Rappites Remembered

Thanks to the efforts of Jason and Kirsta Wilson, the Rappites Remembered Fund shall be giving grants to New Harmony School for years to come. 

 

“Krista and I love calling New Harmony our home, and the fact is, many of its positive resources can be attributed to the quality of education one can receive in this community,” says Jason Wilson. They should know. The couple graduated from New Harmony School, “Home of the Rappites,” in the 1980s and have gone on to receive associate degrees from the University of Southern Indiana and baccalaureate degrees from Purdue University.

 

Both feel their successes stem from growing up in this quiet, southwestern  Indiana town on the banks of the Wabash River. That’s why they’ve chosen to raise their children, Kendall and Haley, in New Harmony.

 

New Harmony School, founded in 1877, serves one of Indiana’s most historically unique communities. In its early years, the town of New Harmony was a site for experiments in communal living and educational research led by George Rapp and Robert Owen.

 

New Harmony School remains vital, serving 167 students from preschool through the twelfth grade. 

Strong believers in the value of creating endowment to meet community needs, in 2007, Jason and Krista established the Rappites Remembered Fund to benefit New Harmony School with yearly grants.

 

“New Harmony School is such a unique and special place. Krista and I wanted to establish the Rappites Remembered Fund to give all New Harmony alumni a vehicle to contribute to the school,” said Jason.

 

Recently, the Rappites Remembered Fund awarded its first grant, which was presented to Doug Mills, principal at New Harmony School.

 

“We are so appreciative of Krista and Jason for starting the fund and for the alumni and friends of New Harmony school for contributing to the fund,” said Mills. “We are using the money to send a group of ten students to a program called Student Day at the Legislature in February sponsored by the Indiana Association of School Principals. We hope to have an opportunity to speak with our legislators with the possibility to testify in one of the educational committee meetings.”

 

The Wilsons designed the fund so that its annual proceeds will be granted to New Harmony School forever. They remain actively involved with the fund, both in seeking support to help the fund grow and in publishing a Rappites Remembered newsletter to keep in touch with alumni and friends.