Jesse Remington High School
Encyclopedia
Jesse Remington High School is a school in Candia, New Hampshire
, that offers a classical Christian education
with project-based learning
. The school was founded in 1992 in the basement of Candia Congregational Church by Jeffrey Philbrick. Its namesake, Jesse Remington, had been a pastor at that church two hundred years prior, during the American War of Independence
. His dream was to create a school, just like the one now operating out of his church. The purpose of this school is to push every student to the peak of their personal ability.
The school has a very personal setting due to its approximately 5 to 1 student teacher ratio, and size of about 30-50 students (changing from year to year). Because of this, students needing help are able to develop personal relationships with their teachers and increase their education.
Students at Jesse always have the chance to dig in and get their hands dirty. Along with the core curriculum of Humanities, Math, Science, and Bible, there are courses offered called Arts & Artisans, which are (but are not limited to) timber framing
, stained glass
, pottery
, art
, and weaving
. The purposes of these classes are to teach life skills to students by allowing them to experience them first hand. In timber framing, the students begin by working with a customer, and drawing the structural layout of the building using CAD
. They then learn how to plan the structure, and commence building the frame of a building which will attest to their work for years to come.
, the Age of Enlightenment
, the Victorian era
, the Middle Ages
, and recently the 20th century. During this time, each student is responsible to research one character from this era, and portrays that person as closely as possible to historical fact. In this way, students not only learn in-depth information about important historical figures, but they also teach anyone who they meet on the Faire days. Upon completion of the Faire, students are required to write a research paper on their character, in order to cement their knowledge of that time period, and to teach basic writing skills. During this time freshman students are taught how to build work citation
pages, as all grades are expected to cite all sources, and quotes.
The next project that students work on is Lights on the Hill, a Christmas
-oriented school project that includes choirs, plays, puppet shows, cookie decorating, animal petting, and a cafeteria. During this time students are taught the biblical story of Christmas, and have the opportunity to make their school shine like a light on a hill.
In the second semester, students work on science projects, which are generally alumni-led classes that can range from Winter Ecology, to small engines workshops, and from bridges to running a sugar shack
. During this class, students decide on the course they would like to take, and work on it from its beginning stages to its completion.
The students in sugar shacking learn how to tap maple trees for their sap, and boil it to produce pure New Hampshire maple syrup
. Students in bridges learn the dynamics of building bridges and as a final project build paper bridges for a contest to see whose will stand the greatest amount of weight. No matter what the choice is, students will be able to learn hands on by actually partaking in these types of events.
The final project of the school year is called “Celebration of the Arts”. This project is based around the study of arts and artisans which include drama
, set design, timber framing
, weaving
, sewing
, and painting
. The result of this semester of projects is a play, often by Shakespeare
, with beautifully painted scenes, and props, sewn dresses, scarves, and a picture display of timber frames built over the years by Jesse Remington students.
Candia, New Hampshire
Candia is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,909 at the 2010 census. The town includes the villages of Candia, Candia Four Corners and East Candia.-History:...
, that offers a classical Christian education
Classical Christian education
Classical Christian education is an approach to learning which emphasizes biblical teachings and incorporates a teaching model known as the Trivium, consisting of three parts: grammar, logic, and rhetoric. According to Douglas Wilson, this method of instruction was developed by early Christians as...
with project-based learning
Project-based learning
Project-based learning, or PBL, is the use of in-depth and rigorous classroom projects to facilitate learning and assess student competence . Students use technology and inquiry to respond to a complex issue, problem or challenge...
. The school was founded in 1992 in the basement of Candia Congregational Church by Jeffrey Philbrick. Its namesake, Jesse Remington, had been a pastor at that church two hundred years prior, during the American War of Independence
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. His dream was to create a school, just like the one now operating out of his church. The purpose of this school is to push every student to the peak of their personal ability.
The school has a very personal setting due to its approximately 5 to 1 student teacher ratio, and size of about 30-50 students (changing from year to year). Because of this, students needing help are able to develop personal relationships with their teachers and increase their education.
Students at Jesse always have the chance to dig in and get their hands dirty. Along with the core curriculum of Humanities, Math, Science, and Bible, there are courses offered called Arts & Artisans, which are (but are not limited to) timber framing
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
, stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
, pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
, art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, and weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
. The purposes of these classes are to teach life skills to students by allowing them to experience them first hand. In timber framing, the students begin by working with a customer, and drawing the structural layout of the building using CAD
Computer-aided design
Computer-aided design , also known as computer-aided design and drafting , is the use of computer technology for the process of design and design-documentation. Computer Aided Drafting describes the process of drafting with a computer...
. They then learn how to plan the structure, and commence building the frame of a building which will attest to their work for years to come.
Yearly projects
Every year there are four major projects that each student will participate in. The first is the Faire, which is a school-wide reenactment of an historical age. These periods include the RenaissanceRenaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
, the Age of Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
, the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
, the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, and recently the 20th century. During this time, each student is responsible to research one character from this era, and portrays that person as closely as possible to historical fact. In this way, students not only learn in-depth information about important historical figures, but they also teach anyone who they meet on the Faire days. Upon completion of the Faire, students are required to write a research paper on their character, in order to cement their knowledge of that time period, and to teach basic writing skills. During this time freshman students are taught how to build work citation
Citation
Broadly, a citation is a reference to a published or unpublished source . More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated alphanumeric expression Broadly, a citation is a reference to a published or unpublished source (not always the original source). More precisely, a citation is an abbreviated...
pages, as all grades are expected to cite all sources, and quotes.
The next project that students work on is Lights on the Hill, a Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
-oriented school project that includes choirs, plays, puppet shows, cookie decorating, animal petting, and a cafeteria. During this time students are taught the biblical story of Christmas, and have the opportunity to make their school shine like a light on a hill.
In the second semester, students work on science projects, which are generally alumni-led classes that can range from Winter Ecology, to small engines workshops, and from bridges to running a sugar shack
Sugar Shack
"Sugar Shack" is a song written in 1962 by Keith McCormack & Jimmy Torres. Jimmy then gave his song rights to aunt Fay Voss for a birth day present. The song was recorded in 1963 by Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs at Norman Petty Studios in Clovis, New Mexico...
. During this class, students decide on the course they would like to take, and work on it from its beginning stages to its completion.
The students in sugar shacking learn how to tap maple trees for their sap, and boil it to produce pure New Hampshire maple syrup
Maple syrup
Maple syrup is a syrup usually made from the xylem sap of sugar maple, red maple, or black maple trees, although it can also be made from other maple species such as the bigleaf maple. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before the winter; the starch is then...
. Students in bridges learn the dynamics of building bridges and as a final project build paper bridges for a contest to see whose will stand the greatest amount of weight. No matter what the choice is, students will be able to learn hands on by actually partaking in these types of events.
The final project of the school year is called “Celebration of the Arts”. This project is based around the study of arts and artisans which include drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
, set design, timber framing
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
, weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
, sewing
Sewing
Sewing is the craft of fastening or attaching objects using stitches made with a needle and thread. Sewing is one of the oldest of the textile arts, arising in the Paleolithic era...
, and painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
. The result of this semester of projects is a play, often by Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, with beautifully painted scenes, and props, sewn dresses, scarves, and a picture display of timber frames built over the years by Jesse Remington students.