Greetings:

My name is Dr. Jon Beane, and I am absolutely delighted to be the founding

Headmaster of Chesterton Academy of the Holy Family. I wish I could be present to
paint for you all in detail a picture of what classical education at this school will look
like, but the following remarks will hopefully serve as an adequate sketch. I would
be more than happy to speak with prospective parents or students in person. Im
here for you.
First, the school will be a safe one. Not only in the physical sense, of course, but the
environment will be such that every student will feel free and safe to express their
ideas, questions, and opinions about the academic material. Learning in a classical
environment is not at all a passive activity, but one in which the students are invited
to take full ownership of their education.
Secondly, the school will be joyful. I do not mean this in a petty sense, but in the
real sense of joy. Encountering truth any truth entails encountering God, from
whom all created things have their being. How could any genuine encounter with
God bring sadness? As Saint Paul says, how could anyone be a child of God and not
be completely brimming over with joy? In addition to the sacramental life of the
students at the school, its academic side will also nurture the development of this
authentic joy.
Thirdly, the education will be integrated. The goal, in short, is to have every
graduating senior be a little confused about what they want to major in at college.
(Dont worry, parents; most of them will graduate in four years.) Why confused?
Because their exposure to literature, to mathematics, to history, to science, to
philosophy and theology, to the fine arts, and to Latin will not just be an exposure
but a serious encounter with the Truth, Beauty and Goodness of every aspect of
reality. Add that the experience will be led by inspiring teachers, and you can see
how there might be a little delightful confusion about career paths.
Fourthly, a classically educated person will develop the analytical skills not to ever
be taken in by rhetoric, not to be the slave of the most recent trend. Recently a
world-famous person made the claim that the actions of ISIS were comparable to
those of the Crusades. Any student from Chesterton Academy of the Holy Family
will know more about history than such a person, and be able to articulate to those
around him or her that the Crusades were inspired by the desire to defend the
Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land.
I look forward to coming back home to Chicago, and to getting to know you all in
person.

In His Peace,

Jon Beane