HEADMASTER'S BLOG

"There is something special about gathering together at the beginning of a new school year. Convocation is an in-gathering of people for a specific purpose, and this year we have an especially good reason to celebrate: Jesse Remington High School turns 35! We gather here at Candia Congregational Church to celebrate God’s goodness to our school and families and to put the ball on the field for the 2026–2027 school year. We cannot do everything this year, so we are choosing to

By Jeff Philbrick, Headmaster Each fall semester, JRHS prioritizes three days up in NH’s beautiful White Mountains. We have used quite a few different venues over the years, but recently, we have landed the retreat at the awesome Camp Shiloh in Jefferson NH. Facing the great northern peaks, Camp Shiloh offers peace and tranquilly, beautiful views, copious grounds for our games and activities, and beloved camp masters Greg and Geoffrey who are there to serve us. Our goals for

By Emma Cross ('26), Intern The first All-Day Hike of the 2026–2027 school year was a wonderful success! We began the day by gathering together to pray over the adventure ahead before departing school at 7:30 a.m. By 10:00 a.m., we were ready to begin our ascent of Mount Moosilauke. Students and chaperones worked together throughout the hike, encouraging one another and helping everyone along. At 4,802 feet, the breezy, chilly peak provided a memorable setting for a quick l

By Kathy Carlson, Director of Admissions At Jesse Remington High School, some of the most meaningful moments of community happen at lunchtime. There is nothing particularly remarkable about lunch at first glance. But look a little closer, and you see something more. You see students from different grades sitting together. You see friendships growing. You hear conversations that range from the ordinary to the significant. You see students making room for one another, encouragi

By Jeff Philbrick The Next Generation of Jesse greatness gathered on campus this week to inaugurate the new year. Teachers Samuelson, Hyvonen, Sicard, Cataño and Martens welcomed the new students for the Student Orientation Day. After some fun interactive games, Headmaster Philbrick took the students to the gravesite of Pastor Jesse Remington, the school's namesake, where they learned what it means that they are the "more fitting monument" that speaks the life of Jesse into t

By Jeff Philbrick, Headmaster Middle August each year is the call to order for the Board members, Staff and Faculty of Jesse Remington High School, as we come together for the annual Preparation Retreat. This year was particularly meaningful as we begin the 35th Anniversary of our great school. We opened our day with a devotion from Pastor Steve Baker, bringing meaning to this year’s theme that is fitting to an anniversary year: Psalm 145:4 which calls believers to commend t

Jesse Remington High School celebrates the life and legacy of one of our beloved teachers, Jim Philbrick, who went home to be with the Lord on July 28. Jim faithfully served JRHS for 11 years as our college preparatory Physics and Chemistry teacher, investing not only in his students’ education, but also in their lives. We invite you to watch this special video from 2022, which offers a beautiful glimpse into Jim’s heart for Jesse Remington High School and the students he was

By Cheryl Crawford Our final Summer Work Day at JRHS wrapped up this week with another productive few days on campus! Volunteers tackled a variety of projects, including sanding and priming the Sentinel, refreshing the porch ceiling and railings, and renovating baseboards throughout the school, weathercoating the side porch. A special thank-you to Dan Burgher, Jeff Philbrick, and Susan Sicard for leading the work days, and all of the volunteers who gave their time, energy,

Every summer, we set aside time for campus maintenance and improvement projects that help keep JRHS looking its best. This year's Summer Work Day featured three major projects: sealing the driveway, preparing the Solarium subfloor for new flooring, and removing the old well-head next to the Apartment before bricking it over and widening the walkway. Jeff Philbrick, Jon Stanley, and Emma Cross took on the Solarium project, replacing sections of the subfloor and installing addi

We are excited to share that Jesse Remington High School is one of a select group of schools to receive the 2025-26 ParentPulse “Premier Parent Choice Award.” This award is more than a nice accolade—it’s a reflection of our school’s outstanding parent engagement and satisfaction. The Parent Choice Award is presented only to schools with a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 70 or higher between September 1 and May 31. But, Parent Pulse likes to recognize schools that are significant

By Ellie Hyvonen, In College and Career 9, throughout this semester, students have been building a prayer chain. Every Friday they write new prayer requests and read the last week‘s prayers. When God answers the prayer, in whatever way He does, they staple it onto the chain! Here is the last day with these kids showing the faithfulness of God through their chain. Lamentations 3:23 rings clear, which says, “Great is your faithfulness oh Lord, your mercies are new every mornin

Many Students and teachers from Jesse Remington spent the day exploring Pack Monadnock in Miller State Park, hiking the scenic Wapack Trail while enjoying plenty of laughter and fellowship along the way. The group kept their eyes peeled for soaring raptors overhead, but the wildlife highlight turned out to be a large snake sunning itself near the summit. At the top, students explored the fire tower area and took in views stretching all the way to the Boston skyline. They wer

In this quarter’s painting class, Mrs. Comrie is guiding students through the essential principles of watercolor and acrylic painting, including composition, light, color, and shading. As these images reveal, students are applying these techniques with growing confidence and creativity, developing both their skills and their unique artistic expression.

Yesterday, the drama team completed a full run-through of the play from beginning to end, and they are looking fantastic! Their costumes bring the story to life, and their energy and talent make this production a true delight to watch. Opening night for The Surprise is this Friday, May 15, at 7:00 PM at the Candia Congregational Church. If you are unable to attend on Friday, there will be a second performance on Saturday, May 16, at 7:00 PM in the same location. No tickets ar

By Ellie Hyvonen The ninth grade College and Career class is currently exploring the themes of calling and vocation. In addition to working through their student workbooks and engaging in thoughtful class discussions, Miss Ellie has invited a different guest speaker to each class to share insights from a variety of professions, trades, and life callings. This week, we were pleased to welcome Bob deRose, founder of Abbey Run Construction. Bob spoke candidly with students about

Faculty culture doesn't just happen on its own. Headmaster Philbrick is cultivating essential values into the faculty culture, as much as he is with student culture. Each month, team members are seeking to increase their capacity to serve the students by staying focused on our Faculty Core Values. Each month at our Team Meetings, we pass along "Jesse the Sentinel". The award stands for: Empathy and Understanding, Proactive Hard Work, Orderliness and Self Discipline, Resilienc

By Kathy Carlson, Director of Admissions Wednesday night began with our Sentinel Slices Café, where the aroma of fresh, hot pizza and crisp salad welcomed families, faculty, and staff into a time of relaxed conversation and community. It was a warm and fitting start, setting the table—both literally and figuratively—for an evening centered on connection and shared experience before the mission trip testimonies began. The evening then unfolded into a truly meaningful time of s

Outdoor Education (OE) holds some of my favorite memories of my time at Jesse, in particular the three hikes each year. They present a unique opportunity to spend hours with peers who could be close friends or new freshmen you have not yet gotten to know. When you are on a mountain, there is not much to do besides talk, so you get to know those in your group pretty well. For the springtime hike, there is an option to do an overnight hike that is more difficult, which I decide

By Ellie Hvyonen, Faculty The ninth-grade College and Career class has begun an engaging new unit on Calling and Vocation. Under Miss Ellie’s guidance, students are working through the Calling Student Leader workbook while also hearing from a variety of guest speakers who offer personal insight into these themes. Today’s guest was the one and only Mr. Philbrick, who brought both wisdom and authenticity to the conversation. He thoughtfully explored the relationship between ca

By Jeff Philbrick, Headmaster It was another beautiful and sunny day in El Salvador with temperatures well into the 90s. We split into two groups today, one group returning to the Casa Manna building project and the other group experiencing the oasis ministry on the island, Casada. The smaller building team consisted of Faith, Ethan, Tim, Andrew, Josh, and Nolan. The objective was to move the building project as far forward as we could on this last day. And wow, did we deliv