen in love with
the Geneva way of teaching, and while she is sad to be leaving the precious Pre-K
program, she is looking forward to the privilege of teaching Kindergarten students
and sharing with them new wonders of God’s great world.
Leslie Shriner is excited to be teaching fifth grade at Geneva next year. She is eager to share new facets of a
classical education in a fifth grade context: explorers, colonies, a new nation, and a wonderful writing, grammar,
and math curriculum all infused with a study of the four gospels.
Leslie graduated with a B.S. in Early Childhood/Elementary Education from Florida
Southern College and has also attended Level I and Level II conferences for the
Spell to Write and Read curriculum. She has many years of teaching experience and
has taught first and second grade at Geneva since 2004. Leslie and her husband
Brian have been married for 22 years have four beautiful daughters, ages 10, 13,
17, and 20.
Trisha Detrick is thrilled to be moving up with
this year’s fourth graders to teach fifth grade next
year. They are an amazing group of children with
very supportive and loving families and she is looking
forward to learning new things and writing new
curriculum. The fifth grade historical period overlaps
with the end of the fourth grade time period
and she is excited to fit together the puzzle pieces
of the one amazing story of God’s providence.
Trisha graduated with a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of
West Florida. She is currently completing her fourth year at Geneva and her
tenth year as a classical educator. She was blessed to be exposed to classical
Page 17

education at the end of her college studies and received great training as a student
teacher at a small classical school in Pensacola.
Trisha has had several opportunities to train and mentor teachers from other
classical and private schools. She has led workshops for the past two years at
the annual conference of the Florida Council of Independent Schools and this
summer will lead workshops at the national conference of The Society of Classical
Learning.
After six years teaching at Redeemer Classical School in Virginia’s Shenandoah
Valley, Jeremiah Forshey is excited to join the faculty of The Geneva School.
Jeremiah received his undergraduate degree in English literature and computer
science from Bridgewater College in Virginia, and then went on to earn a
master’s degree in English language and literature from James Madison
University. After graduation, he taught literature, logic, and math to dialectic
students at Redeemer Classical School and directed a number of school plays. He is looking forward to
sharing his passion for quality literature with 8th and 9th grade students, and to delving into pre-algebra with
the 7th graders.
Laura Grace Alexander is thrilled at the prospect of joining The Geneva School
faculty next year. Having served on Geneva’s Board of Governors since its founding
in 1993, as its first Headmaster from 1996-97, and as a consultant to various
Christian classical schools, she is eager to return to her first love of teaching. Previously,
Laura Grace taught 7th and 8th grade English and then 10th through 12th
grade Honors and AP English Literature for four years in Frostproof, Florida. She
will be teaching two sections of English II to our 10th grade students.
Laura Grace graduated with a B.A. in English Literature from the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill and then went on to earn an M.A. in Theological
Studies at RTS-Orlando and pursued a Ph.D. in History from the University of
Oxford in Oxford, England. She has also completed Latin coursework at the University
of Notre Dame.
Shelly Shafer is joining the admission team—something that really warms her heart. From the moment she
set foot into The Geneva School four years ago to take a tour, she has known, like so many others, that this is
a special place. Shelly has had the joy of volunteering on many different levels over the past three years and
has greatly benefitted from serving on the Admission Committee for the past two years. Her time spent on
campus has given her an honest view of how the school functions and what takes place within its walls.
Shelly graduated from Wheaton College with a degree in English. Prior to motherhood,
she worked for a law firm in Chicago, as a substitute teacher for a large
private Christian high school in their English department, and as the personal assistant
for an American Express financial advisor in Oregon.
Shelly and her husband Jeff are blessed with two children, Ellie (age 8 in 2nd
grade) and Nick (age 7 in 1st grade). She is passionate about The Geneva School
because of the role it plays, but more importantly because of what the Lord is doing
at Geneva. Each student at Geneva is taught how to think, reason, ask great
questions, and articulate what they know in a manner that is unprecedented in
today’s culture of shallow memorization and quick answers. Because of this, she
longs for families to understand classical Christian education and how it is daily
and beautifully articulated in both action and word at The Geneva School.
Page 18

Farewell and God Bless to...
• Heather Shiflett and her husband Scott are expecting
their second child in December. She will
spend the time before the baby arrives getting her
not-yet-built house ready. Scott, get that thing
built!
• Sarah Rothwell and her husband Robert are expecting
their first child in June. She is looking
forward to being a full-time mom.
• David Rowe is leaving us after six years of
teaching fifth grade. We wish him every blessing
in his future endeavors.
• Heather Wayne is leaving us to teach full-time
at UCF.
Heather, Sarah, David, and Heather: we will miss
you, but pray for God’s blessing along the path that
He has laid out before you.
Staff Appreciation Dinner
On Tuesday, April 27, The Geneva School Board of Governors
honored the faculty and staff at a dinner at the Winter Park
Racquet Club. They expressed their gratitude for the service
of the faculty, teachers aides, administration, and staff of the
school.
In addition, several staff members were recogized for their
outstanding service to The Geneva School:
• Five Year Service Awards were given to Shelly Bradon,
Maria Francis, Heidi Heinsch, Lou Jones, Edgar Lane, Bill
Ledbetter, Anna Manuel, Deb Scholz, and Brian Shriner.
• Ten Year Service Awards were given to Robin Candeto
and Lorrie Stewart.
• The Tychicus Award was given to David Petrak and Edgar
Lane. “He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow
servant in the Lord. I am sending him to you ... that he
may encourage your hearts.” Col. 4:7-8
• The Bravo Award was given to Vanessa Schaefer. This
award celebrates sustained achievement and groundbreaking
work within a department.
• Mr. Ingram honored Mike Beates and Sharon Leigh for
their diligence and work beyond the call of duty.
• Also honored with the Singing in the Rain Award
were six members of the faculty and staff who brave the
elements, come rain or shine, to stand and direct traffic
during carpool. They were awarded gift certificates to LL
Bean. Expect to see some snazzy wellies next time it rains!
Page 19

Family News
Alex is pictured here fourth from the left in the front row
Thank you to the Geneva community for your
generous contributions to the Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation on behalf of junior Alex Boyd.
This year, through carpool collections, Jeans
for Genes Day, and individual contributions
the Class of 2011 raised $1900! This money
will help fund important research leading
to new medications and better treatments
to improve the quality of life for those
with the genetic disease cystic fibrosis, and
hopefully one day to lead to a cure. The
junior class, joined by a few teachers and
friends, presented Geneva’s contribution at
the Great Strides Walk...Taking Steps to Cure
Cystic Fibrosis on Saturday, May 8, at Blue
Jacket Park.
Sophomore Michael Ikegami recently competed in the
MATE ROV competition with a team of high school
students wishing to pursue careers in the engineering,
robotics, and marine technology fields. The MATE
ROV competition is an internationally based competition
run by the “Marine Advanced Technology Education
Center” in cooperation with sponsors including
NASA and MIT. The competition consists of teams of
engineering students from all over the world designing,
building, and operating a remotely operated vehicle
(ROV) to perform tasks underwater. Students in this
year’s competition had to perform tasks such as measuring
the temperature of hydrothermal vents and collecting
crustaceans from the bottom of a cave, all the while Michael is pictured here on the left
controlling the robot through the cameras mounted on
the ROV. Michael’s team placed second among 10
teams, scoring 170 out of 300 points within the 15 minute time frame,
just 30 points off the leaders—an engineering class from the University of
North Florida. The experience was unparalleled for the team of budding
engineers. Team members had an opportunity to mingle with professors
and veterans of the engineering field while seeing the unique solutions
each team used to complete the tasks. The team, placing second, did
not move on to the international competition in Hilo, Hawaii. However,
using the 1st place trophy given to them by UNF (who claimed they deserved
the honor) as inspiration, the team, with the addition of Geneva
sophomore Caleb Julin, hopes to secure a spot in next year’s international
competition in Houston.
Page 20

Ninth grader Edward Chandler earned the rank of Eagle Scout
on April 5 and his Eagle Court of Honor was held at The Geneva
School on April 26. Many in the Geneva community will remember
Edward’s Eagle Project last December (2009): with the help of
TGS Round Table and Troop 678 of Winter Park, Edward organized
and led a Christmas food drive on behalf of The Christian
Sharing Center of Longwood. In all, they raised 192 bags of food
and $875 for the Turkey Run, which provided hams and turkeys
to the needy residents of Seminole County.
At Edward’s Court of Honor, the music room was filled to capacity
by Geneva students, parents, and teachers, as well as members of
the community. Eagle Scouts Dr. Beates and Mr. Andreasen participated
in the ceremony, delivering the “Path to Eagle” and the “Eagle Charge,” respectively.
Fewer than 5 out of 100 Boy Scouts attain the rank of Eagle. Congratulations, Edward!
Emily is pictured here second from the left. Ravi (holding
Judah) and Kelley are next to her.
Over this year’s Spring Break, Emily Walker, along with
Ravi, Kelley, and Judah Jain, participated in a mission
trip to China organized by the English Language Institute
China (ELIC). They spent the first few days serving on a
college campus teaching American-British culture classes.
To their delight, the curriculum for that particular week was
Christianity! In each of the five classes Emily’s group taught,
they were assigned 4-6 students. They reviewed the previous
week’s lesson about some Old Testament stories, correcting
misconceptions, and answering questions. The remainder
of the class was spent talking about the current week’s topic
on the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. Their discussion
questions were, “Who is Jesus Christ”, “What did He
teach”, “Why did He die”, and “What does it mean to be a Christian” Many of the students were very interested.
After asking how to become a Christian, one girl wanted to know how to ask Jesus into her heart. They were all so
thankful for this experience and surprised to realize that the Lord had provided them opportunities to share the gospel
with over 200 students.
The second part of the trip was spent in a special needs orphanage where they visited
classrooms and played with and helped care for the children. The children were all so
sweet and cheerful. China’s “one child policy” allows for very few exceptions. It broke
Emily’s heart to learn that most of the children in the orphanage were abandoned because
their parents didn’t want their only child to be a child with special needs.
Nathan Raley (Rhetoric, Debate, and French 1, 3, and 4) was recently granted a
scholarship from the French government to study this summer in Vichy, France. The
grant covers a three-week teacher training program at CAVILAM, a language and
media institute associated with the nearby Universities of Clermont-Ferrand. The
president of Florida’s chapter of the American Association of Teachers of French recommended
Nathan for the scholarship after a recent gathering of the state’s French
teachers. Nathan is looking forward to this training and is especially happy that he’ll
be back in France and in an area that is new to him, the beautiful Auvergne region
around the Massif Central mountain range.
Page 21

Learning and Trusting God’s Order
by John Candeto
On Wednesday, April 21, Geneva alumnus John
Candeto (class of 2004) delivered the homily via Skype
during the Rhetoric Chapel service. Below is an article
written by John based on his address.
The first question in the Westminster catechism
teaches that our chief end is to glorify God and enjoy
Him forever. We are to do this in the context of the
reality in which we live, and this reality is complex.
My wife teaches English in an orphanage in Batam,
Indonesia, and this small orphanage is an apt
microcosm of the complexity in our reality. Nona,
Otko, and Niko (see photo above) recently arrived
at this orphanage after their father passed away
and their mother’s salary could not feed all three
children. Although the orphanage was crowded,
had no running water and a meager supply of food
(when grain prices recently rose the orphanage could
only afford rice every alternate week), this was their
best option.
Page 22
Thankfully, donations from churches in Singapore
have remedied the food shortage, but pulling these
and many other children out of this poverty cycle
will require more than money. Obvious steps include
training in hygiene to improve health (some orphans
brush their teeth with toilet water) and English
language skills to improve future employability. Yet
these steps are plagued by deeper systemic issues
such as corruption in the education system, where
wealthy schools and students are able to purchase
higher grades, and corruption in the government,
which often uses job creation for short-term political
gain at the expense of longer-term economic stability
and growth.
Understanding the complexity of a reality such as
the Batam orphanage is a prerequisite to successfully
navigating the situation in faith, hope, and love
for God’s glory. Christians have been blessed with
wisdom literature from the Bible which teaches
us the pattern to this reality—God’s order. While

eality is not simple, biblical
wisdom informs the Christian of
certain principles granting them
a powerful basis to understand
reality as it unfolds. In the case
of the Batam orphanage, the key
principle is found in Proverbs
15:27, “A greedy man brings
trouble to his family, but he who
hates bribes will live.”
Such principles are frequently
illustrated beyond the context
of the Christian world view.
This serves as affirmation to the
Christian but more importantly
as a catalyst for alignment to
God’s order in reality. In this
instance, the tragedies spawned
by corruption are illustrated
by the Heritage Foundation and
Wall Street Journal annual study
on the correlation of prosperity
with economic freedom and its
crucial prerequisite, low levels of
corruption. It is not surprising
that the world’s most prosperous
and often most generous countries
have, in the case of corruption,
knowingly or unknowingly
more closely aligned themselves
to God’s order than their less
prosperous neighbors.
Learning God’s order by
internalizing principles He
has revealed to us is critical
in developing the Christian’s
ability to properly understand
and appropriately respond to the
complexities of reality. However,
such principles are not universally
applicable to all decisions, in
many cases providing guidelines
but not exact answers. In these
instances we must follow and
trust the Lord’s commands for
our conduct. Proverbs 16:3
tells us “Commit to the Lord
whatever you do, and your plans
will succeed.” In our continuing
efforts to align ourselves to
God’s order, my wife and I have
recently shifted from asking the
Lord to bless our (many) plans to
committing our actions to Him
and trusting that He will direct
the outcome.
God’s blessings have been
astound-ing. Our
recent educational and
employment endeavors
serve as a case in
point. Educational
opportunities in my wife’s
field of study (Corporate
Social Responsibility)
are rare and difficult to
attain in Southeast Asia. Even
if these hurdles are surmounted,
there are few job opportunities
unless one is able to move several
thousand miles. In her situation,
the combined probability of
finding the right educational
opportunity, being accepted into
the program, and graduating with
a job offer is literally just shy of
one in one million. Additionally,
the probably of her pursuits
aligning with my own aspirations
in work, location, and education
pushes the odds to roughly one
in twenty billion. And yet, God
has provided a job for Carrie
Beth beginning in June. What a
mighty God we serve!
As I said in my challenge to the
Rhetoric students, there are
4,000 colleges in the US and
600 majors to choose from. The
probability that a senior student
will select the best college and
major best suited to them is one
in 2.5 million. Odds like that
should stimulate us to commit
our plans to the Lord.
Probabilities commonly invoke
images of gambling. Let’s not
forget Proverbs 16:33, “The lot
is cast into the lap, but its every
decision is from the Lord.” In all
decisions, we need to follow God’s
will as He reveals it in His word
and trust Him with the outcome.
John graduated from The Geneva School in 2004. After graduating
from Furman University, he and Carrie Beth were married in
June of 2008 and currently live in Singapore and Malaysia. John
is a Business Strategy Consultant with Accenture and Carrie Beth
recently completed her Masters Degree at the National University
of Singapore. John plans to pursue a Masters degree in Decision
Sciences in the near future as Carrie Beth embarks on a career in
Corporate Social Responsibility. Follow their adventures at www.
johnandcbsmostexcellentadventure.wordpress.com.
Page 32

Dates for Your Calendar...
Friday May 14: 6th grade Alice rehearsal during day and evening performance; 7:00 pm at Aloma
Methodist Church
Saturday, May 15: 6th grade Alice performance; 1:00 pm at Aloma Methodist Church. Cast party to
follow at TGS
8th grade Boston Trip gathering at the Rader’s home; 5:00–7:30 pm
Sunday, May 16: Senior Spring Dinner
Tuesday, May 18: 7th grade ancient Near East Mediterranean lunch; 11:30–1:00
Thursday, May 20: Grammar School Concert; 7:00 pm in the gym
Friday, May 21: Dialectic and Rhetoric Awards Ceremony; 8:00 am in the gym
Senior Exams
Rhetoric Spring Dance at Interlachen Country Club; 7:30–11:00 pm
May 22–26: Senior Trip to North Carolina
Tuesday, May 25: 1st Grade Closing Ceremony; 9:00–11:00 am in classrooms
Kindergarten Closing Ceremony and Charges; 1:00–2:30 pm
Wednesday, May 26: 3rd Grade Closing Ceremony; McDougall 1:00–2:00 pm & Rothwell 1:15–2:15 pm in
classrooms
4th grade Prophets Speak; 11:30 am–12:00 pm in the gym
Thursday, May 27: D/R Exams (English and Science) in the morning. Early dismissal at noon for D/R
Pre-K Graduation; 8:45–9:15 am. End-of-year party; 12:45–1:30 pm
5th Grade Closing Ceremony; 10:00 am–1:00 pm (lunch is served)
2nd Grade Closing Ceremony; Sullivan @ 11:30 am, Shriner @ 12:30 pm, Rowe @
1:30 pm; parents to gather in the music room
Kindergarten end-of-year party; 1:30–2:30 pm
BACCALAUREATE SERVICE at All Saints’ Church of Winter Park; 7:00 pm
Friday, May 28: D/R Exams (History and Math) in the morning. Students remain at school for lunch
and then travel by bus to RTS for graduation
Graduation rehearsal for seniors; meet at RTS at 8:45 am
6th Grade Graduation Ceremony; 8:15–10:00 am in the gym
GRADUATION CEREMONY at Reformed Theological Seminary, Oviedo; 2:00 pm
Monday, May 31: Memorial Day Holiday (School Closed)
June 1–4:
Faculty Post Planning
June 1–5:
8th grade trip to Boston
The Geneva School
2025 State Road 436
Winter Park, FL 32792