“Amo!” “Amas!” “Amat!” “Amamus!” “Amatis!” “Amant!” No, these are not incantations. This is a conjugation of the phrase “I love” in Latin. Students in classical and Christian schools around the country perform this chant and others like it as they learn a language that no one speaks anymore. What a waste of time, right? This…
“Human beings used to be …” he hesitated; the blood rushed to his cheeks. “Well, they used to be viviparous.” Aldous Huxley’s dystopian novel Brave New World describes a future society where children are “decanted,” not born, and the concept of “father” and “mother” are unpleasant historical facts best forgotten. It may be easy to write this…
There’s an old saying that “the pen is mightier than the sword.” Our present environment of texting, Siri, and keyboards may very well soon make this phrase an anachronism. Who uses a pen anymore (or a sword, for that matter)? As we move further down the path of ubiquitous electronic technology, the use of and…
We all woke up this morning in comfortable beds, had a good breakfast, got into incredible works of transportational technology, and began our day. In addition, when our children came to school today, they most likely began the day with a prayer and reading of Scripture. At some point, they probably sang a hymn. As…
Having taught at Cary Christian School for fourteen years, I have had the pleasure of teaching, at one point or another, almost every graduate of CCS. As the number of alumni increases each year, and as I get to see them return for homecoming games, breaks and weekends, I love to hear their stories of…
One of the highlights of every CCS graduation is the valedictorian’s and salutatorian’s speeches. This year our salutatorian was Polly Payne and our valedictorian was Lee Dickinson. These two students exemplify the kind of young men and women that a classical Christian education strives to cultivate. Seniors, today is the day. Today is the day when we…
Many high school students read about bacterial transformation in their biology textbooks, but most do not get a chance to actually make bacteria transform. That type of lab work is typically reserved for a university level microbiology course. However, sophomore biology students at CCS recently did just that. So, what is bacterial transformation and why…
Last year, MSNBC host and Tulane University political science professor Melissa Harris-Perry sparked a controversy when she remarked, “We have to break through our kind of private idea that kids belong to their parents, or kids belong to their families, and recognize that kids belong to whole communities.” Clarifying her comments a few days later,…
“Whether or not it draws on new scientific research, technology is a branch of moral philosophy, not of science.” — Paul Goodman, New Reformation Last school year, I found myself privileged to participate in a brutally honest conversation between a group of senior boys in my classroom. These young men were discussing how they felt they…
For today’s post, we feature the text of our 2013 Valedictorian speech, written and delivered by Ben Hoover. Ben’s words faithfully express the kind of eloquence and spiritual maturity we try to cultivate in our students at Cary Christian School. I never, not for one second, thought I could be standing here as valedictorian of…
In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey wrote that anyone who wants to succeed in an endeavor must “begin with the end in mind.” What then should be the ultimate end, or goal, of education? Today, the answer to this question is far from self-evident, but it is as consequential as ever. Theologian…
It has become commonplace and expected that schools that are worth their salt field some sort of athletics program. The reasoning for the inclusion of sports in the life of a school generally revolves around health and fitness, character development, and the like. This is all well and good, but are these good enough reasons…