By Eric Boerboom, Geneva School of Boerne Athletic Director

I have come to understand that the Geneva athletics program is classical in nature. As I have deepened my understanding of classical Christian education and what sets it apart, I have come to realize more and more how many principles of athletics are principles of a classical education.

Ironically, the most classical thing about a school that embraces modern progressive educational practices is its athletics program. Although this should not surprise us. The apostle Paul lived in a time when the Greek Olympic Games took place as part of the religious festivals which honored the Greek gods and he probably had these games in mind when he wrote to the church in Corinth:

“Surely you know that many runners take part in a race, but only one of them wins the prize. Run, then, in such a way as to win the prize. Every athlete in training submits to strict discipline, in order to be crowned with a wreath that will not last; but we do it for one that will last forever. That is why I run straight for the finish line; that is why I am like a boxer who does not waste his punches. I harden my body with blows and bring it under complete control, to keep myself from being disqualified after having called others to the contest.” – I Corinthians 9:24-27

Paul uses athletic imagery because it resonated with the pagan culture and gave a touchstone for the message of the gospel. Like Paul, we also have the opportunity to use the medium of athletics to share the message of the gospel to a pagan culture around us. Given this possibility and the fact that we are a classical Christian school, I want to address the trivium of athletics. This trivium mirrors the academic stages of Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric.

GRAMMAR
In the classroom, the primary focus of the Grammar stage is mechanics, rules and memorization. This is paralleled in the realm of team athletics. Coaches do not start day one of beginner sports teaching complex team interactions—without the fundamentals and skills of the game, strategy cannot be operational. Just as in the classroom, an elementary-aged child can memorize and retain information at an accelerated rate. This is true for muscle memory and rule formation. This makes the younger ages in athletics the most important ages to learn proper techniques and fundamental skill application. The goal of coaching at this age should be constant activity and repetition of skills with little to no strategy except for the basic rules and boundaries of the game.

LOGIC
As our students transition into the Logic stage of education, they are learning to apply their stored knowledge into productive thought and analysis, identifying fallacies in arguments and building systematic defenses. This should also be present in the Logic stage of athletics. Our goal is not yet to produce a final product but to begin testing out and applying the mental and physical fundamentals of the game into group and team functions. Repetition is still important, but now group play is being substituted for some of the fundamental practice time. Towards that end, athletes learn to apply strategy and compete in small groups. The primary goal in Logic School is not winning, but developing and integrating strategy with skill to lay a foundation for success in the Rhetoric School years.

RHETORIC
Finally, in the Rhetoric stage, the whole picture comes together as students are learning to perfect and polish their arguments and defenses and persuade the listener or reader in the classroom. The focus becomes external now as emphasis is given to the production. This culminates in the Senior Thesis Presentation. For Rhetoric School athletes, they now focus on polishing the production of the team on a field or court. Each player is a part of something larger than themselves—working together as parts of a machine to accomplish the overall task. Our Geneva athletes reach the pinnacle of their classical athletic training as they display their knowledge, skill and strategy before an audience of screaming fans!

Between the Olympic games and the application of the trivium, there is no doubt that the athletics tradition has strong roots in the classical world and is important to the classical Christian tradition of education—teaching to the whole person and developing mind, body and spirit.

Rhetoric School Headmaster Rob Shelton wrote this article outlining Geneva’s Portrait of a Graduate and unpacks this lofty goal into practical terms. Geneva helps to equip students to be who God made them to be and to impact this world for good. The Portrait of a Graduate states:

A Geneva graduate is a disciple of Jesus Christ, exhibiting excellence, passion and integrity as he leads for Christ’s cause in the world. He is a critical, logical thinker, able to discern absolute truth from cultural trends and philosophies. As one who loves the Lord with all his mind, the Geneva graduate will be a lover of learning, and have the ability to grasp new ideas throughout his lifetime in pursuit of truth. These qualities, clothed in humility, create a foundation that will enable him to present engagingly articulate and persuasively winsome arguments. A Geneva graduate honors God’s image within himself and thus, is interested in all people because of God’s interest and image in them. The classical education and biblical worldview gained at Geneva will equip the graduate to exhibit vocational excellence to the glory of God.

Regarding the overall portrait, the first thing that you need to notice is that this statement is incredibly lofty. Indeed, it is beyond anyone to fulfill at all points at all times. This, however, is intentional. We know that none of us will measure up completely, but the high target will help to insure that we never settle or become complacent in our striving.

Secondly, you need to notice is that the portrait mentions nothing about college admission or what kind of college our students will or should attend. I think all of us know that Geneva is indeed prepping students for success in college and that our students will shine at whatever schools they attend, but that is not the primary goal. That is merely what happens along the way.

Finally in regards to the portrait as a whole, notice that none of the lofty goals in the portrait is quantifiably measurable. That is, they are all beyond the evaluative language of mathematics. There is no standardized test to measure whether this portrait is achieved. Rather, the lives, influence, and legacies of our graduates will dictate whether we are hitting the goals at which we are aiming.

Now to the first sentence: you should note that our portrait begins by identifying a Geneva graduate as a disciple of Jesus Christ. This priority and wording are intentional. The word used most in the New Testament to identify believers is “disciples;” “Christians” isn’t even in the top three (1. disciples 2. elect 3. saints). Discipleship is not an optional extra for followers of Christ; it is a description of following Christ. As such, we hope our graduates are disciplined followers (disciples) of Christ and that what we do here encourages this high calling.

After identifying a Geneva graduate as a disciple of Jesus Christ, there is a further call not only to follow Christ as a disciple, but to lead for Christ in the world. Of course, Christian leadership begins with servant-hood, so the goal of creating leaders is actually a goal to create servants—not slaves of the world, but those who are willing to put others first in representing Christ to the world. With that in mind, it is easy to see why excellence, passion, and integrity are necessary for a Geneva graduate. None of this, however, is merely taught and learned by rote. These things are primarily learned from the example that administrators, teachers, and parents provide in daily interaction with the students and each other. Indeed, all play a part every day in molding graduates who exemplify this first sentence. When we place others in the Geneva community before ourselves and serve one another, we are on our way to producing what we expect our students to be.

Now let’s move to sentences two and three. In a culture that advocates relativism, a disciple of Christ must be equipped with the tools of clear thinking because Christians cannot jettison the notion of absolute truth. Jesus declares that He is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” and thus, as Peter Kreeft argues, “What we do with the truth, we do with Christ.” Therefore, the methodical and often difficult process of training young minds to think well must not be abandoned. Humbly pursuing truth is not merely a way of loving the Lord with all of one’s mind, it is loving the Lord with all of one’s mind.

Thus, it is hoped that a Geneva graduate is not merely a good test-taker, but a good thinker. If a student does her best with the intellectual equipment she’s been dealt, yet graduates with a C average, but is never the less able to think well and critically, then she will be a Geneva success. By the same token, if a student graduates with a perfect 4.0 GPA and perfect SAT scores, but merely sees learning as a means to an end and never bothers to deeply consider the truth and his relationship to it, then he is just another high school graduate.

Building upon the ability to think well, sentence four goes a step further and expresses that a Geneva Graduate should also be one who can persuade well. Of course, this is not just so he or she can experience the thrill of winning an argument, but for the purpose of championing the truth. If we are not careful, we can lose our awe for the power of words. God created by His word, He gave Israel the Ten Words to guide them, and in Christ the Word became flesh. Knowing this, the Geneva graduate should be adept in the use of words, wielding them wisely in order to cut through our culture’s manipulative jargon and sloganeering to once again kindle the spark of thoughtful persuasion in service to the Truth. Probably one of the most distinctive aspects of a Geneva graduate will be his or her rhetorical skills, skills which are slowly being lost or marginalized in our culture.

As sentence five makes clear, pursuing truth, thinking well, and articulating clearly are wonderful traits, but if these are separated from the human element, then our graduates are liable to resemble Pharisees or pedantic robots. Harkening to the opening sentence, part of being a disciple of Christ is learning to see people as He sees them, as beings of intrinsic worth because they are God’s image-bearers. For our graduates, honoring this worth and image in themselves is manifested in doing their best with what God has given them. This same honor is manifested towards others through seeking the best in and for them and helping them also to do their best. Indeed, this sounds like a good definition of “love,” one of those things we can do because we are created in God’s image.

The final sentence of the Geneva Portrait of a Graduate makes plain that we are not aiming our students towards any one vocational calling. Rather, it is our hope that the type of person a student becomes will fit him for excellence in any calling. It is our further hope that Geneva graduates will understand that any honorable pursuit can be accomplished to the glory of God: from CEO to stay-at-home mom—from garbage collector to symphony conductor.

To conclude this exploration of the Portrait of a Graduate, it is worthwhile to note few things from an article by Paul Maurer found in an issue of Salvo magazine. The article, entitled “Hollowed Halls,” begins with the following paragraph:

“Not long ago, Richard Levin, the president of Yale, did a remarkable thing. He expressed the hollow core of secular higher education in extraordinarily honest language. While speaking to incoming freshman and their parents at Yale’s orientation, Levin confessed that the $200,000 [much more now since this article was first printed] Ivy League education they were about to purchase would not help them with the most important part of an undergraduate education–discovering the meaning of life.”

Knowing that this is the case at many schools, the necessity of our Portrait becomes even more evident. Later in the article, Maurer gives a description of the type of school we hope Geneva will remain. We allow his words to close this exploration of the Portrait:

“These Christ-centered schools [like Geneva] believe that education is more than the transmission of knowledge and professional training. While they take academic rigor seriously and graduate highly employable students, they also, as during the age of piety, set out to shape the souls of their students. At such [schools], the educators seek to develop a certain kind of person for church and society.”

In the Grammar School classrooms as each school year winds down, the children’s eyes sparkle as they draw close to their teachers, each leaning in with anticipation to receive their Character Trait Award. Parents and grandparents pack the perimeters of the room to partake in the immeasurable joy of seeing their child recognized and celebrated as a uniquely and wonderfully-made creation of God. These words fill the room: diligence, kindness, faithfulness, patience, joy, perseverance. After a year of being stretched and measured in the necessary but worldly standards of academic achievement, the children get to breathe in deep and exhale as they are reminded of their eternal value in God’s eyes.

Throughout the year, these same children may receive a Coram Deo Award, a spontaneous and treasured recognition when they are seen exhibiting those qualities that glorify God. As I cleaned out the frightening depths of my fifth grader’s backpack after a long year, I pulled out accordion-crumpled graded papers and a few little wrinkled Coram Deo papers. They recognized his help cleaning the table after lunch and reaching out to a friend on the playground who was sad and lonely. They spoke to him of the value of what you do when you don’t need to and how you behave when no one is watching. He never even traded them in for the coveted free ice cream on Friday. I think in his heart the Coram Deo was sweeter.

This same child will journey through Logic School and then on to Rhetoric to join his older brother. These coming years will test and refine that character. As the curriculum shifts, the building blocks start to stack into some recognizable structure. What will hold him together, if not his character?

The high school years begin to stir other conversations. No sooner does it begin that we are already preparing for the end. What happens after graduation? Will my child attend their college of choice? Will my child be successful? What do we need to do right now to ensure a path to success? At some point the conversation may even turn to the question, “Is Geneva the right school to equip my child?” There have been remarkable changes in the academic offerings available to this generation. Magnet schools, charter schools and competitive AP curriculum have created an environment where parents are left wondering: “Is my child getting access to the forward-thinking curriculum that drives today’s marketplace?”

My husband and I come from a strong science background and now practice within the healthcare industry. I’ve been asked if I think our kids have enough varied science exposure to prepare them for the future. How does Geneva, a classical and Christian School, prepare our kids for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers? First and foremost, GSB prepares them to do hard things well. Through small class sizes and hands-on exposure, they recognize that questions can be as important as answers. The faculty treat our children from the earliest ages like future influencers and expect them to appreciate the weight of their words and actions in a world that thirsts for truth. As Albert Einstein said, “I believe in God – who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of the universe.”

The Geneva School of Boerne faculty are deeply committed to supporting the revelation of God’s orderly harmony through the study of science and mathematics. The pace of technological and societal change ensures a lifetime love of learning has never been more critical. I believe that Geneva School of Boerne earnestly aims to graduate a well-rounded servant-scholar-athlete-artist who is equipped for a lifetime of learning. My strongest desire is that my children, regardless of profession, would live a life that honors God. That in whatever vocation he finds himself he would be a light on a hill in a desperately dark world. In that Geneva excels.

So, I’m left with the question: “What matters most?” Perhaps your child knows what they want to do when they “grow up;” mine don’t know the answer to that age-old question yet. Perhaps what they want to do now will only be what they do for a little while.

Again, the pace of technology tells me one thing for certain – I have no clue what my child will be doing for a living. Even within a profession, the landscape of their work will shift like the sands over the decades. This is what we can prepare them for with great certainty – a lifetime of learning. I want them to be prepared with a God-centered heart to see a need in the world and work to fulfill it. To live a life and not just make a living. To pursue passionately that which interests them and know how to approach it with curiosity and tenacity. To respond graciously to a change in job description, because they understand what describes their job does not define them. To be a leader in every realm of their influence because they were created to go and do great things.

Every day we each face the challenge to answer the question “what matters most?” At Geneva School of Boerne, with God’s grace and blessing, our children learn to answer that question with God’s word. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6.

by Brad Ryden, Geneva School of Boerne Head of School

Geneva School is known for many things: a tight knit community of parents, great students, successful arts and athletics programs, high SAT scores, etc. The feature that sets us apart from other schools is our combining a Christian education, founded on a biblical worldview and a classical approach, also known as a Liberal Arts education. These have been combined for centuries in order to provide a foundation and framework for the study of a number of disciplines.

In a 2015 article in “The Washington Post,” Dr. Loretta Jackson-Hayes, an associate professor of chemistry at Rhodes College in Memphis, made an argument that science majors should also have training in the liberal arts. She is not the first or only one to make this argument. In “The Washington Post” article titled We Don’t Need More STEM Majors. We Need More STEM Majors with Liberal Arts Training, Dr. Jackson-Hayes writes:

“Our culture has drawn an artificial line between art and science, one that did not exist for innovators like Leonardo da Vinci and Steve Jobs. Leonardo’s curiosity and passion for painting, writing, engineering and biology helped him triumph in both art and science; his study of anatomy and dissections of corpses enabled his incredible drawings of the human figure. When introducing the iPad 2, Jobs, who dropped out of college but continued to audit calligraphy classes, declared: “It’s in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough—it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the result that makes our heart sing.”

An education that includes the Liberal Arts (starting with grammar, logic and rhetoric) provides students with skills that those without such training often lack. When students are trained solely in their discipline, they suffer a myopia that can limit their effectiveness. When study in their discipline is combined with training in the Liberal Arts, students develop skills that enable them to think rationally, solve problems, make difficult decisions, discuss complex issues, speak eloquently and persuade others. These skills are embedded in the Liberal Arts tradition and are at the core of what every educated person should know.

One of Geneva’s alums, who studied Biomedical Engineering at a major university, wrote the following in response to a request for an update:

“There are so many times I feel ‘set apart’ and better equipped thanks to my years at Geneva. I learn the concept rather than memorizing the facts. I know what I believe and can articulate those beliefs well (but lovingly) when called upon to do so. I am confident in who I am and that I have the leadership and ability to positively affect the people and world around me. I would tell a Geneva student to not take any of your time there for granted! Here’s a shout out to all of the teachers and parents who expected the most of me and believed fully that I could live up to that. You don’t find that very often in the ‘real world,’ but my years there taught me to believe in and expect the best out of myself and I can never thank you enough for that! Love and prayers to everyone there. Geneva will always be a family and home to me!”

This young lady is combining her liberal arts training and biblical worldview with study in her discipline. May she and the rest of our graduates yield results that make all of our hearts sing with thanksgiving to God.