A glimpse inside Hillsdale College's network of classical schools across the country.
Yesterday I got to see the first cut of the video we filmed at Founders Classical Academy of Leander back in May, just before school finished. The short film will be available on the Founders Classical Academy website, and the full version will be used by Hillsdale College to explain the work of the Barney… Continue reading Preview of Hillsdale’s New K-12 Education Video, featuring Founders Classical Academy of Leander
Well, Founders community (and perhaps others!), I am now about a month into my new job here at Hillsdale College. As the Assistant Provost of K-12 Education, I'm in charge of the College's K-12 education initiatives, including the Barney Initiative, which has been such an important partner for the Founders community for so long. This… Continue reading Backstage in the Hillsdale College Film Studio
Mary C. and Trevor S., two members of the high school string ensemble. After making an appearance at grammar school assembly this morning to entertain our Kindergarten-5th grade students, Mr. Stiglich's high school string ensemble held a little concert for the front office. The acoustics in the foyer are beautiful, and as they performed a… Continue reading Playing Bach in the Foyer
Something amazing happened today. I've been locked in my office in meetings all week, and this afternoon I had 20 minutes free, so I wandered out to the playground with my camera to enjoy the sunlight and talk to our grammar school students. Almost immediately one of our second graders came up to me to… Continue reading 2nd Grade Recites the Declaration of Independence at Recess
Every year in February, we travel to the frozen north for the Hillsdale College Classical Schools Job Fair. This year there were dozens of classical schools in attendance--both private Christian schools and charter schools--from all across the country. After a day-long conference with our fellow Headmasters in the Barney Charter School Initiative, Ms. Loy and… Continue reading How We Hire Classical Teachers
It’s in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough… It’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields the results that make our hearts sing.Steve Jobs, 2010
"If I had been called upon a year ago, when I was only 95, to address you this afternoon, I would, no doubt, have spoken of the importance of liberal arts education for the preservation of civilization. But now I will only tell you, 'be sure you have memorized a few poems to keep you… Continue reading Louise Cowan on Memorization
For the past semester, a group of our middle and high school students have been spending their afternoons rehearsing Shakespeare's The Tempest. This weekend they had their final performance at our first ever theater competition, hosted by Meridian World School. Competing against Meridian and Gateway Academy, our theater students won numerous awards, represented our school… Continue reading Shakespeare’s The Tempest: Our Fall Play
This fall has been the season of tours. Every week (and lately three or four times a week!) I've been walking through our school with prospective parents, returning parents, local and state officials (including two policy advisors to our lieutenant governor), and people interested in starting classical schools like ours in Texas and other states.… Continue reading Classical Education from Home
Dear Founders community, This Thanksgiving, while the turkey is brining and my husband's parents are on the road to our house from Houston, I am profoundly grateful for Founders Classical Academy. Over the course of the last 5 years, we have built an American classical school where students and teachers are allowed to return to… Continue reading Giving Thanks
The Classical Classroom 