The following is a speech presented by Karmin Osborne, class of 2023, at the most recent Faith Christian School Classical Showcase.

Thank you, Mrs. Brown for the privilege of participating in this program. I have many fond memories of and deep appreciation of this event, over time. 

Good morning parents, grandparents, and friends. Thank you so much for being here this morning. My name is Karmin Osborne, and I am in my senior year here at Faith Christian School. I am very excited to be a part of this wonderful program. I can remember twelve years ago as a Kindergartner being so nervous waiting to begin our part in this program. But over time, I have seen the amazing value of being required to do things like this and how it has played a transformational role in my life, building poise, confidence, and courage to do new and hard things. I believe that is one of the primary reasons my parents insisted I stay through my senior year, so that I would benefit from all that Christian classical education has to offer. Little did I know at the time that all of the hard work would come to bear its greatest good as a senior and soon-to-be college student. With a grateful heart, I can now see how events like a classical showcase contribute to my confidence as a senior and soon-to-be graduate. 

Each year at this time, the Lower School gathers for the Classical Showcase. This event is a distinct and critical part of this education we call Christian and classical. Faith Christian School defines Christian classical education as “a time-honored and results-proven, robust method of educating junior kindergarteners through the twelfth grade by inspiring what comes naturally to all children: a love for learning, a deep desire to discover, unending curiosity, and endless questions.” While inspiring these, it also cultivates in the hearts, minds, and souls of students a desire to see God and the world as He intends and to “be able to thrive in all of life - intellectually, spiritually, and vocationally.” 

Now that I am a senior, this definition could not ring more true, and I am eternally grateful for all the benefits I have received. Our administration has often expressed that their greatest desire is to graduate students who love Jesus, who love what God loves, and who will be prepared to influence culture rather than be influenced by it. I believe all of these things have taken place in my own life as a result of my parents’ commitment to make sure I graduated from Faith Christian School. 

As it was when I was in Lower School, each class is prepared to share recitations to give you just a small glimpse into what goes on in the Lower School that ascribes to a Christian classical education. In each recitation today, you not only see memorization, but also the building of presentation skills known in classical education as rhetoric skills. Your children are sharing jingles, rhymes, chants, songs, sound-offs, poetry, and scripture. Educator Anthony Esolen reminds us that “we do not do this merely because rhymes and songs are actually effective mnemonic devices. We do this because we wish to form [children’s] souls by memory: we wish to bring them up as remember-ers. And memory gives the child both the strength and the armor he needs for what comes next.” 

Faith Christian School taught me and is teaching these children in a way that will help them prepare for whatever might come next in their lives. These exercises provide a powerful and critical beginning to forming the hearts, minds, and souls of your children. The memorization builds capacity for retaining information and the things your children memorize are connected to the learning done in class. These skills have served me well now through my upcoming graduation. They provide me a well of information from which I—and they—can draw to benefit their learning now and for our lifetime. The meter, the rhythms and the rhymes, the tone and movement, the requirement to be articulate and expressive, the practice in presentation, the attention to fellow classmates—these become practiced skills that build on one another and lead to increasingly sophisticated learning. I recently heard from a panel of graduates, who without exception, reported their Christian classical education provides significant advantages in college and beyond. I am humbled to be able to benefit from the same. 

An example of the power of this education is how these basic skills culminate in our senior year thesis and defense. We are required to write and then complete a formal presentation of a 15-page paper. In addition, we will be required to respond to questions by three members of the faculty as a defense. I won’t lie, this is an intimidating requirement for graduation, but I know I have been very well-prepared from kindergarten until now, and, as always, teachers have supported me at every turn. I also know doing hard things brings great satisfaction. From experience, I know that standing on stage and presenting memorized work is not an easy task, but these students (your children and grandchildren) always rise to the challenge. So, to the students I say, bravo for your hard work! We are all so proud of all that you are accomplishing! 

Family and friends, thank you again for being here to watch this presentation. I hope you enjoy seeing in small part what goes on in the lower school classrooms. 

Before the students begin presenting I would like to open in prayer.