The Selkirk Classical Academy
Versus
Student Indoctrination In Government
Controlled Schools
By Donna Capurso, Patriot Journalist
Do you believe that as parents we deserve a choice in where and how our children are educated? Do you think there is something missing in today’s public education system? Would you like to find out about how you as parents can bring an educational choice to Boundary County?
There will be a first Open House “meet and greet” of the Selkirk Classic Academy on Saturday, February 19th from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at Lordship Church, behind Redoubt Surplus & Tactical, 6606 Hwy 95, Bonners Ferry.
Hillsdale College trains the teachers and specializes in history, math, science and language. Hillsdale College is an independent institution of higher learning founded in 1844 by men and women “grateful to God for the inestimable blessings” resulting from civil and religious liberty and “believing that the diffusion of learning is essential to the perpetuity of these blessings.”
The Selkirk Classical Academy is a charter school and there are no dictates by the government. The start-up of this academy will begin with Kindergarten through the 5th or 6th grade and then one grade added per year through the 12th grade. This will be a tuition free school and the curriculum is determined by Hillsdale College. For more information on this educational entity, just Google “Hillsdale College”
The following is the Mission and Vision of the Selkirk Classical Academy:
Mission
“Our mission is to train the minds and improve the hearts of students through a classical, content-rich curriculum that emphasizes virtuous living, traditional learning, and civic responsibility.”
Vision
“The vision of Selkirk Classical Academy is to form future citizens who uphold the ideals of our country’s founding and promote the continuation of our American experiment – through a classical, great books curriculum designed to engage the student in the highest matters and the deepest questions of truth, justice, virtue, and beauty.”
Classical Curriculum
Selkirk Classical Academy emphasizes a content-rich, integrated, traditional curriculum that not only features the arts and sciences, but also integrates character formation and the school’s core virtues: Courage, Courtesy, Honesty, Perseverance, Self-Government, and Service. Our curriculum is aligned with the classical approach to learning and human formation.
Barney Charter School Initiative
Our goal is to become affiliated with the Hillsdale College Barney Charter School Initiative (BCSI). As a member of this network Selkirk Classical Academy would receive support and guidance in a variety of areas including curriculum implementation, academic scope and sequence, board training, and teacher recruitment and professional development. BCSI’s mission is to promote the founding of classical charter schools and excellence in their teaching operations, to the end that public-school students may be educated in the liberal arts and sciences and receive instruction in the principles of moral character and civic virtue.
The following are the curriculum plans for the students that attend the Selkirk Classical Academy:
ACADEMICS:
- Content-rich, traditional curriculum in the humanities, arts, mathematics, and sciences taught by kind-hearted subject matter experts.
- Back-to-basics approach: spelling counts, English grammar taught explicitly, foundational mathematics, manners matter.
- Significant emphasis on phonics-based literacy instruction.
- Text-centered, teacher-led instruction fostering Socratic inquiry.
- Recitation, memory work, and public speaking are cultivated.
- Mathematics taught conceptually using the Singapore Math Dimensions sequence in cross-grade ability groups.
- Reading of the great books in literature and primary sources in history.
- Spanish taught in grades K-6 with Latin and Greek roots introduced in grades 4-6; Latin required in grades 7-9.
- Visual and performing arts classes required in grades K-8 emphasizing history, theory and performance.
- Standardized testing does not drive the curriculum oversight by Hillsdale College.
SCHOOL CULTURE
- Character education and citizenship are central.
- Students are expected to learn the school honor code and practice the school virtues: Courage, Courtesy, Honesty, Perseverance, Self-Government, and Service.
- School Pledge: I will learn the true, I will do the good, I will love the beautiful.
ATHLETICS, FINE ARTS, EXTRA-CURRICULARS
- Competitive athletics available starting in the 7th grade.
- Fine arts programs in the performing and visual aids.
- Examples of extra-curricular clubs range from Academic Bowl to Airplane & Rocketry to choir to community service clubs.
For any questions, please contact Kasie Jones at celticladyj@gmail.com
This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author. Consider sharing this article with your friends and family. Please support our coverage of your rights. Donate here
