Friday: Party Fox Explained

No doubt if you have been reading these posts and listening to the lectures, you've heard of the infamous canid known as "Party Fox." Dr. Reynolds invited Party Fox to the Wheatstone conference--by which I mean Dr. Reynolds shipped Party Fox to the Wheatstone conference, and Party Fox was revealed to the students on Epic Monday. Party Fox, it was explained, is the Reynolds household pet: a clean, chic, well-groomed, well-mannered, and altogether "perfected" fox.

Click here to learn the true nature of Party Fox...

Click to read more ...

Thursday: Seeing, Thinking, Feeling

On Thursday, Wheatstone Academy took half of its conference participants to the Getty Center in Los Angeles, and the other half to the LACMA (Los Angeles Center for Modern Art). Afterward, most participants attended a Shakespeare show (A Winter's Tale), while a few were bussed instead to the Griffith Observatory. The day is designed to broaden their tastes by showing them beautiful things they have never before appreciated.

Click here to read more, and see pictures from the day...

Click to read more ...

Art Thursday: Update from the Field

In many ways, though Epic Monday definitely wins the consolation prize, Thursday is our hardest day at Wheatstone. Glancing at the schedule might not help students understand that at first: there’s no three hour Plato discussion, just an afternoon in an art museum and Shakespeare under the stars. But what Thursday demands is nothing short of your whole self at once, and there’s not much the week asks of students, educators, and mentors alike that’s more taxing.

Click here to read more...

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Wednesday: Reflection on our Scriptural Theme

The scripture for the Academy conference is 1 Peter. Throughout the week, Dr. Reynolds has led conference participants in several devotionals exploring this scripture and how it relates to our theme, A Noble Risk.

One of the participants in the Educators Track composed a short synopsis of the devotionals.

Click here to read her summary...

Click to read more ...

Tuesday: Beauty

In my opinion, the single most influential moment of the Academy happens on Tuesday afternoon, when Dr. Reynolds speaks on the pursuit of Beauty. Beauty is surpassingly important to becoming mature Christian people, and it is largely neglected in the pulpit and largely abused by the culture. Arguably, many problems related to sexual immorality, eating disorders, delayed adolescence, and even depression stem from a failure to properly understand Beauty.

Click here to read more and download the seminar...

Click to read more ...

Tuesday: Plato and ...Party Fox?

What is Party Fox? Perhaps more importantly, why is Dr. Reynolds featuring a stuffed fox at Wheatstone? Party Fox is the new 2012 Wheatstone Academy mascot. Unlike most mascots, Party Fox is an example of the very opposite thing we want our students to become. But more on this later...

This morning, Dr. Gary Hartenburg, Wheatstone Academy's resident Plato scholar, spoke with students and educators about a theme from our conference text, Plato's Phaedo: the biggest mistake you could ever make.

Click here to listen to the seminar...

Click to read more ...

Epic Monday: Update from the Field

Wheatstone Academy is a boot camp for the soul, which is exactly why we begin the week with a 12-hour marathon of physical activities.

Epic Monday is a glorious tradition with Wheatstone Academy, designed to rouse students to the tough mental and spiritual labor of the rest of the week. The day consists of physical challenges that require conference participants to use their bodies in inventive and strenuous ways.

Click here to view photos from Epic Monday...

Click to read more ...

Sunday: Re-learning to Love

This evening, Wheatstone founder Dr. John Mark Reynolds, delivered the Academy keynote address to a gathered audience of 130 students, staff, and educators. He spoke of two interrelated problems we face in our culture: 1) our over-reliance on first impressions, especially of other people; and 2) our compulsion to always avoid boredom. Tragically, these two tendencies, born of natural skills and good intentions, can cause terrible harm to ourselves and to other people.

Click here to read more, and download the lecture...

Click to read more ...

Sunday: For Your Reference

Check-in for A Noble Risk is underway, and we are excited to welcome all our conference participants, and everyone following along from home. I've attached some information to this post that you might want to reference during the week.

- Final Schedules for each Conference Track
- Parent Reminders

Click here to read more...

Click to read more ...

Blog

Thematic Overview

Welcome to the live blog for A Noble Risk

Congratulations! You’ve found the live blog for Wheatstone’s 2012 summer conference, A Noble Risk. This blog will offer you a snapshot of everything students are doing at the Academy, with updates twice daily and within 24 hours of scheduled events...

...at least that's our plan. The conference is so jam-packed, please forgive us if we lapse once or twice. Just know that your student, friend, or colleague is having the time of his or her life!

Click here to read more about what to expect...

Click to read more ...

College Credit

Wheatstone Ministries is pleased to offer 3 units of college credit to students who attend Wheatstone Academy A Noble Risk this summer. Units are issued through Houston Baptist University, an institution of higher education regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Units are transferable to any college or university that recognizes Houston Baptist's accreditation. Please check with your intended college or university about their transfer policies before opting-in to receive college credit for A Noble Risk.

*Please Note: General education philosophy credits do not transfer into the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University.

Students interested in receiving college credit will not need to perform any coursework in excess of their full participation in the summer conference. Students will need to submit a separate application through Houston Baptist and pay an administrative fee of $100 per unit. Wheatstone Ministries will provide students who opt-in with a link to this application and add the credit fees to their conference invoice.

 

Course Details

Houston Baptist has recognized the Wheatstone Academy summer conference as an introductory level Philosophy course, and units will be designated as follows on the student transcript.

PHIL 1300: Introduction to Philosophical Dialogue

This course introduces students to principles of philosophical discourse by means of socratic dialogue, basic epistemology seminars, scholarly cultural analysis, and study of philosophical texts. Students are taught to recognize and avoid informal fallacies in discussion, and to strive for intellectual precision and logical soundness as they search for truth.

By the end of this course, students should:

• Be capable of discerning and exploring the major questions or themes presented by cultural artifacts and philosophical texts.
• Be capable of articulating fundamental questions of the field of epistemology.
• Have achieved proficiency at discussing philosophical ideas and texts according to a rigorous socratic method.
• Be able to identify and correct some significant informal fallacies.

Units will be issued on a pass/fail basis; they are not graded. Wheatstone Ministries reserves the right to withhold credit from students who fail to meet our standards of conduct and participation during the summer conference.

Eligibility

Students must be registered for A Noble Risk at Chapman University, July 8-14, to apply.
Unfortunately, we currently cannot offer credit for participation in Academy 201.

 

How to Receive Credit

If you are registered or have already attended Wheatstone Academy A Noble Risk, you are eligible to fill out the application below (links to HBU's website). HBU will need a copy of your high school transcript (an unofficial copy is sufficient). Once HBU processes your application and you are approved, Wheatstone Ministries will send you an invoice for the unit costs. When we have received your payment, your units will be validated with HBU.

Click Here to Apply

To transfer units to another academic institution, please contact HBU to order a transcript. (Please do not order a transcript until your payment has been processed with Wheatstone Ministries.)

Registration Successful!

Thank you for registering for the 2013 Wheatstone Academy Summer Conference, July 7-13. We're hard at work building our best conference yet, and we're glad you will be joining us for it!

Now that you are registered, did you know you can get $50 off for referring a friend? In fact,
the more friends you recruit to the conference, the more we will discount your tuition!

 
What You Should Do Next

• Refer a Friend

  Earn $50 for each first-time student or educator you refer to the conference. When they register, let us know, and we will discount your tuition fee.

  Click here to spread the word...

• Submit Medical History

  We require a detailed medical history of all of our attendees. Fill out the form online, or print the form out and mail it to our offices.

  Click here to get started...

• Fill Out the Survey

  Pick a T-shirt size, request a roommate, and tell us about yourself. The survey helps us match you with your mentor.

  Click here to get started...

 

What You Can Expect From Us

• May

  We will release the conference schedule online, including the names and bios of our faculty speakers and staff members who will be joining us at A Noble Risk.

• June

  You will receive a packet in the mail, which includes your conference notebook, information on what to bring, and tips for preparing for your conference experience.

• July

  We will launch our live blog of the conference through our website, helping parents follow the student experience and providing links to lectures, pictures, and video from the conference.

Facebook Media Package

Below you can get pictures to upload to your Facebook timeline, profile, or wall about the 2012 summer conference. We discount tuition for each first-time conference participant you successful refer to the conference. See financial aid for more details.

Download the 2013 Media Package

 

Instructions

Choose from a few different options for Timeline covers in the ZIP file. (We'll be adding new images as we go along.) Here's an example from Chad's page:

 
The Wheatstone Ministries Facebook page also has photos from past conferences. Share those on your wall and include a story from your conference experience to help people understand why Wheatstone is EPIC. Don't forget a link to the conference page (http://wheatstoneministries.com/2013).

 

More Ways to Share the News

• While you are at it, here are more ways to spread the word about the summer conference.

  • 

    Email a brochure to friends or parents with the conference details.

  • 

    Download a flyer design and hang it up in a public space.

  • Share the link to the conference and registration pages. (Right click and "copy link location...")

         /conferences

         /2013

         /register

  • Email us your picture and a short story from your conference experience to add to our testimonials page. Click here for examples.

Conference Flyers

Right click an image and "save link as...."
 

• Design A

  

• Design B

  

Testimonials

 

Did you attend A Noble Risk? Share how it has impacted your life.

Conference Schedule

This is a sample of a typical conference schedule for the Young Adult track. You can plan to experience a similarly structured week, pending changes to details and topics. Each student will be given a complete schedule upon check in at the conference.

 

• Sunday

  01:00 Check In
  03:30 Faculty Address: John Mark Reynolds: Welcome
  04:00 Small Groups: Introductions
  06:00 Dinner
  07:00 Faculty Address: John Mark Reynolds: The Problem
  09:00 Return to Dorms

• Monday

  07:00 Breakfast
  08:00 Activity: Physical Challenges
  12:00 Lunch
  12:30 Activity: Group Challenges
  04:30 Shower and Change
  05:00 Faculty Address: Reynolds: On Virtual Reality
  06:00 Dinner
  07:00 Group Activity: TBD
  10:00 Return to Dorms

• Tuesday

  08:00 Breakfast
  09:00 Faculty Address: Gary Hartenburg: On Plato
  10:30 Devotional
  11:00 Silence and Solitude
  12:00 Lunch
  01:00 Small Groups
  04:30 Faculty Address: Reynolds: On Beauty
  06:00 Dinner
  07:00 Film Viewing
  09:30 Large Group Seminar: Film Analysis
  10:30 Return to Dorms

• Wednesday

  08:00 Breakfast
  09:00 Devotional
  10:00 Solitude and Silence
  11:30 Faculty Address: Eric Yang: On Epistemology
  01:00 Lunch
  01:30 Small Groups: Socratic Discussion
  04:30 Activity: Artisan Workshops
  07:00 Dinner
  08:00 Activity: Community Night Electives
  10:30 Return to Dorms

• Thursday

  08:00 Breakfast
  08:30 Devotional
  09:00 Faculty Address: How to Look at Art
  11:30 Lunch
  12:00 Explore the Getty Museum
  05:30 Dinner
  06:00 Faculty Address: How to Watch Musical Theatre
  07:00 Theatre Performance: Midsummer's Night Dream
  11:00 Return to Dorms

• Friday

  08:00 Breakfast
  09:00 Faculty Address: Reynolds: How Now Shall We Live
  10:30 Devotional
  11:00 Silence and Solitude
  12:00 Lunch
  12:30 Activity: Artisan Workshops
  03:00 Small Groups: Socratic Discussion
  06:00 Dinner
  07:30 Dessert Reception
  08:30 Music Performance: Choral Recital
  11:00 Return to Dorms

• Saturday

  08:00 Breakfast
  09:00 Pack and Check Out
  10:00 Parents Arrive
  10:30 Closing Ceremony
  12:00 Dismissed

Meet the Staff

We are pleased to announce the staff and faculty of A Noble Risk. This year, conference participants will closely interact with a highly qualified team of faculty, larger than in conferences prior, and featuring voices both fresh and familiar.

Participants will also be placed under the guidance and initiative of their conference mentor, an exceptional model of Christian maturity. Each of our mentors have hundreds of hours of experience in analytical discussions. Discussion pervades everything we do at Wheatstone conferences. Every experience and every idea find their way to a discussion, and through discussion, participants and staff join together to discover what is true, good, and beautiful.

 

Faculty

 

Mentors

 

Administration

Thematic Overview

 

 

• Academy Conferences

  Some themes and content are the same at all our conferences, and A Noble Risk will be no exception. You'll be challenged to think well for yourself, to expand your ability to recognize God's work in the world, to love people more completely, and to confront the consumerism and antagonisms that make Christian living difficult today.

  These conferences call you to look past the immediate, and to find a greater purpose. They inspire you to tear down whatever walls divide your faith from anything in the world.

• 2012: A Noble Risk

  In this year's biblical text, 1 Peter, and our main secular text, Phaedo, we are called to let our hope for life after death impact our daily lives. We're called to trustingly endure trouble, and to actively prepare ourselves for glory.

  This summer, we'll look hard at what makes life valuable, at the demands the virtue of hope places on present behavior, at death and pain, and at the nobility of Christlike living. Expect to be confronted by hard, painful things, and by beautiful ones side-by-side.

 

A Noble Risk Conference Tracks

Young Adult Track

For first-year or alumni students ages 16-19

The young adult track is our signature conference experience for students entering the transition to college and adult Christianity. Both first-time attendees and returning 16-19 year olds will practice a way of living that is truly, rigorously, and wonderfully Christian. By learning to love more than you have before, and to think more deeply, you'll be prepared to encounter the challenges of college with faithful, creative resilience.

This track prepares you to meet the new ideas and experiences that come with attending college fearlessly and joyfully. It's designed to help you thrive.

University Track

For first-year or alumni students ages 19-22

A brand new Wheatstone experience for older students who want to live a thriving, mature Christian life after leaving their university communities.

Wheatstone was founded, in part, to inspire lasting Christian education and leadership in America. At the university track, you will be equipped and encouraged to help us achieve that goal by becoming a diligent, Spirit-filled steward of culture when you graduate. It will help you anticipate the challenges of an independent professional lifestyle, and aspire to meaningful vocation.

Educators Track

For all teachers, pastors, and administrators
ACSI Continuing Education Units available on request

We've designed a unique, intimate, practical, and inspiring conference experience for Christian leaders who have an impact on teens and young adults. The educators track will challenge you to introduce your students to vibrant Christian maturity and thoughtful living by relentlessly pursuing it yourself, and will equip you to meet your group's unique challenges.

Educators attending with a student group of 5 or more are eligible to attend at no cost. Simply contact us and let us know the student group you are attending with.