Articles
In the fall of 1944, during World War II, Paul Swarr trans- ferred to Eastern Mennonite School for his senior year of high school and said “this was life-changing for me.” From Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Swarr sang in a choir under the direction of J. Mark Stauffer and gained experience singing in a men’s quartet. His…
I’m a Cleveland Indians lifer, having followed the team since I was a boy in the 1960s. My sister and I used to sit by the family stereo in Hartville Ohio on a Saturday night with a bowl of popcorn and listen to an Indians game for entertainment. More recently, I watched every game of…
Bible instruction has been a central part of the EMS curriculum and influential in the lives of many students. Through study, classroom instruction and chapel programming, students learn to interpret, understand, and apply the Bible and its lessons within a supportive community of believers. The EMS Bible department is one of the school’s core departments,…
Born in 1914, Martha Whissen graduated from Eastern Mennonite School in 1931, and she is likely our oldest living graduate. Martha will turn 103 on February 26, 2017. She was born three years before EMS started, even before the beginning of World War I. Martha Shank’s grandparents suffered the loss of their barn and house…
For a hundred years, our lives at Eastern Mennonite School have flowed together in endless songs of praise and adoration toward God. Through music, which lifts us above earth’s lamentations, we catch the sweet though far off hymn that hails a new creation. When we sing or create stirring instrumental harmonies, storms cannot shake our…
Picture an unseasonably warm February afternoon. Laughter echoes under the covered bridge where children excavate treasures buried in Menno Run last fall. Across the way, friendly competition on the Gaga Court and bouncing balls on the hardtop indicate EMES students are out enjoying the fresh air during recess. Fort builders are gathering materials from the…
While a student at EMS, Frank Emswiler ’96 played Varsity basketball for two years. His ninth grade son, Levi, played JV Basketball for the Flames this past season. Frank and Edith Emswiler’s middle child, Iva, in seventh grade, played basketball for the girl’s middle school team. Their youngest child, Kaylee, is in fifth grade at…
“One must learn by doing the thing, for though you think you know it you have no certainty, until you try.” -Sophocles Each April EMS students and faculty in grades 6-12 expand their education beyond the classroom walls through unique experiential learning experiences that enable students to learn by doing and by trying new things.…
“I don’t like history. It’s boring.”When we hear these words from students in the first days of school, we consider it a challenge. At EMS, we recognize that social studies education is changing. Memorization of facts, long the backbone of history teaching, has decreased in importance in our digital world. Students and adults alike can…
Managing Editor’s note: Matt Weaver is certainly a familiar face at EMS as young alumnus of the year, as father to one alumna and three current students, as Board of Director member, Alumni Board volunteer, and coach of the 2017-18 Girls Varsity Basketball Flames. Although his actions speak volumes about his commitment to EMS, his…