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By Shelly Weeks, Marketing & Development
Jesse Remington High School recently held its 10th Annual Mission Celebration Night of Giving on March 30th at the Candia Golf Links Evergreen Pavilion. This annual event has grown over the years and each year God amazes us with His presence and provision.
Our Emcee for the evening was JRHS Alumni, Thomas Philbrick (‘11). He shared with us his Alumni Testimony. Thomas went beyond just sharing about his four years at JRHS, but also shared how the different stages of his life (from infancy to adulthood) has closely paralleled the journey of the school. In closing, Thomas had this to say:
“The school has changed in many ways throughout its existence, just as I and my fellow students have changed throughout our growth and development. It has faced challenges, adapted to those challenges, and returned to overcome those challenges through perseverance and faith in God’s providence. Throughout all of these things, Jesse Remington high school has remained true to the values that define it, as set out in its mission statement. It continues to be a Christian community that is pursuing wisdom, knowledge, and understanding and that is committed to raising this generation of youth to be effective leaders for Jesus Christ. So the question for us as a community is: Are we going to have faith like the centurion? Are we going to trust that the Lord’s vision for this school will continue to bear fruit in our lives? In the words of scripture, are we able to “Go! [and] Let it be done”? Let that be our challenge for the future of this Jesse Remington High School community.”
In the Headmaster’s address, Jeff Philbrick delivered a message that gave listeners a brief history lesson of how our school athletic name came to be the “Sentinels” and what a Sentinel encapsulates. He then shared his personal story about a surgery he had last year, and how those in the medical field fix what is broken--restoring and renewing to a better life. Headmaster Philbrick added:
“Tonight we are all here as Supporters, Cheerleaders, Partners of our favorite Christian School on the planet, Jesse Remington High School. The JRHS leaders, or missionaries if you will, are like a medical team, called to bring about restoration and renewal in the life of our fortunate students, such that they can then lead productive, God-honoring, beautiful lives. You see we have a problem that needs a solution: these perfect little cherubs we call our children, as wonderful as they are, are like me, the surgery patient. They are broken, un-formed, mis-directed, un-tested - they need a Medical Team to help them build a better future.”
Headmaster Philbrick also shared with us how students of today fit into what’s being called “Generation Z”. He went into details about the characteristics and challenges of “Gen Z”, and the great need for this generation (born between 1995-2015) is a renewal of mind, forming of the spirit, and development of the body. In his own words “This generation needs ‘The Medical Team!” In essence, our JRHS Faculty are called to be this team that works to restore and renew every day.
Board Member and mother of two Alumni students and one current student, Jackie Lacy, shared a touching message with attendees of how JRHS positively impacted the lives of her children. Jackie shared how before she came to know Jesus, she feared the teenage years as she looked back on what her own teen years were like. By committing her life to the Lord and getting involved in a local church, she learned more about JRHS through fellow church members. Jackie and her husband, Waine, soon realized that JRHS was a unique school with its Project Based Learning Program and close Christian Community. After Jackie shared their family’s personal story and how JRHS prepared her children for life beyond high school, she invited everyone in the room to partner with JRHS through either prayer, service, and/or financial support. She shared with us the school’s current financial need to finish out the year and encouraged us to pray and seek the Lord’s direction.
We sincerely thank all who made this an incredible evening! We are eternally grateful for all who have committed to support the Mission of Jesse Remington High School with your prayers, time and financial gifts. When Jackie shared her testimony with us, she mentioned the school needed $55,000 to close out this school year. With the gifts that came in during the Mission Celebration, along with pledged gifts, we are praising God for just over $40,000 raised!
With each Mission Celebration, we select a theme based on a timely scripture for our school. This year’s theme was inspired by an activity at our annual Faculty and Staff Retreat where one activity was to coin a slogan that would capture all the attributes of a great JRHS teacher or leader. The winning mantra became “Be the Sentinel”. The verse we often reference and the one which became the main verse of our theme for this year’s Mission Celebration is drawn from Matthew 8:14 (NIV), “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” You can find this verse displayed in a stained glass window of our Sentinel building!
The values and characteristics of a Sentinel include; someone of great faith who displays honor, respect, empathy, understanding, diligence, orderliness, self-discipline, resilience, grit, trust and is proactive. These are key characteristics our community strives to foster in all members.
Each guest was given a card that displayed an Alumni Testimony along with the JRHS Core Values. Attached to the card was a puzzle piece that contained a quote from their featured Alumni. Each table worked together to build the puzzle. Everyone shared highlights from their testimony card and what JRHS Core Values they felt the testimony captured. It was a an opportunity for every attendee to peek into the lives of a graduate, and learn how their time at JRHS impacted them as they continue to be “Sentinels Out There Doing God’s Work.”
We’d like to take a moment to thank our Drama Club for presenting a scene from their upcoming spring play, “The Secret Garden.” Performances will be this May 3rd and 4th at 7:00 pm. You all did an awesome job with your accents, costumes and stage presence! We’re also grateful for the Faculty and Staff Choir that performed “Be Thou My Vision” -- it was moving and beautiful.
If you missed the opportunity to attend our Mission Celebration Night of Giving, you still have an opportunity to partner with Jesse Remington High School. You can partner by Prayer, Service, a One-Time Donation or a commitment to the Sentinel Society. Email Scott at sshillaber@jrhs.org for more info.
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