Alumni Testimonials
Class of 2003
Joel Musser - Hillsdale College
1) What brought to you Mars Hill Academy and when?
I started attending Mars Hill for my 9th grade year, mostly because of the
Christian atmosphere that it provided. The high school years are of vital
importance to teens who are struggling between becoming independent, but
still desiring to look cool amidst peers. The public school scene was a
definite"no" for me, but even most private schools it seemed were
not holding fast to any kind of Christian roots. That left Mars Hill, an
excellent academic school but perhaps more importantly, an awesome Christian
atmosphere every day. After all, what profit is it if you can ace your tests,
but have lost the ability to distinguish between right and wrong?
2) What were some of your favorite classes at Mars Hill Academy?
This is a pretty tough question because I genuinely enjoyed more classes
than I despised—believe it or not. I think that everyone says this
when they are a little older, but looking back now that I have been to
lectures and taken classes from some of the leading intellectuals of our
modern world from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas down to our own
magnificent History, English, and Science professors, I realize again
how blessed I was to have teachers that not only knew their subjects well,
but actually enjoyed them also! If I had to pick one though, I'd definitely
say Mrs. Morwood's Humanities and Modernities classes were amazing. To
this day, I have not found her equal in devotion to her students and making
history and literature interesting to a person like me who as a general
rule tends to think the usefulness of history is very limited.
3) How has Mars Hill affected where you have chosen to attend college
and the areas of study you have chosen to pursue?
Hillsdale College, where 3/4ths of Mars Hill graduates have ended up, was
immediately appealing because of the liberal arts education that the College
specializes in; the next step after the education from Mars Hill. As for
my area of study, I'd love to know myself, but am trusting that the Lord
will show me which way to lean when the time comes. Does scuba diving count??
That was fun...
4) What does Classical Education mean to you?
The Classical Education that Mars Hill provides is something that I missed
particularly because I started there so late. As a whole, I think it is
a fantastic thing and like I've said from the beginning, the kids that
go all the way through this system are going to be so smart it makes me
sick and very well equipped to make a changes for the better in our modern,
impulse driven, relativistic world.
