A special Literary Chapel was held at the middle school on Wednesday, April 2nd. The purpose was to recognize,
reward and encourage excellence in reading and writing
(click here for a list of awards). After an opening prayer by Ellison Helmly, Abbie Deloach
presented a devotional which discussed the Bible being the greatest piece of literature ever written. Abbie wrote
this devotional especially for the Literary Chapel.
Sarah Crowe reminded students of Savannah Christian’s mission statement: To develop the whole person to the glory
of God. But, she also asked if students knew SCPS also has a very specific vision statement? She then read part of
the vision statement: "Savannah Christian Preparatory School seeks to glorify God . . .
in educating future generations through Christ-centered training, application, and example.
Faculty and staff will educate students as rigorous thinkers with a rock solid foundation of Biblical values.
By the time students graduate, they should be able to . . ." and then there is the list of nine goals for students.
She told students that this Literary Chapel celebrates two of the skills on the list: "Read insightfully"
and "Write incisively." Mrs. Crowe then explained these skills:
- Reading insightfully means to read with deep understanding and intelligent application of knowledge. It involves not just reading to answer recall questions, but reading with a lens for identifying and understanding any underlying themes or messages in the text or being able to apply what you’ve read to the world around you.
- Writing incisively means to form clear or sharp words that communicate your message in a penetrating way.
She told students that even in middle school, many of them have already have begun to practice and excel in these two areas. Sometimes finishing their book or paper, knowing they’ve done their very best, is a reward within itself. This Literary Chapel gives some tangible awards to students that have shown outstanding aptitude in these areas.
Debbie Smith so eloquently spoke about the gift of literature. A brief excerpt of her encouraging words to students follows. “Before presenting awards to those who have been busy reading since the school year began, it occurred to me that reading is a gift or blessing that many of us tend to take for granted. In sixth grade, we read a tale set in the middle ages, when the majority of people could neither read nor write; the Bible and church services were in Latin, so ordinary people relied upon others to read and interpret God’s word for them. We take it for granted today that we can consult any verse in the Bible whenever we like; people in the middle ages did not have this luxury.
We also read The Devil’s Arithmetic, set during the Holocaust, and we learn about Nazi Germany. Hitler recognized the power of the written word, and he set up an organization to restrict and control the things that people could read. He banned books that expressed certain ideas, or books by authors that he did not approve; anything that did not match up to his Nazi ideals would be withdrawn and destroyed. This type of censorship is still practiced in certain countries today. Around the world, there are governments that impose laws about the books that people are allowed to read.
We take for granted so many of God’s gifts: reading is one of them. Next time you have the opportunity to read, count your blessings and thank God that you are able to read.”
The reading awards were then announced. All students that received a reading award, also received a goody bag chock full of candies and other treats sponsored by our PTF!
List of 2008 Awards
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