Since the first days of our school in 2010 we employed the basic principals of Matthew 18 spelled out in Ken Sande’s book, Peaceamaker. It has been the difference maker for our board, teachers, parents, and students. I will outline the main ideas from Peacemaker and give examples, stories of how we encountered these trials and overcame adversity throughout our 16 year history with the help of the Lord and biblical peacemaking.

Ken Sande outlines the 4 Gs:

1) Glorify God

2) Get the plank out of your own eye

3) Gently confront

4) Go and truly be reconciled.

He also elaborates on the importance of not being on the “”slippery slope”” of conflict avoidance or being overly confrontational, but rather talking through your differences, overlooking small offenses, and reconciling. At our school we have peacemaker wheels in every classroom. Although we have had some unfortunate situations over the years that we have not been able to reconcile, many many more times we have been blessed by reconciliation through the peacemaker process.

Courtney is the Head of School at Regents School of Charlottesville, a classical Christian school located in Charlottesville, Virginia. Mrs. Palumbo founded Regents with seven students and one paid teacher in the summer of 2010. Regents School currently serves 290 students and employs 50 full and part-time teachers. Regents has completed two capital campaigns and experienced the great joy of constructing a permanent campus consisting of nine small buildings on 20 acres in 2024. Mrs. Palumbo holds a Bachelor’s of Communication from Vanderbilt University. Prior to moving to Charlottesville, she served as an assistant account executive for Hill and Knowlton public affairs in Washington, DC and opened her own event planning company in Austin, Texas. Mrs. Palumbo also served on the Vice-Presidential Advance Team for the 1992 election and in the Logistical Operations office of the 1992 Republican National Convention. Mrs. Palumbo has been married to Tom for 33 years. They have three beautiful children and one beautiful golden retriever, Gus.