Protocol

Protocol at Tall Oaks is a unique event, a product of a desire that our students not only excel academically through our classical and Christian curriculum, but that they also are able to conduct themselves appropriately and confidently in all social situations. We believe that respect, deference, modesty and propriety should be a way of life for every godly young man or woman.

All rhetoric students attend classes taught by Mrs. Kathi Lewis, a member of P.E.O., an organization which raises money for the education of women. They learn how and why to use etiquette and then put their skills into practice during this special Protocol evening.

This year’s event included a reception and dinner at the Rockwood Museum Carriage House in Wilmington, Delaware, followed by a stirring presentation of “The Lion King” at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.

Reception guests included Mrs. Karen Y. Browne, Global Manager of Leadership Communications, DuPont; Mr. Robert E. Giblin, DuPont Vice-President of Finance, and Board member of A Door of Hope and Wilmington Prayer Breakfast; Mr. Timothy J. Houseal, Esq., Partner with Young, Conaway, Stargatt, Taylor; Rev. Thomas Laymon, CEO of the Sunday Breakfast Mission; Ms. Michele E. Martin, Legal Personnel Partner at General Electric; Mr. Harold Naylor, Jr., Director of Stewardship, TOCS; Mr. R. Judson Scaggs, Jr., Esq., Partner with Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell; Mr. David K. Williams, Jr., President of the Williams Family Auto Mall and Chairman of the Tall Oaks Board of Directors, and his wife Tracey.

Junior/Senior Class Trip

How would we describe the junior / senior class trip to Scotland? “Absolutely awesome!” The Lord blessed us every minute—fifteen students and three chaperones on quite an adventure together. The experience truly was a gift from Him to all of us.

When we landed at Edinburgh Airport, we were warmly greeted by Beth Bogue and Jimmy Fisher from Reformation Tours, a ministry of the Airdrie Reformed Presbyterian Church. We immediately began our exciting tour which focused on the history of the Scottish Covenanters and their sufferings for Christ. Our first stop was the site of the Battle of Bannockburn—where Robert the Bruce defeated the English in 1314 and secured Scottish independence. We continued on to Stirling Castle and the windy Wallace Monument. That evening we settled in at a youth hostel in New Lanark where our hostess, Fiona, welcomed and fed us. We were ready to retire after being awake for the previous forty hours (give or take a few)!

In the morning, blessed with breakfast and packed lunches from Fiona, we rode through the beautiful countryside to the amazing town of St. Andrews, Scotland’s religious capital. Jimmy taught us about the tragic martyrdoms of Patrick Hamilton and George Wishart and the ministries of Samuel Rutherford and John Knox. We visited St. Andrews Cathedral, St. Andrews Castle, the University of St. Andrews (founded in 1413) and other famous sites. Then we dined at a restaurant which overlooked the Chariots of Fire beach!

The Lord’s Day was spent worshipping with the Airdrie congregation. We began our morning in prayer, sang Psalms a cappella and were encouraged by sound, Biblical preaching. We had a delicious lunch in the fellowship hall, walked around the gorgeous Dalzell Estate for a few hours and returned for evening worship and supper. The youth of the church joined us for the day, served us selflessly and gave us insight into Scottish life. It was truly a delight.

Monday took us to Edinburgh, the heart of Scottish Reformation and Covenanting history. We visited sites where key events took place such as St. Giles’ Cathedral, Greyfriars Kirkyard and the Grassmarket gallows. There was so much to see and so little time; from the National Museum to Edinburgh Castle, to shopping and dinner at Howies, a very fun time was had by all!

Tuesday we embarked on a journey through Ayrshire with a stop at Bothwell Bridge, where the Covenanters were defeated by the Royalists in 1679. We traveled over hill and dale to Aird’s Moss, where Richard Cameron lost his life in a skirmish with the dragoons in 1680. We walked through a field of sheep to see another Covenanter monument located truly off the beaten path. The cool, damp spring air added to our appreciation of what those courageous people went through to worship God outdoors in all types of weather while attempting to escape persecution in the towns. Our next stop was the adorable hamlet of Sorn to view a marker in honor of the last martyr of the “killing times”, George Wood, a 16-year old shot for carrying a Bible across a field. Then we returned to New Lanark, a World Heritage site built in 1785 as a cotton mill and village for its workers, mostly children, many of them orphans. Our final trip was a visit to the Highlands led by Graham Russell, another member of the Airdrie Church. We drove to Loch Lomond and the quaint village of Luss, then on to Inverary, past Loch Awe to the waterfalls in Glen Coe. On the way we explored two gorgeous buildings, St. Conan’s Kirk and the Luss Parish Church where we saw an 11th-century Viking gravestone. We were sad that this was our last evening together in this beautiful land abundant with history, though tragic at times.

We were grateful to have explored a tiny bit of this place so different from our own home. We thank the Lord for His amazing grace felt every moment of this memorable experience.
(Taken from an except by Mrs. Ranelle Groth in the Spring 2010 Quarterly Newsletter)

2011 Spring Concert

Video Sample Coming Soon!
In the meantime, please enjoy a few of the unedited performances from our May 20, 2011 concert.