By Nathaniel Ford

IPSWICH – Juliana Schneider has worked in public education for 22 years as both an administrator and classroom teacher. Now, she is opening her own private school on the North Shore.

“I’m deeply grateful for the skills I have acquired and the experiences that I’ve had, and I’ve also got to a point where I’ve wanted to apply and expand my skills and knowledge and reach kids in a more holistic way,” Schneider said.

The school, which will be called Saint George Classical Academy, and will open this fall in a yet to be determined location, is centered around a Christian classical education.

Principal of the Cutler Elementary School in Hamilton, Schneider added, “Classical education extends beyond the boundaries of school and is really about developing people.”

Her background includes eight years at the Acton Boxborough Regional School District where she served four years as an elementary principal and four as an assistant principal.

Her teaching career started in 2003 in North Reading and includes jobs in Somerville and Wellesley.

A 2002 graduate of Simmons University, Schneider went on to earn a Master of Education degree at Lesley.

That was followed five years later by advanced graduate studies as a literacy specialist, a qualificated from BU as an education administrator and a Center for Independent Research on Classical Education (CiRCE_ apprenticeship she expects to complete later this spring.

DRAGON SLAYER

Meanwhile, the new school’s patron saint is St. George, described on the school website as, “the Holy Great-Martyr and Trophy-Bearer.”

A third century saint who “performed countless miracles,” George and is credited with defending children and the Christian faith.

Classical education focuses on developing virtue, teaching children how to think critically, and instilling good habits for both school and life, Schneider said.

Two years ago, Schneider enrolled in a three-year apprenticeship through CiRCE, an institution that instructs educators on classical education.

Colin James Joyce, Schneider’s husband and treasurer on the school’s board, is also actively involved in curriculum development. 

“Classical education is fundamentally about teaching in such a way that students discover these truths for themselves, and that gives them an ownership of it and implants it deeply within them,” he said.

A physicist at the University of New Hampshire, he has worked on multiple NASA projects. He is working on applying the classical approach to mathematics and science, his area of specialty. 

PATIENCE, COURTESY, AND EYE CONTACT

One of the school’s main focuses is on student development. Especially at the pre-K level, they want to teach manners and establish habits that are foundational for life in students. This includes habits like patience, courtesy, and eye contact, Joyce said.

“We want to have healthy relationships, solve conflicts, and communicate ideas to people. These are all important components of our education,” he said.

The school will open for students at the pre-k level through the fifth grade. Adding one grade every year is the plan moving forward at Saint George.

“We don’t want to grow too quickly because developing a culture is going to be a really important piece to nurturing the classical approach,” said Schneider. 

Building a community is at the heart of the mission, and a big part of this is working with families.

Schneider believes that education happens both in the classroom and at home. Developing good communication and relationships within families would help deepen a child’s learning.

Similar to a Montessori education, each classroom is a combination of two grade levels, starting with kindergarten and first grade in the same class, and the same thing in the rest of the grades.

“Children learn from the modeling of older students and benefit from teaching peers. Multiage classrooms provide unique opportunities for teaching and learning authentically,” said Schneider.

LIMITING

The goal of combining grades together in classrooms is to build an even stronger community. Interacting with different grades throughout their years, students get to play different roles in the classroom.

“Being stuck in a grade level can sometimes be very limiting for kids and they can find themselves stuck in a role,” said Joyce.

Another unique feature is that history and geography are taught on a four year loop. This means that the whole school is studying the same historical period at the same time.

“This gives the opportunity to build a deeper community and to have cross age-level opportunities to connect learning,” said Schneider. “Our eventual goal is pre-K through 12th grade capping at 250 students.” 

Thirty-five families attended the  first information session that was held at the Hamilton-Wenham public library in January.  

Another open house for prospective families will be held on March 16. Specific details are available on Saint George’s website.

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Nathaniel Ford is a student at Endicott College studying journalism.