Dear Alma Mater

Dear Mount Pisgah Christian School,

I cannot say with complete honesty that my four and a half years with you were all enjoyable. For much of my high school career, I vehemently disagreed with many of your choices (including, but not limited to, poor computer lab condition (finally fixed this last year), changing of the schedule most every year (attempting to lessen the impact of the academia on the athletics), and general imbalance of athletics and academia, etc. ), and I am sorry I mistook your priorities. That is not to say you're going somewhere with them, but you shouldn't just misdirect me when you tell me what you are.

I also cannot say that this rebuke lands on the individuals that try to keep you afloat. You have several incredibly interesting and engaging people, and I nary see a moment when a classroom isn't occupied by students and teachers together, as friends. Sadly, there are those without this quality, and I must admit that, for some faculty, this remains a necessity. And still others are introverted, though there must be those ones, for this would not be a school if we were all friends.

I also cannot say that I hated everything about you. Many hours have been set of fire with Mr. Otieno, a man I consider much more of a friend than an authority. This is not to say that he is not a teacher; I have learned more in my few moments with him than the countless hours with any other teacher, second to God and my earthly father alone. I wish for many more years learning under him. Mr. Jones is fourth on this list.

I also cannot say that your student body is of God. I honestly cannot. There are several that have seen the light of God, but I cannot see that light. I am sadly counting myself in this group that shuts their faith when around you. I hope to said God that this problem of hiding faith goes away, because Mount Pisgah can be such a powerful force of faith. There are specific people I can name who have this force, but, as with gravity, one particle does not a star make.

Sadly, this is not a thing you can actively change. As is, I feel the student body is too inundated with the Gospel, and thus wrongly disillusioned and disgusted by it. When you accept non-Christians to your institution, you strike a liar's note when said non-Christian must sit and be assaulted by the propaganda of Christ for an hour. Try, instead of chapel, a study of the gospels, starting with John, then going to Romans, Timothy, James, and finally select chapters of Luke.

Mr. Jones taught me, in one of his last lectures to the class and me, about the Laffer Curve (picture a left-opening C), which describes how productivity increases with amount of effort put in, up until a point. In this case, student's interest in response to amount of Gospel message input. If you give too much gospel to the students, the point is passed, and the interest goes negative. If you go above this Laffer curve, the response will always be negative. Attempting to reduce the effort is understandably an extremely tough choice, and the return on the investment (or lack thereof) will undoubtedly take a long while to cash in.

At any rate, I wish you the best. I pray for the best. And I forgive and ask for forgiveness for the last four years.