We are a family of seven. I am the oldest of five children; I have one sister and three brothers. We are members of New City Fellowship of Fredericksburg, Virginia. We are involved with Classical Conversations and Young Marines. Classical Conversations is a very important part of our life. Another organization we are involved with is the Disciples homeschool football team as well as our local Little League Baseball team. My parents, Kirk and Stephanie Ross, have been married for almost twenty-three years. They have homeschooled me and my siblings for our entire education.
My mother is the Classical Conversations Foundations and Essentials Director of Fredericksburg, Virginia. She has held that position for ten years. My father served in the Marine Corps for four years. He is now a manager at Truckin’ Thunder and the assistant manager at Sweet N Sassy BBQ Company. I am also employed at Sweet N Sassy BBQ Company. Sweet N Sassy is a barbecue company, established by the parents of one of our Classical Conversations’ families. My family attends New City Fellowship and has attended for twenty-two years.
New City is a cross cultural Presbyterian church that preaches the whole Gospel to the whole person. Since my family is cross cultural, it is an excellent fit for us. My father is a deacon at our church and his main responsibilities are facility and mercy needs. As I stated above, my mother is the Classical Conversations Foundations and Essentials Director of Fredericksburg. Our community meets at our church, New City, every Friday. We have been involved with Classical Conversations for twelve years. My mother was a tutor for our second year.
The next year, she became the Director of Foundations and Essentials of Fredericksburg and has continued that position for ten years. When I was seven, I began Foundations. During my time in Classical Conversations, I completed five years of Foundations, four years of Essentials, and all six of the Challenge levels. I graduated last year from Challenge IV. My sister, Macie, started Foundations a year after I did when she was four. She is now in Challenge I. When he was four, Ian, the oldest of my three younger brothers, started CC which was three years after Macie started.
He will be moving to Challenge A next fall. Malakai, the second youngest of my siblings, started CC when he was four. Liam, the youngest, will start CC next fall. Currently, I am one of the childcare workers for our Classical Conversations community. Sports is another ? consequential? part of our life. My two brothers, Ian and Malakai play baseball on our local Little League team and my other brother Liam will start baseball this upcoming season. Catcher is Ian’s main position and Malakai’s is second base. Macie cheers for a Christian Homeschool Football team named the Disciples.
Disciples Football is a Christian Homeschool football team located in Richmond. They consist of mostly homeschoolers with some private and some public school kids from the surrounding area. The football players are all extremely close to one another and are devoted to God and playing their games for Him. Macie joined the cheer squad last year, and will be one of the captains this season. My mother will be the cheer coach this upcoming season. In addition to sports and CC, Young Marines is another activity my family enjoys to do.
Young Marines is drug demand reduction program that teaches kids, from ages eight to eighteen, the importance of living a healthy lifestyle, while also teaching them some of the basics of Marine Corps knowledge and life skills. They also teach about physical fitness, self discipline, leadership, and teamwork skills. I was in this program for six years and retired last year at the rank of Young Marine Staff Sergeant. Macie has been in for almost seven years, and has achieved the rank of Young Marine Gunnery Sergeant. Four years ago, Ian joined and he is now a Young Marine Lance Corporal.
My father is also a Registered Adult and I am planning on becoming one for the spring and summer. This upcoming April, Malakai will be joining, and Liam will join when he is old enough. There are many opportunities available for kids in Young Marines. Macie just recently obtained a national Public Relations job and she will get to travel around the country and report about her experiences. To summarize, my family is involved with several organizations that will help shape us to be good, Christian adults. Our church has been the most important part of our life, teaching us about God’s word and how to apply it to life to be godly people.
Classical Conversations is one of the most important groups we are with as it will help with our education and our character. Baseball, football, and cheering are another consequential part of our life because it helps train us in teamwork and sharing and furthering our faith. Young Marines, also another major organization, has taught my siblings and I leadership skills, teamwork, self discipline, good citizenship, and survival skills. In conclusion, all of these programs will and already have shaped us into the people God wants us to be as well as inspire and help others.