Rev. Robert F. Ingram (Headmaster)
rfingram@genevaschool.org
lmmeyer@genevaschool.org (Mr Ingram’s assistant, Linda Meyer)
407-332-6363 ext. 212 (Linda Meyer)
321-422-0212(direct, Linda Meyer)
B.A., The College of Wooster
M.Div., Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
Th.M., Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
M.HE., Geneva College
I have found it to be a rewarding endeavor to recover that which has been lost. At Geneva we seek to recover the lost art of teaching and the lost tools of learning and to instill again a sense of wonderment of God and His creation. Education, then, is in part preservation—“the breathing of the soul of one generation into the next.” This enculturation safeguards the good, the true, and the beautiful, forwarding these ideals into future generations. But education is also cultural transformation, an intentional leading out of the complex darkness of ignorance into the light of God’s revealed Truth.
My zeal for The Geneva School stems from the fact that these ideals are becoming incarnated in this community of faith and learning. We believe that wisdom surpasses knowledge, that Truth can be known and apprehended, that grace ought to characterize our relationships, and that beauty must adorn our philosophy and lives. Only then can we escape from nominalism to the reality of virtuous scholarship under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Being involved with such a school affords me the opportunity to fulfill my calling within Christ’s Kingdom.
Michael S. Beates (Acting Dean of Students)
msbeates@genevaschool.org
407-332-6363 ext. 218
321-422-0218 (direct)
B.A., Clemson University
M.Div.; S.T.M., Biblical Theological Seminary
D.Min., Reformed Theological Seminary Orlando
I remember when The Geneva School was an idea in the minds of the founding board members. It was a big idea, a God-sized vision far greater than the capabilities of that fledgling group. Our family got involved that first year, and our eldest son Jeb entered third grade that Fall. In fact, we had children at Geneva straight through the first 15 years until our daughter Abbie graduated in 2008. Over the years, my wife and I have served as custodians, curricular consultants, soccer coach, field trip drivers, substitute teachers, lunchtime aid, and more. The “Big Idea” of Christian classical education has made an indelible impact on our family. So with deep gratitude to God’s kind providence, I began to teach at Geneva in 2008 and now also assist with the administration.
Our family’s journey over the last 30 years has included serving with Young Life, adult Christian education at Ligonier Ministries, college and seminary teaching at Belhaven, Florida Southern, and Reformed Theological Seminary, and of course parenting. I believe all these experiences have equipped me well to serve Christ and the students at Geneva. I have watched with deep appreciation Geneva’s journey toward maturity and consider it an overwhelming privilege to be serving here now. In the classroom it is my great joy to teach the truths of the Christian faith. My hope is that as Dean of Students, I may also be able to mentor students toward resting in the hope I have in Christ and toward the passion for truth that I have received from others.
James A. Reynolds (Dean of Faculty)
jareynolds@genevaschool.org
407-332-6363 ext. 209
321-422-0209 (direct)
B.B.A., The University of Michigan
M.A., Secondary Education, Eastern Michigan University
When my wife and I first learned about The Geneva School and enrolled our sons, I experienced this as a homecoming. Many years back, I had helped begin a Christian school, and all that we had thought about and worked to implement back then I saw in full fruition at The Geneva School. The rich learning community, the focus on integrating the curricula, the use of original sources, and the redemptive work of Christ at the heart of all learning attracted us immediately.
As I continued to see my sons flourish at the school, I began to consider if God was calling me to join the faculty. After 19 years at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt School Publishing as an Educational Consultant, Marketing Manager, and Vice President/Editor-in-Chief, I left publishing for the opportunity to serve the students, parents, and faculty at The Geneva School. I look forward to the journey with excitement to serve our good and great God.
Heidi Heinsch (Director of Early Childhood)
hmheinsch@genevaschool.org
407-332-6363 ext 227
321-422-0227 (direct)
B.A., Elementary Education/Psychology, Bethel University
Having just celebrated 30 years of marriage to my high school sweetheart, my love of children flows naturally out of my experience as a mom to Luke (25, seminarian, married to Traci), Leah (23, international adoption advocate, TGS Class of 2006), and Taylor (20, college student, TGS Class of 2010). The fact that I add the title “Grandma” this fall only intensifies my conviction that early childhood education lays the foundation for life and the generations to follow.
After teaching kindergarten at Geneva for six years, I moved into the position of Director of Early Childhood in 2011. I had big shoes to fill and am determined to do my predecessor, Robin Candeto, honor in her leadership and in safeguarding the up and coming future students of Geneva.
I believe that the effectiveness of Geneva’s Early Childhood Program lies in the blended strengths of the entire team of dedicated and gifted professionals who love Jesus Christ and children. God always prepares and assembles complementary groups of his servants when he intends to do something extraordinary. Evidence of his working here is the source of my optimism about this shared adventure of learning.
The Irish poet William Butler Yeats tells us that education is not the filling of a bucket but the lighting of a fire. In the Early Childhood Program at The Geneva School, we seek to fan the flickers of those incipient yearnings to learn. A lifelong love of learning is most likely to develop when the earliest experiences of a child’s education are positive and rewarding. Therefore we are committed to a curriculum that is intricately woven and integrated across all subject areas while being careful to interject fun in the process of personal growth. After all, we are not merely dispensing knowledge, but helping to develop children who taste the joys of being the object of God’s love in Christ, residents in a world resounding with his glory, and partners in the advance of his kingdom. Soli Deo Gloria!
Patti Rader (Director of Admission)
pnrader@genevaschool.org
407-332-6363 ext. 204
321-422-0204 (direct)
B.A. Auburn University
In the spring of 2005 my first introduction to The Geneva School and Christian Classical education was on a tour of the school as a prospective parent. My husband and I were impressed by the integrated curriculum and the faculty’s qualifications and passion for teaching. Shortly after this initial visit we made a commitment and many sacrifices to place all three of our children at TGS. It was a wise decision and our children loved their new school. I kept thinking… I wish I had been educated in a school like Geneva. Those thoughts, my love for the school, and a lot of prayer, led me to leave the company I started with my husband to apply for the director of admission position. In March 2007 I began my career at Geneva and still love being here.
I am learning alongside my children and finding joy in meeting with our prospective parents and their children. I hear my associates at Geneva talking about such things as human flourishing, ordering a disordered mind, virtuous scholarship, the desires of our heart shaping our minds—I could go on and on. The love of learning and continuing education for faculty and staff is a vital part of why I am here. Each and every day is filled with a sense of adventure for our students, their families, the faculty, and the staff. It is a privilege to work in such an inspirational environment.
Laura Grace Alexander (Director of Development)
lgalexander@genevaschool.org
407-332-6363 ext. 217
321-422-0217 (direct)
B.A., English Literature, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
M.A., Theological Studies, Reformed Theological Seminary
D.Phil. Candidate, Modern History, University of Oxford
My first introduction to Christian classical education came via a research project I was leading at Ligonier Ministries in the fall of 1992. We were developing new curriculum to help in training layman in churches to teach. In the course of my reading, I came across an intriguing article by British educator and writer Dorothy Sayers, entitled “The Lost Tools of Learning.” It concisely, yet profoundly, articulated some of my own philosophy of education. This brief treatise generated much discussion at Ligonier that ultimately culminated in a dinner one evening in May 1993. Sometime after midnight on that fateful evening, The Geneva School was born and we opened our doors in August of that same year.
Now, nearly 20 years later, it is a delight still to be involved with this grand vision. Since its inception, I have worn nearly every “hat” at Geneva, including board member, headmaster, volunteer, consultant, teacher, and now director of development. This has given me a fairly unusual perspective on the school, its history, and its mission. Through it all, I have seen firsthand God’s faithfulness in providing exactly what we have needed every step of the way. His loving faithfulness in the past causes me to have great hope for what he will yet do in and through The Geneva School. We serve a great and glorious God and it is a singular joy to be called to work in this particular part of his kingdom.