Mission/Philosophy

t. Monica Academy, an independent, coeducational school for grades one through twelve, founded by parents in fulfillment of their primary responsibility for educating their children, seeks to form students in faith, reason, and virtue through a classical education in the Roman Catholic tradition.

Statement of Philosophy

he education of children is, in the first place, the responsibility of their parents (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2221, 2223). Parents have the right, and the duty, to choose a school which corresponds to their own convictions (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2229). In furtherance of this right, and in fulfillment of this duty, a group of parents in 2001 founded St. Monica Academy. The Board of Directors has adopted the following statement of philosophy to guide the school's headmaster and teachers, and to enable parents considering the school to understand our convictions, our curriculum, our culture, and the capabilities that we seek to foster in our students.

St. Monica Academy is an Elementary and college preparatory High School with a classical pedagogy and a classical liberal arts curriculum. St. Monica Academy seeks to form students in faith, reason and virtue by imparting authentic Catholic principles and by introducing young minds to classical literature and the other liberal arts. Teaching methods are directed toward developing memory, sound reasoning, and communication skills in keeping with the natural stages of childhood intellectual development.

The aim of this curriculum and pedagogy is to instill in students a lifelong love of learning. Our students will become scholars of history, lovers of culture, knowledgeable and curious about the sciences. They will be observant, discerning, and independent thinkers. They will be prepared to excel in college, to become their generation's rare masters of the vanishing crafts of fine writing and speaking. They will be creative problem-solvers. They will be leaders.

Expected Schoolwide Learning Results (ESLRs)

Faith
St. Monica Academy students will be faithful Catholics who:
1. Know the content of the Catholic faith and are able to defend it;
2. Glorify God in appearance, manners, and speech; and
3. Are familiar with the lives, wisdom, and virtues of the saints, especially the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Reason
St. Monica Academy students will be academic achievers who:
4. Retain acquired knowledge through the exercise of memory;
5. Think critically, solve problems independently, and express arguments logically; and
6. Read, listen, write, and speak competently.
And who, throughout their lives:
7. Are capable of self-directed and post-secondary education; and
8. Seek wisdom and understanding rather than mere information.

Virtue
St. Monica Academy students will be citizen leaders who:
9. Work with honesty, excellence, and perseverance;
10. Treat people with charity, justice, and respect; and
11. Demonstrate leadership in a variety of school settings.