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The “Word”
This year kicked off something new during Monday Morning Prayer in the Middle School, a student-led homily of sorts dubbed, “The Word”, the brainchild of Middle School Chaplain and Religion Instructor, John Mark Elliott.
In the Lower School, students are engaged in worship in a variety of ways; as acolytes (carrying the cross, the Gospel book, and lighting the candles), reading Bible lessons, and lending their musical talents. In these early years Lower School students learn to appreciate tradition, be good stewards, and grow spiritually and intellectually. Once they reach Middle School, the avenues to serve become more self-directed. Acolytes are part of a chapel committee and typically apply for, and are chosen for, this honor. Students have to make a commitment in doing it just like any other volunteer job.
With the new student-led homilies during Monday Morning Prayer, an eighth grade student writes their own speech and delivers it in front of the entire Middle School audience. Typically, the speech is geared towards teaching a moral lesson. The student will often use their own experience to help their peers understand the meaning of scripture or the purpose of their homily. After all, students want to listen to students, and who better to take advice from than their peers?
The Chapel of the Good Shepherd was built and designated for use as a place of Episcopal worship in connection with the curriculum of the School, and this is a great example of the connection between teaching, instruction, and education by way of spiritual life. We have been beyond impressed with what we have heard from our 8th grade speakers this year. To be honest, more so than we ever thought.
Please take time to enjoy “The Word” from Case Aldrich, '26 shared with the Middle School student body ahead of fall break. Be on the lookout for more of “The Word” on our blog and social media.
Raise your hand if you’re excited about Fall break.
As most of you may know, fall break is right around the corner; and I am just as excited about it as you are. Fall break is a time to rest after a month of school, and we see something similar to this in the Bible. After God creates everything along with humans, He chooses to rest in order to enjoy what He had created. When we take time to rest we are given the opportunity to soak in all the good things that we have done prior to the break. When God rests, it is His way of telling us to rest so we can enjoy what we have accomplished just like He has done many times. We can use fall break to do the same thing and come back to school in October to make it the best month yet.
Think about how much we need rest. You can’t constantly play sports without rest because rest is as important to us as eating food or breathing air. Rest gives us time for our muscles to rebuild and become healthier. To sum it up, rest is something that has high importance because it is a gift from God. And, rest is something that can make someone go from great to greater.
Fall break is a time to have fun with friends and family so that when we come back to school, we can be the greatest versions of ourselves possible. So go and enjoy the rest of your week. And have fun over the break!
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