Homeschool News & Views
Issue 33, August 3, 2007
from Homeschool Helpers
in association with Pass It On Ministries

Greetings. This is Dan White with Homeschool News and Views.

Homeschool Alumni Association began as a website where homeschool alumni could get together. Then they added some activities so they could get together in person. Last spring a group took a trip to Europe, and every year they have a reunion. Actually, it’s more like a working convention than just a sentimental get together. During a long weekend, they have seminars, speeches, games and a lot of good fellowship.

Homeschool Alumni Association, or HSA, began less than two years ago. It now has over 2500 registered members. It doesn’t cost anything for Christian homeschooler grads to join, and it keeps growing rapidly. Our two youngest daughters Carrie and Annie White have participated in HSA since early on, and they went on the HSA trip to Europe. Recently they attended the HSA Reunion near Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

Dan: Annie, what about the reunion?

Ann: The reunion ran from the 19^th through the 22^nd of July, a Thursday through a Sunday. It was held at a rented church camp. The girls stayed in the main auditorium building, with the dorm rooms on the first floor and the auditorium on the second floor. The guys stayed in another part of camp in the gym building. Some of the parents were there, including some who were second generation homeschoolers themselves.

Dan: Tell us about some of the people who attended.

Ann: We had homeschool alumni who came from all over the country. One young lady was from Washington state. We asked her how Missouri differed from Washington. She said the trees were short in Missouri.

Dan: I never thought of our big oak and hickory trees as being short.

Ann: But out there the trees grow to be a hundred feet tall or more. She said they had thirteen people join hands and try to reach around a tree, but couldn’t do it.

We also had HSA members from California, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas, and Virginia, I know. Total attendance was about a hundred fifty. The camp cost $147, which included room, all meals from evening dinner on Thursday through Sunday lunch.

Dan: So you got there on a Thursday, registered, put your stuff away, and then –

Ann: The first day, everyone was given a name tag and an ice breaker scavenger hunt list. So you asked people about those things on the list, and that gave people enough gumption to talk to people they didn't know, and made for some easy and interesting conversation.

Dan: In this reunion, so called, most of the people have never actually met in person. That’s why I say it’s more like a convention than a reunion. What were some of the activities going on there?

Ann: During the free time, when they weren’t having seminars or speeches, everybody played volleyball, ultimate Frisbee, swimming or just visited. They also had some interest group discussions in the afternoons, such as musicians, artists, homemakers or medical field. They have these interest groups on the web site, so the people involved in those got together in person.

Each day, before lunch, a seminar was given by various speakers. The first one was HSA founder Camden Spiller. He talked on the two years of HSA’s existence and some new plans for the future. A new branch of HSA, called HSA Outreach, is set to have it's first outreach program August 4th in Nashville, TN. HSA hopes to use this as a way of connecting Homeschool alumni with different community services in their area. It was encouraging to see so many of our peers excited about helping others. That made us all even more excited.

In another seminar, Noah Riner spoke of his success and popularity in college and even becoming the student body president at Portsmouth, until he gave a speech on character that included him mentioning Jesus as the perfect model of character and as our savior. Then Noah went from being the most popular and well liked person to becoming the least popular, shunned and disliked, just because of his Christian beliefs. He encouraged us to seek excellence in all that we do for the glory of God, because "Of whom much is given, much is required".

Dan: Yes, such are the universities of America and much of the world. The places of higher learning are the places of lower morals. I know you all mentioned a girl from Virginia who was at the HSA Reunion who had to get a letter from her pastor saying she wanted to homeschool for religious reasons before she could be homeschooled in Virginia. Her pastor did not want to do that, because he did not think Christians should pull out of the public schools. The saying is that Christian students should be salt and light in the public schools. But as Noah Riner’s case in the university shows, they are not really being salt and light in the schools, because if they do say anything about Christ at all, they will be ridiculed, ostracized, and maybe sued by the ACLU. They are not really being salt and light. They are being soft and quiet.

Carrie, when you were talking to us on the phone as you were driving back from the reunion, you couldn’t stop talking about it.

Carrie: It was quite the experience to be surrounded by over a hundred other young adults who had the same upbringing and mindset as I did. I didn't really know what to expect, coming to the HSA national reunion for the first time. When we got there, no one really knew each other very well, just mostly "knew of" everyone. It was really interesting to finally put a real live person and personality with the pictures and names we knew online.

I knew the reunion was going to be great when I heard the host of the opening ceremony tell of the packed schedule and activities awaiting all of us that weekend. It wasn't the schedule and activities, though, that caught my attention. It was the fact that he made a point of telling us that we didn't have to participate in all of the activities, and that we shouldn't forget to take a little time out of each busy day for our daily devotions/Bible reading, and time with God. I couldn't believe my ears! I don't think in all of my life at any activity, event, camp or gathering had I ever heard anyone other than my dad mention that! And this was a young man! A man near my age! While I thought this was very awesome and encouraging, I sort of shrugged it off as "well, maybe he's one of the few out there who think like that, but I bet most everyone else here doesn't".

But I was in for more great surprises.

As time went by during the reunion, I noticed that during meals, since I didn't really know anyone much, I don't think I ever sat by the same people at any meal. But this was not a problem at all for us "unsocialized homeschoolers". Everyone was talking and making conversation, getting to know whomever it was they happened to be sitting by while chowing down!

And then there were the sports and activities: everyone got along great and had a wonderful time being very sportsmanlike and fair and just out there having fun!

Dan: Can you give me an example?

Carrie: Like one time we had too many playing Ultimate Frisbee, and we needed some to volunteer to step out. Even though they were having fun, they didn’t have a problem stepping out for a while, and only one player protested a bit.

Dan: So what did you do besides the recreational activities?

Carrie: On each day of the reunion there were sessions that lasted an hour, which were hosted by various members of HSA who would give a talk or speech to the reunion attendees. I had it in my head when I saw "session" on the schedule that they would be talking about boring homeschool legal stuff or curriculum or...well, just boring stuff. I was pleasantly surprised.

Homeschool Alumni founder Camden Spiller was the first session speaker on Friday. Camden spoke about homeschoolalumni.org. , how and why he started it, and future plans for HSA. HSA member Noah Riner spoke on Saturday. They both pretty much had the same theme, which I agreed with 100%. They spoke about why homeschooling is important, how we should be grateful to our parents for taking the stand and following the call from God to raise and teach their children according to His word, and how we should encourage other homeschool alumni to continue their homeschooling legacy and teach their children also.

Their main point revolved around "Of whom much is given, much is required." We as homeschool alumni and graduates have been given so much - a good education, loving parents and family, and most importantly, getting to know and have a relationship with our Heavenly Father and having been raised in His word. They were saying we need to become servants in our communities, schools, jobs, wherever we are and whatever we are doing, to do it with the utmost excellence for the glory of our God and to share Him with everyone, no matter what may happen to us. Reaching out in our local areas and the world, to change it for the better, to share what we know about our great and loving Creator.

They both spoke of the word "reformation". Sitting there listening to them speak really made me feel like I was part of a great movement. The movement to "reform" or change our country and the world for Christ. Camden said, "when the world thinks of homeschoolers or homeschool graduates, right now they may think of 12 passenger vans or spelling bee winners. But I want them to think of the young man volunteering down at the nursing home, or the group of young people helping out at the local homeless shelter." Outreach. Doing things for others and sharing the Gospel of Christ to the world.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. A call to action! Someone encouraging us to grow closer to God and follow Him no matter what, and to take it to the world! Not just this one man, but all 150 of us there, and who knows how many of all the homeschool alumni and graduates in the world are starting this movement, this revolution?

I was so strongly encouraged and uplifted by the reunion weekend, that I wish they had them more than once a year! Camden mentioned that the homeschool alumni need to find other homeschool alumni, get to know other homeschool alumni, and then get to work. The reunion weekend wasn't just about friendships and fun, although it certainly was that, it was also about a higher calling, a higher purpose, and strengthening ourselves for the battles ahead that will come as we become soldiers of Christ, bringing His message to the world.

I felt as if the reunion was a mini-Feast. It almost felt during that weekend like what I kind of imagine it would be like in the new heavens and new Earth. Everyone striving to seek God and follow His way, looking out, caring for, and encouraging each other to follow the straight and narrow path.

On the Sabbath there were many things to do on the schedule so that everyone was hustling about doing all day long. I and my sister Annie slept in that morning and caught the session by Noah Riner (which was better than probably 75% of the sermons I've ever heard) before going to lunch. The rest of our day was spent talking with others, reading our Bibles, and taking walks through the nice wooded camp grounds and sitting near the large pond. It was fairly hard to get into the "Sabbath mood" with all the hustle and bustle and regular activities surrounding us, so we stayed a little away from the gathering places where all the activities were going on.

Dan: And to sum up, Annie, about the Homschool Alumni Reunion?

Ann: It was nice to be around people with whom we had such likemindedness.

As Noah Riner said, he came there expecting to be around people who shared a common experience. But when he got there it was more like being around people who shared a common goal. It was a very worthwhile activity, and I look forward to going again next year.

Dan: And Carrie, you would say that the Homeschool Alumni Reunion was –

Carrie: Inspiring.

This is Dan White with Homeschool Helpers, and Carrie White and Annie White. God bless the Christian homeschoolers.