Summer camp registration is now open!  Check out our camp offerings and registration links in this camp brochure (open post to view link).

Several weeks ago, our Grammar School students embarked on one of the most memorable journeys they have ever experienced.

Last spring, a tornado ripped through East Greensboro, leaving families without homes and children without schools. Greensboro Urban Ministries stepped in and provided food for the tornado victims, as well as continuing to assist others with tremendous ongoing needs such as those resulting from the recent hurricanes. As a result, the agency is faced with dwindling food supplies. Our Grammar School decided that helping Urban Ministries restock their shelves was a great way for Caldwell students to get involved and make a difference. 

Yes, it would have been easy for parents to do the shopping and collect everything needed, but instead, our students were challenged to complete jobs around their homes in order to raise their own money and shop for canned goods themselves. 

Participation in this food drive opened our students’ eyes to what sacrificial giving and service look like. They’re beginning to understand that they can make a difference right where they are and with the resources they have: their time, energy, and finances. 

Way to go, Grammar School!

The Classical Difference

Written by Sam Cox, Head of School

All of us here at Caldwell Academy are embarking on an exciting journey down the road of Christian classical education. While this is a fairly recent trend in the Triad, what we do here is a centuries-old approach to education that has proven over time to be the finest way to teach young souls how to appreciate beauty, seek truth, and become both virtuous and wise. To separate truth from falsehood, to discern right from wrong, to ponder true beauty, and to be undeceived and see clearly are all ultimately the point of education.

Caldwell’s approach accomplishes these things by focusing on the tools of learning, on the study of the intricacies of language and communication, and on reading and engaging with the works of the greatest minds and writers in the Western world. Classical education focuses heavily on ideas, a practice central to our design as rational thinking creatures who are image-bearers of God. Our students are taught objective truth, how to apply reason in the search for truth, and how to know truth. They are encouraged to learn from those who have gone before and who have wrestled with life’s ultimate questions. This process of reading and contemplating great ideas and ultimate questions is often referred to as joining the Great Conversation. Our goal is not only that we achieve academic rigor so that our students might grow intellectually, but also that their souls be nourished. Souls grow when we read and discuss great books and contemplate great ideas while seeking the mind of Christ.

Christian classical education at Caldwell cultivates the virtue of each student in mind, body, and heart while nurturing a love for wisdom, all under the Lordship of Christ. Our faculty members possess a full and rich knowledge of the content they teach. They are also humble and transparent, all walking in the Spirit (though with a limp) and earnestly following Jesus Christ and loving their students as His image-bearers. Our approach to education is less about a product such as test scores, college acceptance, or career achievement, and more about the process of stretching the mind, enlarging the heart, and nourishing the soul to walk in truth, beauty, and goodness. Our process does nevertheless produce an outcome.

The outcome is young men and women who are lifelong learners, who are creative problem solvers, who can think outside the box, who can develop a rational argument, and who can communicate eloquently and winsomely – across the disciplines of mathematics and science, history and literature, theology and the fine arts. We prepare our students to flourish, which is less about grades and more about the life of the mind and the ability to engage the culture, to deeply understand the world around them, to delight in the joys of God’s creation throughout eternity, and to faithfully follow Jesus Christ while engaged in the learning process for life. Our goal is for all of our students to ultimately develop more fully in becoming who they were meant to be. That is an education worth having. We are so thankful that you are partnering with us in this quest.

Our 8th Grade class volunteered at Dare to Share this week in downtown Greensboro. Dare to Share is a program that collects winter wear for our homeless and refugee neighbors right here in the Triad. Our students were excited to be able to help Dare to Share sort through the many hats, coats, blankets and scarves that were donated by various businesses and churches in our area. What a blessing for our students to actively be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community!

Congratulations to Avery Belk, Caldwell 2018 graduate for her outstanding goal at this week’s Liberty University Women’s Soccer game! Avery Belk displayed Christian sportsmanship while at Caldwell and we are so pleased that she is continuing to pursue excellence on the fields at Liberty University. Go Eagles!

GOAL! Avery Belk makes history scoring Liberty's first ever goal as a member of the ASUN Conference! Lady Flames trail NJIT 2-1. #ASUNBuilt pic.twitter.com/5cZ8tL7C2x

— LU Women's Soccer (@LibertyWSoccer) September 23, 2018

Our Spanish Teacher, Mrs. Halsch, took 11 students with her to Pena Blanca, Honduras to serve the community (and practice their Spanish) by hosting a soccer camp, distributing Bibles, and helping to plant fields. We love that our students continue to learn and serve throughout the year!

K-Pals at Caldwell Academy

Written by Calvin York

Class of 2018

On a cloudless, sunny day in September, 47 Seniors gathered outside Caldwell’s gymnasium, reminiscing and expressing disbelief over how quickly we had all grown up. This trip down memory lane was sparked by the K-Pals ceremony about to take place.

K-Pals is a program at Caldwell that allows each Senior to become friends with a Kindergartener.  This year-long program includes organized classroom visits, picnics, holiday celebrations, and more. The tradition was started several years ago with the Class of 2016 and has become a favorite among Seniors because of its timely reminder of their own childhood and the importance of laughter during an otherwise stressful school year.

“Head on in, everyone!” Mrs. Wierda’s call for us to head inside put an end to our reminiscing, and at once, we moved into the gym to meet our K-Pal for the year. Each Senior headed to the microphone with the name of the K-Pal written on a slip of paper.

As I reached the microphone, I glanced at the paper in my hand to double-check the name before speaking: “Hi, I’m Calvin York. My favorite book when I was little was Corduroy and my K-Pal is David Krumroy.” I scanned the crowd, and my new favorite person stood and walked up to me. David was noticeably nervous, but all smiles. We settled down next to the rest of our classmates, and David laid his head of messy, dirty-blonde hair on my shoulder. My heart immediately melted.

We were officially pals – instant friends, and we soon learned we had much in common. Even my classmates commented on how we were “basically the same person.” We quickly became a dynamic duo and I became fascinated with David’s childlike wonder and excitement about literally everything – anything from dinosaur books to the crafts he liked.

It’s great to be a child, but it’s even better to be around a child. I’ve learned to see things from a refreshed perspective, acknowledging what’s most important in life. Seeing David’s fascination with the world gave me a desire to learn more, which increased my interest in classes and in the people around me. The program may have been designed with the intention of Seniors becoming role models for our Kindergartners, but it appears that this relationship results in an equal amount of inspiration from both parties.

It’s an amazing feeling to know I am making a lasting impact on David’s life, and being a mentor to him is surprisingly as easy as spending some time together. David’s father, Ryan Krumroy, noticed this too, commenting, “It was great to see young men show gentle wisdom, have real interest, and share Christ’s love with their younger classmates.”

On April 20, Seniors and Kindergartners had their last K-Pals gathering. We had a cookout and spent an hour (or as David says, “A whole 60 minutes!”) with our Kindergarten friends. Goodbyes are always hard, but especially for the ones old enough to be familiar with the passing of time and the changing of seasons. These innocent Kindergartners are still beginning to understand time, so the reality that this was our last gathering hadn’t quite sunk in.

However much we dreaded it, our year as pals came to an end. I’m sure David’s young mind wondered why I took a million pictures. I imagine one day he’ll understand. But until then, I can only hope that this program will remain a tradition at Caldwell for many years to come. What a great thought to imagine David taking memories of our time together into his own Senior K-Pal experience

Kindergarten Here We Come: How to Know Whether Your Child is Ready

Written By Janet Speckman, Grammar School Principal

August is still five months away, but you may be feeling some anxiety if your little one is heading to Kindergarten in the fall. 

Maybe you’re wondering: Will my child be prepared for Kindergarten? How will he/she react to a full day away from home? Is my child developmentally ready to interact with other children on a daily basis?

Children are ready to begin Kindergarten when they can cope with the complexities of the school environment and learn at the same time. Intelligence is only one part of school success. While some children may seem advanced in a particular area – for example, in language skills or the ability to read – this alone is not an indicator of overall readiness. Social, emotional, physical, and intellectual readiness are all necessary in order for a child to succeed and be happy in school. When children are not fully ready for the demands of school, stress often gets in the way of the ability to learn and be successful.

Both in my early years as a trained educator and later as a mom navigating my daughter through her early years, I unfortunately let the academic piece take priority over the developmental piece of the equation. How did that happen? At the time, I was unaware of the important role that developmental stages play in setting a child up for a successful start to school. Only after researching and reading about the developmental ages and stages of a child did I realize that no one, including parents and teachers, can force development. Children who are not developmentally ready to receive instruction are frequently using all of their energy to achieve academic success and are left with little energy to help them grow socially or emotionally. Their developmental stages get out of balance.

The following are some key areas of development and activities that demonstrate a child’s potential readiness for Kindergarten.

Gross Motor Skills (physical skills that strengthen core muscles of the trunk, arms, and legs):

• Throwing/catching a ball
• Skipping
• Running
• Climbing

Fine Motor Skills:

• Assembling puzzles
• Cutting with children’s scissors
• Playing with Play-Doh
• Building with LEGOs/blocks
• Writing, drawing, coloring

Social Skills:

• Using words to resolve conflict or problems
• Demonstrating increasing self-control; articulating feelings/frustration
• Displaying ability to share and interact with others
• Adapting to new activities
• Being able to self-dress
• Using appropriate bathroom skills

Attention and Following Directions:

• Following two- or three-step directions
• Staying with an activity to completion
• Making transition from one task to another
• Listening as you read (frequently) and as you work your way up to reading longer passages

At Caldwell Academy, we believe that God has designed young children to fully embrace the gifts of curiosity, wonder, and delight once they have reached a particular level of development. Children who enter Kindergarten with strong developmental skills in place are set for success, allowing the wonder of learning to take hold.

Watch the video below to hear more from Janet Speckman about our Grammar School!

The Story of a Caldwell Senior

Written By Calvin York, Class of 2018

As I make my way through the second semester of my Senior year at Caldwell Academy, I feel as though the year has been passing in a blur of excitement and at the same time moving at a snail’s pace. Fall semester was taxing and stressful, and when one is in the middle of all these responsibilities, it’s often difficult to see the good that’s mixed in. However, looking back on last semester and looking toward my final weeks here at Caldwell, I am able to appreciate the wonderful experiences I’ve been afforded during my Senior year and throughout my time at Caldwell.

There are so many highlights during Senior year, and obviously, the Senior trip to Italy is one that every Caldwell student looks forward to. However, what I’ve enjoyed most about my Senior year is the sense of community my class has established – all thanks to small class sizes and the years of intentional relationship-building among my teachers and peers.

We take Humanities classes all through our Dialectic and Rhetoric years (the traditional middle and high school years), but this year’s classes have been especially memorable. Humanities studies at Caldwell integrate literature, history, Bible, and the rhetoric tools of public speaking and debate. This integration helps us focus our studies on the same time period in each class. The unique blend of all of these classes gives the student a more comprehensive look into the context, people, and places that we are studying.

The outcome is a truly unique experience consisting of dynamic class discussions, conspiracy theories, and a close-knit community within a classroom of students having varying cultural experiences and viewpoints.

From year to year, our Humanities classes help us develop our ability to listen well and speak persuasively, and our Senior year is when all that training culminates, resulting in some of the very best class discussions – varying from whether Hemingway’s portrayal of Catherine Barkley was sexist (A Farewell to Arms) to whether Teddy Roosevelt honored William McKinley’s legacy after McKinley’s assassination.

This style of learning allows us to go beyond the textbook in class: from Russia, Belgium, and France to the history of Oakland. My classmates and I are often shocked at the hidden figures we’ve discovered: for example, Claudette Colvin was actually the first  black person to refuse to give up her seat on a bus, not Rosa Parks. We go beyond a standard education and learn about civil rights leaders that most people have never heard of like Alice Paul (my personal favorite), Lucy Burns, Inez Milholland, along with more familiar ones like Malcolm X, and W.E.B. DuBois.

Though Caldwell’s community is the part I enjoy most about my Senior year, I will also never forget the many Senior traditions that Caldwell has to offer. Italy was breathtaking, and nothing could beat eating authentic Italian pizza on a sunny day, with the whole city of Florence waiting to be explored. A close second would be seeing – right there in front of us, with our own two eyes – all the landmarks we’ve learned about since middle school. I’ll never forget looking up and seeing David, or seeing The School of Athens in the Vatican. I also remember when I first saw the Colosseum. Nothing had prepared me for how vast and intricate it was, despite being in ruins. We devoured so much food on this trip that the class came to a consensus that none of us could even look at Italian food for at least a month. But now, we all miss the authentic spaghetti, pizza, and especially the gelato. We returned home with suitcases full of souvenirs and memories.

One final Senior tradition, Senior Thesis,  is the capstone of our work at Caldwell Academy. Senior Thesis consists of a 15- to 20-page paper in which we ultimately defend the topic of our choice to a panel of judges who are experts in a field relating to our topic. Although this is not necessarily a favorite tradition amongst Seniors, it is one of impact.

Senior Thesis is where every writing, speaking, and debate skill is applied and tested. Great pride, expectation, and accomplishment surround this project.

Caldwell really has prepared me for the future. I’ve been here since 7th Grade, and it has assisted in shaping me into the young man I am today. A large part of my moral values, character, and dedication to my studies is due to my time at Caldwell. If there’s one thing every Caldwell student hears, it’s the stories from past alumni sharing how easy their academic life in college is because of the challenging work they were exposed to at Caldwell. It’s no secret that Caldwell students contribute a unique and often impressive dynamic to a college classroom – one that is noticed by professors.  At Caldwell, we are encouraged to delve deeply into all that we are learning so that its implications affect our lives, not simply so we can achieve a particular grade for a test. This creates lasting implications: for academia, for our spiritual walk with the Lord, for vocation, and for life. And for this, I’m eternally grateful.