page 12 SOLIDUS€¦ · SOLIDUS A Schaeffer Academy publication dealing with matters of substantial...

SOLIDUSA S chaeffer A cademy publication dealing with matters of substantial character. Vo lume V I , I s sue 1 I • Apr i l , 2007

BY KE I T H E. PH I L L I P S , HE A D M A S T E R

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E

Paula Edwards Explains . . . .3How We Meet the Challengesof an Academically DiverseStudent Population

News of the School . . . . . . . . .4

Where Are They Now? . . . .5-6Catching Up With theClass of 2006

The Mousetrap Comes . . . . . .7to Schaeffer

Truth, Beauty, Goodness . . .8-10Student Work ReflectsWhat We Teach

Needs of the School . . . . . . .11

SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST

Another Great Year for theNational Latin Exam. Schaeffergets its fourth perfect paperon the NLE.(See back page)

EDITOR: KEITH E. PHILLIPS

COPY/PRODUCTION: GRETCHEN STEER

Solidus • page 12SolidusA Schaeffer Academy publication dealing with matters of substantial character.

Schaeffer Academy2700 Schaeffer Lane NERochester, MN 55906

Phone: (507) 286-1050Fax: (507) 282-3823Email: [email protected]

We’re on the web at www.schaefferacademy.org

NON-PROFIT ORGUS POSTAGE

PAIDROCHESTER,MNPERMIT NO 289

Sol idus is a publ icat ion of Schaeffer Academy, a Christ ian and c lass ical school ser v inggrades K-12. The Sol idus coin was f i r st minted by the Roman Emperor Constant ine in thefour th centur y A.D. to counteract the debasing of other coinage at that t ime . The Sol iduscoin introduced a new standard of re l iable value to the Roman monetar y system. TheSol idus in the masthead contains the cross potent , an ancient Christ ian symbol of power,and a Lat in inscr ipt ion…class ical and Christ ian symbols on one ar t i fact .

¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥

M E E T I N G O U R M I S S I O N

Another Great

Year for the

National Latin

Exam

Latin exam

Since 1993, the Board, Administration, Faculty, and Staff of Schaeffer Academy haveendeavored to establish and operate a top-notch Christian classical school. We have beensteadfast in seeking to fulfill the purpose that our founders originally established for thisschool: ÒTo provide a Christ-centered and classical education which emphasizesacademic excellence in the liberal arts.Ó

But here we are, more than fourteen years later , and some might wonder, “What does thatmean, what does it look like, and what are the results?” Those are good questions. Theyare questions that I love to answer.

What does that mean?As a Christ-centered school, we seek to provide a clear model of biblical Christian lifethrough our staff and Board of Directors (Matthew 22:37-40), to encourage every studentto begin and develop his relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ (Matthew28:18-20, Matthew 19:13-15), and to teach all subjects as part of an integrated whole withthe Scriptures at the center (II Timothy 3:16-17). In other words, we seek to give our stu -dents a Christian worldview.

As a classical school, we seek to emphasize grammar , logic, and rhetoric in all subjects, toencourage every student to develop a love for learning and to live up to his or her academ -ic potential, and to provide an orderly atmosphere to attain these goals.

The “liberal arts” in which we emphasize academic excellence are contained within theclassical Trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric) and Quadrivium (arithmetic, music, geometry,and astronomy). These arts are not called “liberal” because of a connection to any contem-porary political position. The Latin word liber means free, and these arts are “ liberal”because they are appropriate and necessary for free men and women.

What does it look like?To accomplish the founders’ purpose, we have established a core curriculum for all grades K-12.You can see the entire K-12 core curriculum on our website www .schaefferacademy.org.Our Lower and Middle school curricula prepare students for our Upper School curriculum,which exceeds college entrance requirements.

This core, academic, liberal arts, Christian worldview curriculum is the primary focus ofthe Board, administration, and faculty. Through it, we seek not only to enable our studentsto get into college and pass college classes, but also to help them develop a Christian viewof all of life that will bless them in college and beyond.

S AOur Latin students once again had superb results on the National Latin Exam. This test is givenyearly to over 135,000 students internationally. This year, 78% of our Latin I and II studentsreceived medals or honors for their results. These included the following students, who receivedGold (Summa Cum Laude) medals:(From Latin I)

Yaa KwansaKristen JohnsonAmanda MartinsonMarcie RatliffHannah Steer

continued on page 2

An additional 7 students receivedhonors in the Cum Laude or MagnaCum Laude categories.

However, the greatest honor this yeargoes to Schaeffer sophomore BobbyRatliff, who received a perfect scoreon his National Latin Exam. In theten years that we have administeredthe NLE, there have been just fourperfect papers at Schaeffer Academy.

Our Latin students are taught by veter -an teacher Mr. Jim Kluth, whoreceived the Classical Association ofMinnesota’s Latin Teacher of the Yearaward in 2004.

(From Latin II)Julian FloresAngela HersheyBobby RatliffDavid Vriezen

These students received Silver (Maxima Cum Laude)medals:(From Latin I)

Olivia EdelbachJoey FurstHeather MoirRenee OrthLauren Vaughan

(From Latin II)Natalie ArantEric FoleyJared GoedhartJacob MelderJosiah NagelAnna PhilbrickKelsey SnyderAnastacia Wells

Bobby Ratliff won a gold medalfor his perfect score on the NLE.

the futureSolidus • page 2

We have also established, and continue to add, elective and extra-curricular programs forour students. We offer two play productions each year, studio art courses, choir, band, year-book, student council, and competitive athletics for boys and girls in each season of the year .Some of these programs provide additional opportunities for our students to develop theirunderstanding and skills in the liberal arts. Others provide opportunities for our students toexcel in areas outside of academics. They all improve student morale and school spirit, andthey provide opportunities for community. In other words, these programs help us fulfill ourprimary mission by encouraging our students and parents and by complementing andenhancing the core curriculum.Through the combination of our core curriculum and our extra-curricular programs, we seestudents becoming well rounded human beings who are wise, discerning, and courageouslovers of God, neighbor, and liberty.

What are the results?The results of our Christ-centered and classical approach to education have been over -whelmingly positive. Most of our students love it here. The teacher-student and teacher-parent relationships are outstandingly positive, and behavior problems are few .

M E E T I N G O U R M I S S I O N (cont inued)

Solidus • page 11

permanent things

This issue of Solidus focuses onhow Schaeffer Academy is fulfill-ing its mission to teach Truth,Beauty, and Goodness – thePermanent Things which reflectthe character and nature of God.

MR. KEITH PHILLIPS, HEADMASTER.

MR. PHILLIPS HAS BEEN SCHAEFFER

ACADEMY’S HEADMASTER SINCE

2001. HE CAME TO THE SCHOOL

IN 1997 AS SCHAEFFER’S FIRST

ASSISTANT HEADMASTER. MR.

PHILLIPS PREVIOUSLY SERVED FIVE

YEARS AS A CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

ADMINISTRATOR ON THE ISLAND

OF KAUAI. DURING HIS TENURE

AS SCHAEFFER’S HEADMASTER,

THE SCHOOL HAS GROWN FROM

288 TO OVER 370, COMPLETED

TWO MAJOR BUILDING PROJECTS,

GRADUATED SIX CLASSES, AND

ACHIEVED ACCREDITATION WITH

THE ACCS (ASSOCIATION OF

CLASSICAL AND CHRISTIAN

SCHOOLS.)

S C H A E F F E R A C A D E M Y

Please put my donation towards Generation II Building. $ ____________________

Please put my donation towards the Scholarship Fund. $ _____________________

Please put my donation towards the Annual Fund. $ _________________________

Please contact me.

Name: _________________________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip: ___________________________________________________________

Telephone: _________________________________________

Today’s Date: _______________________________________

Mail to: Schaeffer Academy, 2700 Schaeffer Lane NE, Rochester, MN 55906Schaeffer Academy thanks you for your gracious commitment to the school. All donations are tax deductible. Contact us at (507) 286-1050 or www .schaefferacademy.org.

a vision for

BREAKING GROUND IN MAY 2007

Next month we will break ground for two new wings of the school,which will give us:

• Six new classrooms with windows• Girls’ and Boys’ locker rooms with showers and toilets• A new Commons area for lunch and large gatherings, seating 150• A new Music Studio with room for rehearsal and instrument

storage• Study areas for pull-out groups, tutoring, counseling and testing

Generation II building provides a second generation of classroomsfor Schaeffer Academy, to serve the second generation of studentswho follow the class of 2006 – our first group to go from kinder-garten to twelfth grade at Schaeffer.

The addition, totaling 14,380 feet of new construction, will cost$2,658,000. Through gifts and tax exempt financing (see page 2)we have $1,900,000 in hand to construct the footprint and shell ofboth wings, and completely finish two classrooms in time for fall of2007.

However, we need donations of another $758,000 in order to com-pletely finish the inside of both wings. We plan to do this in stages,and the points to the right show what we can accomplish with yourgifts over the next three years:

In 2007: $393,000This will “low finish” the commons for use by this fall. Low finish meansthat we can get an occupancy permit, but there will be no drywall, paintor finished ceilings, and only a cement floor. However, this will permit usto have lunch in the new commons while we raise money to complete it.This figure also includes money for completely finishing the locker rooms.

In 2008: $159,000This will completely finish the classroom wing, including the four additionalclassrooms, hallway, and outside entrance.

In 2009: $206,400This will completely finish the commons wing, including the music studioand commons area.

How You Can HelpSchaeffer Academy is a non profit corporation, so all your gifts are taxdeductible. They are welcome in the form of stock transfer, check, cash,securities or estate gifts. Please contact our Director of Development,Gretchen Steer, for more information at 507- 286-1050, should you wishto donate stock or other non-cash items.

A monthly pledge is an easy way to make a financial commitment to theschool. We offer electronic funds transfer, which is particularly easy if youare already using EFT for tuition payments.

Schaeffer Academy needs you – we greatly appreciate your support.

HEADMASTER KEITH PHILLIPS

English 4 4 4 4

Mathematics 3 3 3 4

Science 4 3 3 4

History 4 3 3 3

Foreign Language 4 2 2 4

Fine Arts 1 1

Rhetoric 1

Religion 2

# of Creditsrequired bySchaeffer

# of Creditsrecommended byACT

Universityof Minnesota

HarvardUniversity

Our Lower School students have performed quite well in Math Masters competitions, Word Power competitions, and the GeographyBee. Our Middle and Upper School students have received numerous awards in the regional and state Science Fair and NationalHistory Day competitions. Our standardized test scores are high – see www .schaefferacademy.org/test_scores.html.

Over forty colleges and universities around the nation have accepted our graduates. These schools range from large state universitiessuch as the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin to small private colleges such as Wheaton, St. Olaf, andHillsdale. A good number of the students have received scholarships and other honors from their accepting schools.

Not only have our graduates been accepted into college, they have also succeeded academically there. A member of our first graduatingclass (2001) is currently excelling in medical school. Two members of our second graduating class (2002) are enrolled in graduateschool – one as a Fulbright scholar. We also have graduates working as nurses for the Mayo Clinic and a graduate working in publicrelations for the Target Corporation. One of our graduates has been asked to teach college logic courses – before he has even completedhis Bachelor’s degree.

Most of our graduates continue to maintain a good relationship with Schaef fer Academy, their parents, and their home churches. Theytell us that they have been well prepared for college and for life. I praise God for blessing our school in these ways, and I am humbledthat he allows me to serve him here.

If you believe that what we are doing here is good and is much needed in our world today , would you please help us continue impactinglives with Christ-centered and classical education? We will put your prayers and gifts to good use. Soli Deo Gloria.

Current Needs of the School

Needed for Generation II Building:$2,658,000

Amount covered to date: $1,900,000

Still needed: $ 758,000

Needed for 2007 Scholarship Fund:$ 50,000

Amount given to date: $ 21,000


Needed for Annual Fund: $ 30,000



How Julius CaesarAffected the Roman Republic

By Yaa Kwansa, Grade 9(The following is excerpted from a term paperfrom Latin I)

By 60 B.C. there were three people(Julius Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey) whowanted to become ruler of Rome. Theproblem was that none of them alone hadsufficient power to obtain complete control.Caesar had the favor of the people;Crassus had the money, and Pompey had thesupport of the Senate. So an alliance wasformed between them called a triumvirate.This meant that they would rule Rometogether. With this position, Caesar gothimself appointed governor of Gaul (pres-ent day France.) There he put together awell-trained and loyal army. Even thoughhe was away, he sent written accounts ofhis military accomplishments to Rome.These published accounts, titled TheCommentaries on the Gallic Wars, madeCaesar’s name well known in Rome.

During this time, steaming jealousy ofCaesar’s strength and popularity ledPompey to ask for help from the Senate toweaken his remaining rival, since Crassushad died in a war in Asia. The Senateresponded by ordering Caesar’s return toRome and the disbanding of his army.Instead, Caesar proclaimed a war uponPompey and the Senate. Then he crossedthe Rubicon, a river in northern Italy, andmarched his army toward Rome. Sincethat day “crossing the Rubicon” has meanmaking a fateful decision from whichthere is no turning back. This also com-pleted the collapse of the triumvirate.

When the two armies met, the winnerwas undeniably Caesar. Pompey fled forrefuge to Egypt, where he was later killed.Power was now completely in the handsof Caesar, who proclaimed himself dicta-tor for life. Caesar accomplished manythings during his short rule. He lessenedthe corruption of the government, estab-lished colonies for the landless veterans,granted citizenship to many living inRome’s new colonies, and initiated manypublic works programs.

Although Caesar was popular amongthe people, he had many enemies, who weremainly among the nobles and senators.

Some were former followers of Pompey,and others feared that Caesar was going tomake himself king and eliminate therepublic. Since the time of the Etruscans,who were harsh rulers, Romans hadregarded all kings in that way. TheRomans often permitted a temporary dic-tatorship, but they could not accept a king.So on the Ides of March, 44 B.C., a groupof conspirators assassinated Caesar in theSenate Chamber.

Gaius Julius Caesar was one of themost significant figures in the history ofRome. He was also an excellent oratorwho was able to win political support ofthe public to accomplish his aims. Caesarwas also recognized for his military tri-umphs, in which he was able to expandRome and its rule. In all of his lifeaccomplishments, “he came, he saw, andhe conquered.”

The Effect of Nero’s Persecutionon the Early Church

By Hannah Steer, Grade 9(The following is excerpted from a term paperfrom Latin I)

The early Christians demonstratedwhat many later martyrs also showedthrough the ages. Their willingness to dieadded credibility to their witness asbelievers in Christ. They showed that aChristian can witness just as effectivelythrough death as through life. As the his-torian Tertullian wrote, “The blood of themartyrs is the seed of the church.” (fromAgainst Heresies.) What this means isthat when a Christian dies faithfully andundeservingly, people become followers ofChrist through the strength of their witness.

Many of the early Roman Christianswere willing to stay in the city and, as aresult, were hunted by Roman officials.They took refuge in the catacombs, whichwere underground caves filled withwinding tunnels, housing many graves.Christians not only took temporary refugein them but also sometimes lived under-ground for a period of time when the per-secution was at its worst. The Christiansbelieved in the resurrection of the bodyand therefore buried rather than burnedremains as the Romans did. The cata-

At Schaeffer Academy there isa range of learning abilities inevery classroom. To meet thechallenge of effectively teach-ing all students, we implementa variety of curriculum andteaching accommodations.Solidus interviewed Mrs.Paula Edwards, administrator,on this subject.

Solidus: How academicallydiverse IS our studentpopulation?Mrs. Edwards: Most studentsfall into a range of abilitieswhere they can successfullylearn in a classroom with no orminimal modifications in cur-riculum or teaching methods.Frequently, the pupils at theedges of this group do requiresome routine, everydayaccommodations. These mayinclude reteaching of concepts,ability groupings, curriculumdifferentiations (such as MathMasters, spelling list modifica-tion, or math challenge prob-lems) and extra home help.Worldwide, the distribution isabout 68% of the total popula-tion who fall into this centralIQ group (typically, scoresbetween 70 and 130).Another group of students,usually about 25%, have learn-ing abilities where parts of thecurriculum are too challengingor not challenging enoughwithout modifications.Significant curriculum andmethod accommodations arenecessary for these students.These may include those listedabove as well as takingAP/Honors classes, repeatinga grade, using books on tape,working with computer aids,

private tutoring, independentstudy, testing out of a subjector skill, taking additionaltime for tests, note takingassistance, and subject accel-eration.

Solidus: Are there studentswe cannot accommodate?Mrs. Edwards: A small per-centage of students (4%) fallin the range of abilities whereregular classroom instruction,even with significant accom-modations and modifications,is not sufficient. Educationalprogramming found in spe-cialized schools and in com-munity based services is morebeneficial to them. However,it should be noted that atSchaeffer we are presentlyaccommodating students witha wide range of abilities andneeds, including studentswith I.E.P.’s (IndividualEducation Plans) administeredjointly with the public schoolsystem, students with learningdisabilities such as dyslexia,mild autism, ADHD, and giftedstudents.

Solidus: If a student receivesaccommodations, is this notedon the permanent record orhigh school transcript?Mrs. Edwards: Dependingupon the nature of the accom-modations, they will be notedon the high school transcript.For example, a student whotakes honors or AP coursesreceives additional gradecredit. This is explainedmore fully in our UpperSchool Profile, which is adocument sent out with eachstudent’s transcript when heor she applies to college.

Solidus • page 3

permanent things

MRS. PAULA EDWARDS SERVED

FROM 1994 THROUGH 2001 AS

SCHAEFFER ACADEMY’S FIRST

HEADMASTER. IN THIS CAPACITY

SHE SAW THE SCHOOL THROUGH

THE DEVELOPMENT OF GRADES

K-12, SHEPHERDED IT THROUGH

FOUR MOVES AS WE TRANSI-

TIONED FROM RENTAL FACILITIES

TO OUR OWN CAMPUS, AND

HELPED GUIDE THE DEVELOP-

MENT OF THE SCOPE AND

SEQUENCE OF INSTRUCTION.

HAVING MET HER GOAL OF

SEEING THE SCHOOL THROUGH

ITS EARLIEST YEARS, MRS.

EDWARDS RESIGNED FROM THE

HEADMASTER POSITION IN 2001,

BUT SHE HAS CONTINUED TO

TEACH HER BELOVED 7TH GRADE

LIFE SCIENCE CLASS. MRS.

EDWARDS ALSO SERVES AS PART-

TIME ELEMENTARY ADMINISTRA-

TIVE ASSISTANT. WITH MASTER’S

DEGREES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION

AND GIFTED AND TALENTED

EDUCATION, SHE PROVIDES

EXPERT COUNSEL ON THESE

MATTERS TO SCHAEFFER’S

TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS.

How We Meet the Challengesof an Academically Diverse Student Population By Paula Edwards

If a student receives minoraccommodations such as addi-tional help or tutoring, thesego unremarked on a transcript.However, we have an ethicalobligation to note certaintypes of accommodations, anddoing so actually benefits thestudents. For example, adyslexic student receivingaccommodations (such as extratime for tests or the ability t orecord lectures) would not beextended this help at collegewere he or she not alreadyreceiving it in high school,as noted on the transcript.While students do have per-manent academic records,these are not typically utilizedunless he or she transfers toanother school during gradesK-8. A more public form ofpermanent record, the highschool transcript, comes intoplay during grades 9-12, and itis this document which is sentto colleges when a studentapplies.

Solidus • page 10

Mrs. Paula Edwards

s t u d e n t w o r kREFLECT ING TRUTH, BEAUTY, GOODNESS

combs were a natural grave site forChristians and evidence of their presencecan be seen through human remains andChristian symbols etched on the stone walls.

Other Christians decided to leave Romebecause of the danger. As they traveled tonew homes they witnessed of their faith onthe way, spreading Christianity far beyondRome and into countries as far away asIndia. The consequence of this dispersionwas to make Christianity a world religionrather than one confined to a local area.

In the end, Nero’s persecution ofChristians taught the early church how tosuffer and die for its faith, to the glory ofGod. In doing this they followed the exam-ple of Jesus Christ, who also suffered anddied. The fact that they were followingChrist even to death added to the credibilityof their religion. The scattering of the earlychurch also made them obedient to theGreat Commission: “Go and make disciplesof all nations, baptizing them in the nameof the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything Ihave commanded you. And surely I amwith you until the very end of the age.”(Matthew 28:18-20).

School life at Schaeffer.

(Above)Jim Kluth, Latin teacher

(Left) Fourth Grade Shark Dissection

Solidus • page 4 Solidus • page 9

Life at Schaeffer Academy

Schaeffer Academy SecuresTax-Exempt Funding

In mid-April, thanks to much hard work by Director ofDevelopment Mrs. Gretchen Steer, Schaeffer Academy receivedapproval from the Olmsted County Housing & RedevelopmentAuthority and the Olmsted County Board of Commissioners for$4.2 million in tax-exempt financing. The funds will restruc-ture our existing debt at a much lower rate of interest and pro-vide the basis for construction of two new wings for the school.

Tax-exempt financing is available to non-profit organizationswho meet certain criteria. In our case, our bankers (W ells-Fargo)provide the funds from investors; the county will “hold thepaper” for what is sometimes called pass-through or conduitfinancing, and we receive a lower rate of interest than conven-tional funding, making it possible to have a similar level of debtservice each month while freeing up a greater amount of money ,due to the lower interest rate. The deal is the culmination ofseveral months’ work, and will be used to begin construction ona six classroom elementary wing, as well as a commons/musicstudio/locker room wing.

You can read more about our new construction on page 1 1.While the funds will provide the shell of these two structures,another $700,000 - $800,000 will be needed to fully finish theinsides for use. These funds must come from donors both insideand outside of the school, and are needed by 2009 to completeboth wings. To find out how to donate, please turn to page 1 1.

Middle Schoolers Shine at Word Power

Word Power is a national bee-type vocabulary competition,which begins at the classroom level for students in grades 4-8.Following our classroom, grade level and regional events inJanuary 2007, we received notice that three of our students hadqualified to participate in the state-level competition. The statelevel comprises the top one hundred or so students inMinnesota, so it is quite an honor to have the followingSchaeffer students compete at that level: Nathan Hanson (grade6), Henry Ishitani (grade 7), and Ashley Wright (grade 8).Results of the state competition are not yet available.

Science and History Fair

Each January Schaeffer students in grades 7-12 participate inour Science & History Fair. Students in grades 7, 9 and 1 1produce Science Fair projects, while students in grades 8, 10and 12 prepare National History Day projects. After schooljudging and an open house for parents, about 50 of our studentsprogressed to regional competition in one of the two areas.

of the schoolnews

28 Science Fair students competed at Regionals, with 12 receivinghonors for their projects. In many cases, these included cashawards, savings bonds and gift certificates of $100 or more.Four of our students were nominated to continue to the Statelevel on April 25. They were Kerryn Ansell (grade 7); April Blais(grade 9); AJ Knodel (grade 11), and Marcie Ratliff (grade 9).

Meanwhile, Schaeffer students were progressing through Regionalcompetition for National History Day, which took place in earlyApril. Of these students, 12 received honors for their projects,and ten were selected to compete at the State level NationalHistory Day competition in May: Thomas Chan (grade 8);Ben Clapp (grade 10); Josh Dockter (grade 10); Julian Flores(grade 10); Jared Goedhart (grade 10); Angela Hershey(grade 10); Hannah Lowe (grade 8); Katie Murphy (grade 12);Daniel Rose (grade 8); and Abby Ward (grade 8).

National Merit News

In the December 2006 issue of Solidus we reported that three ofour Class of 2007 had been named National Merit Semi-finalists.All three progressed through the competition and were namedNational Merit Finalists in January, 2007. These three areSam Philbrick, Anna Rose, and Emily Steer. They represent 30%of their class of ten.

Sixth Grade Math Masters Make a Mark

At Schaeffer Academy, the Math Masters program is taught byvolunteers in grades 2-6. The fifth and sixth graders have theopportunity to compete at the regional level against their coun-terparts in Rochester’s public and private schools, as well asother schools in southeast Minnesota.

On March 16, we sent four 6th grade Math Masters teams toRegional competition where they competed with 170 studentsfrom 33 local school teams. One of our teams took fourth place,a great accomplishment given the relative size of our schoolcompared to the others. The winning team was coached byMr. Scott Hanson and Dr. Cathy Marks, and included Will Gisler,Collin Gustafson, Nathan Hanson, Luke Harris, and Matthew Marks.

In addition, some of our students took individual awards:Matthew Marks took 6th place in the Math Facts Drill Test and9th place in the Individual Round Test; Collin Gustafson andJarika Tuohimaa tied for 10th place in the Math Facts Drill Test,and Jarika also took 13th place in the Individual Round Test.These awards represent their standing among the 170 studentsat the meet.

Solidus: What do you miss about Schaeffer Academy?

Ian Dan Aderton: I miss teachers who care.

Josh Melder: I miss the friends that I had while I was at Schaefferand the relationships that I built with them and the teachers. I alsomiss playing athletics at a competitive level.

Melissa Hansen: I miss the community at Schaeffer: recognizingeveryone, people who smile instead of stare at their feet, seeing littlekids in the hallway, teachers who know your name. At a college with40,000 students you rarely see a familiar face between classes and theprofessors don’t even know you’re in their class, much less your nameor reputation.I also really miss the Christian environment and teachers starting classwith prayer.

The Class of 2006 Talks About Their First Year (continued)

Among the Class of 2007 are at least three nursing students, as wellas students majoring in business, psychology, kinesiology, dietetics,geological engineering, pre-law, computer science, and pre-med. Twostudents have begun college at RCTC, while one is taking a gap yearworking in San Antonio.

Notable achievements include first semester Dean’s List nominees(Dana Wittlief at U of Kentucky, Anna Dockter at Olivet Nazarene)a first semester academic achievement award (Katrina Knodel);Meredith Lee, who is rowing novice on the U of M Division I women’steam, ranked 10th in the nation; and Josh Melder, who is a novicemember of the number one nationally ranked Liberty UniversityDebate team.




Second and Third Grade Artwork.

We go to cut down a treeThe room is bright and beautifulThe beads are shiny goldLet’s put up the Christmas tree

It’s fun to see all the lightsBrighten up the whole house.Everything is pretty as can be - Let’s put up the Christmas tree.

We put up all the ornamentsRemembering what fun Christmas is.I’ll turn on the Christmas musicLet’s put up the Christmas tree.

By Monica Murray

The Christmas season’s coming.Can’t you taste it coming this way?There’s so many things to doOn this wonderful Christmas day.

I like the feeling of ChristmasAs it passes over me.Can’t you feel its wonderful feeling?Just wait and you will see.

By Billy Ricker

Mrs. Goedhart’s fourth grade students wrote reflections and poems on the subject of Christmas during December. Here are some of them:

The lull of the sweet musicThe glow of the candles and Christmas lights.The sweet aroma of chocolate chip cookies and hot apple cider.The taste of chocolate melting in my mouth.The sensation that Christmas is coming and school will be out soon.The warmth of the cider going right to my toes.The décor of the holly and Christmas trees and nativity scenes.

Christmas goodiesIncluding chocolate chip cookiesHot apple cider andCocoa with marshmallows,Let us rejoice!

Jesus the Savior was bornOn the dawn of the first Christmas morn.Let us go and worship Him!

By Hannah Harris

My dear children, let’s not just talk about love.Let’s practice real love – like God from above.

By Gabe Storm

Mrs.Will’s second graders are learning about poetry by writing couplets. They took as their subject theirrelationship with God.

\God is with us every year.When I fear, God is here.

By Kyle Hicks

God is my helper and my trust.God will help me to be just.

By Becca Orth

Dan Aderton is at Iowa State; Peter Buller,Northwestern College; Anna Dockter, OlivetNazarene; Allison Goedhart, Olivet Nazarene;Melissa Hansen, U W Madison; AprilHohnbaum, Colorado State; Shannon Kelly,Northwestern College; Katrina Knodel, SouthDakota School of Mines & Technology;Meredith Lee, U of M; Sean Lundberg, U of M;Stephen Megraw, U of North Dakota; JoshMelder, Liberty University; Julie Michelson,Bethel University; Matt Nyman, U of M (Duluth);Colin O’Driscoll, Winona State; Ian Philbrick,taking a gap year with City Year in San Antonio,Texas; Jeffre Vaughan, RCTC; Nathan Vogel,RCTC; Dana Wittlief, U of Kentucky.

We heard from 13 of them in time for this article.

The Class of 2006Talks About Their First Year

Solidus: How did Schaeffer Academyprepare you for college?

Dan Aderton: Schaeffer’s work load anddifficulty is similar to that at college, so it wasn’ta huge shock switching from Schaeffer to IowaState.

Anna Dockter: I have learned to greatlyappreciate the education that I received at

Schaeffer Academy. Many of the classes thatare required, I had already taken in high school.At Schaeffer I struggled with my gradesbecause of the academic level, but since I hadthat experience, college was no big surprise.Many students here seem to struggle withmaterial that I would consider basic aftertaking college level courses at Schaeffer.

Allison Goedhart: While at Schaeffer Ioften spent too much time studying. In fact,I think the common joke was that I needed to“get a life.” I came into college expecting a lotof homework; however, I found the work loadto be much lighter. By developing studyingskills during high school, I found that I am wellprepared to handle any task or assignment.

Katrina Knodel: At Schaeffer I developed aChristian worldview and learned how to defendwhat I believe. I was prepared for the rigorousacademic schedule I have now.

Meredith Lee: Schaeffer Academy helpedprepare me for college by reinforcing the firmfoundation I was given at home and at church.I learned more clearly what I believe throughdoctrine and theology, and why it’s true, throughapologetics. These classes have helped me face

the challenges of attending a large public uni-versity and have also given me the boldnessto share my faith.

Solidus: What was the most usefulacademic tool given to you at Schaeffer?

Josh Melder: Schaeffer’s classical approachto teaching has given me an advantage whenit comes to expressing myself in speeches orpapers. I am also more prepared grammati-cally and mathematically than many otherswhen it comes to writing papers or doingmathematical equations.

Allison Goedhart: The most useful toolwas learning to learn. You may not like everysubject you take, but when you dive into itand do a little bit of your own research, youfeel more content with yourself and theresults will be pleasing and rewarding to you.

Julie Michelson: In classes such as Logic,Rhetoric and Philosophy, we were taught notjust the subject materials, but how to apply itto our lives, especially our lives as Christians.I learned critical thinking skills and how tolook at the world from an educated, Christianperspective.

where are they now?The Class of 2006 Talks About Their First Year

On May 26, 2006, Schaeffer graduated the largest group of seniors in its history – 19 students, seven of whom had attended the school since kinder-garten. This group has scattered geographically but many keep their ties to school, turning up on lunchtime visits, at our plays and at sporting events.

Dan Aderton Anna Dockter Allison Goedhart Katrina Knodel Meredith Lee

Josh Melder Julie Michelson Matt Nyman Colin O’Driscoll Shannon Kelly

Solidus • page 7

Matt Nyman: A proficiency in and knowl-edge of good academic writing.

Colin O’Driscoll: The greatest academictool would have to be test-taking skills.

Dana Wittlief: Definitely, study skills. Thehomework load in college is not any worsethan what it was at Schaeffer so I did not needto learn how to manage my time. A lot of myfriends here had to struggle with learning howto study, but instead, I could concentrate onmeeting people.

Solidus: What advice do you have for the2007 grads?

Shannon Kelly: Realize that college is afresh start, so put yourself out there and trysomething new. Also, don’t be shy, becausemost of the time friends are not dropped offat your door.

Katrina Knodel: Join a Christian organiza-tion right away. I became involved in IVCF andmost of my close friends are also part of it.Through older students in InterVarsity, I wasable to get a ride to church each week andgrow in my relationship with God.

Meredith Lee: My advice is to rememberwhat you were taught at Schaeffer. You havebeen given a huge advantage over most collegestudents by taking classes such logic, worldview,

and apologetics – to ignore those things wouldbe foolish.

Ian Philbrick: Enjoy your time while you’rein high school. You probably can’t wait tilgraduation, but make sure you enjoy your lastlittle bit of high school.

Melissa Hansen: College is a time whenyou will either lose your faith or grow in yourfaith – the choice is yours. Find a church anda Bible study right away. At first you will becompletely alone, no friends, no parents, noone, but God will always be there for you.Remember to trust him for EVERYTHING, bigand small. You can’t make it on your own.

Matt Nyman: Be confident in your faith.You will gain respect from your peers if youstrictly and confidently hold to godly morals.Also, seek out a church and a campus min-istry for Christian reinforcement.

Colin O’Driscoll: Choose a Christian col-lege or university. Keep in contact with home,friends, and family. Make choices that YOUcan respect yourself for. Don’t compromise,thinking that it is “for the best”. Get involvedwith a local church and youth group as soonas possible!

Dana Wittlief: Make sure you know whereyou stand before you go to college. Especiallyat a public university, you will be presented

with a variety of different views by your peersand professors so it is important to know whatyou think and why. Just be prepared to standup for what you believe.

Solidus: What do you miss about SchaefferAcademy?

Ian Philbrick: The basketball team. We hada great group of players, a good coach, and alot of fun together.

Julie Michelson: I really miss getting intotrouble for chewing gum.

Matt Nyman: I miss my classmates,Mr. Arant’s bad puns, and fly-fishing with myprincipal.

Katrina Knodel: I miss the friendly atmos-phere and teachers who know me and care.

Anna Dockter: I miss the family-like com-munity we had. Schaeffer provided me withteachers who cared not only about my learningbut also about me personally. I was able to bemyself without being pressured to be someonethat I’m not.

Shannon Kelly: I miss the fun that I hadwith my class. Pretty much, we laughed everyday. I also miss the teachers, how they wereable to get to know you and really care abouthow you’re doing.


continued on page 9

Solidus • page 6

Schaeffer Drama

Junior AJ Knodel, a veteran actor and student administrator of many Schaef fer drama productions, requested to direct the spring play .She chose Agatha Christie’s play The Mousetrap (see article this page) and began the arduous process of casting fellow students, run-ning rehearsals, overseeing and working on set design and construction, costuming and directing. AJ was helped by the advice andsupport of many, but bore the primary responsibility for the production.The concept of a fully student-led production was so intriguing that the Post-Bulletin interviewed her and ran a sizable article about her .In the article, AJ explained how she’d read up on the technical aspects of theater , as well as directing and set design. She also admittedthat having a helpful and cooperative cast of eight peers was extremely helpful. The actors were Jared Goedhart (grade 10); DanielMcLaughlin (grade 12); Anne Medberry (grade 11); Peter Michelson (grade 11); Sam Philbrick (grade 12); Bobby Ratliff (grade 10);Anna Rose (grade 12); and Emily Steer (grade 12).AJ plans to be a theater major in college, and is already thinking about another possible student-led production for next year .

Student Director AJ Knodel Tackles a Big Task

The Mousetrap Comes to SchaefferThe Mousetrap was written in 1947 by Dame Agatha Christie,and was originally commissioned by the BBC as a radio play tocommemorate the 80th birthday of Queen Mary. It opened atAmbassadors Theater in London in 1952, and has appeared eversince, holding the world record for the longest continuouslyrunning play.Because Miss Christie’s estate has not released the rights for atouring production in America, the play is typically performed bylocal theater companies. The Mousetrap is an ensemble piece setin a country house, where eight strangers are stranded by a snow -storm and forced to interact with each other because of a murder .One of the challenges of staging The Mousetrap was the fact thatall action takes place in a single setting – the drawing room of acountry house. However, to provide visual interest and variety,our set was designed with five entrances and exits, including awindow, a staircase, two doors and a corridor. It also had aworking fireplace and authentic period decoration.At the end of the performances, audiences were cautioned inMiss Christie’s words: “If you know the identity of the murderer ,don’t give it away!”

The History of Schaeffer DramaSchaeffer faculty member Jim Kluth started drama productionsin 1995, despite the fact that the school was renting space froma local church and there was no suitable place to stage a play .Nonetheless, the program launched with a production of A.A.Milne’s The Ugly Duckling. In 2002, the Violet Wright MemorialGymnasium and auditorium was built, which gave Schaef ferAcademy its own stage and a large venue for drama. Typicallyplays draw an audience of 500-600 on two nights. A spring pro-duction was added in 2004, so that two plays now occur eachyear. Plays performed have been as diverse as Number the Starsand Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors (Spring 2006).Future plans include production of a musical, with a possibleaddition of a third production during the year.

Scenes fromThe Mousetrap

AJ Knodel, Student Director

Ian Philbrick

April Hohnbaum Jeffre Vaughan Sean Lundberg Nathan Vogel Peter Buller

Melissa Hansen Dana Wittlief Stephen Megraw



Second and Third Grade Artwork.

We go to cut down a treeThe room is bright and beautifulThe beads are shiny goldLet’s put up the Christmas tree

It’s fun to see all the lightsBrighten up the whole house.Everything is pretty as can be - Let’s put up the Christmas tree.

We put up all the ornamentsRemembering what fun Christmas is.I’ll turn on the Christmas musicLet’s put up the Christmas tree.

By Monica Murray

The Christmas season’s coming.Can’t you taste it coming this way?There’s so many things to doOn this wonderful Christmas day.

I like the feeling of ChristmasAs it passes over me.Can’t you feel its wonderful feeling?Just wait and you will see.

By Billy Ricker

Mrs. Goedhart’s fourth grade students wrote reflections and poems on the subject of Christmas during December. Here are some of them:

The lull of the sweet musicThe glow of the candles and Christmas lights.The sweet aroma of chocolate chip cookies and hot apple cider.The taste of chocolate melting in my mouth.The sensation that Christmas is coming and school will be out soon.The warmth of the cider going right to my toes.The décor of the holly and Christmas trees and nativity scenes.

Christmas goodiesIncluding chocolate chip cookiesHot apple cider andCocoa with marshmallows,Let us rejoice!

Jesus the Savior was bornOn the dawn of the first Christmas morn.Let us go and worship Him!

By Hannah Harris

My dear children, let’s not just talk about love.Let’s practice real love – like God from above.

By Gabe Storm

Mrs.Will’s second graders are learning about poetry by writing couplets. They took as their subject theirrelationship with God.

\God is with us every year.When I fear, God is here.

By Kyle Hicks

God is my helper and my trust.God will help me to be just.

By Becca Orth

Dan Aderton is at Iowa State; Peter Buller,Northwestern College; Anna Dockter, OlivetNazarene; Allison Goedhart, Olivet Nazarene;Melissa Hansen, U W Madison; AprilHohnbaum, Colorado State; Shannon Kelly,Northwestern College; Katrina Knodel, SouthDakota School of Mines & Technology;Meredith Lee, U of M; Sean Lundberg, U of M;Stephen Megraw, U of North Dakota; JoshMelder, Liberty University; Julie Michelson,Bethel University; Matt Nyman, U of M (Duluth);Colin O’Driscoll, Winona State; Ian Philbrick,taking a gap year with City Year in San Antonio,Texas; Jeffre Vaughan, RCTC; Nathan Vogel,RCTC; Dana Wittlief, U of Kentucky.

We heard from 13 of them in time for this article.

The Class of 2006Talks About Their First Year

Solidus: How did Schaeffer Academyprepare you for college?

Dan Aderton: Schaeffer’s work load anddifficulty is similar to that at college, so it wasn’ta huge shock switching from Schaeffer to IowaState.

Anna Dockter: I have learned to greatlyappreciate the education that I received at

Schaeffer Academy. Many of the classes thatare required, I had already taken in high school.At Schaeffer I struggled with my gradesbecause of the academic level, but since I hadthat experience, college was no big surprise.Many students here seem to struggle withmaterial that I would consider basic aftertaking college level courses at Schaeffer.

Allison Goedhart: While at Schaeffer Ioften spent too much time studying. In fact,I think the common joke was that I needed to“get a life.” I came into college expecting a lotof homework; however, I found the work loadto be much lighter. By developing studyingskills during high school, I found that I am wellprepared to handle any task or assignment.

Katrina Knodel: At Schaeffer I developed aChristian worldview and learned how to defendwhat I believe. I was prepared for the rigorousacademic schedule I have now.

Meredith Lee: Schaeffer Academy helpedprepare me for college by reinforcing the firmfoundation I was given at home and at church.I learned more clearly what I believe throughdoctrine and theology, and why it’s true, throughapologetics. These classes have helped me face

the challenges of attending a large public uni-versity and have also given me the boldnessto share my faith.

Solidus: What was the most usefulacademic tool given to you at Schaeffer?

Josh Melder: Schaeffer’s classical approachto teaching has given me an advantage whenit comes to expressing myself in speeches orpapers. I am also more prepared grammati-cally and mathematically than many otherswhen it comes to writing papers or doingmathematical equations.

Allison Goedhart: The most useful toolwas learning to learn. You may not like everysubject you take, but when you dive into itand do a little bit of your own research, youfeel more content with yourself and theresults will be pleasing and rewarding to you.

Julie Michelson: In classes such as Logic,Rhetoric and Philosophy, we were taught notjust the subject materials, but how to apply itto our lives, especially our lives as Christians.I learned critical thinking skills and how tolook at the world from an educated, Christianperspective.


On May 26, 2006, Schaeffer graduated the largest group of seniors in its history – 19 students, seven of whom had attended the school since kinder-garten. This group has scattered geographically but many keep their ties to school, turning up on lunchtime visits, at our plays and at sporting events.

Dan Aderton Anna Dockter Allison Goedhart Katrina Knodel Meredith Lee

Josh Melder Julie Michelson Matt Nyman Colin O’Driscoll Shannon Kelly


Life at Schaeffer Academy

Schaeffer Academy SecuresTax-Exempt Funding

In mid-April, thanks to much hard work by Director ofDevelopment Mrs. Gretchen Steer, Schaeffer Academy receivedapproval from the Olmsted County Housing & RedevelopmentAuthority and the Olmsted County Board of Commissioners for$4.2 million in tax-exempt financing. The funds will restruc-ture our existing debt at a much lower rate of interest and pro-vide the basis for construction of two new wings for the school.

Tax-exempt financing is available to non-profit organizationswho meet certain criteria. In our case, our bankers (W ells-Fargo)provide the funds from investors; the county will “hold thepaper” for what is sometimes called pass-through or conduitfinancing, and we receive a lower rate of interest than conven-tional funding, making it possible to have a similar level of debtservice each month while freeing up a greater amount of money ,due to the lower interest rate. The deal is the culmination ofseveral months’ work, and will be used to begin construction ona six classroom elementary wing, as well as a commons/musicstudio/locker room wing.

You can read more about our new construction on page 1 1.While the funds will provide the shell of these two structures,another $700,000 - $800,000 will be needed to fully finish theinsides for use. These funds must come from donors both insideand outside of the school, and are needed by 2009 to completeboth wings. To find out how to donate, please turn to page 1 1.

Middle Schoolers Shine at Word Power

Word Power is a national bee-type vocabulary competition,which begins at the classroom level for students in grades 4-8.Following our classroom, grade level and regional events inJanuary 2007, we received notice that three of our students hadqualified to participate in the state-level competition. The statelevel comprises the top one hundred or so students inMinnesota, so it is quite an honor to have the followingSchaeffer students compete at that level: Nathan Hanson (grade6), Henry Ishitani (grade 7), and Ashley Wright (grade 8).Results of the state competition are not yet available.

Science and History Fair

Each January Schaeffer students in grades 7-12 participate inour Science & History Fair. Students in grades 7, 9 and 1 1produce Science Fair projects, while students in grades 8, 10and 12 prepare National History Day projects. After schooljudging and an open house for parents, about 50 of our studentsprogressed to regional competition in one of the two areas.

of the schoolnews

28 Science Fair students competed at Regionals, with 12 receivinghonors for their projects. In many cases, these included cashawards, savings bonds and gift certificates of $100 or more.Four of our students were nominated to continue to the Statelevel on April 25. They were Kerryn Ansell (grade 7); April Blais(grade 9); AJ Knodel (grade 11), and Marcie Ratliff (grade 9).

Meanwhile, Schaeffer students were progressing through Regionalcompetition for National History Day, which took place in earlyApril. Of these students, 12 received honors for their projects,and ten were selected to compete at the State level NationalHistory Day competition in May: Thomas Chan (grade 8);Ben Clapp (grade 10); Josh Dockter (grade 10); Julian Flores(grade 10); Jared Goedhart (grade 10); Angela Hershey(grade 10); Hannah Lowe (grade 8); Katie Murphy (grade 12);Daniel Rose (grade 8); and Abby Ward (grade 8).

National Merit News

In the December 2006 issue of Solidus we reported that three ofour Class of 2007 had been named National Merit Semi-finalists.All three progressed through the competition and were namedNational Merit Finalists in January, 2007. These three areSam Philbrick, Anna Rose, and Emily Steer. They represent 30%of their class of ten.

Sixth Grade Math Masters Make a Mark

At Schaeffer Academy, the Math Masters program is taught byvolunteers in grades 2-6. The fifth and sixth graders have theopportunity to compete at the regional level against their coun-terparts in Rochester’s public and private schools, as well asother schools in southeast Minnesota.

On March 16, we sent four 6th grade Math Masters teams toRegional competition where they competed with 170 studentsfrom 33 local school teams. One of our teams took fourth place,a great accomplishment given the relative size of our schoolcompared to the others. The winning team was coached byMr. Scott Hanson and Dr. Cathy Marks, and included Will Gisler,Collin Gustafson, Nathan Hanson, Luke Harris, and Matthew Marks.

In addition, some of our students took individual awards:Matthew Marks took 6th place in the Math Facts Drill Test and9th place in the Individual Round Test; Collin Gustafson andJarika Tuohimaa tied for 10th place in the Math Facts Drill Test,and Jarika also took 13th place in the Individual Round Test.These awards represent their standing among the 170 studentsat the meet.

Solidus: What do you miss about Schaeffer Academy?

Ian Dan Aderton: I miss teachers who care.

Josh Melder: I miss the friends that I had while I was at Schaefferand the relationships that I built with them and the teachers. I alsomiss playing athletics at a competitive level.

Melissa Hansen: I miss the community at Schaeffer: recognizingeveryone, people who smile instead of stare at their feet, seeing littlekids in the hallway, teachers who know your name. At a college with40,000 students you rarely see a familiar face between classes and theprofessors don’t even know you’re in their class, much less your nameor reputation.I also really miss the Christian environment and teachers starting classwith prayer.

The Class of 2006 Talks About Their First Year (continued)

Among the Class of 2007 are at least three nursing students, as wellas students majoring in business, psychology, kinesiology, dietetics,geological engineering, pre-law, computer science, and pre-med. Twostudents have begun college at RCTC, while one is taking a gap yearworking in San Antonio.

Notable achievements include first semester Dean’s List nominees(Dana Wittlief at U of Kentucky, Anna Dockter at Olivet Nazarene)a first semester academic achievement award (Katrina Knodel);Meredith Lee, who is rowing novice on the U of M Division I women’steam, ranked 10th in the nation; and Josh Melder, who is a novicemember of the number one nationally ranked Liberty UniversityDebate team.


How Julius CaesarAffected the Roman Republic

By Yaa Kwansa, Grade 9(The following is excerpted from a term paperfrom Latin I)

By 60 B.C. there were three people(Julius Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey) whowanted to become ruler of Rome. Theproblem was that none of them alone hadsufficient power to obtain complete control.Caesar had the favor of the people;Crassus had the money, and Pompey had thesupport of the Senate. So an alliance wasformed between them called a triumvirate.This meant that they would rule Rometogether. With this position, Caesar gothimself appointed governor of Gaul (pres-ent day France.) There he put together awell-trained and loyal army. Even thoughhe was away, he sent written accounts ofhis military accomplishments to Rome.These published accounts, titled TheCommentaries on the Gallic Wars, madeCaesar’s name well known in Rome.

During this time, steaming jealousy ofCaesar’s strength and popularity ledPompey to ask for help from the Senate toweaken his remaining rival, since Crassushad died in a war in Asia. The Senateresponded by ordering Caesar’s return toRome and the disbanding of his army.Instead, Caesar proclaimed a war uponPompey and the Senate. Then he crossedthe Rubicon, a river in northern Italy, andmarched his army toward Rome. Sincethat day “crossing the Rubicon” has meanmaking a fateful decision from whichthere is no turning back. This also com-pleted the collapse of the triumvirate.

When the two armies met, the winnerwas undeniably Caesar. Pompey fled forrefuge to Egypt, where he was later killed.Power was now completely in the handsof Caesar, who proclaimed himself dicta-tor for life. Caesar accomplished manythings during his short rule. He lessenedthe corruption of the government, estab-lished colonies for the landless veterans,granted citizenship to many living inRome’s new colonies, and initiated manypublic works programs.

Although Caesar was popular amongthe people, he had many enemies, who weremainly among the nobles and senators.

Some were former followers of Pompey,and others feared that Caesar was going tomake himself king and eliminate therepublic. Since the time of the Etruscans,who were harsh rulers, Romans hadregarded all kings in that way. TheRomans often permitted a temporary dic-tatorship, but they could not accept a king.So on the Ides of March, 44 B.C., a groupof conspirators assassinated Caesar in theSenate Chamber.

Gaius Julius Caesar was one of themost significant figures in the history ofRome. He was also an excellent oratorwho was able to win political support ofthe public to accomplish his aims. Caesarwas also recognized for his military tri-umphs, in which he was able to expandRome and its rule. In all of his lifeaccomplishments, “he came, he saw, andhe conquered.”

The Effect of Nero’s Persecutionon the Early Church

By Hannah Steer, Grade 9(The following is excerpted from a term paperfrom Latin I)

The early Christians demonstratedwhat many later martyrs also showedthrough the ages. Their willingness to dieadded credibility to their witness asbelievers in Christ. They showed that aChristian can witness just as effectivelythrough death as through life. As the his-torian Tertullian wrote, “The blood of themartyrs is the seed of the church.” (fromAgainst Heresies.) What this means isthat when a Christian dies faithfully andundeservingly, people become followers ofChrist through the strength of their witness.

Many of the early Roman Christianswere willing to stay in the city and, as aresult, were hunted by Roman officials.They took refuge in the catacombs, whichwere underground caves filled withwinding tunnels, housing many graves.Christians not only took temporary refugein them but also sometimes lived under-ground for a period of time when the per-secution was at its worst. The Christiansbelieved in the resurrection of the bodyand therefore buried rather than burnedremains as the Romans did. The cata-

At Schaeffer Academy there isa range of learning abilities inevery classroom. To meet thechallenge of effectively teach-ing all students, we implementa variety of curriculum andteaching accommodations.Solidus interviewed Mrs.Paula Edwards, administrator,on this subject.

Solidus: How academicallydiverse IS our studentpopulation?Mrs. Edwards: Most studentsfall into a range of abilitieswhere they can successfullylearn in a classroom with no orminimal modifications in cur-riculum or teaching methods.Frequently, the pupils at theedges of this group do requiresome routine, everydayaccommodations. These mayinclude reteaching of concepts,ability groupings, curriculumdifferentiations (such as MathMasters, spelling list modifica-tion, or math challenge prob-lems) and extra home help.Worldwide, the distribution isabout 68% of the total popula-tion who fall into this centralIQ group (typically, scoresbetween 70 and 130).Another group of students,usually about 25%, have learn-ing abilities where parts of thecurriculum are too challengingor not challenging enoughwithout modifications.Significant curriculum andmethod accommodations arenecessary for these students.These may include those listedabove as well as takingAP/Honors classes, repeatinga grade, using books on tape,working with computer aids,

private tutoring, independentstudy, testing out of a subjector skill, taking additionaltime for tests, note takingassistance, and subject accel-eration.

Solidus: Are there studentswe cannot accommodate?Mrs. Edwards: A small per-centage of students (4%) fallin the range of abilities whereregular classroom instruction,even with significant accom-modations and modifications,is not sufficient. Educationalprogramming found in spe-cialized schools and in com-munity based services is morebeneficial to them. However,it should be noted that atSchaeffer we are presentlyaccommodating students witha wide range of abilities andneeds, including studentswith I.E.P.’s (IndividualEducation Plans) administeredjointly with the public schoolsystem, students with learningdisabilities such as dyslexia,mild autism, ADHD, and giftedstudents.

Solidus: If a student receivesaccommodations, is this notedon the permanent record orhigh school transcript?Mrs. Edwards: Dependingupon the nature of the accom-modations, they will be notedon the high school transcript.For example, a student whotakes honors or AP coursesreceives additional gradecredit. This is explainedmore fully in our UpperSchool Profile, which is adocument sent out with eachstudent’s transcript when heor she applies to college.

Solidus • page 3

permanent things

MRS. PAULA EDWARDS SERVED

FROM 1994 THROUGH 2001 AS

SCHAEFFER ACADEMY’S FIRST

HEADMASTER. IN THIS CAPACITY

SHE SAW THE SCHOOL THROUGH

THE DEVELOPMENT OF GRADES

K-12, SHEPHERDED IT THROUGH

FOUR MOVES AS WE TRANSI-

TIONED FROM RENTAL FACILITIES

TO OUR OWN CAMPUS, AND

HELPED GUIDE THE DEVELOP-

MENT OF THE SCOPE AND

SEQUENCE OF INSTRUCTION.

HAVING MET HER GOAL OF

SEEING THE SCHOOL THROUGH

ITS EARLIEST YEARS, MRS.

EDWARDS RESIGNED FROM THE

HEADMASTER POSITION IN 2001,

BUT SHE HAS CONTINUED TO

TEACH HER BELOVED 7TH GRADE

LIFE SCIENCE CLASS. MRS.

EDWARDS ALSO SERVES AS PART-

TIME ELEMENTARY ADMINISTRA-

TIVE ASSISTANT. WITH MASTER’S

DEGREES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION

AND GIFTED AND TALENTED

EDUCATION, SHE PROVIDES

EXPERT COUNSEL ON THESE

MATTERS TO SCHAEFFER’S

TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS.

How We Meet the Challengesof an Academically Diverse Student Population By Paula Edwards

If a student receives minoraccommodations such as addi-tional help or tutoring, thesego unremarked on a transcript.However, we have an ethicalobligation to note certaintypes of accommodations, anddoing so actually benefits thestudents. For example, adyslexic student receivingaccommodations (such as extratime for tests or the ability t orecord lectures) would not beextended this help at collegewere he or she not alreadyreceiving it in high school,as noted on the transcript.While students do have per-manent academic records,these are not typically utilizedunless he or she transfers toanother school during gradesK-8. A more public form ofpermanent record, the highschool transcript, comes intoplay during grades 9-12, and itis this document which is sentto colleges when a studentapplies.

Solidus • page 10

Mrs. Paula Edwards


combs were a natural grave site forChristians and evidence of their presencecan be seen through human remains andChristian symbols etched on the stone walls.

Other Christians decided to leave Romebecause of the danger. As they traveled tonew homes they witnessed of their faith onthe way, spreading Christianity far beyondRome and into countries as far away asIndia. The consequence of this dispersionwas to make Christianity a world religionrather than one confined to a local area.

In the end, Nero’s persecution ofChristians taught the early church how tosuffer and die for its faith, to the glory ofGod. In doing this they followed the exam-ple of Jesus Christ, who also suffered anddied. The fact that they were followingChrist even to death added to the credibilityof their religion. The scattering of the earlychurch also made them obedient to theGreat Commission: “Go and make disciplesof all nations, baptizing them in the nameof the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything Ihave commanded you. And surely I amwith you until the very end of the age.”(Matthew 28:18-20).

School life at Schaeffer.

(Above)Jim Kluth, Latin teacher

(Left) Fourth Grade Shark Dissection

the futureSolidus • page 2

We have also established, and continue to add, elective and extra-curricular programs forour students. We offer two play productions each year, studio art courses, choir, band, year-book, student council, and competitive athletics for boys and girls in each season of the year .Some of these programs provide additional opportunities for our students to develop theirunderstanding and skills in the liberal arts. Others provide opportunities for our students toexcel in areas outside of academics. They all improve student morale and school spirit, andthey provide opportunities for community. In other words, these programs help us fulfill ourprimary mission by encouraging our students and parents and by complementing andenhancing the core curriculum.Through the combination of our core curriculum and our extra-curricular programs, we seestudents becoming well rounded human beings who are wise, discerning, and courageouslovers of God, neighbor, and liberty.

What are the results?The results of our Christ-centered and classical approach to education have been over -whelmingly positive. Most of our students love it here. The teacher-student and teacher-parent relationships are outstandingly positive, and behavior problems are few .

M E E T I N G O U R M I S S I O N (cont inued)

Solidus • page 11

permanent things

This issue of Solidus focuses onhow Schaeffer Academy is fulfill-ing its mission to teach Truth,Beauty, and Goodness – thePermanent Things which reflectthe character and nature of God.

MR. KEITH PHILLIPS, HEADMASTER.

MR. PHILLIPS HAS BEEN SCHAEFFER

ACADEMY’S HEADMASTER SINCE

2001. HE CAME TO THE SCHOOL

IN 1997 AS SCHAEFFER’S FIRST

ASSISTANT HEADMASTER. MR.

PHILLIPS PREVIOUSLY SERVED FIVE

YEARS AS A CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

ADMINISTRATOR ON THE ISLAND

OF KAUAI. DURING HIS TENURE

AS SCHAEFFER’S HEADMASTER,

THE SCHOOL HAS GROWN FROM

288 TO OVER 370, COMPLETED

TWO MAJOR BUILDING PROJECTS,

GRADUATED SIX CLASSES, AND

ACHIEVED ACCREDITATION WITH

THE ACCS (ASSOCIATION OF

CLASSICAL AND CHRISTIAN

SCHOOLS.)

S C H A E F F E R A C A D E M Y

Please put my donation towards Generation II Building. $ ____________________

Please put my donation towards the Scholarship Fund. $ _____________________

Please put my donation towards the Annual Fund. $ _________________________

Please contact me.

Name: _________________________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip: ___________________________________________________________

Telephone: _________________________________________

Today’s Date: _______________________________________

Mail to: Schaeffer Academy, 2700 Schaeffer Lane NE, Rochester, MN 55906Schaeffer Academy thanks you for your gracious commitment to the school. All donations are tax deductible. Contact us at (507) 286-1050 or www .schaefferacademy.org.

a vision for

BREAKING GROUND IN MAY 2007

Next month we will break ground for two new wings of the school,which will give us:

• Six new classrooms with windows• Girls’ and Boys’ locker rooms with showers and toilets• A new Commons area for lunch and large gatherings, seating 150• A new Music Studio with room for rehearsal and instrument

storage• Study areas for pull-out groups, tutoring, counseling and testing

Generation II building provides a second generation of classroomsfor Schaeffer Academy, to serve the second generation of studentswho follow the class of 2006 – our first group to go from kinder-garten to twelfth grade at Schaeffer.

The addition, totaling 14,380 feet of new construction, will cost$2,658,000. Through gifts and tax exempt financing (see page 2)we have $1,900,000 in hand to construct the footprint and shell ofboth wings, and completely finish two classrooms in time for fall of2007.

However, we need donations of another $758,000 in order to com-pletely finish the inside of both wings. We plan to do this in stages,and the points to the right show what we can accomplish with yourgifts over the next three years:

In 2007: $393,000This will “low finish” the commons for use by this fall. Low finish meansthat we can get an occupancy permit, but there will be no drywall, paintor finished ceilings, and only a cement floor. However, this will permit usto have lunch in the new commons while we raise money to complete it.This figure also includes money for completely finishing the locker rooms.

In 2008: $159,000This will completely finish the classroom wing, including the four additionalclassrooms, hallway, and outside entrance.

In 2009: $206,400This will completely finish the commons wing, including the music studioand commons area.

How You Can HelpSchaeffer Academy is a non profit corporation, so all your gifts are taxdeductible. They are welcome in the form of stock transfer, check, cash,securities or estate gifts. Please contact our Director of Development,Gretchen Steer, for more information at 507- 286-1050, should you wishto donate stock or other non-cash items.

A monthly pledge is an easy way to make a financial commitment to theschool. We offer electronic funds transfer, which is particularly easy if youare already using EFT for tuition payments.

Schaeffer Academy needs you – we greatly appreciate your support.

HEADMASTER KEITH PHILLIPS

English 4 4 4 4

Mathematics 3 3 3 4

Science 4 3 3 4

History 4 3 3 3

Foreign Language 4 2 2 4

Fine Arts 1 1

Rhetoric 1

Religion 2

# of Creditsrequired bySchaeffer

# of Creditsrecommended byACT

Universityof Minnesota

HarvardUniversity

Our Lower School students have performed quite well in Math Masters competitions, Word Power competitions, and the GeographyBee. Our Middle and Upper School students have received numerous awards in the regional and state Science Fair and NationalHistory Day competitions. Our standardized test scores are high – see www .schaefferacademy.org/test_scores.html.

Over forty colleges and universities around the nation have accepted our graduates. These schools range from large state universitiessuch as the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin to small private colleges such as Wheaton, St. Olaf, andHillsdale. A good number of the students have received scholarships and other honors from their accepting schools.

Not only have our graduates been accepted into college, they have also succeeded academically there. A member of our first graduatingclass (2001) is currently excelling in medical school. Two members of our second graduating class (2002) are enrolled in graduateschool – one as a Fulbright scholar. We also have graduates working as nurses for the Mayo Clinic and a graduate working in publicrelations for the Target Corporation. One of our graduates has been asked to teach college logic courses – before he has even completedhis Bachelor’s degree.

Most of our graduates continue to maintain a good relationship with Schaef fer Academy, their parents, and their home churches. Theytell us that they have been well prepared for college and for life. I praise God for blessing our school in these ways, and I am humbledthat he allows me to serve him here.

If you believe that what we are doing here is good and is much needed in our world today , would you please help us continue impactinglives with Christ-centered and classical education? We will put your prayers and gifts to good use. Soli Deo Gloria.

Current Needs of the School

Needed for Generation II Building:$2,658,000

Amount covered to date: $1,900,000


Needed for 2007 Scholarship Fund:$ 50,000



Needed for Annual Fund: $ 30,000



SOLIDUSA S chaeffer A cademy publication dealing with matters of substantial character. Vo lume V I , I s sue 1 I • Apr i l , 2007

BY KE I T H E. PH I L L I P S , HE A D M A S T E R

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E

Paula Edwards Explains . . . .3How We Meet the Challengesof an Academically DiverseStudent Population

News of the School . . . . . . . . .4

Where Are They Now? . . . .5-6Catching Up With theClass of 2006

The Mousetrap Comes . . . . . .7to Schaeffer

Truth, Beauty, Goodness . . .8-10Student Work ReflectsWhat We Teach

Needs of the School . . . . . . .11

SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST

Another Great Year for theNational Latin Exam. Schaeffergets its fourth perfect paperon the NLE.(See back page)

EDITOR: KEITH E. PHILLIPS

COPY/PRODUCTION: GRETCHEN STEER

Solidus • page 12SolidusA Schaeffer Academy publication dealing with matters of substantial character.

Schaeffer Academy2700 Schaeffer Lane NERochester, MN 55906

Phone: (507) 286-1050Fax: (507) 282-3823Email: [email protected]

We’re on the web at www.schaefferacademy.org

NON-PROFIT ORGUS POSTAGE

PAIDROCHESTER,MNPERMIT NO 289

Sol idus is a publ icat ion of Schaeffer Academy, a Christ ian and c lass ical school ser v inggrades K-12. The Sol idus coin was f i r st minted by the Roman Emperor Constant ine in thefour th centur y A.D. to counteract the debasing of other coinage at that t ime . The Sol iduscoin introduced a new standard of re l iable value to the Roman monetar y system. TheSol idus in the masthead contains the cross potent , an ancient Christ ian symbol of power,and a Lat in inscr ipt ion…class ical and Christ ian symbols on one ar t i fact .

¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥

M E E T I N G O U R M I S S I O N

Another Great

Year for the

National Latin

Exam

Latin exam

Since 1993, the Board, Administration, Faculty, and Staff of Schaeffer Academy haveendeavored to establish and operate a top-notch Christian classical school. We have beensteadfast in seeking to fulfill the purpose that our founders originally established for thisschool: ÒTo provide a Christ-centered and classical education which emphasizesacademic excellence in the liberal arts.Ó

But here we are, more than fourteen years later , and some might wonder, “What does thatmean, what does it look like, and what are the results?” Those are good questions. Theyare questions that I love to answer.

What does that mean?As a Christ-centered school, we seek to provide a clear model of biblical Christian lifethrough our staff and Board of Directors (Matthew 22:37-40), to encourage every studentto begin and develop his relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ (Matthew28:18-20, Matthew 19:13-15), and to teach all subjects as part of an integrated whole withthe Scriptures at the center (II Timothy 3:16-17). In other words, we seek to give our stu -dents a Christian worldview.

As a classical school, we seek to emphasize grammar , logic, and rhetoric in all subjects, toencourage every student to develop a love for learning and to live up to his or her academ -ic potential, and to provide an orderly atmosphere to attain these goals.

The “liberal arts” in which we emphasize academic excellence are contained within theclassical Trivium (grammar, logic, rhetoric) and Quadrivium (arithmetic, music, geometry,and astronomy). These arts are not called “liberal” because of a connection to any contem-porary political position. The Latin word liber means free, and these arts are “ liberal”because they are appropriate and necessary for free men and women.

What does it look like?To accomplish the founders’ purpose, we have established a core curriculum for all grades K-12.You can see the entire K-12 core curriculum on our website www .schaefferacademy.org.Our Lower and Middle school curricula prepare students for our Upper School curriculum,which exceeds college entrance requirements.

This core, academic, liberal arts, Christian worldview curriculum is the primary focus ofthe Board, administration, and faculty. Through it, we seek not only to enable our studentsto get into college and pass college classes, but also to help them develop a Christian viewof all of life that will bless them in college and beyond.

S AOur Latin students once again had superb results on the National Latin Exam. This test is givenyearly to over 135,000 students internationally. This year, 78% of our Latin I and II studentsreceived medals or honors for their results. These included the following students, who receivedGold (Summa Cum Laude) medals:(From Latin I)

Yaa KwansaKristen JohnsonAmanda MartinsonMarcie RatliffHannah Steer

continued on page 2

An additional 7 students receivedhonors in the Cum Laude or MagnaCum Laude categories.

However, the greatest honor this yeargoes to Schaeffer sophomore BobbyRatliff, who received a perfect scoreon his National Latin Exam. In theten years that we have administeredthe NLE, there have been just fourperfect papers at Schaeffer Academy.

Our Latin students are taught by veter -an teacher Mr. Jim Kluth, whoreceived the Classical Association ofMinnesota’s Latin Teacher of the Yearaward in 2004.

(From Latin II)Julian FloresAngela HersheyBobby RatliffDavid Vriezen

These students received Silver (Maxima Cum Laude)medals:(From Latin I)

Olivia EdelbachJoey FurstHeather MoirRenee OrthLauren Vaughan

(From Latin II)Natalie ArantEric FoleyJared GoedhartJacob MelderJosiah NagelAnna PhilbrickKelsey SnyderAnastacia Wells

Bobby Ratliff won a gold medalfor his perfect score on the NLE.

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