Our Vision

What Is Our Vision?

We have developed the Sparhawk Academy liberal arts curriculum with the specific needs of growing boys in mind. In the American tradition, we put a strong emphasis on freedom, and helping boys manage their freedom wisely. We have incorporated modern insights about child development and educational methodology into nine classical disciplines designed to give each boy the strong foundation in the arts and sciences he needs to matriculate at the best high school he can. Parents are the primary educators of their children; our aim is to support them in that vocation with all the professionalism and human ingenuity we can muster.

Our curriculum emphasizes traditional ways of learning that include memorization, direct observation, storytelling, and lots of reading and writing. Boys develop poise and self-confidence by reciting poetry and taking part in school plays and speech contests. They gain satisfaction memorizing multiplication tables and diagramming sentences and learn how this knowledge lays a foundation for more advanced mathematical and literary achievement. The boys are assigned age-appropriate homework to reinforce and supplement what they learn in class, but without overwhelming them at the expense of healthy family and social activity.

Boys spend a lot of time outdoors. Natural Science classes spent exploring woods and wetlands and their variety of animal and plant life engage all the senses and open boys to beauty and the wonders of nature in a way no book or web site can. Tactile learning by making and growing things teaches boys to use their hands in creative ways and cultivates virtues like patience and foresight. Caring for chickens, turtles, bees, and grasshoppers helps widen their appreciation for what it means to be responsible. Frequent recesses engage their energy and allow the boys to organize themselves in games while refreshing them for further study. Most school days include gym class, where boys hone their athletic skills and learn important lessons about strategy, sportsmanship, and teamwork.

Sparhawk boys learn how to use and care for a wide variety of tools, from hammers and saws to musical instruments and paint brushes.

A Catholic priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei serves as chaplain and oversees the religious education program. Catholics at Sparhawk Academy have access to a rich sacramental life, and are privileged to have the Blessed Sacrament reserved in our school chapel. Non-Catholic students are welcome to attend Mass and benefit from access to our chaplain if they so choose. Because of our shared understanding of the importance of a virtuous life, non-Catholic parents find in Sparhawk an ally in their quest to raise virtuous sons.

Our faculty are men who have a proven commitment to the liberal arts education of boys and have come to Sparhawk by invitation from across the United States. They regard teaching as a vocation and not just a job, and see their professional work as an opportunity to serve God and others. An all-male faculty provides immense benefits for boys during critical formative years in their lives. They know that they are expected to be not just great teachers, but men who the boys see as mentors and models of what it means to be a Christian leader.