Mission
Since our foundation in 2012, we have partnered with parents to educate children not simply to one day gain admittance to the best college, but to equip them for life, helping them discover who God made them to be. We work continually to restore the humanity of each child entrusted to us, as God works to restore his creation. Thus, our mission is partnering with God as His servants in seeking the restoration of His image in our students through education.
Vision
The Habersham vision is based on the time-honored tradition of Classical education, where students are taught to question, to investigate, and to dialogue, combined with an unapologetic commitment to the truth of Christ. Habersham emphasizes the great works of literature, the great discoveries of math and science, and the great ideas and figures of Western civilization, combined with a disciplined study of classical languages, thereby training students how to learn so they retain their love of learning.
We recognize the years of school life of children are a humbling opportunity to make a profound impact. Not only are students developing cognitively and physically, but they are forming lifelong spiritual and character habits as well. Their view of the world, their answers to life’s questions, and their view of the good life all take shape during these formative years at school. We seek to mold and shape both academic and spiritual formation in an integrated way. Cultivating a love of learning, equipping students to learn well, and grounding instruction in Christian orthodoxy and devotion.
Purpose
The Habersham School is committed to honoring Christ in establishing an education grounded in the orthodox Christian faith and the classical tradition that equips students to skillfully engage society with wisdom and charity and thoughtfully pursue moral beauty and eternal purpose in the modern world.
Vision
To graduate students who become more fully human and thereby thoughtfully engaged, culturally aware, and community minded.
Mission
Partnering with God as His servants in seeking the restoration of His image in our students through education.
Invention meets tradition
Habersham emphasizes thinking, problem-solving, creativity, ingenuity – all the skills needed to be inventive, whether in science, math, the arts, or humanities. We teach students how to learn, and give them the tools of learning, so they retain their love of learning. We are determined to develop students able to navigate the complex waters of the 21st century and inspire others in their wake. This vision is based on the time-honored tradition of Classical education and an unapologetic commitment to the truth of Christ.
Explore
Exploring represents active engagement – an act of initiative. Our goal is for every student to actively engage with people and ideas, keeping aflame the seeds of intellectual curiosity and a passion for knowledge that ignites in every student a natural propensity to question, to investigate, to dialogue, and to create. Students who explore become thinkers who can solve problems and take meaningful action. By exploring, students ultimately learn how to learn, thereby forever retaining their love of learning.
SMALL CLASSES, STRONG RELATIONSHIPS
Relationships are central to who we are. A remarkable student-teacher ratio of 8:1 enables individual attention and abundant opportunities for each student to explore, speak, discover, and lead. Further, students will learn to take the risks needed to truly explore when they know they are in a safe place – a place where failure is seen as an opportunity to learn something new.
A CULTURE OF THINKING & INDEPENDENCE
Habersham seeks to develop students who take responsibility and work hard while developing skills of active thinking, effective communicating, disciplined self-governing, and integrated understanding.
THINKING MEANS LEARNING – CHARLOTTE MASON
Brain studies about neuroplasticity now prove Charlotte Mason’s 100-year-old methods of how the mind is formed and how we learn. We support her notion, “The one who does the thinking does the learning.” This often counters the modern notion, “the one who memorizes the answer or completes the most worksheets does the learning.”
INSPIRATION & IMAGINATION
Charlotte Mason’s methodology defines and informs Habersham’s emphasis on “the one who does the thinking does the learning.” Applying Ms. Mason’s influence, Habersham aims to instill personal virtues such as excellent manners and habits along with an interest in nature and picture studies.
CLASSICAL PEDAGOGY
Habersham seeks to develop students who take responsibility and work hard while developing skills of active thinking, effective communicating, disciplined self-governing, and integrated understanding.
Restore
God is actively at work to restore in us His image. Foundational to our understanding of teaching, is first understanding that children are born persons. They are not an empty vessel to be filled or clay to be molded, but rather persons who bear the image of God. Their value and potential are immeasurable. It is the duty of the teacher and parent to give proper respect due these young people, to allow them to grow and learn in a life-affirming way. When dealing with persons, we aren’t interested in short-term, data-based outcomes. We are asking: How is this person growing? Who is this child becoming?
CHRIST-CENTERED
All learning is taught through the prism of Christ. Christian teaching is not preserved for one period tacked on to the end of a day. Habersham focuses on the integration of faith and life and acknowledges Jesus Christ as Lord over all of life and the Bible as the final authority in matters of life and thought.
ATMOSPHERE OF JOY
Habersham seeks to develop students who take responsibility and work hard while developing skills of active thinking, effective communicating, disciplined self-governing, and integrated understanding.
STATEMENT OF FAITH
Habersham teachers and families share a common commitment to the orthodox Christian faith. This contributes to the strong teacher-parent partnership necessary to draw the best from each child. A prerequisite to all hiring is an abounding and mature faith in Christ, a characteristic that binds together our team in singular focus.
DEDICATED TEACHERS
Brain studies about neuroplasticity now prove Charlotte Mason’s 100-year-old methods of how the mind is formed and how we learn. We support her notion, “The one who does the thinking does the learning.” This often counters the modern notion, “the one memorizes the answer or completes the most worksheets does the learning.”
INDEPENDENCE & INNOCENCE
Though we desire children to grow strong and independent, we also value them remaining age-appropriately so. Most children in today’s American culture simply grow up too fast. We desire to protect their innocence while preparing them well to address culturally relevant issues so they can engage the culture and defend their faith.
Live
Rooted in the immovable truth of Christ, we strive for all here to live as those who know and love – to know and to love God, others, self, birds, numbers, stars, music, art, literature, all that is Good, True, and Beautiful. A marker of a life well lived is the quantity and quality of the relationships within it. We seek to put children in the way of as many good, life-giving relationships as possible – not just with teachers and peers, but with God, self, creation, and the world of ideas, making education a joyful discovery.
MANNERS, RESPECT, COMMUNITY
Grounded in gratitude and an awareness of God’s grace, children are taught to respect and honor adults and peers alike. All students begin each morning by shaking the hand of a teacher or leader at the door. They are taught how to properly shake a hand and look in the eye, but we equally important, we also are communicating to them, “You are important to us. You matter and what you do here today matters.” Through the House System and small classes, students are taught to live in community. In the middle school, we offer Cotillion. In the high school, our spring formal includes a sit-down meal together. Students live out the manners and respect we teach them in community.
THE HOUSE SYSTEM
An intentional vehicle for creating meaningful student life combined with a structured student leadership program. The House System must be experienced to be truly appreciated. Four houses, each named after a patriot – Lafayette, Madison, Pulaski, Washington. Led by the student house prefect and his/her team of house leaders, each with their own colors, mottos, and logos, competing for points in service, leadership, arts, and athletics to win the coveted House Cup each year. This unique system breaks down barriers between ages and classes, offers younger students unique relational opportunities with older student mentors, and teaches all students the value of working together and winning and losing with grace.
EDUCATION AS A DISCIPLINE
Habits are like rails on a train. It is easier for a train to simply stay the course and pursue its path along the rails than to take a disastrous run off of them. So it is with children. Habits are difficult to change but once in place can offer a solid path for a lifetime. What are the moral and intellectual habits your children are learning? Habits stick around. Affections are caught, not taught. So when you step into a classroom where everyone is paying attention, the easiest thing to do is pay attention. At Habersham, we go to great lengths to cultivate strong moral and intellectual habits.
ACTIVE THINKING
Learning presupposes that students are thinking. Students are consistently encouraged to question, investigate, dialogue, and create. Classrooms emphasize analysis, synthesis, and creative problem solving – every day, all the time.
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATING
For centuries, training in civil discourse formed the spine of Western education. The rhetorical forms provide a reliable approach to ensuring students can do more with information than recite it back to their teachers. Therefore, students consistently practice winsome and precise speaking and writing, in all subjects.
INTEGRATED UNDERSTANDING
Learning is more than individual subjects taught in parallel lines that never intersect. Students are taught to make mental connections, regularly drawing upon various experiences (their own and others’) and subject matter (curricular and co-curricular) to develop a more sophisticated understanding of the “big picture” of knowledge.
DISCIPLINED SELF-GOVERNING
The ultimate goal of a Habersham education is to become more fully human, that as self-possessed learners students are growing into our Portrait of Graduate. They are capable of taking initiative in becoming a positive cultural influence— in school and beyond.
“A Christian boy or girl can learn mathematics, for example, from a teacher who is not a Christian; and truth is truth however learned. But while truth is truth however learned, the bearing of truth, the meaning of truth, the purpose of truth, even in the sphere of mathematics, seem entirely different to the Christian from that which they seem to the non-Christian; and that is why a truly Christian education is possible only when Christian conviction underlies not a part, but all, of the curriculum of the school.”
-J. GRESHAM MACHEN, EDUCATION, CHRISTIANITY
Board of Governors
Glenn Burnsed
Dr. Brian Kornblatt
Dr. Byron Colley
Casey Reeves
Dr. Brad Durham
Bobby Welch
Carol Dusek
Administration
Chip Welch
President
Since 2012 BA, History, Mercer University BA, Religion, Mercer University MDiv, Reformed Theological Seminary
Max Belz
Dean of Families and Students
Since 2019 BA, History, Covenant College MA, Education, Loyola Marymount University
Angie Copetillo
Head of School Emeritus
Since 2012 BA, Journalism, University of Georgia, Certificate School Management & Leadership, Harvard Graduate School of Education and Business School
Chaston Hart
Director of Marketing & Technology
Since 2015 BA, Interdisciplinary Studies, Covenant College
Lauren Key
Director of Admissions
Since 2013
Undergraduate Studies, Belhaven University
Chase McGarity
Athletic Director
Since 2018 BA, Spanish, Armstrong State University
Lindsey Mitchell
College Advising
Since 2018 BS, Communications, Milligan College MAT, Early Childhood Education, Georgia Southern University – Armstrong Campus
Staff
Kathy Delk
College Office and Habersham Hall Administrative Assistant
Since 2013 BS, Business Administration, Salisbury State University
Kate Welch
Assistant Athletic Director, House Coordinator
Since 2017 BA, Biology, Mercer University MS, Physical Therapy, Armstrong Atlantic State University
Louise Mehl
Gould Cottage Receptionist
Anastasia Tucker
Business Office Coordinator
Since 2019 BFA, SCAD
Upper School Faculty
Connie Bayliss
Humanities
Since 2014 BA, English and Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Washington and Lee University MA, English, Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English
Toph Beach
Upper School Humanities
Since 2019 BA, Philosophy, Trinity Western University MA, History, San Jose State Univeristy
Brent Beaumont
Humanities Chair
Jennifer Edwards
Geometry
Since 2018 BS, West Point MBA, University of Masshachusetts-Amherst
Mary Leece
Upper School Science and Mathematics
Since 2019 BS, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Baylor University
Becky Locke
Upper School Mathematics
Jason Manley
Upper School Science and Math Chair
Since 2015
Sharon Mays
Latin & Choir
Since 2016 BM, Sacred Music, Samford University MMus, Choral Music, Selwyn College, Cambridge University MA (in progress), Liberal Arts, St. John’s College
Jason Mehl
Upper School Humanities
Since 2015 BS, Journalism, Toccoa Falls College MFA, Creative Writing, Columbia College Chicago
Effie Mydell
Strings, Latin, Arts Coordinator
Since 2016 BA, Music, Goldsmiths College, University of London MA, Music Education, Kingston University
Jared Seff
Visual Arts
Since 2012 BFA, Painting, Savannah College of Art and Design MFA (in progress), Illustration, SCAD
Sarah Traut
Upper School Latin
BA, Classical Studies, University of Georgia
MA, Classical Languages, University of Georgia
Hilary Tucker
Latin Chair
Since 2015 BA, History, Boston University BS, Journalism, Boston University
Middle School Faculty
Jay Carpenter
7th and 8th Grade, First Form Latin
Since 2018 BS, Elementary Education, Bryan College MA, Curriculum Implementation
Carin Hining
6th Grade
Since 2015 BS, Family and Community Services, Berry College
Millie Hoover
Humanities
Since 2018 BA, English, Armstrong State University
Cameron Hunt
PE, Mathematics
Since 2017 BS, Erskine University
Becky Locke
Middle School Mathematics
Kriste Sanders
5th Grade
Since 2019 BA, Journalism, University of Georgia
Tony Scott
Director of Basketball Operations, 7th Grade Christian Studies, Grounds
Since 2019
Braelyn Snow
Visual Arts, Graphic Design
Since 2017 BS, Indiana Wesleyan University, MFA Savannah College of Art & Design
Lower School Faculty
Kathy Beaty
2nd Grade, Director of Lower School
Since 2012 BA, Psychology, Monmouth University
Melissa Bebelos
Pre K 3
Since 2013 BS, Wheelock College
Taylor Ellen
Ballet
Since 2018 BFA, Dance, Belhaven University
Casey Fields
Third Grade
Since 2013 BA, History, Armstrong Atlantic State University
Hannah Van Puffelen
Pre K 4
Since 2014 Undergraduate Studies in Early Childhood Education
Meg Welch
4th Grade
Since 2019 BS, Early Education, Berry College
Built in 1887, Habersham Hall served as the Chatham County Jail for nearly a century. Recognizable for its Moorish Revival style tower, the building is located in the heart of Savannah’s historic district. The three-story building which originally served as the jailer’s quarters currently houses The Habersham School’s upper school, while the former cell blocks now line a spacious courtyard, which the school uses for chapel, outdoor classes, and other community events.
Gould Cottage, located in the beautiful Ardsley Park neighborhood, was built in the early 1930s by millionaire Edwin “Jay” Gould of New York City and his Gould Foundation for Children to be used as a children’s nursery. The two-story Tudor-style building eventually developed from a nursery into a home for boys and girls in need. After nearly ten years of vacancy, The Habersham School purchased and restored the structure in 2014. The halls of this quaint cottage are once again filled with children, as Gould Cottage now houses Habersham’s lower school.
For the past 90 years, the Jenkins Athletic Club has served the Savannah community by providing a space for athletics and recreation. The JAC’s basketball facilities are home to The Habersham School’s JV and varsity basketball and volleyball teams
Hull Park was developed in the early twentieth century as a part of the Chatham Crescent neighborhood. The diamond-shaped park offers the neighborhood a playground, baseball field, and outdoor meeting space. Adjacent to Gould Cottage, the park provides a shaded area for outdoor lunches and classes, as well as recreational space for recess and P.E.
The Savannah Theater opened its doors to the public in 1818. Despite significant hardships throughout its first few decades, including fires, changing ownership, and financial strife, the theater became a staple of arts and culture in Savannah. Notable performers such as Oscar Wilde, Lillian Fields, and W.C. Fields have taken the stage at the Savannah Theater. After a fire in 1948, the theater was redesigned with its notable art deco facade and converted into a movie house. The Savannah Theater graciously partners with The Habersham School to offer a whimsical and dynamic environment for theater productions, summer camps, ballet performances, and recitals.
Employment
Openings
Pre-K3 Teacher, Lower School Teacher Aide, Part-time Drama Teacher
How to Apply
1. Please review our website and our school mission.
2. Complete appropriate application.
Substitute Teacher Application
3. Submit a resume, cover letter, and completed application to humanresources@thehabershamschool.org.
After reviewing your resume, cover letter, and application, qualified candidates will be scheduled for an interview. Please note: We are always in search of exceptional teachers to shepherd our students. Even if there is no specific job that currently matches your background, please feel free to send us your resume with a cover letter.
