Mission Moment

It's Not 'Farewell,' but 'Fair Winds,' by Robert Littlejohn

Wed, 21 May 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Dear Covenant Community,

You can read a brief message I wrote in our 2025 yearbook, but I want to riff on that a bit in this - my last official communication as Covenant’s Head of School.

It’s not “farewell,” but “fair winds” that retirement has me wishing The Covenant School as I sail off to the new adventures that God has planned for me. Having just published Wisdom and Eloquence for Parents (an autographed copy is reserved for each Covenant family and employee), I have invitations to visit classical schools on two continents in the coming months. And my passion for Covenant’s amazing Charlotte Mason-inspired classical Christian approach to education is as strong as ever. So, in addition to some actual sailing, I plan to cruise the classical Christian school world in pursuit of opportunities to share, with other schools and organizations that are part of a growing worldwide movement of classical education, the wonderful lessons and experiences Covenant has provided me.

When I left Covenant College in 2002, having served there as academic VP, I recognized that I had gained far more from the good people there than I could have ever hoped to have given them. The same is true, many times over, for me about The Covenant School. I know my fondest memories of my entire professional life will always be of The Covenant School, thanks to all of you - and with very good reason. Covenant is an extraordinary place for families to educate their children and for employees to serve. There is a joy on campus that most schools just can’t duplicate, seen best in the faces and heard best in the voices of our students. It’s beyond sweet. It’s truly magical!

But don’t take my word for it. Our families and staff say the same. For a second year, our 2025 Best Christian Workplaces (BCW) Staff Engagement Survey identifies Covenant as a “flourishing” work environment. Only 30% of Christian schools share this distinction with Covenant. And while the average promoter score for Christian schools is 36% (which BCW considers “excellent”), Covenant’s employee promoter score is 66% - and 94% of Covenant employees would “recommend Covenant to others as a good place to work.” BCW says this makes us a school sector leader, and that reviewing our results is particularly satisfying. (The promoter score is calculated by subtracting the % who disagree about this statement from the %of those who strongly agree.)

Meanwhile, we also achieved accreditation this spring with the Society for Classical Learning, which designated Covenant as “thriving” and selected us as one of only five “Thriving School Partner” schools, worldwide. Their separate surveys of parents and staff returned promoter scores about recommending Covenant to others as a good place to educate children and to work of 74 and 75, respectively, using a ten-point scale (perhaps slightly more accurate than BCW’s five-point scale). Why this matters so much is that when parents and faculty are this happy with their school, that translates to happy students!

Ironically, “happy” is not a stated intended outcome of a Covenant education (see our portrait of a graduate here). But, on top of all that, I’ll take “happy” as a wonderful side effect of our enviable school programming and community culture!

Finally, I could not be more excited about Melissa Hill taking the helm of such an amazing school, whose students, families, faculty, administration, trustees, and programs are world-class. It just feels to me like my time here has been preparatory for Mrs. Hill taking the lead, and I believe that Covenant’s best days and years are ahead. So, I find myself feeling extremely blessed to have served this exceptional community of faith and learning for a brief stretch of an exciting journey. My years may have involved some tacking back and forth across the channel (I can’t forget Covid), but I pray tail winds are strong and the waters calm for smooth sailing into Covenant’s promising future.

As with graduation for the Covenant class of 2025, my retirement is not the end. It is the commencement of a new chapter in my life story and in The Covenant School story. I am eager to see what God will write in coming chapters of these unfolding stories, perhaps while sailing some calm waters of my own. Among my favorite Covenant experiences is to see our alumni “coming home” to Covenant so often. I look forward to seeing you all when I visit Covenant, like an alumnus, in coming days.

Fair Winds, Covenant!

Non Nobis,

Robert Littlejohn, Ph.D.
Head of School

Digging Into What Matters: A Look Back at the School Year and the Legacy We're Building, by Chris Schmidt

Thu, 15 May 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Dear Covenant Families,

One spring in the early 1960s, a young Irish poet named Seamus Heaney heard a sound outside his window: the scraping, rasping sound of a spade in a flowerbed. He looked out his window to see his father digging, and was transported mind and soul to their old potato farm, where he had heard the same sound as his father and grandfather cut turf and harvested potatoes for their family’s livelihood. This event and the memories it evoked would inspire Heaney’s best-known poem, “Digging”--a meditation on past and present, on family and community, and on the importance of the daily labor that nourishes us and the people we love.

For me, “Digging” is an anthem and emblem for the work we do at Covenant. Our spring semester is full of ceremonies that celebrate this work, full of joy at the completion of a year and at the commencement of something new.

What exactly are we celebrating?

I like to think of Heaney at his desk, writing the first two lines of that famous poem: “Between my finger and my thumb / the squat pen rests; snug as a gun.” I think of the young poet, a future Nobel laureate, wondering about the meaning and purpose of his work–expecting, perhaps, that his poems would be like guns or bombs, instruments of aggression and revolution. I think of his father digging slowly, methodically, peacefully in the garden, and of how this simple act of turning the earth may have turned Heaney’s writing away from violence and revolution toward beauty, tradition, nourishment, and love. By the end of the poem, the pen in Heaney’s hand has transformed from a gun to a spade; reflecting on his family’s heritage inspires the young poet to beat his sword into a ploughshare.

I think of the countless days and nights our students have sat at a desk with “squat pen” in hand, a book open under a lamp, wondering what to notice, what to think about, what to ask, what to write. I wonder how often their reading reminds them of something in their own lives, or something in their heritage–something laborious, perhaps, like digging up potatoes, which is no less glorious or exalted for all the labor and sweat.

I think of my own grandfather, laboring late in his life with a spade. Grandpa and Grandma Schmidt got the call to ministry in their early twenties and sold the family farm to go to Bible college; but they never lost their love of a well-tended garden. They have a shed full of restored tractors that Grandpa fixed up in the short intervals between parsing Greek verbs and visiting his congregants in the hospital or the funeral home. I remember the day in 1999 when my father died, and we all went to Grandpa Schmidt’s house to mourn together. He pulled out his newly restored John Deere to cheer everyone up and took it for a spin around the property. Grandma stepped up and stood on the hitch on the back of the tractor, just behind Grandpa, and rode around for a good ten minutes or so, talking and just passing the time. My Aunt Caroline leaned in and whispered to me, “That’s what she used to do when he drove the tractor on the old place. They used to love riding the tractor together and just talking until the sun set.”

I think of the generations of Covenant students. Yes, we have generations of students now: There are former Covenant students whose children are in the Grammar School. Just yesterday, I met the father of two alumni; his sons aren’t married yet, but they’re gainfully employed and in their twenties. The day is fast approaching when the children of the class of 2018 will be applying for admission as Explorers. I think about what it must mean for them to learn and grow through our curriculum, to know that their father or mother also enjoyed Living History Day and nature studies and living books and the daily recitation of chapters of holy scripture.

What must that be like? It must be like digging, like cutting into the turf of family memory and finding treasures hidden there–treasures of love and learning and worship and service–treasures of reading, writing, thinking, wondering–treasures of history and poetry, logic and geometry–of the beauties of God’s creation disclosed by the Holy Spirit through the efforts of expert teachers. These children will sit at a desk with a “squat pen” nestled in their fingers, wondering what to notice, what to ask, what to say and what to write. They will lose themselves in Homer’s epic similes or in the innards of a squid they’ve just dissected. They will laugh at their own surprising ability to love a long Latin sentence or to prove the Pythagorean theorem. They’ll kneel and pray before Theology class every day and struggle with Augustine or with the meaning of Luke’s parable of the prodigal son. They’ll learn to ask hard questions of God when they pray, and to be patient when he doesn’t provide an answer to their liking. They’ll be injured in an important game and miss playing in the championship, but show up anyway and cheer like their lives depend on it. They’ll design and build a model of a working, code-compliant museum or chapel–and present their models to real architects. They’ll sing Non nobis.

They’ll dig deep and discover the treasures of the past, treasures that their parents discovered at the same school (and, in many cases, with the same teachers) a generation ago.

Spring is the season of commencement–of celebration of the recent past, and hope for future endeavors. We’ve completed a year of study, labor, play, and creativity; and soon, we’ll certify to the Covenant community that our graduating seniors have completed a course of study that makes them lifelong Covenant Knights.

In this season of looking back and looking forward, I’m thinking about our founding families, our alumni, our current students, and the countless generations in the future who will learn, laugh, and worship with us. Future generations of students who will turn the earth, dig into the past, and discover the treasures that lie waiting for them.

“Between my finger and my thumb / the squat pen rests. / I’ll dig with it.”

Non Nobis,

Christopher D. Schmidt
Rhetoric School Head

A Farewell to the Logic School, by Melissa Hill

Thu, 08 May 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Dear Covenant Families,

As I begin the bittersweet transition out of the Logic School, I’m pausing to reflect on a season rich with growth, tradition and God's providential care. He has been so good and faithful to us this year, and I have had the privilege of sharing Logic Hall with new-to-Logic School students who were so nervous that eye contact seemed a near impossibility. I’ve had a front row seat watching those same students find their footing and, as they look our teachers in the eyes, get a little nostalgic at the prospect of finishing another year. For our students (and for me), the end of the year is not an ending, but a sending —a step forward in the lifelong journey of the pursuit of wisdom and virtue that classical Christian education so beautifully encourages.

Our Covenant traditions have anchored our journey this year. Fine Arts night, Shakespeare Festival, Declamation, athletic competitions, including, to date, one district championship and corporate worship in chapel have framed our weeks exercising body, mind and soul. Socratic discussions have trained our memories, and love of subject, God and the wonder of his Creation, passed down from teacher to student and have formed a quiet liturgy of belonging. These traditions were not arbitrary; they shaped our loves, trained our affections and reminded us daily that being a part of Covenant is a holy pursuit.

This year, the Logic School has not merely taught us facts - it has instructed us toward right thinking. In the tradition of the giants whose shoulders we stand upon, we have learned to ask good questions, to reason clearly and to seek truth diligently. Amidst the homework, quizzes and tests, we’ve prepared not just for knowledge, but for understanding, believing that all truth is God’s Truth and that the life of the mind is meant to glorify Him.

And yet, even as tradition grounds us, we’ve also learned the art of flexibility. In a world that shifts, we have practiced bending without breaking. Even as I write this, we are in an unprecedented three-day shutdown due to illness…in MAY! One skill I’ve learned over the past five years is the ability to pivot when necessary. Very little about Logic School operates exactly as planned, and we’re typically working on a contingency plan concurrent with our Plan A. We’ve seen firsthand how God uses even the disruptions to refine us and often, grow our sense of humor.

As we transition into summer and new beginnings, remember and remind one another we are far from alone. The same God who has guided us thus far will be faithful still. Together, let’s go forward as students of truth, lovers of wisdom and servants of Christ.

I love you very much, Logic School.

Non Nobis,

Melissa Hill
Logic School Head

More Than the Scoreboard, by Jesse Olvera

Tue, 29 Apr 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Dear Covenant Families,

The other day, I called my sister to check in after my nephew’s game. Like many of us do, I asked, “How did he do?” Without hesitation, she answered, “He won!”

That answer struck me. It’s a response we’re all accustomed to in sports: we instinctively equate how someone did with whether they won or lost. But I wasn’t really asking about the outcome. I was asking about him—how he played, how he handled the pressure, how he grew, how he led.

This moment reminded me just how easily we can default to scoreboard thinking—even in places like Covenant, where we work so intentionally to develop young men and women of character. Winning is worth celebrating, of course. This year, we’ve had a lot to celebrate. Our Rhetoric School teams brought home four state championships, and our Logic School teams captured four TAPS championships. As the spring season wraps up, there’s a real possibility we’ll add even more titles to that list.

But if we stop there—if we measure our athletes solely by what the scoreboard says—we risk missing the real mission.

At The Covenant School, we believe that athletics are a platform for discipleship, for teaching virtue through adversity, and for building bonds that reflect the body of Christ. We believe that sports offer one of the most powerful opportunities for students to experience growth through challenge, humility through defeat, and grace through teamwork.

The championships this year have been incredible; however, they are the fruit sown of something deeper. They came because our coaches taught more than game plans—they taught discipline, perseverance, and service. They came because our athletes held each other accountable in practice, showed up consistently, embraced roles they didn’t always want, and chose team over self.

I think of our cross country runners who trained through the heat of August and learned that suffering can produce endurance. I think of our volleyball team who battled through tough losses in the season and used those setbacks as fuel to become a stronger, more unified squad. I think of our captains in every sport—young men and women who modeled leadership not with volume, but with presence, example, and humility.

This year our teams have experienced the full arc of what we hope sports can provide: joy in victory, maturity in defeat, and growth in every step of the journey. We’ve seen students lean into discomfort, into challenge, and into each other. As a result, we've seen more than just great athletes emerge—we’ve seen transformed hearts.

The Covenant mission is at the core of everything we strive for in athletics. Sports, when grounded in that mission, become more than games. They become classrooms for the soul. They become proving grounds where faith and character are tested—and strengthened.

When someone asks me how our year in athletics went, one might be tempted to start with the six championships we have won, but I intentionally want to talk about the moments that didn’t make the headlines—the athlete who played their best game and never saw the field again or the one who supported teammates even when sidelined by injury.

As we reflect on this year, I want to thank every coach, parent, and player who embraced our mission. Thank you for caring about who our athletes are becoming more than just what they are achieving. Thank you for modeling what it means to pursue excellence with integrity. And thank you for seeing beyond the scoreboard—to the eternal story that God is writing in the lives of our students.

Let’s celebrate the wins. Let’s hang the banners. But let’s always remember that the greatest championship is a life well-lived in pursuit of Christ.

At Covenant, sports are not a detour from our mission—they are an expression of it. This year, that mission has been alive and thriving on every field, court, and course.

Go Knights!

Non Nobis,

Jesse Olvera
Athletic Director

Living History Day: A Legacy of Learning and Community at Covenant, by Laura Mountjoy

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Dear Covenant Families,

Third grade Living History Day (LHD) is tomorrow, and it concludes all of the grade level LHDs for this school year. As I was reflecting on what to share with you in this Mission Moment, I thought it might be interesting to share some of the history of these special days in the Grammar School.

When I began teaching Explorers in the fall of 2000, the school was meeting at a little church on Westside Drive. At that time, there were around 75 students enrolled in grades E-6. A few weeks before Living History Day, information was shared through Monday folders (no email, website, or Covenant Copy in those days), followed by a mom who came around and gave us tunics and tribe assignments. Instead of getting 12 student tunics and one for me, the mom handed me about 50 tunics and told me to send them home to my students’ parents. I thought there was absolutely no way the parents were going to wear them. Much to my surprise, our tribe of Dan was very well represented the next day. Looking back, I can still remember the way my heart swelled with gratitude that day. I was so touched by the goodness and so grateful that the Lord guided my little family to Covenant. And to think the journey had just begun!

From its inception, Living History Day was designed to be an extension of the classroom. It is an immersion of the senses into a time period and how life was lived long ago. For almost 20 years, the entire school (or after we grew, the entire Grammar School) participated in Living History Day together. The reason for this was simple. Each year, all grades were studying the same period of history at the same time. The History curriculum moved through a 4 year rotation consisting of ancient times, middle ages, colonial times, and modern times/Texas history. To make things even more interesting, History was not the only thing that was on that rotation. Literature, Bible, and Shakespeare were also rotated accordingly. The reason behind this was for each child in a family to be studying the same thing at the same time. We envisioned dinner conversations debating why Rome fell, and everybody knew something about it and could contribute.

There were some really fun advantages to this plan. Family trips were often planned around the particular time period being studied at school. Think Revolutionary War, and then a trip to Boston in the summer. Being able to celebrate LHD together, as a family, was another advantage.

I remember another year we pulled out our trusty tribes of Israel tunics when we were renting space from Shearith Israel. This time we took our activities of 4 years prior a big step further. On that day, each tribe built its own sukkot, or booth, during the Jewish holiday. It was a Festival of Booths. It literally makes me laugh out loud when I think of the entire community dressed up and building these little lean-tos. It took the entire morning, and then we crammed into them while also spilling out of them to eat hummus and pita bread for lunch. I can imagine the staff of Shearith looking out of the windows, half-perplexed and half-hysterical. What a sight to behold.

As the school grew, we continued in this tradition with the same fervor, maybe even stronger. All parents, students, and teachers dressed up and descended on a park or other venue to immerse themselves in this sweet tradition. The last year that we had LHD as an entire Grammar School, we were donning our finest middle ages garb, dancing around maypoles and eating turkey legs with our hands. I remember looking around the park and thinking that this had just gotten too big. There were over 700 people in attendance at that last event. The prospect of planning LHD had become akin to planning a wedding.

Meanwhile, on the curriculum side of things, the 4 year cycle was becoming more and more onerous. Training teachers to teach a book and time period that they wouldn’t teach again for 4 years was lacking. It felt like scratching the surface when what we want is for our teachers to dig deep and develop knowledge and passion for their subject matter. And the inventory. Class sets of books for 4 years. There are truly no words to describe the labor involved with purchasing, maintaining, and regularly moving this large of an inventory.

Even though the writing was on the wall that the time for change had come, we still felt sad and almost dragged our feet in dismay. What if we rolled this out and it did not work and we lost something special? Could we still accomplish our goals?

You already know the ending of the story. We made the change and it really wasn’t even wobbly. Everyone got excited to have their time period and to develop expertise that could promote better student engagement and excitement. Living History Days were so much easier to plan, not merely because of the number of participants, but also because the scope of participants was manageable. Finding ancient activities that are meaningful for multiple ages is difficult. The reinvention of that wheel every 4 years was challenging too.

Now we are at a place where we can ensure that the activities of LHD are not a redundancy from something that happened in class. Each activity is chosen because it is not something that will also be done in the classroom. Living History Day truly brings life and light to all that is happening in the classroom. It is still one of the most important and special days of the school year for our students. Thank you to all of the parents who still fully participate in the planning, the production, and the support that is necessary to make this day worthwhile.

While everything has changed from my first Living History Day in 2000, I can also say nothing has changed. The families still wholeheartedly support and participate in the day from the planning to the execution, all while donning period costumes. In fact, Living History Day would not even be possible without the hard work of our parents. It is one of many aspects of Covenant life that would not exist without the care and commitment of our parents.

Thank you current (and former) Grammar School parents for all you have done to make Living History Day an enduring tradition here at Covenant.

Non Nobis,

Laura Mountjoy
Grammar School Head

"Easter Christians" or just "Good Friday Christians," by Dr. Robert Littlejohn

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Dear Covenant Families,

With seven years and seven weeks under my belt as your Head of School, I have come to deeply appreciate some great Covenant traditions that are central to our culture and to our very identity as a unique community of faith and learning. While I have always explored ways to bring positive change to our programs, operations, and physical campus, consistent with Covenant’s mission and culture, the traditions to which I refer are, in my thinking, immutable.

I could name many, but fresh on my mind is the history Timeline Song that our Explorers performed at last week’s Grandparents Day. For all of its cuteness, it is much more than that. This is an experience that each child will remember well into adulthood. And every Covenant student that was here as an Explorer remembers fondly which part he or she played in their class’ Timeline presentation. The tradition stands as a kind of living Ebenezer that connects current Covenant students to one another and to hundreds of alumni who have gone before them. It is a tradition that cannot disappear, in my opinion, so long as Covenant is Covenant.

Another beautiful Covenant culture-keeping tradition is the Flowering of the Cross at Grammar School Easter Chapel, which took place this morning. While many recognize the beauty of this solemn ceremony, few may know the deep Covenant-culture significance that is only evident upon reading the faintly carved message on the back of the cross that is flowered in this lovely pageant. You will read there that the cross was handcrafted for Covenant by Craig Leslie, father of former student Carson Leslie for whom the Carson Leslie Center (in which the ceremony takes place!) is named. In this case, not an Ebenezer but a cross (the very symbol of Jesus’ passion and sacrifice) stands as a monument connecting Covenant’s past to Covenant’s present. That just gives me chills! Again, this can never disappear.

I hope another Easter connection of the past to our present will also continue as a “forever Covenant tradition” - namely families living every day in the power of the resurrection.

As believers, it is actually easier for us to live in the power of the cross than in the power of the resurrection. That is to say that we often rejoice in what the beautiful Getty hymn proclaims: “This is the power of the cross, Christ became sin for us, took the blame, bore the wrath - we stand forgiven at the cross.” This, of course, is glorious! But if Good Friday is “enough Holy Week” in our daily lives, St. Paul says “we are of all people most to be pitied,” (1 Corinthians 15:19), because “if Christ be not raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins”(1 Corinthians 15:1). Granted, still in our forgiven sins, but nonetheless still not free from the power of sin.

Through His crucifixion, Jesus accomplished forgiveness for all of our sins (if we belong to Him). That is life-saving! But, through the resurrection, He made it possible for us (if we belong to Him) to actually choose to not sin. That is life-changing! Through His resurrection, Jesus restores us to a relationship with our Heavenly Father just as it existed before the Fall, when our spiritual ancestors forfeited the ability to live without sin.

“Good Friday Christians” may be prone to feel free to sin, resting in the assurance that their sins are forgiven through the power of the cross. But St. Paul’s warns against this in Romans 6; “Are we to continue is sin that grace may abound? By no means!” “Easter Christians” understand that they have been raised from the dead with Christ through His resurrection - to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:1-4).

That’s the resurrection power I pray Covenant families will live in every day. Faced with the opportunity to sin, we choose not to sin. We choose the good. We choose the right. We choose to be “Easter Christians” not just “Good Friday Christians.” We resist temptation and choose what our loving Heavenly Father wants us to choose because He has made that possible through the resurrection. Not just forgiven, but freed from the power of sin. Thanks be to God!

I hope your Easter this year will be glorious, and that you make it a Covenant tradition to live each day in the power of the resurrection.

He is risen indeed!

Non Nobis,

Robert Littlejohn, Ph.D.
Head of School

Here I am, Lord—Send Me, by Ashley Blakeslee

Mon, 07 Apr 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Dear Covenant Families,

Our children came to Covenant when they were each in the 5th grade. They are now a Junior and a Freshman—and just a little less than two years ago, I finally stopped calling us “new to Covenant.” I think I held onto that label because I wanted to feel like our family truly knew all the ins and outs of the Trivium and the community—before I allowed myself to believe we were fully integrated into it.

What I ultimately realized—and what finally allowed me to stop saying “we are new to Covenant”—is that knowing and being known isn’t so much dependent on time as it is on how you spend the time.

From the very beginning, our children felt as if Covenant was their home. But for my husband, Travis, and me, that sense of belonging came through embracing the opportunity to serve. In our second year at Covenant, in an effort to live out all that the school embodies, I said yes to the first volunteer opportunity that came my way—not because it was the perfect fit, but because it best fit my desire to get involved. I had been praying for a way to serve, and while the opportunity wasn’t something I would have normally raised my hand for, my desire to become truly integrated at Covenant challenged me to follow Isaiah’s humble example. I adopted a “Here I am, Lord—send me” mindset and trusted the Lord to do the rest.

Covenant itself began with several brave families who raised their hands in that same spirit—saying “Here I am, Lord—send me.” They took their mustard seed, the vision of a Charlotte Mason-inspired classical school, and planted it—trusting in faith and sowing with hard work and prayer. What they sowed, the Lord has grown into the flourishing community our children now enjoy and are being transformed by today.

I originally raised my hand simply because I wanted to get involved in my children's school and get to know the community. What I received in return was far more meaningful—an opportunity to take part in the decades-long intentional work that continues to shape and support the mission of our school. I came to understand that every event, every tradition led by parent volunteers was founded with purpose: to enrich the experience of our children and equip them for a lifetime of learning. It has been an incredible privilege to contribute to that legacy.

Events like Spring Fling, Living History Days, Shakespeare Festival, and the Auction all have a heartbeat: the behind-the-scenes work of countless parent volunteers. Just as the church is made up of many parts, so too is our school. Each part is vital to the flourishing of our community and its continued transformation through the Lord’s work.

As parents, we are invited into this cultivation as well—first through our commitment to support the school and its mission, and also through our efforts to preserve the like-minded community we’ve come to love. Part of that preservation is found in our volunteer work—the traditions and service that make Covenant rich in purpose and spirit. Volunteering has given our family the opportunity to support the school while forming lasting friendships as we worked shoulder-to-shoulder toward a common goal.

The commitment to volunteer will look different for every person and every family, but I encourage you to prayerfully consider what it might look like for you. In doing so, I pray that you experience the fruit of the seeds you help to sow and the beauty of what the Lord will grow through your willingness. There is a hidden joy in joining the journey, and I am certain that when our children are grown and these school days are behind us, I will treasure the memory of having been a part of such an incredible community—and the abundant harvest we trusted the Lord to bring as we worked together, side by side.

Non Nobis,

Ashley Blakeslee
PTF President

Bezalel, Macbeth, and Beauty at Covenant, by Michael Attaway

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Dear Covenant Families,

Here’s a bit of trivia for the Bible scholars in our community: Who is the first person in the Bible described as being “filled…with the Spirit of God”? The answer is Bezalel, found in Exodus 31 and chapters 35-38. But who in the world is Bezalel?

Bezalel was from the tribe of Judah and was chosen by God to construct and oversee the work on the tabernacle—including the Ark of the Covenant, the Table of the Bread of the Presence, the golden lampstand, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering, the basin for washing, and the priestly garments. He was chosen because he was an artist. Alongside a fellow craftsman, Oholiab from the tribe of Dan, Bezalel represented the idea that beauty matters in worship. Bezalel’s calling reminds us that the arts are not secondary—they are central to worship and formation. At Covenant, we take that calling seriously. We have an enormous task in the arts because we are called to shape affections, train students’ minds, and help cultivate virtue.

This past weekend, we were blessed with four incredible performances of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Macbeth. The acting was spectacular, the directing full of imagination, and of course, the story itself is among the greatest in literary history. A special congratulations to April Miller for her brilliant direction—her thoughtful vision and leadership brought the production to life in powerful and creative ways.

But why do we call Macbeth a masterpiece? After all, the play is filled with witchcraft, betrayal, and death—so why would we celebrate such a dark tale?

Because Macbeth does what all great literature must: it reveals deep truths about human nature. Shakespeare’s tragedy explores ambition, guilt, temptation, and the corrosive effects of unchecked desire. It forces us to wrestle with the consequences of sin and the loss of moral clarity. Through Macbeth’s downfall, we see how a single step off the path of righteousness can lead to total ruin—and yet, we also glimpse the human longing for meaning, for restoration, and for justice. This is precisely why we engage with challenging stories at Covenant.

This is art’s deeper purpose. As Aristotle wrote in Poetics, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.”

As we approach the end of the school year (hard to believe it’s already April!), I invite you to pause and take time “to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple” (Psalm 27:4). This season marks the culmination of the skills our students have learned and refined throughout the year. More importantly, we pray that they will continue to recognize and pursue beauty in their artistic journeys.

You’ll have several opportunities to see their work on display in the coming weeks:

Grandparents Day – April 11
Senior Art Show – April 25
Logic Fine Arts Festival – May 1
Rhetoric Choir Spring Concert – May 2

Each of these events highlights the remarkable artistry our students have cultivated this year. We hope you’ll join us in celebrating their creativity and growth.

Dostoyevsky famously wrote, “Beauty will save the world.” While the world often seeks beauty in superficial places, we recognize that true beauty—the kind that redeems, restores, and inspires—ultimately points us to Christ. In every brushstroke, every note sung, and every line spoken on stage, we glimpse something greater than ourselves.

Non Nobis,

Michael Attaway
Director of Fine Arts

It's Worth It, by Jennifer Peterson

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Dear Covenant Families,

Most of you are somewhere in the middle of your educational journey at Covenant, and the middle of anything can be challenging. The excitement of the beginning feels distant, and the satisfaction of the end seems far away.

Right now, I have the unique perspective of witnessing both. I see the beginning through the eyes of our 60 newly admitted Explorers while personally reaching the end of my time as a Covenant parent. Our 3rd and 4th born twin sons graduate on May 23rd. While I am ordering XS Covenant t-shirts for the class of 2038, I am also ordering a cap and gown for my two class of 2025 graduates.

I get to experience the pure excitement of our new families—their joy at being admitted to The Covenant School, their zeal for classical Christian education, and their anticipation of all that is to come. At the same time, I am feeling the satisfaction of completing a long and meaningful journey. I am acutely aware that I have an unusual vantage point, and I want to share some thoughts with those of you who are in the sometimes uncomfortable middle.

First, remember the passion and motivation you had at the start of your time at Covenant. I wish you could all talk to our new families and soak in their joyful anticipation. My favorite thing is when new families send pictures of their five-year-olds in their very first Covenant t-shirt, grinning from ear to ear.

Second, I want to share my deep gratitude for Covenant and my perspective as someone sad to be at the end. Looking back, I often wish I could do it all over again. Covenant has truly taught my children to “discern, reason, and defend truth.” There were times when the classical Christian educational journey was fatiguing. We struggled through presenting flower projects in 2nd grade, understanding Algebra in 8th grade, reading the Illiad in 9th and, of course, senior thesis in 12th. Looking back, I can wholeheartedly say it was worth it for each of my very different children and for our family as a whole.

I recently had a moment that drove this home. When I give prospective families tours of Rhetoric classes, I occasionally visit one of my children's classrooms. Recently, I heard my son answer a question in theology class. I wish I could tell you exactly what he said, but honestly, it was a bit over my head. They were talking about soteriology, the doctrine of salvation. I certainly didn’t teach him how to engage in this kind of discussion. I knew I was supposed to teach him to be kind, to be a good friend, to seek the Lord. But I didn’t realize I was supposed to teach him how to think, how to wrestle with ideas, big and small. Covenant did. This education filled in the gaps of my parenting, and in that moment, I was overcome with gratitude for Covenant.

For those of you in the middle, hang in there. It’s not always smooth sailing. There is a lot to learn and a lot of ways to grow. But looking back, I can say with confidence: it’s worth it!! The financial investment. The late nights of studying. The hard conversations about personal growth. It’s all worth it!

When you meet new families this spring and next fall, listen to their excitement and remember your own. Encourage them on this Covenant journey, and let them encourage you.

I can tell you from experience that at the end, it’s worth it. And it goes by too fast!

Non Nobis,

Jennifer Peterson
Director of Admissions

From Rejection to Redirection: Trusting God’s Plan, by Angela Traywick

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Dear Covenant Families,

We often encounter closed doors that leave us feeling rejected and disheartened. Yet, it's in these moments that we must remember that God closes doors to present us with greater opportunities that align with His divine plan. What if we always faced rejection as a positive redirection? This could be a powerful reminder that what seems like a setback is often a setup for something far more meaningful and beautiful.

I recently read a novel where the protagonist explores alternate versions of her life, opening closed doors and walking right through them. Though each version offers its own allure, the character discovers that essential people and relationships are missing in these alternate realities. The life she was intended to live was far greater than those she could have constructed on her own. This novel was the perfect reminder that every path left open to us is intricately woven to create a life filled with love, purpose, and God's intention. Sometimes, closed doors are not just detours but reminders to cherish God’s love for us and to fully embrace all that is possible.

In college, a professor once shared a poignant story about her discovery that her first child would be born with a congenital disorder. She related it to the planning of a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. You plan every single detail of your amazing trip to Paris and look forward to it for months and months, but when your plane lands, you realize you are in Holland. Initially, the disappointment of not being in Paris consumes your every thought and emotion, but slowly you start to see the beauty of Holland. You begin to notice the charm and splendor– the tulips, the windmills, the culture. The unexpected can reveal hidden blessings and opportunities that might have been missed had your plan been enacted over God’s.

In 2025, the college admissions landscape has been a labyrinth filled with unpredictability and heightened competition. The Southeast, in particular, has seen a surge in applications from students all over the country. Students who meticulously plan their high school lives with a particular end in mind may find themselves facing rejection from their dream schools. Yet, this seemingly devastating turn of events is actually an invitation to explore new paths and discover unexpected blessings elsewhere. Much like landing in Holland, the unexpected destination can lead to a place filled with opportunities and growth that were not initially considered.

During this time, students often find themselves navigating complex emotions. They may feel excited for their friends who achieve their dream school admissions while simultaneously feeling disappointed about their own rejections. It is a delicate balance of celebrating others' success and managing personal setbacks. These experiences, though challenging, are crucial for personal growth. Through struggle, students learn resilience, empathy, and the importance of building strong relationships. They develop a greater capacity for gratitude and perseverance. It is fitting that we have studied Jeremiah in the Rhetoric School this year. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

At The Covenant School, we encourage students to trust in the journey that God has ordained for them, even and especially when it is difficult. We teach our students that the learning process is a far greater gift than the grade or the test score or most certainly the college bumper sticker. By providing them with a robust educational foundation and the necessary tools to live their lives in service to our Lord, Jesus Christ, we prepare them to navigate life's many uncertainties with grace and confidence, faith and reliance on His truth.

The message remains clear: God closes doors to guide us toward His greater purpose. Rejection is not the end but a redirection to something greater. At The Covenant School, we are committed to helping our students embrace this truth and pursue their God-given potential with unwavering faith and determination. For in every closed door lies the promise of new opportunities and the unfolding of God's magnificent plan for each of us.

Non Nobis,

Angela Traywick
Director of College Counseling