Thinking outside the box in creating an authentically Catholic school

The Catholic Standard (Archdiocese of Washington) has a very interesting and encouraging piece about a Catholic school—St. Jerome School in Hyattsville, Maryland—that recognized the need for a serious change in curriculum and approach and did something rather unusual that need:

Last fall, a large group of St. Jerome School families and parishioners met for a consultation, to address the school's operating deficit and declining enrollment, and to discuss how they could work together to sustain Catholic education there. The Archdiocese of Washington's Policies for Catholic Schools adopted in 2009 require schools with significant enrollment and financial challenges to hold consultations. St. Jerome ended the 2008-09 school year with a $117,469 deficit, and its enrollment last year had declined to 297 students from a high of 530 students in 2001-02.

"For me, it was an opportunity to be transparent, to tell people the truth," said Father Stack. "...We were afraid at first. It's a good case (that demonstrates) where the truth sets you free. You had to have faith."

The principal noted that the consultation offered parents the chance to look at the challenges and the opportunities faced by the school. Father Stack and Donoghue had themselves earlier undertaken that kind of effort through a pastor and principal leadership institute offered by the Mid-Atlantic Catholic Schools Consortium, as they worked together on a vision for their school, and they talked with other pastors and principals facing similar challenges.

"Consultation is an excellent opportunity for your school and your parish community to come together and really talk about what the purpose of the school is," Donoghue said. "...It ended up being the thing that spurred us on to this great new program we have to offer."

Father Stack noted, "We listened to people." The principal added, "They were looking for an authentically Catholic school, and they wanted a rigorous curriculum."

School families and members of the parish raised $190,000, exceeding their fundraising goals. A committee of seven volunteers worked for four months to draft the new classical curriculum, with their work resulting in a 120-page guide.

Rebecca Teti, a parent of four St. Jerome's students, was a member of the curriculum advisory committee. "I'm proud of it," she said. "It responds better to the way kids learn." Instead of a traditional textbook approach, "There's an intellectual adventure happening here," she said.

First graders study ancient Greece, second graders look at ancient Rome, third graders examine the Middle Ages, and fourth graders delve into the modern era, from the 1600s through the age of exploration to today. Fifth graders study American civilization, sixth graders return to the classical civilizations, seventh graders revisit medieval times, and eighth graders come back to the American experience.

As they study those eras, students learn about what role religion played in people's lives then, and they read great works of literature from those times. For example, seventh graders studying the Middle Ages are reading about the life of St. Benedict and learning about the rise of monastic communities and their work in preserving Catholic teaching and western culture.

Teti said that the curriculum is structured around historical periods, with Catholic teaching and culture tied into those eras, to underscore that "Jesus Christ is the Lord of history, and God is the author of truth, beauty and goodness. We wanted kids to see their unity, their connectedness to all people, and the goodness our (Catholic) culture has brought to history."

True to the spirit of their patron saint, St. Jerome, seventh graders are reading the Gospel of John, and eighth graders are reading St. Paul's letters. Fifth through eighth graders are learning Latin, and that program will expand to the lower grades.

I know a couple of the folks involved in drafting the new curriculum, and they have pointed out that this is perhaps the first diocesan school in the country (as opposed to private Catholic schools) to embrace such a classical approach. Also unique is the relationship between the school and various homeschooling families. Children from homeschooling families can take classes at St. Jerome School, as many or as few as they wish (see update below); some of the classical curriclum was directly inspired by the efforts of homeschooling families. Anyone who is familiar with the usual turf struggles surrounding nearly every school will recognize how unusual this sort of cooperation is. Hopefully it is the first of many such stories.

UPDATE (Nov. 8, 2010): It turns out that St. Jerome School is the second diocesan school in the U.S. to adopt a classical curriculum; the first is The Atonement Academy in San Antonio, Texas, which has a very well-designed and attractive website. Also, I've been informed by folks in the know that, at the moment, homeschooling families cannot take classes at St. Jerome's, but it is one of the school's goals to make this possible (the key issue is scheduling). However, homeschoolers did inspire the idea of converting to a classical school, homeschoolingn parents were on the curriculum committee, several homeschool families have sent their kids to the school after the change, and several other homeschool families are using the curriculum at home.

Comments

[J]

Also encouraging are the other local schools The Heights in Potomac and Avalon in Gaithersburg.

[Sandmama]

This story is wonderful. It made me cry. We are refugees to homeschooling from a Catholic school that imploded last year.
So many people said it was because people are leaving the Church and Church schools as they are not 'with' the times.
A small group of parents believed strongly that the school could have been saved by going back to a more authentically Catholic curriculum and environment, but we were vocally opposed by another group that wanted a more 'progressive' school.
As daily mass, comprehensive religious education, observation of feast days etc. went by the wayside, so did enrollment. We weren't losing people because we were too Catholic, we were losing because we were NOT Catholic enough.
Anyway, wishing the folks at St. Jerome the absolute best. Will remember you in our prayers.

[Tim H]

>>>learn about what role religion played in people's lives
>>>then, and they read great works of literature

>>>the curriculum is structured around historical
>>>periods, with Catholic teaching and culture tied
>>>into those eras

This really doesn't sound like anyone is thinking outside the box. It sounds more like getting back into a box which no one should have gotten out of in the first place.

To complete the goal of creating an "Authentically Catholic" school, one needs to add daily Mass and a vocation retreat for all fourteen year olds.

-Tim-
-Tim-

[Mary Jones]

I am from the DC area and saw the article in the archdiocesan newspaper. Your post actually has information that was not in the paper, including that Latin is being taught in the upper grades and will be expanding into the lower grades.

It is encouraging. When I started looking into if there were any Catholic schools in our area that used a classical approach, I found that the only options for a classical approach (other than homeschooling) were evangelical and other protestant schools that were using the classical trivuum. I hope St. Jerome's succeeds.

I am also praying that the Ann Arbor Dominicans are able to complete the purchase of the JPII Center in DC and can start or take over a school. I would be willing to drive in Beltway traffic to have my daughter go to a school with faithful sisters in habit, daily mass, daily rosary and strong academics.

[Margaret]

Wow. If we had a local parochial school like this, my husband and I would find the money to pay the tuition. As it currently stands, the "Catholic" schools really just serve to innoculate the children against the real meat of the faith by injecting them with just enough watered-down quantities of the truth along with loads of empty-to-harmful filler materials. We've opted for public school + the one orthodox CCD program in the diocese. I would give me eyeteeth for a St. Jerome.

[Margo]

@ J: "We weren't losing people because we were too Catholic, we were losing because we were NOT Catholic enough."

Of course, you are correct! This is the case ALL OVER THIS COUNTRY. Don't let anyone fool you. When parents are sacrificing (albeit willingly) to send their children to Catholic schools, they MUST know that what their children are being taught is TRUTH....not some "progressive Catholic" view of things, but what the ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, APOSTOLIC Church teaches. There is no wiggle room with our children's hearts, minds and souls! We had to move our children from a diocesan Catholic school to a private Catholic school to escape the blatant and harmful errors being taught to them. After all, our job as parents is to get our children's souls to heaven. We cannot possibly do that without guarding their catechesis. If we don't do so, we WILL be held accountable.

My husband and I thank God every day for the learned, wonderful, holy and joyful Nashville Dominicans of St. Cecilia Congregation who now teach our children! Kudos to the parents at St. Jerome for doing what it takes - - that is, as Tim said so eloquently, “getting back into a box which no one should have gotten out of in the first place.”

[Raymond J. Ryan]

A most inspiring and enjoyable story. We are facing the same challenges of lower enrollment and accompanying deficits in our Catholic school. Any chance someone would send me the syllabi or course outlines which have been developed, along with any restrictions required in their use. Thanks, good luck and congratulations on the good work and courage to change. God bless. RJR, Connecticut

[Magister Christianus]

I believe Lumen Christi (lumenchristischool.org) in Indianapolis is a Classical Catholic school as well. My wife and I helped start a Classical Christian school (not specifically Catholic) several years ago that then merged with another Classical Christian school. Financial issues forced that K-12 school to close after ten years in operation in May, 2010. We are homeschooling at the moment, but pray for God to open another opportunity for Classical Christian education north of Indianapolis.

[Cordelia at Catholic Phoenix]

@ Mary Jones:
Have you ever heard of Trinity Schools? There's one in the D.C. area: http://www.trinityschools.org/meadowview/. Trinity Schools has been around for twenty years almost, I think, and they are very good at what they do--a "classical" curriculum. We really should be calling a "classical" curriculum a Liberal Arts curriculum via reading the Great Books. My husband went to the Trinity school near Notre Dame in Indiana--Trinity at Greenlawn--and he had the Trinity at Meadowview's headmaster as a teacher and mentor. I'm a grad of a Great Books program myself and we would both send our kids to a Trinity school in a heart beat.

@ Everyone:
In Phoenix, we are suffering from a diocesan school system that reminds me more of the public school system except for one shining light in the excellant charter school movement here: Great Hearts Academies and especially their first school, Veritas Preparatory Academy. (http://www.greatheartsaz.org/) Veritas got started by a group of parents who were disatisfied with the parochial school AND private school options here in the greater Phoenix area. There are a couple of Lib. Arts schools here but not all Lib. Arts schools are equal. St. Jerome's shouldn't expect their endeavors to be easy. They would be well advised to seek the advice of others who have experience starting and running a successful "classical" school: their neighbors, Trinity at Meadowview located near the Cath. Univ. of America, would be a great resource and also Great Hearts Academies and specifically the headmaster of Veritas Preparatory Academy in Phoenix.

[Jared Ortiz]

St. Jerome's has a temporary website while they redesign their homepage. See: http://www.stjeromeclassicalschool.info/about-us.php. At the bottom right is a link to a pdf of the Curriculum. It is copyrighted for sake of preserving the integrity of the Vision, but is happily shared with all who are interested.

[MilwaukeeD]

I have a resume, and will travel. Where is there a school like this on the high school level? We need to do so much more for our children than current schools, public and Catholic are doing.

[Guy Murdoch]

For home schoolers (or private schools) who are interested in a curriculum along these lines, check out Memoria Press (memoriapress.com). It has a similar history timeline and also Latin beginning in the 3rd grade.

[Lee Gilbert]

The experiment at St. Jerome's sounds very hopeful indeed, but could we not accomplish the same goal without such a vast restructuring, a restructuring that would be very difficult to sell to most Catholic parents?

If we a) made Religion the first subject of the day; b) made the memorization of Baltimore catechism by the end of 3rd grade a requirement; and, c) subjected the students to an annual National Catechetics test and judged school administrators by the scores, we could accomplish the main goal- the Catholic formation of our children.

After the pithy phrases of the BC are lodged in the child's memory from ages 4 to 8, then we could spend the last of his grade school years explaining them with the aid of the Faith and Life series, and illustrating them with the lives of the saints.

Reading and Math are obviously important subjects, a fact that is reinforced in the child's mind by the rigorous testing that is administered every year in our Catholic grade schools. "Your child is in the 76th percentile in Math and the 83rd percentile in Reading" etc.

But in his understanding of the faith?

Religion is obviously NOT a very important subject, since no such test is administered. When do we get the National Catechetics Test (there is no such thing. I just invented it) and find out where our children are in the understanding of their faith?

Beyond that, when do we start auditing the position of our grade school and high school administrators vis vis how well their students do in the National Catechetics Test? Catholic schools exist PRIMARILY to pass on the Catholic faith. What exactly is the evidence that they are doing so? When are we going to insist on such evidence?

If that is not the main purpose, we can live without it. In many cases now our Catholic schools seem merely to be safe zones for the upper middle class.

I could not agree more with the above comment about the Catholic schools giving our children just enough exposure to Catholicism to innoculate them against the faith. In other words, our current modus operandi is completely self-defeating.

That obviously will not be the case with St. Jerome's, but how replicable is their program nationwide?

[Bill]

I'm surprised St. Monica Academy in Pasadena, CA hasn't cropped up. Similar origins: homeschooling parents fed up with the diocesan approach. It's in its tenth year, growing like a weed, and firmly committed to a classical education, steeped in Catholic tradition.

[Cordelia at Catholic Phoenix]

Bill, I am aware of St. Monica Academy in Pasadena. It's probably a good school seeing that many teachers and the headmistress are TAC grads. I believe some of the TAC tutors send their kids there.

We all must remember that "classical" is a loose term. "Trivium" and "Quadrivium" are used loosely to describe what a school teaches. Even TAC says that they teach the quadrivium--well, not strictly, since remediation in the trivium is part of their program to make up for the lack of formation of some of their incoming students. And, supposedly the trivium is something that we never stop studying in a sense.

It's important that we all remember that a good curriculum doesn't ensure good teachers and students actually learning. Good pedagogy is just as important as what is studied and when. That's sometimes why homeschooling leads to the realization that a parent doesn't have what it takes to properly educate his/her child.

[Cordelia at Catholic Phoenix]

MilwaukeeD, there are a several great schools that I know of that you should look at who are doing this well at the high school level:

1. Great Hearts Academies (http://greatheartsaz.org/): Greater
Phoenix, AZ area--Veritas Preparatory Academy in Phoenix is the
best one.
2. Trinity Schools (http://www.trinityschools.org/): Fall Church,
VA; South Bend, IN; Minneapolis-St. Paul.
3. Ridgeview Classical Schools (http://www.ridgeviewclassical.com/:
Fort Collins, CO--started by Univ. of Chicago grad. Dr. Terence
Moore, now prof. of History at Hillsdale.

@ All Catholic Educators:

It would be a dream come true if Catholic Schools around the nation understood that making a school more authentically Catholic isn’t strictly about increasing the amount of class time spent studying religion or by incorporating more Masses, adoration, and rosaries into the school year as if that is all we mean by being a Catholic school. (Which is want happened at my parish school.) No wonder people in Phoenix are leaving their parish schools for public charter schools.

One’s theory of education whether you are a Catholic or not should never be purely utilitarian, either. Education is about helping us to live a fully human life not just about learning skills to get a job. Therefore, a Catholic school should really be one that is humane—teaching both philosophy and theology, and all subjects, with a proper understanding of the relationship between faith and reason (Read “Fides et Ratio”.) The proper Catholic attitude toward education is the opposite of a utilitarian view of life—we don't believe that this is the only world we are living for. Catholics live life in the light of death leading to resurrection. A utilitarian attitude toward education can only produce a truncated man--incapable of thinking clearly, unable to make wise decisions, not able to communicate well and evangelize those who don't see the truth, with a shallow understanding life and a shallow way of living.

If you read the Pope's Regensberg address you might understand why he thinks that a secular school really shouldn't deny the validity of theology. Therefore, you could say that a Catholic school’s or a public school’s curriculum really needn’t be all that different when teaching about the traditions of Western thought and culture. Look at what Great Hearts Academies and Ridgeview Classical Schools do! I think they really do well in capturing this spirit towards what the public school should be doing. And the sad thing is that many Catholic schools don't see the importance of studying philosophy and the Western tradition of thought at all which, of course, includes studying St. Thomas Aquinus and Augustine among other great thinkers who have influenced the development of Catholic doctrine.

[Michael Hanby]

I was one of the people involved in designing the new educational plan for St. Jerome's, which is more than just a curriculum for classical education. I would argue that it represents a Catholic improvement of conventional classical curricula in some ways, one which attempts to take seriously the authentic humanism being promoted by the Holy Father.

In answer to your question Mr. Murdoch, there is little in the plan that is specific to St. Jerome's, and in fact it was designed with one eye toward providing a template for the reinvigoration of Catholic education more generally. Or at least we believed this to be possible as the plan came together.

The is a complete, self-contained blueprint that could be appropriated and adapted in other places. It could be used to form a new school or reform an existing school. Undoubtedly there are obstacles to that; some have been mentioned here, but they are not intellectual or educational obstacles. Our point of view was that better Catholic education was simply better education tout court. And I'd be willing to defend that.

At any rate, thanks to all of you for your prayers and good wishes.

[Crjcurrie]

I'm the former director of a small, independent school using the Classical approach that operated within the neighborhood of St. Jerome's. When St. Jerome School created its new educational program, we closed our little school and enrolled our children there, as did some of the other parents. We have been very happy with the new program, the teachers (many of them new, attracted by the Classical model, and including one hired from our school), and the program's implementation so far.

I just wanted to provide one update to the Nov. 8 "update" in the blog post above: The school has allowed homeschooling parents to enroll children into individual classes on an ad-hoc basis, and it has already happened, albeit on a small scale. This is something that likely will be expanded next year. There are also discussions going on about packaging and supporting the program for use in homeschools.

It's also important to note that while some homeschoolers were on the curriculum development committee and have enrolled children in the new program, there were volunteers not connected to the homeschooling movement who also had major roles in the program's development and implementation. Moreover, the school lost not one single, previously enrolled student as a result of the switch to the Classical program, which is a testament to the broad base of support for the changes.

I'm on the school's marketing committee and would be happy to provide more information about the program at St Jerome School or the curriculum in general and its possible implementation at other schools or for homeschoolers. Contact me at crcurrie (at) gmail (dot) com.