About Menaul School
We are Menaul - Respect and Honor!
This year’s theme highlights several Menaul School core values. First, “We are Menaul” is an intentional allusion to We are Marchall, an inspirational movie about one of the first integrated football teams in Virginia and the power they discovered by accepting each others’ racial and cultural differences to defeat a common opponent. “We are Menaul” reflects the pride we have in our diverse community and celebrates our ability to play, pray, learn and teach with love and respect for each other.
Respect is a powerful description of the impact of a Menaul experience. Students do not just learn to tolerate different people but take the next step and learn how to respect them. One of my pet peeves is the “tolerance” movements in schools and businesses. To me tolerance is like a rock in my shoe which I put up with until I can’t stand it and then I remove it. Respect is what happens when honorable people learn enough about each other to accept, admire, and even embrace differences because of our common God given humanity.
Honor is respect in action. Honor is living up to our highest ideals by loving and esteeming those around us. For me the best application of this principle is the way I try to fulfill the biblical invocation to “honor my parents.” It doesn’t say “like” your parents, or even “love” your parents. It says “honor” which to me means treat them well. I call my mom and dad even when they are difficult. I honor by calling, by listening (often the hardest part), by helping when I can and by trying to be a good son. I treat them with the dignity and respect I pray my own children will have toward me as I age.
Our theme for the 2010-2011 school year - We are Menaul—Respect and Honor - requires our whole community to evaluate our behaviors toward each other and conform those behaviors to our Creator God’s highest goals for us.
Please join us prayerfully and financially supporting this vital mission to the well being of our students, community and nation. And when you have the opportunity, please stop by and say hello!
Blessings -
Lindsey R. Gilbert, Jr.,
President & Head of Menaul School
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