Alumni Testimonials
When Mars Hill Academy was founded in 1996, it was a K-6 school with the intention of adding a grade each year. As such, the first graduating class was the class of 2003, with two graduates. The purpose of this page is to introduce you to the fine young men and women who have graduated from Mars Hill Academy. Betsy Peters asked several of our graduates to answer the following questions.
- For what grades were you at Mars Hill Academy?
- What were some of your favorite classes at Mars Hill Academy?
- How has MHA affected where you have chosen to attend college and the areas of study you have chosen to pursue?
- What does Classical Education mean to you?
Their answers follow.
Class
of 2003
Amy Stollberg - Hillsdale College
1) What brought to you Mars Hill Academy and when?
For several years, my parents were very dissatisfied with the education
my younger sister and I were receiving in the public school. While searching
and praying for a school alternative, they were acquainted with Classical
Christian education through Doug Wilson’s book, Recovering the
Lost Tools of Learning. My parents quickly realized a Classical and
Christian education would be the best type of education for their daughters.
Shortly thereafter, my parents discovered a Classical Christian school
in Cincinnati, and they knew the Lord had answered their many prayers.
My sister and I thus entered Mars Hill Academy in the fall of 1996—Mars
Hill’s first year.
2) What were some of your favorite classes at Mars Hill Academy?
Two of my favorite classes at Mars Hill Academy were Modernity and American
Humanities, both courses in the Rhetoric stage. These classes were two of
my most challenging classes at Mars Hill; however, I found them to be quite
rewarding. As we studied and analyzed literature and history from varying
eras, we learned how to reason persuasively and effectively through our
writing and oratory, as well as how to filter all of our knowledge through
the Holy Scriptures.
3) How has Mars Hill affected where you have chosen to attend college
and the areas of study you have chosen to pursue?
Mars Hill gave me such a love and appreciation for a classical, liberal
arts education. Thus, when I began to consider colleges, I knew I wanted
to attend a small, liberal arts college that adhered to similar classical
philosophies and methodologies as Mars Hill. Hillsdale College is such a
school. It is a college that has complemented my education at Mars Hill;
it is a college that is further preparing me to be a well-rounded, young
adult, equipped for all aspects of life beyond college. As a student at
Mars Hill, I was able to learn how to appreciate all aspects of my learning,
and such an appreciation has continued to flourish in my time spent at Hillsdale.
I am presently pursuing several majors and minors in the area of the fine
arts.
4) What does Classical Education mean to you (and further comments)?
Though my years in a Classical Christian school equipped me with a strong
liberal arts education and the invaluable tools of learning, they especially
helped to strengthen my Christian worldview. At Mars Hill Academy, the Word
of God was used as the foundation and standard for every area of study;
it was the lens through which all knowledge and learning passed. Mars Hill
Academy was a Biblical extension of the home, and it always aided in the
Spiritual instruction and edification of its students. My years in Mars
Hill Academy were the greatest of blessings, and I am so thankful the Lord
gave me the opportunity to attend such a school.
