What a day, what a day our Cincinnati SAR educational presenters had on Tuesday November 26th at the Mars Hill Academy located in Mason, Ohio; which is a part of Greater Cincinnati. This is a unique prep school and solidly Christian, with an amazing staff; and our time there proved to be incredibly stimulating.
Chapter President Turner Lee Wilkerson, Color Guard Commander Michael Gunn, Dr. Ed Bonniwell, Bob Bowers, Dan Schmitz, Jack Bredenfoerder, Mark Holland, Gordon Stokely and His Excellency George Washington, (which is our own Zach Haines) made presentations on the American Revolution the entire day.
Morning began with a major assembly. Our Colorguard marched, doing maneuvers and firing our muskets. Then we paraded into the gymnasium where His Excellency George Washington (Our own Zach Haines) spoke in the first person, utterly arresting the attention of the young people gathered there. After about a 25-minute presentation, we as presenters were assigned various classrooms.
Mars Hill Academy is a prep school – preparing young students for Ivy League Universities. We found the kids eager to learn and very engaging in terms of their questions and participation. Our hat is off to their Headmaster, James Waldy; a very Godly man who is full of love and good will. He is methodical in his approach, and incredibly supportive; Dan Schmitz and I had various meetings with him as we worked out the details. We believe that we will return next year, and we are discussing a rather major event.
The staff had prepared a magnificent Thanksgiving Day Diner, and we were asked to remain and have lunch; it was delicious, and all of us so enjoyed interfacing with the faculty and staff. The facility at Mars Hill is very upscale; a happy place where academics are really emphasized. The teachers impressed us as being very dedicated people, and we’ve never been in a school where we sensed such incredible love.
Our presenters were all really on, and we felt so energized by the climate of the school. The students obviously had some understanding of the Revolution and their questions reflected passion for our heritage and history. We spoke to 6th graders, 8th graders, and 11 and 12th graders. In the assembly we had the entire school, with Jack Bredenfoerder and Dr. Michael Gunn assisting Zach Haines, complementing Washington’s presentation. It was unquestionably a very memorable day.
To the board that sanctioned our coming, to Dr. Waldy for all of his longsuffering patience, and to the academic review committees that carefully assessed all of our presentations and chose those that would facilitate their academic journey in the Colonial Period, we salute you and give thanks for your passion for education.
