The Rev’d John Heaton is New Covenant’s second headmaster, following the founder of the school, Dr. Robert Littlejohn. He has served since 1998 and is in his twenty fifth year of service. He established the school on its permanent campus at Fleetwood Drive in Lynchburg, VA, and led the development of the school through five successful capital campaigns, providing the facilities which now serve more than 450 students through grade 12. Fr. John is an ordained minister in the Reformed Episcopal Church and has served a parish in his home state of Florida. He currently serves as the Associate Priest at All Saints Church which meets in the Marie Macdonald Chapel on the campus of New Covenant. Fr. John holds the BA and MA in theology, and the MA in liberal studies. He teaches intermediate Greek in the School of Rhetoric, and he writes routinely for this blog below.
Classical, Christian Ed: We Say College Prep Is Not Enough
I really dislike the term “prep school,” and I’ve intentionally shunned it for my entire career at New Covenant. It is true that we serve the college bound student, and
By Definition: Education Is…
How words change! Here’s a good example. I have two definitions of education, both from Webster: 2017 – Education: The action of process of educating or of being educated. BUT….back
From Classical Education to STEM to Helicopters
by Jay Lamagna (class of 2012) Jay Lamagna graduated from New Covenant in 2012 after thirteen years of enrollment. He attended Virginia Military Institute where he double-majored in Electrical Engineering
Rethinking Technology in the Classroom: The Evidence Doesn’t Support It
I have long believed that the uncritical adoption of technology in the classroom for its own sake was a bad idea. My hunches on the matter are counter intuitive,
Cultivating Sensibilities: Resisting Consumerism in Children
by Jeremiah Forshey Jeremiah Forshey is a faculty member in the School of Rhetoric where he teaches literature and senior thesis. When my youngest son James was three, he played
Glad You Asked: What is the Purpose of the History Timeline?
At a recent LiveLink program I was asked, “What is the Purpose of the History Timeline? It’s endearing and amazing to see 5 year olds reciting the Timeline, but the
Cultivating Sensibilities: Reverence, Respect and Courtesy
“Show me what reverence looks like.” Lately I’ve been saying this at the beginning of each of my middle school chapels. The children aren’t being bad; they’re coming from gym, lunch or some other
Glad you Asked: What are the Advantages of a classical, Christian Education?
At a recent LiveLink program I was asked, “How would you summarize the advantages of classical education compared to modern education models?” Glad you asked. First, we should make sure we
Education and Technology
In the fall, 2015, I submitted a master’s thesis to Hollins University entitled Education in Context of Student-Accessed, Digital and Applied Technology. I have since created a seminar based on this
