Welcome parents, to our blog! I’m sure you’re hoping to hear how the students are doing here in the first 24 hours of the Wheatstone Academy conference.
Once all the students were checked in and moved into the dorm, staff and students went to the newly-renovated cafeteria for dinner, where they began to meet and mingle. Then we moved to our meeting room for opening words from myself, and Rick Vander Kam, our team-building expert.
As their Director and an Alumna of Wheatstone, I challenged them to get the most out of this week that they could. The growth they experience will be in large part due to how much they participate and boldly initiate in friendships and discussions. We expect a lot from them this week, and challenge them to take responsibility for their learning, and the learning of their peers in their small groups. I expressed how committed we are as a staff to encourage, equip and guide them this week. And I’ll be here with bandaids, sunscreen and water bottles at any turn!
Rick Vander Kam talked to the students about how challenge is essential to growth and learning. He prepared them for a kind of learning environment that is experiential and dialogic; learning that requires community. This is why we spend as little time as possible lecturing “at” students. We always transition quickly into dialogue and processing together as a group.
One of the most exciting moments of the evening was when we assigned students to their small groups. These groups of 6 – 8 students are lead by our excellent Mentor staff (16 groups altogether), and are where the real power of this program happen. The individuals in your son or daughter’s small group will be their main peer group this week, will go through the ropes course together, will discuss Plato, and process the events together. I’ve seen God do amazing things through these groups over the years!
After a few group challenges and games outdoors, we headed back into our meeting room to hear from our keynote speaker and co-founder of Wheatstone Academy, Dr. John Mark Reynolds. He addressed the first two questions in the Plato text that we’re studying: “Where did you come from? Where are you going?” Dr. Reynolds suggested that these questions are key to helping our culture through its current crises, and are should be active in the minds of students this week.
We’ll be posting Dr. Reynolds’ opening address online here very soon. We’re off-campus all of today, and will begin posting more regularly on Tuesday.
Now that the students are on their way through the Wheatstone conference, I can fill you in on their plans for this evening, which won’t be revealed to them until later today: We’re going to have dinner and hear a lecture by Dr. Reynolds about the world of Walt Disney, the ideas behind this cultural phenomenon, and then explore Disneyland together in small groups. This won’t be a typical visit to Disneyland. Our staff will help them process the story being told by Walt Disney in this iconic park, and how those stories and lessons have affected our culture. It will be a fun night!
More updates to come. Thank you for your prayers for the students this week. I’m very impressed with their attitude, energy and eagerness. I can tell this will be a powerful week for staff and students alike. I’m privileged to be a part of it.
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