Cultivating the Whole Person
My name is Geoff Eliason. My wife, Lisa, and I have been all-in on and in FRCS for seven years. Our daughter Emma is a senior and our son Logan is a sophomore. Our on-ramp at FRCS started when Emma was entering 6th grade. It was love at first sight, and we have never looked back. I have the pleasure of serving the students, teachers, staff, and parents as a board member. I also volunteer my time as a coach with the Olympic Weightlifting Club, sponsored by Coach Lowe. Lisa loves supporting the arts, namely the theater program, by volunteering backstage with costumes.
In the past seven years, I have been struck by something I’d hoped but wasn’t sure that FRCS could deliver: cultivating the whole person. When parents send their children to a school they expect the development of the mind. FRCS checked the box of preparing students for college and the workplace in spades. I quickly witnessed, for example, a recipient of the Gates Scholarship (one of, if not the most selective and prestigious scholarships in the country), and year after year students have been accepted to the Air Force Academy or the US Naval Academy—two of the most prestigious institutions in the country. Lisa and I wanted much more for our kids, however—something more than just another college-prep experience. Our desire for our kids was a system that developed the whole person, putting Emma and Logan on a path to realize their mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical potential through a Christ-centered, synchronized method. At FRCS, this occurs in the classroom, outside the classroom, and in the home.
The whole person is embodied in the senior capstone project. Capstone takes a passion the student identifies and defines, and dedicates an entire year to the study and development of that passion. It culminates with a presentation to parents, teachers, and peers at the end of the school year. It is an all-consuming project that stretches the boundaries of the student’s mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual capacity. As I watch Emma work through Capstone this year, the greatest victory has been watching her gain a greater understanding of who she is as a child of God. As parents, we could not put a price tag on this head and heart knowledge.
The whole person is also developed outside the classroom. Coach Lowe mentioned to Mr. Freddolino in the Genesis Center that the Performance Center and Weightlifting Club were in need of weightlifting platforms because the students were lifting some big weights. Mr. Freddolino suggested the students join him in building six professional weightlifting platforms. Coach Lowe and Mr. Freddolino sacrificed their personal time to join the kids on Saturdays and over Christmas break to learn how to work with their hands, how to use different tools, and how to produce something to be proud of that will last for years to come. And it was all done in a very safe environment (pictures below). In an era when schools are abandoning the arts and working with our hands due to budget constraints, FRCS is doubling down, knowing these activities bring glory to God and draw students closer to Him.
Finally, the whole person is developed when the family and school are routinely intertwined. Two examples jump out to me. I was recently traveling with Emma. We were able to talk and engage with great depth about her Capstone project. She also took advantage of our travel to do hands-on research that she is applying to her project. I am so thankful for the opportunity to share in her experience at school through Capstone. The other example came about as Coach Lowe took the weightlifting club, including my son and me, and their dads camping last summer. We hiked, explored, fished, experienced our version of strongman challenges, and spent time in the Word around the campfire. Priceless time with my son and daughter.
Having a child who is a senior in high school affords significant reflection for parents. I am particularly thankful for the seven-year partnership Lisa and I have with the staff, teachers, leadership, students, and other parents in cultivating a school where students can become the people our Lord created them to be.
