As we prepare to celebrate Washington’s birthday this weekend and our nation’s 250th later this year, it is worth reflecting on his deep connection to our own Hudson Valley. Over half of his wartime birthdays were spent in and around the Hudson Valley, taking advantage of the central location and the natural fortress created by the mountains surrounding it. 250 years ago, Washington spent his birthday…
Read MoreFor history lovers like me, it’s never a chore to sit through stories of great battles, Kings and Queens, power struggles, and revolutions. We instinctively understand that these stories matter. But art history, on the other hand, is often seen as superfluous. As if the famous paintings and sculptures of the past are mere side notes to the important information. And yet, art history is history in one of its truest …
Read MoreIn “Our Friend, Math,” Esther Park turns equations and formulas into a beautiful reflection on learning, persistence, and faith. What starts as a tangle of numbers soon becomes a reminder that even math can point us toward our Creator. The poem shows that behind every problem (academic or otherwise) there’s a deeper logic at work.
Read MoreMartin Luther, in a Christmas sermon, once commented on the visit of the shepherds to the manger. He reflects on the life-changing gift they received while tending to their flocks, the angels directing them to Bethlehem where Christ the Savior was born. But Luther is particularly struck by the verse that concludes that story, “the shepherds returned to their flocks, glorifying and praising God…
Read MoreThe Thanksgiving table is the one place where Americans truly feast. On the fourth Thursday of each November, generations of family and friends gather to create sumptuous dishes, eat heartily, drink merrily, and enjoy each other’s company with hearts of gratitude. This year’s Thanksgiving comes after our staff had the opportunity to meet with many of our parents. Reflecting on conferences while looking ahead to the Thanksgiving meal has…
Read MoreThis year marks the 75th anniversary of the publication of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first installment of the beloved “Chronicles of Narnia” series. So as winter swiftly approaches here at Chapel Field, it is especially fitting this year to devote special attention to the “forever winter” that C.S. Lewis created for generations of readers to explore. To honor the book and the essential position that it has held in the modern Christian imagination for the last 75 years, the upper school will be gathering to read the entire book together during part of the school day on both November 24th and 25th before…
Read MoreOn Friday, September 5, 2025, Chapel Field held its third annual convocation at Goodwill Church in Montgomery, NY. Our Academic Dean, Mr. Henry Listenberger, welcomed attendees with a greeting, which we are pleased to share below as a Bell Tower article.
Transcript of Greeting – Academic Dean, Henry Listenberger Welcome and good evening! It is my distinct pleasure and honor to greet you all at the beginning of tonight’s event. As the Academic Dean, and as someone who is still a relatively recent…
Read MoreI am not Scottish, at least not that I know of. I’ve never really put much stock in my genetic makeup. I teach my theology students that for Christians our anthropology is eschatological before it is biological anyways. I won’t attempt to explain what that means here, but it is true. Christ shatters linear time in such a way that what is last is actually first. So I am not a Scot but I am a Presbyterian whose Christian heritage is much indebted to many a Scotsman. I love that tradition even if I don’t always see eye to eye with many of those from it in regards to the way that tradition is interpreted, lived…
Read MoreThis Independence Day, as we celebrate the birth of our great nation, we at Chapel Field invite you to read these six short excerpts from American texts, speeches, and sermons. As we reflect on our country’s storied history, it is good and right to soak in the wisdom of our forefathers and to give thanks to our God. We hope you’ll read along with us…
Read MoreWhen parents ask me for book recommendations for their kids to read over the summer it is usually because they are facing one of two problems: 1) Their child reads ferociously and they have no idea how to find enough good books to throw in front of them, or 2) their child does not like to read at all, and they wish they knew how to find any book that will actually compel them to sit down, read, and finally be quiet. The child in problem…
Read More“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 — It’s fitting to frame any discussion on the value of art by quoting the very first verse of the Bible. If we truly believe Scripture to be theopneustos or “God-breathed”, we must then recognize that the first description that God provides about Himself is that He is a creator. In Classical Christian education, the traditional academic rigor we strive for should always be infused with…
Read MoreI never cared for my name until, when I was around 10 years old my family was having dinner talking about where their names came from and what they meant. We all went around talking about what our names meant until it got to me. My aunt looked it up and Micah meant “one who is like God.” After that I didn’t think about my name until in my junior year in theology class we read “Parker’s Back” by Flannery O’Conner. In O’Conner’s short story…
Read MoreHere’s the text with extra space added between the paragraphs for better formatting on your blog: My father is not a fish. I don't believe that he ever will be. But for the past few days it has felt like my father is a fish.I often implore my students to furnish the interior of their hearts, to decorate their minds, to wallpaper their souls with great literature and poetry. It's a hard thing for...
Read MoreWhat a joy it was to see so many of you at our 2024 convocation service last week. We are hopeful that more and more of our families will join us each year as we seek to begin our school year by asking for the Lord’s blessing. It was an evening of beautiful singing and prayer. We were also blessed by a message from Rev. Tim Goodwin who is the Director of Operations at The Geneva School, a classical Christian school in Manhattan. Tim spoke...
Read MoreA day or two after walking a group of teachers through a magnificent old fairytale, an old myth: The Handless Maiden, one veteran educator came up to talk to me about the story. But in reality it wasn't a discussion about the story simpliciter, it was about the role of stories—stories told, stories heard, stories written. The teacher said to me, “I…
Read MoreA Proclamation: Any American who has ever listened to a bugler sound Taps, the last salute, whether on a green and grassy hillside, a muddy field halfway around the world, or a lonely tarmac stateside or anywhere freedom is cherished and defended, knows exactly why we set aside a special day each year to honor those who have died for our country and to pray for permanent peace. We do so for the sons and daughters of our land who have perished in the cause of liberty…
Read MoreO Lord of Divine Majesty, You are the sustainer of the cosmos. We eternally express our admiration to You, for You are magnificent and exquisite in Your love. Every good and perfect gift is from You who does not change like shifting shadows. (1) Bestow humble hearts upon us, O Lord, that we may come properly into Your presence with shouts of thanksgiving. We will extol…
Read MoreOne of the insights of classical, Christian education is that education is much more than information transfer, or preparation to take tests. It is a rigorous training of the whole soul: body, mind and spirit. As Plutarch wrote long ago, “the mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be…
Read MoreO Lord, we rejoice in You, our Everlasting Father, even creation rejoices in You! “Thou burning sun with golden beam, thou silver moon with softer gleam, O praise Him, O praise Him! ”All nations shall fear You, the King of kings and Lord of lords for You are good and true. When You saved us from the serpent, we exclaimed Your wondrous works. We shouted out the stories of our salvation from…
Read More“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken us? Why art thou so far from helping us, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, we cry in the daytime but thou hearest not; and in the night season I am not silent.” (1) O God, our Father, although You remain silent, we place our faith and trust in You even though we are worms at your feet. (2) O Lord, our fathers have put their trust in you and from you their rescue came. (3) For you are the alpha and omega…
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