Whitefield Academy Blog
September Eleventh Memorial Address 2020
Good morning faculty, students, and first responders. My name is Andre Bauer, and I am a senior here at Whitefield Academy. This is my experience of the 9/11 Memorial in NYC and how it changed me.
FOMO at IHOP: Ten Years at Whitefield
Last January, I found myself at a notable “international pancake restaurant” with three other teachers and our soon-to-be-graduating senior class at about eleven o’clock at night.
Reading in Latin? That’s Legit
Okay, for all of you who aren’t immediately cracking a smile at this blog post title, let me explain the humor: reading Latin is cool and impressive (duh!) and therefore “legit” in English slang, but legit is also Latin for “he/she reads”, so it’s a bilingual pun. Ha! Now of course it’s fun to start things off with a little joke, but this pun also leads us nicely to our topic here today, namely what the goals of our new Latin curriculum are and how we’re going to get there.
5 Tips for Going Back-to-School in a Pandemic
Whether you’re googling “can I wear a mask into a bank,” “does hand sanitizer explode in a hot car,” or “in-person schools in Kansas City,” it’s pretty clear that this semester is going to be different than any other before it.
In-Person Classes for Whitefield Academy
What a roller coaster of a ride it has been for the past few months. Who would ever have imagined this time last year that we would have to transition to “Whitefield-at-Home” so quickly in the spring? I cannot say enough what a blessing our teachers were during this period. I am more grateful than ever for their dedication, service, and commitment to excellence for the sake of our children and the Kingdom of God.
Whitefield Academy Salutatorian Address 2020
The following address was given at Whitefield Academy’s 2020 Commencement Ceremony by Caitlin Dugan, salutatorian of the class of 2020.
Thank you for joining us tonight to celebrate this accomplishment. We wouldn’t be here today without the unique impact this community has had on us. I’m not sure how many seniors can say their schools spent over four hours driving around the KC metro area just to make sure their seniors were celebrated. Thank you also to the 6th grade class for the chalk art. It was so fun and we all loved it so much. This year has been far from what any of us graduates planned, but each of you made us feel so loved and special, so thank you for that!
Whitefield Academy Valedictorian Speech 2020
Hello everyone, I am so honored to be standing here giving this speech. Valedictorian has been my goal for a long time, and I am excited that I finally achieved it. I want to thank my mom and dad for pushing me to be my best. I also want to thank the faculty for teaching and guiding me. And I want to thank my classmates for being such a great group of friends. I am going to miss all of you.
Let Them Make the Chocolate Chip Cookies
Wal-Mart grocery pick up gave us chocolate chip cookie mix instead of the brownie crisps that I ordered. I know I could have told them I didn’t want the substitution, but hey, I forgot, so we have had this mix sitting in our pantry for a few weeks.
Crafting Conversations in Classical Education
When my extended family celebrated holidays at my grandmother’s house, I remember becoming old enough to sit at the adults’ table. I couldn’t necessarily understand everything they were talking about when they discussed politics or religion (they had lots of fights!) or business affairs. Despite my limited understanding, though, I wanted to participate in their conversation. I could tell whatever they were talking about mattered. Everyone leaned forward and gave the topic their full attention.
The House System: Fostering Belonging
Fostering relationships across grades is a unique and important aspect of the community at Whitefield Academy. Whether it’s the buddy system between Kindergarten and Fifth Grade, an upper school buddy class planning activities for their lower school counterpart on All School Games Day, mixing grades up at lunch tables, or the seniors escorting the Pre-K kids down to their classroom for Pre-K Round Up, mixed grade relationships are actively and intentionally pursued.