Andrew Schatz is a ’10 PPE alumnus.

I matriculated into The King’s College in the fall of 2006. Honor, and the code that requires it of every student, was a hot topic. Throughout my time there, it continued to be a frequent point of disagreement and debate. I’m not surprised that the recent conversations I’ve observed on Facebook and in the Empire State Tribune continue many of the same lines of discussion.

Students often questioned the jurisdiction of the code, or whether or not King’s had an obligation to expect lawfulness and moral behavior from students. They questioned the technicalities of implementation and whether or not Matthew 18 is a legitimate roadmap since it only specifically mentions the Church and not “private Christian colleges in 21^st century America.” Lastly, they questioned whether or not the school had the right to change the interpretation or verbiage of the code after a student had matriculated.

I have my own opinions on these points, but I fear that dwelling on them for too long distracts us from the purpose of the code. We shouldn’t bicker so much about specifics that we forget what the code is for and its usefulness beyond 52 Broadway.

As simple as Student Development might like to make it sound, the Honor Code is hard. Every day, you’re asked to think not only of your own actions but to encourage your brothers and sisters to conform to the standards that their God, their country and their college require of them. While this can be an incredibly rewarding experience that is beneficial for all parties involved, contemplating the process is daunting.

Instead, you’ll be tempted to spend your four years of college pretending not to listen to certain conversations, inventing imaginary statutes of limitation that happen to expire right before you got up the nerve to confront someone, and waiting anxiously for the day when you can graduate from this odd little college and join the great anarcho-capitalist paradise of “real life” where cops have wooden legs, you never change your socks and little streams of alcohol come trickling down the rocks.

That is not what the Honor Code was set up to prepare you for, because real life is something quite different. As a rather simple example, I’ve spent the three years since graduating from King’s at a company in the financial industry. We are trusted with many billions of dollars to manage on behalf of our clients. People in my industry are known for coming up with creative ways to skirt rules, lie to clients and exploit as-of-yet unregulated territory in legal but unethical ways.

We, too, have an honor code of sorts, and the government calls it whistleblowing. If only it were still as simple as asking a 2- year-old roommate to wait a little longer before going to the bar. Every year, we’re required to peruse federally-mandated PowerPoint documents outlining a code of behavior far more legalistic than any rules at King’s and with far more serious consequences for both the offender and the challenger than the Honor Code as we know it. Not only am I expected to watch for breaches of federal law but even for anything that might be deemed contrary to the fiduciary relationship we have with our clients.

Furthermore, the code at King’s requires simply that you confront the offender; you only have to go to an administrator if you find them unrepentant and the situation requires it. Real life requires that I “tattle” in a way that isn’t expected of any student bound by the Honor Code.

If you think of real life as something that starts after you take off your cap and gown, it won’t be much of a paradise. But if you think of your life now as real and the decisions you make in college as important for the growth of moral character, you’ll be able to handle stricter honor codes as well as greater freedom.

The rules aren’t part of the Honor Code itself, but keeping the rules is a matter of honor that you commit yourself to when you join the community. The most important thing is to remember your principles, those of your community and those of your religion. All three need to be in line. If you find yourself quibbling about jurisdictions and technicalities then you may find yourself more on the side of legalism than Christian freedom after all.

Veritas Preparatory Academy does not prepare students for college—it prepares them to die well.

“To die well, you need to learn how to actually live,” said Isaiah Contu-Owen, a TKC freshman and a graduate from Veritas Prep. “That’s what Mr. Twist used to tell us.”

Great Hearts students read A Wrinkle in Time, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Gulliver’s Travels before sixth grade. Submitted photo.

A couple King’s alumni now teach at Great Hearts Academies, a group of classical charter schools in Arizona, one of which is Veritas Prep. Ray Davison (’13) plans to begin teaching at Veritas in the fall after graduation. Catherine Allen, another graduating senior, just returned from visiting Arizona to look into a teaching job as well.

Meanwhile, at one of the Great Hearts elementary schools, distinctly labelled “Archway,” King’s alumna Ali Lane (PPE) experiences astonishing, “humbling” moments with her special group of second graders.

“I frequently have 15 minutes of incredible discussion during class, talking about ‘great ideas’ with seven-year-olds—I’m always amazed that you can discuss topics like inflation and slavery with them,” she said.

The classical charter school movement is burgeoning west of the Mississippi, where state governments tend to be more lenient with new public education techniques and teachers are less unionized. Since 2005, Great Hearts Academies has grown to 16 schools around Phoenix, serving 6,500 students and expecting to serve around 7,300 next year, with 11,000 more students piling onto the waiting list. As with other publically-funded charter schools, Great Hearts accepts students by lottery, regardless of academic or economic variables.

Erik Twist, the headmaster of Archway Veritas, said Great Hearts wants to combine the rigor and the joy of good classical liberal arts education. “We believe children can go deeper than people believe they can. Rigor and joy are not mutually exclusive—in fact, you can’t have liberal arts without joy,” he said.

Twist added that while Great Hearts students score high on the SAT, the schools really exist to “habituate students toward the good and help them fall in love with beautiful things.”

The curriculum incorporates the traditional classical trivium: grammar, dialectic and rhetoric, using books like Don Quixote and Little Women for K-fifth grade and The Aeneid and Paradise Lost for sixth-12^th. It also incorporates the quadrivium: arithmetic, geometry, music and science, including math classes through Calculus II and science classes like Physics I and II, chemistry and biology.

Great Hearts tirelessly probes the country to select teachers—certified or not—that it believes are up to the task: teachers who are “intellectually, aesthetically and morally alive.”

When Davison spoke with Twist regarding a teaching job, Twist asked him, “We’re giving you time in front of malleable souls—are you going to use that time well?” Davison especially appreciates that Twist and the organization boldly use the term “soul.”

Erik Twist is the current headmaster of Archway Veritas. Submitted photo.

Allen first heard about Great Hearts in her History and Philosophy of Education class. Dr. Robert Jackson discovered the schools and “won’t stop talking about them,” she said. TKC’s connection to Great Hearts has been quickly developing; Great Hearts sends talent scouts to like-minded colleges–including King’s, Hillsdale College and St. John’s College–to ascertain interest and seek potential teachers.

“They sent talent scouts to King’s in the first couple years of our relations—that means they really like us,” Allen said.

Davison also heard about Great Hearts from Dr. Jackson, in his Education Policy class. Davison attended a classical Christian school his last three years of high school and is thrilled that Great Hearts is bringing classical education to the public school system.

He addressed concerns within the Christian classical education movement that the classical charter movement improperly diverts funds and is deeply flawed because it submits to secularization and denies the centrality of Christ.

“To that I respond generally that I think this new monasticism, what I’ve been terming it, is dangerous,” Davison said. “When you’re dealing with the canon of Western literature, it is completely structured around a Christian way of understanding things.” As Twist quoted, “All truth is God’s truth.”

Others have criticized the academies for only teaching the “dead white men,” Twist said. Some believe the talk of developing virtue is “clandestine religious stuff.” Twist denies this. Despite employing a large number of Christian teachers, Great Hearts promotes an Aristotelian, Platonic, philosophical realism about virtue and morality, rather than a religious one.

For instance, every classroom at Archway Veritas lists the school virtues (rather than “school values”), like courage and humility. “There is a strong sense that you will be a well-formed human being by the time you graduate from Veritas,” Davison said. Lane constantly reminds herself that everything she does as a teacher is helping to mold a person’s soul, instilling discipline, authority and “all the intangibles underneath particulars of moment.”

Submitted photo.

In Contu-Owen’s freshman year at Veritas Prep, they discussed the meaning of love in the literary and philosophical context, and after several hours, had developed a definition including the idea that it involves a relationship with someone whom you consider more important than yourself.

People also remain skeptical of charter schools in general, especially since in Arizona, charter schools comprise the best and worst schools. Lane said a nearby charter school follows the exact method Great Hearts explicitly avoids: teaching for tests.

Nevertheless, Great Hearts’ method of aiming for quality has also resulted in quantifiable success. Its students average 30 percent higher in academic achievement percentiles than the Arizona state average.

While the academy student bodies are limited by space, they are not limited by anything else. The special-education students learn in the classroom with the other students but take individualized tests separately, perhaps also receiving tutoring. Despite disagreeing with much of influential education philosopher John Dewey’s methods, Lane agrees with him that “whether one’s capacity for learning is like gallon jug or a half pint, each container should be filled with cream, not a watered-down version.”

The quality of education manifests itself when the students are invited to enjoy beautiful and enduring things. In 2012, Great Hearts hosted a symphony for the first time. During the concert, the conductor announced that the next composer would be a Baroque master named Vivaldi, whom the students had “probably never heard.” When the piece ended, two-thirds of the students stood up and erupted in applause.

“It dawned on us that they had just spent past months studying music theory and history, listening to tons and tons of Vivaldi,” Twist said. “Here they were, hearing Vivaldi live for first time, and it absolutely electrified them.”

Twist said the conventional wisdom holds that children can’t appreciate old art and knowledge and literature, requiring cartoons and pop culture references to maintain interest. “Yet by virtue of their humanity, they may not only understand beautiful, rich, deep things, but also be deeply excited by them.”

TKC Jazz Combo at Spring Formal. Photo by Stephen Berry.

The band started spontaneously at the beginning of Spring semester. Dan Kemp invited Spencer Kashmanian and Stephen Berry to play, and from there they recruited guitarist Alex Ellis and bassist Fisher Derderian. Both Kashmanian and Berry play the piano, and Kemp keeps time on the drums.

“We just started talking about jazz after going to a couple of jazz clubs, and we really wanted to get together and jam,” Berry said. In early February, Berry took the initiative of borrowing instruments and equipment from The Tent and reserving rooms where he and his friends could practice. He ran with the responsibility, forgoing the piano, and adopting the role of band manager.

After its first few practices, the band launched a search for its missing ingredient: someone who could play a brass instrument. Enter Alex Price, on trumpet.

Most of the members have had prior experience playing with a band (jazz or otherwise). Kashmanian, who is classically trained on the piano, said the whole thing has been a learning experience.

The jazz band debuted at TKC’s Open Mike Night during Interregnum IX, easily claiming the title of crowd favorite for the night. The audience was very receptive, clapping and dancing along. The band was pleasantly surprised by the positive response.

“Our mission statement now is ‘To bring Jazz to TKC,’” Berry said. He was surprised to find that King’s did not have an orchestra, or a band of any kind. Next year, the band hopes to fulfill their mission by creating an official TKC club and recruiting more brass instrumentalists.

“There is a lot of emotion that goes into playing jazz,” Berry said. He loves the element of freedom he finds in the music. The genre allows for improvisation, and the musicians always look like they are having a great time together on the stage. Kemp said he appreciates the “mix between trained skill and freedom.”

Jazz demands a learning-the-rules-in-order-to-break-them approach. Kemp likes the movement of soloing, then going back to melodies and improvising. “To be able to look at a melody from different angles is exciting–like changing the timing, which changes the song entirely,” Kemp said.

When it comes to choosing songs, the guys throw out suggestions and go with what works. They find lead sheets on the Internet, play the chorus together and then take turns soloing to get the feel of a song. Right now, their favorite songs are “Blue Bossa” by Joe Hendeson, “Blue Monk,” by Thelonius Monk, “All the Things You Know” by Blue Judy and “Autumn Leaves,” an old French song. “We are going for that type of music you hear when you walk into Starbucks,” Kemp said.

TKC Jazz Combo at Spring Formal. Photo by Stephen Berry.

The genre of Jazz has a large following in New York City, with numerous jazz clubs like Blue Note Jazz Club and Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola at Lincoln Center. Sometimes after late night sessions, some of the TKC Jazz Combo musicians will stay late and talk to the musicians.

After Open Mike Night, the band was approached by Josh Hansen, assistant director for the TKC Theater play, The Importance of Being Earnest, about playing for the production. Hansen, who is good friends with the members of the band, thought it would work really well with the theme and bring a new element. The play ran for the past two weekends.

Recently, the band played for the first hour at TKC’s Spring Formal at the Bowery Hotel, prompting several people to begin swing dancing. It has also booked a donor event outside the school and are looking to play in cigar lounges throughout the city. Berry said the band charges low prices for King’s events as part of its effort to fulfill its mission of exposing the King’s community to more jazz.

“To this day, people approach us saying they are looking forward to hearing us play. We’re booking events and figuring things out for the future,” Kashmanian said.

UPDATE: An earlier version of this article did not indicate that one member is from the House of Churchill. The Tribune regrets the oversight.

Out of 1,000 Americans, 380 failed the test. Answers revealed that 29 percent of Americans couldn’t name the vice president, 73 percent couldn’t explain why we fought the Cold War, 44 percent were unable to define the Bill of Rights and six percent couldn’t even circle Independence Day on the calendar. America’s dismal political literacy is one of the reasons that solving complicated issues such as the perennial budget deficit and growing national debt is so challenging.

I am not defending the excessive spending and fiscal irresponsibility that has become the status quo in Washington. Corruption and feckless policy-making are certainly problems. But our ignorance is not helping, for two reasons:

First, ignorance makes political pandering and manipulation too easy. Elected officials are concerned about job security—like most of us are—and thus work hard to please their bosses. And remember, we are their bosses!

Michael Mascitto is a senior studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics at The King’s College.

But our ignorance often causes us to equate well-crafted speeches with good lawmaking. We “hire” flashy, exciting politicians who say the right things instead of the people who are right for the job. If we want competent lawmakers in Washington—lawmakers who provide substance rather than mere stimulation—we must demand competence from ourselves first.

Second, political ignorance makes it difficult for the qualified, responsible lawmakers to make hard but necessary choices. Because uninformed voters have difficulty grasping complicated issues, political parties build campaigns with a rhetorical framework of slogans and one-liners, and constituencies buy in. But these oversimplified axioms lock our lawmakers in rigid ideological battles that make compromise nearly impossible. Party slogans cannot solve our nation’s problems.

For example, Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) was one of the 18 members on the 2010 Fiscal Commission, but ultimately opposed the Fiscal Commission’s plan to balance the budget because of cuts to unemployment benefits and entitlement programs. In a Huffington Post blog, Schakowsky sneered at the commission report’s talk of “shared sacrifice” and “painful” decisions regarding the proposed budget, all because it dared touch entitlements. Her reaction is understandable, though. As a Democrat from Illinois, if her constituency caught wind of her approving even modest entitlement cuts, they’d have a fit.

National defense is the Republican’s sacred cow. Mitt Romney knew this, and that is why, according to the Huff, he inadvertently criticized his future running mate, Paul Ryan, for supporting cuts to the defense spending rate included in last year’s debt ceiling deal. The presidential hopeful was trying to win the support of his base, while the representative from Wisconsin was working to solve the nation’s budget crisis.

Often what is best for the country and what is best for one’s political career are at odds. When we choose ignorance over being informed, we amplify this tension. Lawmakers are forced to focus on pleasing their constituency—who often think they are informed but frequently are not—instead of fixing the country’s problems.

The current sequester, which arbitrarily cuts $1.2 trillion over 10 years from the budget, is another example of this mentality. It was included in the debt ceiling bill to deter lawmakers from ineffective budget negotiations.

Why didn’t it work? Politicians cannot escape the chains of ideology to reach reasonable compromise. And popular ignorance just reinforces these chains.

Though no one would admit to it, some lawmakers may even be pleased with the sequester outcome. While lawmakers would have to answer to their constituencies for cuts included in a budget deal, the sequester makes necessary, automatic cuts without a direct vote.

The theory of rational ignorance suggests people choose to be ignorant because the cost of being informed outweighs the potential benefits. To some extent, rational ignorance is inherent to republics. Citizens outsource political responsibilities to full-time elected officials so they can focus on private aspirations. But we must realize that the aggregate cost of individual indifference—and even worse, the lack of vigilance by many who do vote—is taking a toll on America.
Thomas Jefferson thought ignorance and liberty to be incompatible: “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and what will never be.” Perhaps we’re not in danger of an actual tyrant, but if we don’t get the budget under control, we will soon be slaves to our monstrous debt.

What is your vision for King’s?

“I like to think of the vision as both [Robert] Jackson and [Andy] Mills do, and their views complement each other. Jackson is very much, ‘The vision of King’s is to develop and educate a whole student who can be a whole citizen. Men and women who graduate are men and women of integrity in the workplace.’ So they’re well-rounded and well-read. But from Mills’ perspective also incredibly competitive in the workplace, so the practical skills are there too. At the same time Mills spoke a lot about King’s being a Christian institution and standing for those Christian values.”

SBP Peter Flemming (’14). Submitted photo.

What do you want to change or encourage?

“We’re never going to be perfect and we’re definitely not there. Hopefully I can encourage students to add to King’s… and rather than being a voice and than commenting on what King’s is and where we’re going, I can really be involved in building this community and building this institution. Improving comes from building up rather than striving to critique.”

What are things you’d build on?

“The communication structure of the school between students and administration. For example, I met with Sam [Tran] and Dr. Jackson the other day and we started the conversation about where there are areas between the Provost’s Office and the students that are lacking communication, and how the two of us, meaning me and Jackson, can improve on that next year.

“I’ve been meeting with Mills as well, talking about continuing to build King’s as a school that has an incredible reputation in the city–just keep pushing the network for the business department of King’s, keep pushing internships, career services stuff–so that people are exposed to King’s students and understand what a competitive force we are, especially in the Christian world, especially in the city.”

What else are you doing to prepare for next year?

“The biggest thing right now is trying to find work I can already do, so that the administrators I’m already working with start to know that I’m here. I’m building that relationship aspect and helping administrators transition from asking for Sam’s help to asking for my help.

“I’ve also been getting my face out there to the student body through vision week and the video Sam and I did. I want to ease the student body into my… dominion, tyranny, whatever, presidency I guess.”

What have you been doing in Council meetings?

“Over the past few Council meetings I’ve been more attentive to how Sam runs them.”

There has been a lot of talk about the development of spiritual life at King’s. What do you consider to be your role in that effort?

“I’m going to be very involved in it, but [Eric] Bennett is taking over spiritual life at King’s. We looked for a director of spiritual life for a while and couldn’t find anyone to foot the bill, so Bennett was asked to take over, and he prayerfully considered and accepted. So he’s doing great work—he basically put together a task force team of different spiritual life projects.

“Mine project is actually fall retreat for the student body, so I’m working on that. I don’t know all the practical aspects of what that task force is doing yet, but there are a lot of people who are working on spiritual life, and they’ll be taking initiative this semester or next either to re-strengthen our past traditions or to create brand new ones. So I’m excited to see what that looks like.”

The set of initiatives comes after a TKC survey revealed only about 50 percent of students said they regularly attend a church. Attendance at student-led Bible studies and other spiritual life activities have also seemed to decline this year. The Tent, a student organization that hosts weekly worship on campus, has shrunk from about 20 weekly attenders to a mere handful. The Spiritual Life Project, another student organization that has served as a forum for discussion of the spiritual life of the school, has also shrunk in members this year.

“There’s been a lot of talk about spiritual life and how it’s struggling this year,” Collins, president of the Spiritual Life Project, said.

Students gather in the Vogue for a spontaneous worship time. Submitted photo.

Bennett has set a goal to increase church attendance to 70 percent of students by May 2014. His role recently expanded to include spiritual life after a nearly year-long search for a spiritual life director to replace last year’s director, Ray East.

“If we didn’t make a decision now, we would have gone into another year searching,” Bennett said.

He believes spiritual life is important because “it’s a part of the college’s mission and it’s important to students.”

Two “task forces” of about 10 leaders each will tackle this goal. Collins will manage the first task force of 10 people. Each student, staff or faculty member will lead a different initiative. The initiatives are in the early planning stages and will develop throughout the summer in weekly meetings.

1. Mentorship for men and women

The goal is for every student who desires a mentor to be matched with one. Men will partner with the New Canaan Society, and women will, at least initially, be paired with female faculty members and wives of the male faculty.

2. Weekly Worship
The Tent will likely change its name. The goal is to attract more than 100 students to worship on campus each month and for smaller groups to worship in student apartments several times a month.

3. Prayer
The Spiritual Life Project has transformed into a weekly lunch prayer meeting, currently attended by about 10 students. The goal is to attract 50 people by the end of the fall semester. Last Friday, the group walked and prayed around the Financial District.

4. Bible
The goal is to encourage students to think deeply about scripture and interpret it correctly. Theological discussions will be held on campus and in smaller groups, led by Dr. Dru Johnson.

5. Church Attendance

The goal (described above) is to increase attendance to at least 70 percent. A list of churches TKC students attend will be made available as well as contact information for a student representative of each church.

6. Spiritual Disciplines
Disciplines such as fasting, Bible reading and prayer will be encouraged, led by Bennett.

7. Fall Retreat

A single Fall Retreat for the student body will be reintroduced and may integrate the Interregnum theme with faith. Fall Retreat was cancelled in 2012 due to budget constraints, and in 2011, was held in two locations simultaneously, splitting the student body.

8. Church Calendar
Events such as advent, lent, Ash Wednesday and St. Patrick’s Day will be advertised with their histories.

9. Athletics
The athletic department may hire a chaplain for the sports teams. The goal is to better integrate faith into the athletics program.

10. Community Service
In line with City Engagement, the goal is to increase student participation in serving the needs of New Yorkers.

Students leading the above initiatives will meet regularly with Collins.

“I’ve realized this year that when you’re leading a spiritual life initiative, it’s really easy to feel burned out because you feel like you’re fighting this big thing alone,” Collins said. “So part of what I want to do is just give these point people support and recognition from the college.”

A member of each House will make up the second task force and meet with Bennett regularly for guidance on how to cultivate spiritual well-being in their Houses.

To hire former Spiritual Life Director Ray East, Bennett (then Dean of Students) eliminated an administrative position to pay East’s salary. Although East’s role was to encourage spiritual life, his official title did not include spiritual life but merely student development. The student development staff took on the administrative tasks, ordering their own office supplies, for example.

When East left King’s in May 2012, Dean of Students David Leedy had hoped to fill his position by the fall. “It was the first time we’ve said we care about this enough to create a salary for the position,” Bennett said.

But after reviewing more than 100 applications and offering the job to two “perfect” applicants, the position remained unfilled into the spring semester.

“Sometimes, when you’re working hard pushing in one direction, and clearly making no headway, you have to ask, ‘Am I missing what God intends for us?’” Interim President Andy Mills wrote in a letter to students in March.

Mills challenged Bennett this semester to focus on the “spiritual formation” of the college, calling Bennett the pastor of King’s.

“I am by God’s design a pastor… but I don’t declare that as who I am,” Bennett said.

Bennett initially resisted taking on spiritual life without an assistant, but sensing God’s direction, accepted the role. Other student development staff will take some of his administrative tasks. He thinks of his job next year as laying the skeleton for spiritual life down for others to fill.

“I’m an activator,” Bennett said. “The way I think of spiritual life is to activate and get people to move.”

House: Barton
Class: 2014
Major: PPE
Favorite class: APTAP

The House of Barton elected Sophie Simunek, who is confident that the House will be able to live up to a standard of excellence in competitions as well as relations within the House. In the House of Barton, the value of sisterhood is undeniable, and some of Simunek’s closest friends are from within her House.

Simunek sees her role as president as two-fold. Within the House, she is there to provide leadership and support for the exec team and the individual members themselves. To the school, she is the face of Barton, representing the house on the council, acting as the liaison between the girls and the wider community. Simunek plans to focus on getting to know the incoming freshmen and current members as the former president, Eliza Ohman, has done. Simunek is impressed by Ohman’s ability to create community in a structured way, and her ability to make every individual member an essential piece of the house. Simunek believes that as a team she will be able to improve the Barton experience. She describes her exec team as solid and very in-tune with one another. “We can see the areas that need improvement, and we can see the areas we need to work on for the incoming and current students,” Simunek said.

House: Truth
Class: 2015
Major: PPE
Favorite class: PMO

Allison Lawrence, President of the House of Sojourner Truth, loves the diversity within her house. “One of our values is color,” Lawrence said, referring to how her house members all add so many different ideas and crazy things to their community. Lawrence hopes be able to set up a mentorship program that would involve alumni, church communities and faculty. She believes that such a program would help her house meet with older people who have more life experience and advice. Lawrence sees an older figure as essential to helping students sort out personable troubles and struggles concerning school, boys and self-doubt.

“The job description is boring,” Lawrence joked, but she knows the role of president embodies much more the typed list suggests. She plans on creating an environment where her “Truthies” can succeed. Lawrence also plans to continue the big/little system and encourage the upperclassmen to take the freshmen under their wings as their “littles.” The House of Truth will be moving to Clark Street next semester, and Lawrence hopes they can complement the strong sense of community that she sees in the House of Thatcher, whom they will be joining.

House: Reagan
Class: 2015
Major: PPE
Favorite class: Economic policy

Newly elected Jonathan Lile brings a business mindset to his exec team. Lile  hopes to provide advantages and benefits to the House of Ronald Reagan by helping its members find jobs and internships through networking and alumni. Getting the alumni more involved is one Lile’s priorities, as he wants to maintain a strong community and encourage involvement after House members graduate.

Lile recognizes that his job is not “to be everyone’s best friend” but rather to provide an image for the house, the alumni and the school.  He hopes to follow current president, David Danztler’s lead as an exemplary, forward-looking leader. By thinking ahead and narrowing in on future goals, Lile hopes to provide a better experience for the House of Reagan. He appreciates the close brotherhood of Reagan. Lile shared that his favorite thing about his House: “our reputation.”

House: Lewis
Class: 2014
Major: PPE with a business minor
Favorite class: Con law

Charlie Durham, president of the House of Lewis, hopes to encourage his House spiritually. The guys in his House are fundamental to Durham, who has created some lasting friendships and hopes others in his House will do the same. Durham would love to see more community in his House and plans to have monthly activities. He sees that the House system draws people together who may not initially become friends. “I think there are beneficial outcomes,” Durham said. He sees himself meeting with the guys, trying to bridge the gap between upperclassmen and freshmen, and challenge them both as Christians in the city. Durham plans to work closely with his exec team to advance the house goals, and challenge them to pursue that value of “the common pursuit of Christ’s Lordship.”

“I mean, we are just a group of nerdy guys who like to bro-out,” Durham joked, but he plans to encourage that identity with more House functions like weekly Bible studies. Durham says he is surrounded with very competent individuals. According to Durham, they will get to enjoy  ”the warm smile of Stephen Berry, the hilarious impressions of Spencer Kashmanian and the meaningful conversations of Dan Kemp.”

House: SBA
Class: 2015
Major: Business
Favorite class: PMO

“I want to have an attitude that’s infectious,” Kelli O’Donnell of SBA said. “I don’t have a revolutionary plan, and there are things you can’t control, but there are important things you can control– like attitude.” O’Donnell hopes that her positive mindset will be reflected in the House of Susan B. Anthony. O’Donnell admits the role of president is very “nebulous” but she wants to be a role model for her girls by maintaining that positive mindset and being an example of honor. The spiritual life of the House is important to O’Donnell, and she plans to make sure no one falls through the cracks by offering Bible studies and options for church.

The returning SBA girls can look forward to being in a community that is unified, and not divided between class levels. The incoming class will able to appreciate the support system the upperclassmen will bring. O’Donnell believes many of the upperclassmen are dedicated to the House and are “ready, willing and excited to serve.” One of SBA’s defining factors is their authenticity. O’Donnell also wants to be authentic and vulnerable, showing girls that her House is “not trying to be the perfect King’s students, rather we are trying to be the most perfect students we can be at King’s.”

House: Thatcher
Class: 2014
Major: MCA with a business minor
Favorite class: MCA: Arts and Ideas, Business: PMO

Maddie Whitlock, new president of Thatcher, really appreciates all of the different individuals with so many different talents and abilities in her house:  According to Whitlock, Thatcher has authentic and genuine community. “We also live in Brooklyn. And we love that,” Whitlock said. One thing Whitlock would like to continue is the house’s tradition of Bible study groups. Thatcher also plans to follow Mary Pham’s lead and have “family dinners” about every two weeks.

“We want to win interregnum next year,” Whitlock said. A big change she’ll face next year is some of the Thatcher girls moving off campus. She will have to figure out how to accommodate those girls and hold events differently. Whitlock says the incoming freshmen can look forward to living in Brooklyn, attempting to win interregnum and having a place to belong.

House: QE1
Class: 2014
Major: MCA
Favorite class: Micro

Lucinda Sweazey (’15) of QE1 transferred to King’s after a year at Taylor University to study MCA in hopes of pursuing a career in film production. Her favorite class is Microeconomics with Professor Pincin, and her favorite thing about her House is how it brings together people who wouldn’t ordinarily be together. She joked that a major goal of hers for next year is to unite her house members through food. Food, she said,“has a way of bringing about calming community,” which she hopes to encourage. Above all, Sweazey appreciates the holistic view of community the house system creates.

Sweazey says she has learned from QE1’s 2012-13 president, Kate Knowlden (’14), who has a very different leadership style than her own, and has shown her how she can grow as a leader. She wants her house to work together better this year to cultivate a healthy competitiveness in House competitions, and re-integrate the upperclassmen who have drifted away back into the House again. Stomach, situation and story are her three key focuses for next year—bringing students together through food, addressing their particular problems and concerns and re-integrating upperclassmen, and encouraging them to share their individual stories in creating a greater House story.

House: Churchill
Class: 2014
Major: PPE
favorite class: Con Law and Islam

Sean Spurlock (’14), also transferred to King’s to pursue a PPE degree, and his favorite classes are Con Law and Islam. His favorite things about his house is also one of its house values, that of brotherhood, what he thinks the House system overall should foster. He wants to continue the family-like feel to his house, focusing on freshmen and house traditions and making the house an anchor for its members. Spurlock appreciates how the House system is able to easily acclimate freshman to their new environment.

He came to King’s because he liked how it was a Christian college in direct contact with a secular society, and says former president Brandon Trotter (’13) has inspired him by being a very visible and open president always ready to serve his House members. He also wants to encourage a holistic view of the House, prepare for the future, and make exec team members remember constantly why they wanted to run in the first place. He hopes to encourage more relations with Churchill-related organizations outside King’s, and in the future wants to see Churchillians still in relationship with one another outside the realm of King’s. Churchill men, he said, can look forward to playing hard: “We’re going to be working hard, but we’re going to be playing hard.”

House: Bonhoeffer
Class: 2015
Major: PPE
Favorite class: Political Economy

Bonhoeffer President John Sailer (’15) shared that he came to King’s specifically because he wanted to study Politics, Philosophy and Economics, and couldn’t find that blended his interests as perfectly as King’s. He likes how his House has had a lot of interesting and influential members over the years, such as former and current SBPs, Sam Tran (’14) and Peter Flemming (’14), founders of King’s Debate Society and Mock Trial.

Sailer wants to achieve more unity in his house through weekly meetings, and appreciates how the House system encourages relationships with students of every class, which doesn’t happen often at other schools. He learned from 2012-13 president Flemming that it is possible to hold other positions while president of the House, something several Bonhoeffer presidents have done. He’s not sure what career he’ll be pursuing but has considered grad school and speech writing for a politician. Sailer wants spiritual life to play a larger role in the House, and to see his House more united in the realm of academics.

House: ten Boom
Class: 2015
Major: PPE

Laura Bradshaw (‘15) president of Ten Boom, says her favorite thing about her House is the relationships she’s formed, and how acceptance and loving one another are such a big part of her house. She wants to continue to foster a sense of sisterhood and community next year and make a bridge between the girls in her House and the council. Bradshaw likes the instant camaraderie of the house system, and came to King’s both for the uniqueness of the House system and the rigorous academics. Her previous president Christina Morgan (’13) inspired her by developing relationships with her girls and being committed and involved in her House.

She wants to either work at a non-profit or at a church after graduation, and wants to develop her House more fully into an example of the body of Christ working together. Bradshaw describes Ten Boom as a fun, diverse House. Ten Boomers can look forward to an exec team devoted to them, and to the furthering of the cause of grace, life and spirit.

The Bowery Hotel. Photo from boweryhotel.com.

Director of Student Events Sarah Doyal (’15) pegged Bowery as the ideal Spring Formal location the moment she saw it freshman year while exploring the city.

When she became director of student events, she immediately called the hotel and was pleased to find that it was a feasible option for King’s. Doyal waited patiently until she was able to book the space, six months prior to Friday’s event, but by then she had convinced herself that no other place would do.

Doyal is excited for formal because she loves the venue, which she says is “really beautiful” and “just a cool place,” not to mention its convenient Manhattan location.  Based on years past, Doyal wasn’t worried about tickets sales. As of Wednesday, 170 tickets had been sold out of an estimated total of 200 ticket sales.

“It’s stressful because I care, but it’s fun to know that everyone at school will get to see a place they’ve never seen before. I love exploring the city so I’m glad I can share one of the places I enjoy the most,” Doyal said.

Instead of having a theme for this year, Doyal wants “the place to speak for itself.” She describes an Old World, turn-of-the-century scene, with lush red-velvet couches, maps, high ceilings, red, dark colors and fireplaces.

Ray Davison’s Controversy

Ray Davison (’13), who has been popularizing his personal views on the event and men’s role in it, shared the same favorite memory of last year’s formal with Doyal: The DJ had played Fun’s song “We Are Young” several times, and when the group was tired from dancing toward the end of the night, they simply put their arms on each others’ shoulders and all swayed together, singing.

“That song came on the radio and I remembered formal, and hopefully we create memories like that last year,” Doyal said.

As to Davison’s personal views on the event, he said that his freshman year, he thought it important for him as a King’s student to attend King’s events in general, and that since it was the sort of event in which a guy asks a girl, he certainly would. Thus, he ended up asking a total of five girls, the last thankfully accepting.

“Spring Formal can be an opportunity for beginning a romance, but it doesn’t have to be that,” Davison said. “It is and should be an opportunity for celebrating the capacity to come together and have a party and to recognize men as men and women as women.”

He thinks it sad the number of girls wanting to go with a date but instead going alone or not at all, calling it “a failure on the part of the men in the college,” since he believes it not only the man’s job, but his duty as a man to ask a girl. This is especially true if a girl and guy have been getting closer over the course of the semester, yet the guy still fails to ask.

“I think—I tend to be of the ancient and conservative position that—I mean that ancient in a semi-self-derogatory fashion—that men should lead when it comes to questions of romance. Even if spring formal is just supposed to be this low intensity kind of thing, it’s still a matter of ‘I’m a man, I’m going to approach you as a woman and we are going to go together because this is the manner in which I need to take the lead,’” Davison said.

While he recognizes how terrifying it can be to ask a girl to formal, he thinks men should be fully aware that it is a terror, but to ask anyway. Rejection hurts, but it’s “a good kind of hurt,” as it produces discernment. Recently Davison posted a lengthy Facebook status regarding the issue, after a female student posted something complaining about King’s men being more interested in video games than girls.

Since King’s is a Christian institution, he also decried the music often played at formal, calling the songs “over-realized eschatons of sexual expression,” which often lead to grinding. He thinks this sort of “dance” is inappropriate.

Instead of the “very individualistic” dancing done at formal, Davison prefers the partnered dancing that allows a man and woman to coordinate to “create something beautiful together.” The only dance he sees as an example of coordination between man and woman is the grinding.

“I love the the macarena. It’s a stupid song, it’s a stupid dance, sure, but it’s people working together to create something,” Davison said.

The Importance of Being Earnest. Photo courtesy of TKC Theater.

Amelia Peterson’s first time directing a TKC production was composed and brimming with those wonderful hashtags we like so much here. #PassionateCelibacy

A story of mistaken identities, complicated engagements and oppressive prudence could easily be an Interregnum creative writing prompt, yet it is a riotously funny English play about truth and circumstance. The truth being the circumstance’s inherently happy ending. While we’re all somewhat aware of the source material, TKCT enlivened the production with in the round staging.

Ladies and butlers and cucumber sandwiches helped air some of the play’s esotericism; the audience members even became objects of asides, giving them a sense of ownership and presence in Wilde’s world.

In this off-color world are a plethora of engaging characters.

There’s Taylor Pope’s John “Jack” Worthing, who is noble if disadvantaged by unknown origins. He stays afloat with the help of passed benefactors, until it comes time for Jack to make something happen for himself.

Uncooperative with Jack’s noble goals is the impulsive best friend Algernon Moncrieff, played with annoying fortitude by Colton Knoepfle. His nonchalant lack of social inhibitions endears him to us. He is just a boy in need of a wife. Then there’s the contained schizophrenia of Varut Chee’s butlers, Lane and Merriman. He gave a solid comic performance, always attentive and present for the madcap events.

Rounding out the men was Ray Davison as the stoic Dr. Chausible, whose chastity is on the outs. It’s hardly a stretch to think of Ray as an English rector donning a robe every morning.

An Importance of Being Earnest advertisement. Photo courtesy of TKC Theater.

The men were engaging, but this is largely a play for the women. Catherine Ratcliffe held the audience’s attention. Even during the all-cast transitions to “Sabre Dance,” I sought out her quickened step and concerned face. When Catherine’s Ms. Prism finally took stage I was not disappointed by her girlish maw.

Leah Rabe’s Gwendolyn was a congenial choice, her sweet voice added wonders to her repose. I felt her austerity right away. Then there’s her mother, the prickly Lady Bracknell, who would break every bone in your societal body. Rachel Kyle utilized Bracknell’s aversion to spontaneity with great chops. I didn’t know one’s eyes could get so wide.

Finally, Cecily. So, there’s a sliding scale to ingenues. There’s Snow White and then there’s Jessica Rabbit, maybe. The point is Heather Cate stole my heart. Her sweet and sour nature, along with her grasp of everyday poetry and love invigorated her character. Twirling around her garden, watering the audience, Cate resembled a sprite. Her energy is infectious, breaking even Bracknell at the end. It’s clear Cecily is the only match for Algernon’s naughtiness.

The cast is a unit, epitomized by the final pairing of sexes at show’s end. Kayla Redd, the talented costume designer should be equally lauded for her remarkable feat recreating 20th century elitism. The hats, vests, ascots and pocketwatches were a new level of professionalism for this theater company. Yes, when you applaud at the close of this show, which you undoubtedly will, you’ll be applauding a new era of TKCT.

This production made me feel this was a school effort, one of many voices. Next Wednesday TKCT will further its Grecian tendencies and hold a public forum about Oscar Wilde’s world. Author Dan Sidell will be a knowledgeable guest spearheading the conversation about the controversial playwright. And if you haven’t already noticed, you’ve been inundated by cheeky ads spread around campus. Happy Inception!

Considering all these ventures and successes, I say long live the company’s Grecian attitude. Here’s to even better theater in the future.

TKC’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest is showing Saturday, April 20th at 2pm and 8pm and Sunday, April 21st at 3pm. 

Photo from sevenly.com.

1.    Sevenly
“One week. One Cause.” That is the motto of Sevenly,  an online charity organization founded by Dale Partridge. He believes the three-fold problem of charities is the lack of awareness, funding and following. Sevenly says it’s the solution. Every week, the organization chooses one charity to sponsor. After the charity is chosen, the organization’s artists design male and female t-shirts inspitred by the chosen charity. For each T-shirt sold, seven dollars goes to the charity at the end of the seventh day. These -shirts provide a fun, fresh way to help the world through a unique company.

Shop: www.sevenly.org

Photo from aliceandwhittles.com.

2.    Alice & Whittles
Alice & Whittles’s motto is “Producing a simple shoe, made with respect.” This new company offers a modified take on the traditional French espadrille. The vivid colors, bold prints and distinct embroidery represent the natural beauty that the founders, Sofi Khwaja and Nicholas Horekens, enjoyed during their journeys in India and France. This company goes back to the basics. The shoes combine Indian fabric with French crafting. Sofi and Nicholas work directly with farmers and hand weavers in India and skilled artisans in France. This process allows all workers to benefit. It serves as a sustainable way to reduce poverty and to increase self-sufficiency.

Shop: http://alice-whittles.com/

Photo from marketcolors.org.

3.    Market Colors
Market Colors is a “nonprofit organization dedicated to mitigating financial hardships and improving the quality of life of the impoverished in Africa,” according to its website. Lizzie Wirgau, Founder of Market Colors, decided to create this organization in order to give back to Malawi, Africa, a region she had visited on mission trips during college. Market Colors sells the products of African craftsmen through their e-commerce website. Each product is 100% handmade and is accompanied by a product card, which gives information about the African craftsman who created the product. Its website says its goal is to create “thousands of sustainable jobs throughout the continent.”

Shop: www.marketcolors.org 

Photo from feedprojects.com.

4.    FEED Projects – Lauren Bush Lauren now for Target
FEED’s mission is “to create good products that help FEED the world.” (www.feedprojects.com). Lauren Bush Lauren, founder of FEED, aids this mission by selling various FEED products including bags, T-shirts and other environmentally-friendly and artisan-made accessories. Her company has already made such an impact that Target wants to join the team. Target plans to sell 50 limited-edition FEED pieces and donate the profits to the charity Feeding America.

Shop: www.feedprojects.com

Photo from krochetkids.org.

5.    Krochet Kids International
Krochet Kids International’s mission statement is “To empower people to rise above poverty.” According to its website, the company hopes to develop programs that support the growth of individuals and communities in developing nations. Also, its hope  is to show this generation of its “ability to bring change to a world that is in need.” Its values are People, Our Product and Love. It offers stylish handmade products that promote social change. 
Shop: www.krochetkids.org