Hello! My name is Clint Hughes. My wife, Lisa, and I have 3 children at Logos; Shania 5th grade, Jake 4th grade, and Luke 1st grade. Our love for the school continues to grow, having moved here from Southern California three years ago. I was reminded of our initial excitement for the school when we learned of the record number of new students enrolled this year. There are as many reasons to love the school as there are children in it. I've met parents who aren't aware of the Logos influence nationally, as they've grown up in this area and simply love Logos for what it is. I've also met those who have uprooted their whole families and moved thousands of miles to Moscow precisely because they understand and appreciate the Logos influence abroad. The one thing we all have in common is that we love the school!
As many of you know, 2011 marked the 30th birthday of the school. Since the beginning in 1981, by the grace of God, Logos has continued its model of a classical and Christian school, aided to establish an accreditation organization (the A.C.C.S.) which helps maintain that standard, and aided in the training of over 200 like-minded schools across the globe to continue that vision of the classical and Christian model.
One substantial thing that differentiates Logos from most of the other classical and Christian schools, however, is its location. Most A.C.C.S. schools are located in urban areas, while Logos, as you know, is in a rural area. What this means financially is that most other schools are positioned to avail themselves of the grants, endowments, and the higher tuitions found in the more populous areas. As many of you know, tuition in the other schools can easily be twice the cost of Logos. This means that it falls on us and the local community to support the school through tuitions, gifts, and fund raising. There have been the traditional avenues of fund raising, like the Logos Fall Carnival, the Friends of Logos Dessert, etc. that have been a consistent blessing to the school. Very often for those traditional events, the Logos Moms would come along side and be a big part of the success of those events. Occasionally there have been stand alone events, like the building of the gym in 1998 and the Benefit Concert earlier this year (also where the Logos Moms did a stellar job!). Each of those events was based around a specific need or premise. Therefore, people were involved in a unique way and the event raised a significant amount of money for the school.
I wanted to share with you my excitement for something we're planning that falls under this category, but before that, I'd like to announce the inception of "Logos Dads" as an opportunity for us dads to have a presence, as well. The Logos Moms are exceptional in giving of their time and talents; the Logos Dads will give us the opportunity to give of our time and treasure, more on that in a minute.
Two issues that are of paramount importance in the eyes of the board and parents alike are a biblical music program and the expansion of the school itself. Regarding the music program, people like David Erb, Jonathan Erber and Allie Bradley have been indefatigable in working with the students to "sing and play skillfully unto the Lord", and we have seen and heard the fruit of this a number of times. It is our hope that the music program will continue to grow to the glory of God. Regarding the expansion of the school, the idea has been on the table for many years. It is exciting to know that with so many more students this year, Logos is at full capacity in our current facility. In order to keep up with where we believe the Lord is taking the school, a bigger facility is something to seriously consider. So with these two goals in mind, there is a plan in place that we, as dads, not only can get excited about, but can tangibly participate in. To this end:
Logos Dads Present:
"Operation: Piano Restoration"
A school wide endeavor to restore two pianos for a spring concert entitled:
"The Logos Beethoven Benefit:
Classical Music & Classical Education in Concert."
This year long fund raising drive will consist of three major components:
Pianos, Performances, and Pledges
1) The Pianos. The Hughes family owns "Grand American Piano", a piano restoration business here in Moscow. We have two pianos, one grand, and one upright that will be restored and donated to Logos. We 're calling it: OPERATION: PIANO RESTORATION, and here's where all of you dads come in. I will oversee the restorations, but the Logos students will be involved in the restoration process itself! I will have age appropriate jobs for the children from grades K-12. Not only will this help to instill in them our cherished "Christian work ethic", but it will be an opportunity for the children and the fathers to fellowship together. Especially with all of the new families, this will be a great way to get to connect with other families to "consider one another in order to stir up love and good works" Hebrews 10:24.
2) The Performances. Once the pianos are restored, there will be a stirring spring concert, directed by Dr. Erb which will feature the pianos, the Logos choir, and other talented musicians from the area. It will start with piano pieces played on the two restored pianos, culminating with Beethoven's Fantasy for Piano, Chorus, and Orchestra in C minor, op.80! It will truly be an evening to remember ending by auctioning off the two pianos to the highest bidders! All the funds for the pianos will go directly to the "music fund" at Logos.
3) The Pledges. Leading up to the concert there will be a pledge drive. All pledge amounts will be based on the final auction prices of the pianos. There will be opportunities for everyone to pledge in all price ranges. All the funds from the pledge drive will go directly to the "expansion fund" to help Logos school with land and building costs.
Included in this website are the specifics of the three components, The Pianos, The Performances, and The Pledges. Please read them over and I trust you'll share in the excitement of this year-long endeavor to bless Logos School. Feel free to call or email with any questions.
Clint Hughes (208) 473-0293 or hughesfamily@moscow.com
