This group portrayed persons from history in a “Wax Museum” presentation. Back row (left to right): Essentials tutor Melinda Lanker, Eddie Grant, Ransom Ward, Emma Hanawalt, Adalynn Carder, Vivian Lanker, Mallory Trainer, Cailey Chamberlain and Essentials tutor Kerry Hanawalt; front row: Ryder Beck, Zeke Carder, Blake Irons, Cecilia Cortez, McKenzie West and Lauren Hanawalt.
Alberta Stojkovic | AIM Media Midwest
Adalynn Carder carried a flag in the Wax Museum presentation, portraying Betsy Ross.
Alberta Stojkovic | AIM Media Midwest
Pictured is Kayla Trainer’s science project on cow’s milk vs. goat’s milk.
Alberta Stojkovic | AIM Media Midwest
The year-end celebration for families in the Classical Celebrations homeschool program was held at the North Woodbury Alliance Church in Mount Gilead on April 10.
Those attending the event heard 13 students in the “Essentials” group depict an historical character or celebrity in a “Wax Museum” presentation. The students chose a variety of personalities, including Helen Keller, Sacajawea, Albert Einstein, Michael Jackson, Betsy Ross and Ulysses S. Grant.
In addition to telling their celebrity’s story and answering visitors’ questions, the students did research on their person and wrote a paper about them. The students in the Essentials group range from fourth through sixth grade and are learning English composition, grammar and diagramming parts of speech.
Following a buffet dinner, Director Marcie Chamberlain introduced the tutors of the three areas of Foundations, Essentials and Challenges, who gave students certificates for their accomplishment over a 24- or 30-week program. Students meet once a week on Community Day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and work with their families the remainder of the week.
The Foundations group are learning facts and doing memory work as they learn to read and lay the foundations of literacy. They are K-4 students. The Essentials group builds on the foundations, and the Challenges group are middle school through high school. The Challenge A group had its science projects on display, which they had taken to be judged at a science fair. The Challenge B group performed a brief Mock Trial for the program.
Following the Foundations and Essentials groups, the older students are practicing debate, grammar and reasoning. There is also math, botany, cartography, and Latin vocabulary. The Challenge A students read 10 Newbury award books and write a persuasive essay with the reasoning of the books’ authors.
Challenge B students study American history, read literature, and draft essays and their own short stories as well as having science projects in biology and chemistry. They have precalculus and mock trials, and they competed in a Mock Trial contest in Columbus on April 25.
Chamberlain said Classical Conversations is more than a homeschool program.
“I believe we are called to do this and believe God has hand picked each person to be here,” Chamberlain said as she opened the celebration.
There are 47 students participating in the Mid-Ohio Classical Conversations program. It is Chamberlain’s fourth year directing the campus, which meets at North Woodbury Alliance Church. They will begin meeting again on Wednesdays in September. The groups are presently at levels K-8 on the campus.
The focus in the Classical Conversations program is supporting parents as they learn alongside their children. The program equips parents with resources not only what to learn, but how to learn. It is also in support of a Christian community.
The program has grown to 45,000 families in 50 nations with a program in every state. There are more than 20 campuses in Ohio with a Classical Conversations homeschool program.
To learn more about the program, visit https://classicalconversations.com/programs.
Alberta Stojkovic is a correspondent for The Morrow County Sentinel. She can be reached at [email protected].
