Veterans Chapel
At Ambleside, we aim to inspire our students to servant leadership. Our Veterans Day Chapel is one way we do this by exposing our students to men and women veterans who have served our country in times of war and in times of peace. These individuals have chosen of their own accord to put their lives in a position where at any moment they may be called upon to stand in harm's way in order to protect others. For our students, veterans are excellent examples of sacrificial servant leaders.
Charlotte Mason's life work reached its climax just before World War I and the children educated in her schools became the adult soldiers and civilians who endured the Luftwaffe bombings and destruction of British cities during World War II. In the 1920's, she wrote,
"If the War taught nothing else it taught us that men are spirits, that the spirit, mind, of a man is more than his flesh, that his spirit is the man, that for the thoughts of his heart he gives the breath of his body. As a consequence of this recognition of our spiritual nature, the lesson for us at the moment is that the great thoughts, great events, great considerations, which form the background of our national thought, shall be the content of the education we pass on."
Little did she know how tragic a war lay on the horizon nor how courageously some of her students would rise to Hitler's challenge.
At Ambleside, we aim to bring up servant leaders who are willing to face whatever challenges may come their way, just as Mason’s students did over 75 years ago. Our speakers for Veterans Chapel will find fertile ground in the minds of our students for talking about citizenship. Beginning in Kindergarten, students encounter a pageant of heroes, men and women of valor and selflessness who model right thinking, duty, courage, and love--people like George Washington, George Washington Carver, Frederick Douglas, Joan of Arc, King David, Nehemiah, Helen Keller. Books have been chosen carefully to inspire our students toward a, "generous view of men and their motives, to see where the greatness of a given character lies, to have one's judgment of present events illustrated and corrected by historic and literary parallels," in effect, to give our students "the power of comprehensive judgment." (All quotes by Charlotte Mason)
On November 15th, at 9 am at our school (8980 Brook Road, McLean, VA), we will honor these veterans and hear their stories. Our speakers will be Major David King and Captain Eugene “Red’ McDaniel, please view our event invitation to learn more about our speakers. The students will shake their hands, thank them personally, and ask questions. I hope you will join us and invite your friends and relatives.
Virginia Wilcox
Head of School