The Words of the Beebe Family
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The Words of the Beebe Family |
True Father has established schools throughout the world to promote the example of true education, such as the Little Angels School in Korea and the High School of the Pacific in Hawaii. In the United States, we have the Bridgeport International Academy as well as several other grade schools established through the initiative of members. These include New Hope Academy in Maryland, The Principled Academy in California, and Bridgeport Hope School in Connecticut.
New Jersey is home to the Jin-A Child Care Center and New Hope School. These two educational institutions, located in the city of Clifton, are dedicated to giving Principle-based education to both second generation children and children in the general community.
Currently in its 23rd year, Jin-A Child Care Center instructs both pre-school and kindergarten students and is run by Christl Brunkhorst. This is a licensed, state-certified and accredited full-day, child-care facility that operates year-round from Monday through Friday from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm. In its many years of operation, Jin-A has provided needed day care support for blessed families, and in recent years, after receiving accreditation, it has been attracting many non-Unificationist families as well.
Situated in a breathtaking natural setting, Jin-A is dedicated to providing children with a happy learning experience in a safe and healthy environment. The curriculum includes math, language, science and nature, social studies, computers, arts and crafts, music, and story time, finger play and singing for the younger children. A variety of indoor and outdoor recreational activities, such as swimming and free play on an impressively landscaped playground, are also available. Jin-A's qualified staff is made up of carefully chosen professionals who are continually encouraged to develop their teaching skills through in-house seminars.
New Hope School, founded in 1996 by Jeanne Carroll and currently run by Robert Beebe, enrolls students from the first through eighth grades and operates out of the facilities of a Dutch Reformed Church. In the next school year, it plans also to open a kindergarten for the first time.
The school is committed to high academic standards for its students, utilizing a curriculum developed by the Core Knowledge Foundation. Its students have consistently scored well above the national and state average at all grade levels in the Terra Nova standardized tests. Many graduates of New Hope School have testified to the excellent preparation they received for their subsequent education at the high school level and beyond.
Besides academics, through its character education program the school seeks to support the spiritual and moral development of its students as a foundation for their eventual fulfillment of the Three Blessings. While the program is based primarily on the Divine Principle, it also employs other supplemental materials, such as IEF's My Journey in Life curriculum, Universal Peace Federation's Discovering the Real Me series, as well as various materials developed by the American character-education movement. Beginning with a 30-minute morning service each day, and passing through lessons in mathematics, science, history/social studies, language, reading and literature, teachers look for opportunities to teach good values to the students. On the playground and in gym class, students are encouraged to engage in cooperative team play, show respect for each other, take responsibility for their behavior and help and serve one another. Throughout the school year, students are given opportunities to join service projects, such as food- and clothing drives or caroling at senior citizen centers. Such projects help to teach children in a concrete way what it means to live for the sake of others.
In addition, New Hope School recently has entered into a collaborative relationship with the New Jersey Music and Arts Association under the direction of Francesco Santelli to offer drama classes for its students. The classes encourage them to develop their artistic creativity and participation in four public performances in the course of the school year.
In their administration, teaching methods and curriculum, the goal of both Jin-A and New Hope is to assist their charges in developing their full potential as God's children. The cultivation of their heart and conscience and instruction in moral and ethical norms through the promotion of universal values are the foundation for all of their subsequent education and is the key to healthy character development. The teachers of the schools are committed to creating a loving moral atmosphere in their classrooms. They understand their role as secondary parents, role models and mentors to their students. At the same time the schools welcome the active support of the families of its students through a vibrant Parents' Association.
Both schools offer English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction from a state-certified teacher as well as special-education services for those in need of it. New Hope School also maintains an active foreign-student study program. It is authorized by the federal government to assist prospective foreign students in obtaining F-1 visas and finding them home-stay families. For the past several years, the school has opened its doors to groups of Korean students during the winter and summer months for instruction in English and American culture.
Both schools are currently accepting registrations for the next school year. Open Houses are being held this month at Jin-A (April 23) and New Hope School (April 28). For more information, you may visit our websites at www.newhopeschoolnj.com and www.jinaschool.com. You may also call Jin-A Child Care Center or New Hope School.