By Cheryl Crawford, JRHS Office Administrator and Alumni Parent
Thirty-one years ago Jesse Remington High School was founded to raise up the next generation of youth to be effective leaders for Jesus Christ. While not a global mission commonly supported by churches, it is a local mission quaintly nestled in the small rural town of Candia, New Hampshire. At the outset, Jeff Philbrick, founder and Headmaster of the School, most likely did not know or understand the implications of this start-up. Especially considering the 2019 Barna research which indicates that New England has the fewest number of people following Christian beliefs and practices. The importance of the school’s mission - graduating students who love God and have strong biblical principles - is indeed a mission worthy of our support.
As the administrator of Jesse Remington High School for the past six years, I have seen firsthand the dedication and determination of those committed to this mission. Anyone who has been involved in a Christian school knows the amount of work required.
It relies on a community effort of those who teach, manage and volunteer. The importance of their mission work, and the direct impact they have on the spiritual lives of students and their families is in accordance with the Great Commission found in Matthew 28. Christian School employees put in long hours investing in students and families, not just by teaching academic subjects, but also the between hours, before hours and after hours. You will often find them at sporting events, dance and music recitals, or having dinner at a family’s home.
Our Christian school teachers not only teach from the heart, but also speak into the lives of their students, helping them formulate a biblical worldview by which to engage the culture, develop a framework for ethical thinking, and provide meaning and purpose to their lives grounded in truth.
As Jeff Philbrick writes in his article, Six Keys to Thriving at JRHS, “A worldview - or a world and life view - as some call it, is the structure of understanding we use to make sense of the world. Our worldview is what we presuppose, it is our way of looking at life, our interpretation of everything. It is how we come up with our definition of what is real, what is truthful, and what is beautiful. Now, here’s the bedrock: everyone has a worldview, and something formed that view.”
A worldview defines the goals for each student as they develop a set of skills they take into their adult lives. The development of a biblical worldview encompasses the mind, body and spirit and lays the foundation for an adult who is active in the community, church and the world at large.
My husband and I experienced close up the value of a Christian education at Jesse Remington for our daughter. She developed a strong Christian faith, excellent character development, and a biblical worldview which fostered a desire to put others above herself preparing her for work in the human services field. Because of this, we realize the development of a biblical worldview in our young people is of the highest priority and we continue to support the school with gifts of time and money. We pray that you will join us in this worthy mission!