Articles
Miss Vivian Beachy taught English at Eastern Mennonite School for forty years and developed an outstanding English curriculum that many regard as the heart and soul of the academic program of the school. Miss Beachy, originally from Greenwood, Delaware, began teaching English at Eastern Mennonite School in 1955 and retired an impressive forty years later…
EMHS graduate Andrew Ferguson ’05 works in the U.S. Supreme Court, serving as a clerk to Chief Justice Clarence Thomas. Post high school, Andrew earned an undergraduate degree in history and a J.D., both from from the University of Virginia. He recently spoke to the Class of 2017 during their annual Senior Trip to Washington,…
For readers of Today magazine, the word Windsock may spark different feelings. For some of you, “What is Windsock?” and for others, “Hey, that’s my old school newspaper!” Did you know that it’s back after a three year hiatus? When Erin Rhodes ‘16, Rachael Brenneman ‘17 and I made the decision to start up Windsock…
History Day has become a welcome annual event in the EMS community, a notable day for exposing students and staff to historic lifestyles. The first two History Days focused on the 1860s and 1950s, respectively, but this year the focus was on the creation of the new United States during the years 1750-1790. Inspiration for…
After hearing the results of our feasibility report from consultant Rebekah Basinger in October, the EMS Board of Directors excitedly and unanimously com- mitted to support Let the Children Come! Elementary school faculty are now stepping forward with sacrificial pledges to encourage 100% participation among all faculty and staff. We believe boldly in the importance…
Golf is a hobby and passion for alumnus Sam Weaver ’52. In the 2016 EMS Fore the Flames golf benefit tournament, Sam golfed with his Eastern Mennonite High School friend (and former Philomathean basketball teammate) Ed Collins ’53. Sixty-plus years after they graduated, Sam and Ed formed a tournament foursome with Sam’s son-in-law Steve Leaman…
When LuAnn Miller Bender ’81 began teaching Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) at EMS in 2001, Principal J. David Yoder told her that “we grow teachers.” Mrs. Bender says this became “super clear” to her, in that teachers could develop professionally while using their full range of gifts in the school. For fifteen years Mrs.…
Some say that middle schoolers are similar to adults in nursing homes: they want desperately to be able to contribute to society, they just don’t have the “wheels.” At EMMS, we provide students the “vehicle” to make service possible. We believe that “compassionate service to the world” is important at the middle school level–where students…
You may be aware of re-structuring, scheduling and grading scale changes at EMS beginning in the 2016-17 year. We’d like to take this opportunity to present what these changes are and how they will benefit EMS. To create a healthy bottom-line, while providing competitive opportunities for students, our middle and high schools are moving to…
In the summer of 2015, Nathan Alleman invited me, his former history teacher, to breakfast at a local restaurant in Harrisonburg. Twenty-two years after graduating from EMHS, Dr. Alleman, now from Waco, Texas, wanted to sit down and thank the faculty in his high school for teaching him how to think critically. It’s a rare…