The Sparhawk Academy Coat of Arms
Our coat of arms captures key elements of our vision:
• Love of God
• Love of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Gratitude for our parents, founders, and benefactors
• The importance of virtue
• The importance of knowledge
Our primary colors are blue and gold. Blue represents the color of the cosmos, the natural world. Gold represents the aura of grace, the spiritual world. Blue is listed first because grace builds on nature. Members of our school seek knowledge of both.
Our secondary colors are red, green silver, and black.
Crest:
Because of the wonderful brook bearing its name that crosses our school property, the Sparhawk is an especially appropriate mascot for our school. Since all members of the hawk family are blessed with exceptionally keen vision, it helps remind our school community that the beatific vision is the goal of our existence, toward which we direct our physical, intellectual and spiritual powers with all speed. One talon is elevated in honor of St. Josemaria, the founder of Opus Dei, who advised his followers to be nimble and always keep one foot in the air.
The rose reminds us of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and is a heraldic symbol of hope, joy, grace, and beauty.
Shield:
Our coat of arms grounds us with a strong sense of our specific place in God’s providence. On the upper left of our shield is an elm branch with five leaves. The Boston Liberty Tree, an important symbol in the early history of our country, was an elm. Wise use of our liberty and freedom is a core educational element of our school. The elm is traditionally associated with life, strength, and growth. The five leaves remind us of the five wounds of Christ, and the dignity of our five senses, which allow us to perceive the good of God’s creation. Their gold color brings to mind autumn in New England.
The beehive is a community characterized by industriousness, mutual support, and the honey that brings sweetness and joy is a consequence of steady, persevering work. The seven bees represent the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and love, and four cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance, which are the foundation of a meaningful life.
The chevron shaped stone wall represents foundational strength and is a symbol of our gratitude to our parents, founders, and benefactors. It is an appropriate visual reference to the beautiful stone walls throughout our campus.
The anchor is a traditional symbol of hope, a reminder to us that the boys we educate will emerge into the world as beacons of joy, peace, cheerfulness, and optimism.
The three upper elements accent the importance of the physical world in education by incorporating animal, vegetable, and mineral. The anchor represents human inventiveness in creating a beautiful, useful tool.
Motto:
The entire ambition of our educational enterprise can be summed up in our desire to challenge our boys and ourselves to rise above any comforts or fears, so that we might grow and dare to work great good in the world, seeing life as a beautiful adventure.