Dear Fellow Patriots,
I pray this Christmas season finds you and your loved ones well. It is a busy time in the life of The Habersham School, but a time that often reminds me of the joy of doing what I do.
If you’ve been around me for any amount of time, you may have heard me say that I’ve rarely had a bad day teaching at Habersham. How could this be? No, our community isn’t perfect but quite simply, coming to Habersham saved my love for teaching.
Out of college, I took a job in the local public school system in my hometown of Dayton, Tennessee. This was nearly the beginning of the end of my teaching career as I struggled to satisfy my philosophical convictions on education in the public school system. The days of teaching that I had so looked forward to in college had overnight become a drain and a burden.
As I began to take career aptitude tests (all of which told me to be a teacher!) to begin my seemingly inevitable departure from education, an opportunity to move to my wife’s hometown and teach at a fledgling classical Christian school, The Habersham School, became available. After much prayer and consideration, we decided to take the position and have since never looked back.
It is with this perspective in mind, that I am constantly reminded that working at a place like Habersham is something increasingly special to behold.
Where else do you get to gather daily in prayer, song, and scripture reading as we do in our morning liturgy? Where else do you have the opportunity to truly partner with like-minded parents in raising up the next generation in the fear and admonition of the Lord? Where else is faith and learning integrated in such a way that students are daily challenged to learn about the created world through the prism of scripture and the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
There’s no place I’d rather be.
Christian communities like Habersham are increasingly important in our evermore secularized world. So even on the days that are maybe not as joyful, I am still reminded of the immense blessing the Lord has bestowed upon me and my family in giving us the opportunity to serve your children and this community. It is an honor and a privilege that I do not take for granted and I look forward to the day when my daughter, Grace, and son, Sam, are enrolled.
It is with that in mind that I was immediately moved to support the Habersham Fund when Mr. McGee addressed the faculty in September, sharing with us about its role in supporting the work that we do on a daily basis. Upon talking with my wife, we made a gift to Habersham Fund a few days later, convinced that our sacrificial investment in Christian education was worthwhile. What I did not know at the time was how quickly my coworkers would rally to the cause as well, attaining 100% faculty participation within 5 days! 5 days!!
Accordingly, as a representative of the faculty, I would like to ask you to consider joining us, your faculty, in supporting the Habersham Fund this year.
We’ve heard it said, “not equal gifts, but equal sacrifice.” Mr. McGee has urged us to consider elevating our giving to The Habersham School to number two in our giving priorities, right behind tithing to our church.
Imagine what could happen if this were accomplished.
While we are all in different financial positions, we know that prioritized giving toward this effort by the entirety of our community would allow our school to not only reach our annual operating needs (that beyond which tuition covers), but would also grant further opportunity for faculty and leadership to enhance the quality Christ-centered educational experience we have all come to know and cherish.
Let’s do this together. Consider joining me and the rest of the faculty in supporting the Habersham Fund this year, thereby further establishing our school as a city on a hill in Savannah this year and for years to come.
In Christ,
Jay Carpenter
Middle School Humanities Teacher
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