The motto “Teach then Baptize,” as seen in the
1980 Baldwin Chapel School yearbook.
The Baldwin School
God in the Classroom
The Baldwin Chapel School was a pillar in the Burns Hill neighborhood, but it was equally central to the
Seventhday
Adventist community in High Point. Brought together by their religious beliefs, the Seventhday
Adventists used Baldwin’s school as a haven for their children, who received an education based on
their beliefs.
Although not all students were part of the Seventhsay
church, their days would begin with a devotional
and the recitation of a Bible verse. During their studies, students were expected to recite the books of the
Bible, which were written out on Rosetta’s blackboard. Baldwin’s students remember that her faith was the
most important part of her teaching, affecting every aspect of her daily life and the lives of the children in
her care. The verse always on her tongue was, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is
old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6. She incorporated this verse into her teaching style, instilling
discipline in her students:
“Religion was right there every day in the school because it was a Seventhday
Adventist church and a Seventhday
Adventist school. And every day you started off by praying. We would have a worship session every
morning where you would sing a song and Ms. Baldwin would have a word of prayer.” Lonnie
Butler
“To go to Miss Rosetta’s school you had to first learn the books of the Bible. You had to be able to stand up
and recite them from Genesis to Revelation; then you had to do a Bible verse. She instilled Bible in you so
much that you were able to conquer all the other tasks easily….She just had a unique way of teaching.” Julius
Clark
“It was very hard, because you could see children doing
things that you thought you would like to join in, but there
were some restrictions in this house. We were raised very
strict, very strict—no cursing, no smoking…strictly by the
Bible.” Julius
Clark
Jeff Faust was not a member of the church when he went to
Rosetta’s school, but his time there strengthened his own
faith: “Starting school here, I think it was, along with my
mom, the seed planted for my spirituality. That’s the
biggest thing I can remember from here.”
“My mother was a single parent so one day I asked Miss
Rosetta, ‘Where is Mr. Rosetta?’ She reached for a little
black bible she carried and said, ‘This is all I need.’” Barbara
Collier
“Miss Baldwin did not let you do anything without prayer, and Miss Baldwin taught them [her students] how to
pray.” Eleanor
Wonce
You might decide to ease on up a little bit, do what you want to do. It wasn't soon after she'd let you know
that she's got [her] eyes on you. And it wouldn't be shortly after that that switch would be on you! Yes sir!
She got me several different times….Like I said, I'm thankful. I'm thankful for having a teacher who liked to
March 1976 Seventhday
Adventist camp meeting in Florida.
Courtesy Rosetta C. Baldwin Museum
let me know that she really cared about us….Here I am fifty years old— never been to jail, never took a
drink, never smoked. I'm thankful to God for sending me parents like I had, and I'm thankful that he sent
Miss Rosetta to be there for us, to help raise us, to guide us.” Lonnie
Butler
“It was a catchall
school. If you had a bad
child and the public school system couldn’t
deal with it, they would send it to Miss
Rosetta….First thing Miss Rosetta would do
is get the child’s attention, and then—we had
children come here who were very rebellious
—I mean, they’d talk back, use profane
language….But after a couple of swipes with
that switch, all that changed. Most important
was to see the parents come in and notice the
change in that child.” Julius
Clark
Faithbased
Field Trips
Every year, Baldwin would pile students
into her station wagon for a twelvehour
road trip. Their destination was Hawthorne, Florida, where camp meetings were held. Camp meetings
allowed Seventhday
Adventists from across the region to mingle with each other, and also allowed
Baldwin a chance to practice her hobby of photography.
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