About
Portrait of a graduate
The Classical Academy will cultivate piety by intentionally forming the whole soul of our students, intellect and will, mind and heart, so that they will be wise and virtuous citizens in the kingdom of God and the world. We aim to do this by attending both to the virtues of intellect and the virtues of character.
Virtues of intellect: Faith seeking understanding
“All humans by nature desire to know,” Aristotle famously began his work, Metaphysics.
As Christians, we associate this knowledge with our privilege and responsibility of bearing God’s image. Moreover, in recognition of our Adamic ancestry, we also confess that our minds are inclined both to seek what is true and to hide from, twist, and manipulate it. By the gift of God’s grace, we also confess that that the Holy Spirit works to renew our minds in conformity to Christ (Romans 12:1).
Within this framework of creation, corruption, and redemption, and in partnership with families and churches, The Classical Academy aims to cultivate in our students the following intellectual virtues:
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The Classical Academy student will love and seek wisdom.
While God gave us minds to know, not all knowledge is equal. To love wisdom is to intentionally and resolutely seek after that knowledge that is foundational for life and godliness.
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The Classical Academy student will be studious.
Neither lazy and indifferent toward the truth nor restlessly curious or prideful, our students will be teachable. They will humbly acknowledge what they do not know, graciously receive instruction, charitably listen to others (including voices of the past), and patiently and persistently seek understanding.
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The Classical Academy student will speak truthfully and honestly.
Neither slow to withhold what is true and edifying nor quick to spread what is false, deceptive, or harmful, our students will speak words of truth that minister love and promote understanding.
whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, … think about these things.
— Apostle Paul, Philippians 4:8
Virtues of character: Faith seeking understanding
An education founded on piety is as concerned with Christian character, what Paul called the “walking in step with the Holy Spirit,” as with the renewal of the mind.
In the days of Noah, the Bible spoke of the “evil intentions of man’s heart” (Gen 6:5; 8:21) and centuries later the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel recognized the need for a “new heart” and anticipated God’s promise of one. This new heart is the promise we have in Christ and through the restorative work of the Holy Spirit. But it is not merely something given to us. We must intentionally seek it through the whole of life, as we cultivate our new life in Christ.
Within this biblical-theological framework, and in partnership with families and churches, The Classical Academy aims through its curriculum and its culture to cultivate in our students the following virtues of character:
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The Classical Academy student will love what is lasting.
God made humans not only to know but also to love and desire. As our sinful minds twist the truth, so also do our sinful hearts seek after inferior loves. To prioritize piety is to confess that the love of God is the beginning of wisdom and our chief end—that which brings true and lasting joy. Love of neighbor, Jesus also taught us, is a proper and necessary extension of our love of God.
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The Classical Academy student will be courageous.
Neither timid nor foolhardy, our students will overcome what is difficult and arduous in the search for some higher good. Faith’s search does not avoid things that incite fear and pain but rises above them and courageously goes through them to the greater good.
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The Classical Academy student will be temperate.
Neither stoically indifferent to pleasure nor lusting after the fleeting delights of the world, our students will learn to seek and find joy in that which is truly good and beautiful.
