Some Masonic organizations preserve history.

 

Some support education.

 

Some bring Masons together in fellowship.

 

High Twelve International does all three.

 

High Twelve is a Masonic fellowship organization that brings Master Masons together outside the formal Lodge setting for fellowship, conversation, education, and service. Its mission encourages Masons to carry the ideals learned through Freemasonry into their everyday lives and communities, with a particular emphasis on education and the principles of good government.

 

For me, High Twelve has become another way of putting those Masonic principles into action.

 

The Little Red Schoolhouse

 

One of the most recognizable traditions of High Twelve is the Little Red Schoolhouse.

 

During High Twelve meetings, the miniature schoolhouse is passed among the members to collect voluntary contributions. Those contributions support the Wolcott Foundation, High Twelve International's educational foundation. The Foundation provides fellowships for U.S. citizens pursuing graduate studies at George Washington University in fields connected to international affairs, business, public administration, and public affairs.

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I serve as the Little Red Schoolhouse (Wolcott Foundation) liaison for my local High Twelve club, helping keep this tradition connected to the purpose behind it.

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I particularly appreciate the symbolism.

 

It is a little schoolhouse—but it represents something much larger: the belief that education can change a person's future and, through that person, potentially change the future of a community and a nation.

 

That idea fits naturally with my own belief in the importance of education and in the responsibility we have to help the next generation build upon what we have been given.

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Sharing the Story

 

High Twelve has also given me another opportunity that I value deeply: sharing what I have learned with other Masons.

 

I have given presentations to my local High Twelve club, to the Dayton High Twelve club, and to the High Twelve club in Hamilton.

 

These presentations have allowed me to take something I have learned and turn around and share it with others.

 

That may seem like a small thing.

 

To me, it is at the heart of what I believe Masonry should do.

 

We learn from those who came before us. We learn from our Brothers. We discover stories, traditions, and ideas that might otherwise be forgotten.

 

And then we have a responsibility to pass them on.

 

Serving Through Fellowship

 

My involvement with High Twelve has also included serving in the role of Sergeant at Arms, giving me another opportunity to contribute to the fellowship and operation of the organization.

 

But the title is not what matters most.

 

What matters is the opportunity to participate.

 

High Twelve reminds me that Masonry does not end when the Lodge meeting closes. The principles we learn there can follow us into our communities, our schools, our conversations, and the ways we serve others.

 

That is the part of High Twelve that resonates most strongly with me.

 

It brings together fellowship, education, service, and the sharing of knowledge—four things that have become increasingly important in my own Masonic journey.

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The Story We Pass On

 

The Little Red Schoolhouse is a fitting symbol for High Twelve because a schoolhouse is ultimately about more than a building.

 

It is about what happens inside it.

 

It is where knowledge is shared.

 

Where questions are asked.

 

Where one generation helps prepare another.

 

And where lessons are passed forward.

 

That is also what I hope to do through my involvement in Masonry.

 

Whether I am researching a Masonic connection to American history, speaking to a group of Masons, supporting education through the Little Red Schoolhouse, or helping preserve a story that might otherwise be forgotten, I keep coming back to the same idea:

 

The things we learn are meant to be shared.

 

The stories we inherit are meant to be remembered.

 

And the principles we value are meant to be lived.

 

That is how the story continues.

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