Friday Feature: Sacred Heart Academy

Colleen HroncichSometimes the best way to move forward is to look back. That ’s a lesson Catholic schools can learn fromSacred Heart Academy in Grand Rapids, MI.In 2013, Sacred Heart was on the brink of closing. Enrollment in the K –8 school had plummeted to fewer than 70 students. Fr. Robert Sirico, who became a pastor at Sacred Heart Parish in 2012, wanted to try something new to see if the school could be revitalized.Fr. Sirico hired Sean Maltbie as the first headmaster as the school transitioned to a classical model. Sean didn ’t have the typical background for a head of school —he’s a former federal prosecutor who had a 30 ‐​year career in the Air Force and Air National Guard. When diocesan officials commented that Sean didn’t have formal education credentials, Fr. Siricoquipped, “Of course not. I wasn ’t looking for that. I was looking for somebody who could get things done, and I figured a former federal prosecutor might be the man for the job. ”In Fall 2014, Sacred Heart Academy started the school year using a new —and yet old—approach. The classical education model is really a return to what Catholic education was for generations. There is an emphasis on quality literature, Latin, history, and culture, as the school seeks to partner with parents to educate and pass the faith along to their children. Another significant change was instituting daily Mass each morning, which includes t...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs