Principles

We believe that truth exists, and we are committed to seeking it diligently and courageously. This commitment is expressed through a culture that values open and civil conversation, free inquiry, and intellectual humility, and that encourages a sense of philosophical wonder.

With Plato, we hold that the pursuit of truth is entwined with the practice of virtue. Where there is truth, there is goodness and beauty. Knowledge of them is what constitutes wisdom.

The highest aspiration of education is to foster moral excellence. Our goal is to help students cultivate the mind and the heart, impart a love of virtue, and form the habits of temperance and self-mastery that will enable them to live good, healthy, and purposeful lives.

We recognize that we are the temporary guardians of a rich civilizational inheritance, and from that comes a duty to transmit to the next generation the best that has been thought and written. Students likewise have a right to enjoy that inheritance, and to be ennobled and uplifted through encounters with great and beautiful works of the past. By ensuring that learners are conversant with those who came before us, we allow them to benefit from the unearned wisdom of the generations.

We believe that liberal education is not principally a utilitarian undertaking, but an emancipatory one: it equips students with the virtues and habits that make people free in a true sense. Our academically rigorous program will prepare students well for further studies, and give them the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the workforce. Yet these are not the primary ends of education. They are, rather, a happy byproduct.

All persons are bearers of divine souls, and each of us possesses with an inviolable dignity, irrespective of race, sex, creed, or ability.

Education should be pursued in a spirit of friendship and leisure—scholē, in Greek. Learning that is forced, or that is not accompanied by a sense of wonder and joy, is unlikely to take root. The formation of the human personality requires space for stillness, contemplation, and deep thought, away from distraction and material exigencies.

Students thrive in an environment that provides stability, order, belonging, and love. We understand that structure and high expectations are not incompatible with the spirit of leisure or the pursuit of freedom, but are a precondition for them. Through immersion in a well-ordered environment, pupils can learn to order their own souls well.

Teachers are leaders in the classroom and in the school community at large. They impart knowledge and expertise to students, model good conduct, and create and uphold the school’s culture.