Keystone Program: Chapel & Connect
Chapel Video
Through the Keystone program, the school offers two programs for students, Chapel and Connect. Students in 1st-12th regularly attend chapel services in the Founders Chapel, focusing on developing positive character traits with a faith-based perspective. Qualities such as gratitude, integrity, kindness, love, perseverance, bravery, and humility are explored. For Chapel the school often welcomes guest speakers such as published authors, local youth ministers, and veterans.
Middle and high school alternate weeks in Chapel. On weeks that one set of students is not in Chapel, that group engages in Connect, which is small group programming. Led by faculty members in homerooms, Connect is tailored to each grade level, serving as an extension to the Chapel program.
The Citadel Chaplain Speaks at Chapel
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High school students gathered in the Founders Chapel to hear Aaron Meadows, a Lt. Col. in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and the Chaplain to the Corps of Cadets at The Citadel, the guest speaker for bi-weekly chapel program. He encouraged students to live generously, find the joy in the life God has given us, and to make time to spend alone with God each day, quoting the inscription on the chapel wall: Come away by yourself to a quiet place and rest for awhile (Mark 6:31).
Lower School "Superhero" Chapel Program
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Mrs. Jan Kaneft, a former WH teacher whose grandchildren attend our school, was the guest speaker for the lower school chapel program. With superheroes as the theme, she spoke about how we should wear the armor of God and how we are all superheroes in His eyes. Using Phillippians 4:13 “ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” Mrs. Kaneft illustrated that we should armor ourselves with patience, faithfulness, kindness, generosity and love.
Diver Speaks of Faith in God after Ocean Rescue
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Ben Wiggins was the guest speaker at both the high school and middle school chapel programs, speaking to students about the importance of his faith in God as illustrated by his harrowing recount of being stranded at sea. He and three others, who were on a dive trip 60 miles off the coast of South Carolina, were afloat in the Atlantic Ocean for over 12 hours. The men had been spearfishing and, through a series of events, were unable to board their boat when resurfacing. Wiggins, a retired Navy diver, used his training to keep them alive in the darkness of the ocean. His message of encouragement to the students was to pray without ceasing and to have trust in God in even the most dire of circumstances.
Maj. Brennan Speaks at Chapel Program
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U.S. Army Major Brian Brennan was the guest speaker for the high school chapel program. An Operation Enduring Freedom combat veteran who suffered life-threatening injuries in Afghanistan, Maj. Brennan delivered an inspiring presentation about perseverance and overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles. He also shared how his faith helped him during recovery and how it continues to be a very important part of his life, and he graciously answered a variety of questions from the students and faculty. Maj. Brennan created the Brennan Stands Alone Foundation to assist current and former members of the U.S. armed forces injured in the line of duty and their families.