Head of School Updates
2021-22 School Year
List of 15 news stories.
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Monday, November 15, 2021
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Families,In classic art, Prudence is personified, or imagined, as a woman wearing a dress and traditional draperies around her head with two faces. Her forward-looking face is a young woman, holding a mirror whilst holding onto a snake, signifying wise conduct through self-knowledge. Her backward-looking face is a bearded and learned man, perpetually looking backward so as not to lose track of the past. The two faces represent the deep meaning behind Prudence. She has both the foresight to see beyond the present circumstances and keenly consider how past events have gone, as well as discern how her future actions will turn out. In a moment of frustration, Prudence has a deliberate eye on not making the same mistake twice, applying the old saying, “look before you leap.” -
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Community,After seven years of mentoring and advising from afar, Dr. Dan Russ boldly and graciously moved to Jackson Hole this year to volunteer his services more closely as the 9th Grade American Humane Letters teacher and as a faculty mentor and curriculum consultant for our Academy. Dr. Russ has 50 years of experience in education, as a teacher and professor of biblical and classical literature, as a writer and author, as a headmaster of a K-12 academy, as an Academic Dean of a college, and finally as an educational leader and senior fellow at multiple cultural institutions. For seven years, Dr. Russ has also served on the JHCA Foundation Board that supports and protects the mission of our school through ownership of the buildings and land. What a privilege to have his presence, tutelage, and wisdom with us on campus this year! -
Thursday, September 16, 2021
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Family,Gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness. Gratitude encompasses the feeling on campus during our first few weeks of school. God’s grace was present in our leadership team meetings and in board discussions, as we further designate the results for which our organization exists. Faculty had a gracious attitude about following our health protocols, practicing patience and perseverance amidst fatigue and frustration surrounding Covid. Students are grateful to be back in the classrooms learning and discovering again, and quite enthusiastic about their new teachers and new friends. Everyone has been showing appreciation and returning kindness. -
Tuesday, August 31, 2021
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Parents,The doors to Narnia have opened. Preparations are complete. Your children are walking through the wardrobe into an enchanting world filled with good and evil, joy and sacrifice, order with abundance. The adventure has begun, and I have faith in its absolute goodness! -
Wednesday, May 5, 2021
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Parents,"The removal of the classics is a sign that we, as a culture, have embraced from the youngest age utilitarian schooling at the expense of soul-forming education. To end this spiritual catastrophe, we must restore true education, mobilizing all the intellectual and moral resources we can to create human beings of courage, vision and civic virtue." -
Friday, March 26, 2021
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Parents,It is one thing to gain an understanding of what is true. It is another matter to gain appreciation for that truth. It is one thing to know that something is worthy. It is another to sense the worth of it. The first category are matters of cognition, while the second are matters of affection. How our affections are shaped, and in turn how our affections shape us, is worth pondering. We do not love right things immediately. If we want our affections oriented and ordered toward what is beautiful, then we have to discern which loves to develop and which loves to diminish. -
Thursday, March 11, 2021
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Parents,Three of our science teachers recently attended the 2021 National Classical Education Symposium which focused on “Teaching the Scientific Project” and examined science’s rich discoveries, current developments, and ongoing questions. In previous Head of School updates, I summarized the inspiration and insight gained from the 2019 Symposium on Literature and the 2020 Symposium on History. So, I’m taking this opportunity to describe our science program at JH Classical Academy. -
Monday, January 18, 2021
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Parents,Why do we teach our students about history? We live in the present and plan for and worry about the future. History, however, is the study of the past. Given all the demands we face living in the present and preparing for the future, why bother studying the past? Does studying history serve a useful purpose? Historians don’t perform heart transplants, design public transportation, or seek justice in courts. In the classical model of education, history is very useful, in fact indispensable, even if the lessons are less tangible or immediately useful than other disciplines. Today’s holiday is a true, beautiful, and good example of the past potentially informing the present in a meaningful way for our students. -
Friday, December 18, 2020
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Parents,Every Christmas for the past 85 years (not this year due to Covid) a tradition has continued at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. After the Rockettes captivate the audience with their synchronized dancing, the curtains rise for the final scene of the show: “The Living Nativity.” Live sheep, goats, and even camels, with shepherds, angels, and kings make Jesus’ birth come alive in a way that is dramatic and almost haunting. With this background, a clear screen descends in front of the stage and projects this poem: “One Solitary Life.” A voice booms: -
Thursday, November 26, 2020
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Parents,Thanksgiving is the oldest American Holiday. The first Thanksgiving was held almost 400 years ago in 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. William Bradford and the Pilgrims prayed in times of trouble and gave thanks in times of plenty. They established a time of fasting in the spring, followed by prayer and thanksgiving in the fall. The spirit of profound gratitude for life and provision pervades the narratives from the Pilgrims and Colonists during those hard times. -
Monday, November 2, 2020
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Parents,We are in a time of stress in our country. Anger and distrust have lessened dialogue and increased polarization. Binary thinking has replaced nuanced understanding. Group-affiliation has replaced truth and ethics. I have been asking myself: Can the pillars of classical education be a part of the solution to relieving the stress, distrust, and tribalism that are plaguing our country? Are we teaching students to respect each other, learn from each other, and even trust each other when we have disagreements? -
Saturday, October 3, 2020
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Parents,Our 10-12th Graders were guided by Anatomy and Physiology teacher Ms. Feaver through a high-caliber dissection of an elk heart on Thursday. Ms. McWhorter, our 4th Grade Literature teacher, heard about the dissection and asked whether or not the heart had “strings.” Her 4th Graders were busy memorizing William Blake’s The Tyger and wondered if the poetic reference to the heart was allegorical or actual. Ms. Fever brought the elk heart into the 4th Grade classroom, showed them the chordae tendineae, and let them strum the real heart strings with their fingers. Yesterday, two 10-12th Graders demonstrated their own learning by bringing the elk heart into Mrs. Hughes’ 5th Grade Science class. The young ladies displayed and discussed the structure of the heart with the 5th Graders and those students applied that knowledge to their current study of the parts and functions of a cell. Many thanks to Coach Lunz and Dr. Rudolph for this valuable donation, made possible by their successful elk hunt last weekend! -
Saturday, September 5, 2020
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Parents,
Gratitude. That word encompasses the feeling on campus during our first week of school. Gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness. All three meanings were present on campus this first week of school, and it was beautiful and good. -
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Parents,Our priority is to be in-school, in-person. In order to get students here, and keep them here, we must be vigilant. Our community will need to selflessly do tasks that take longer (and might even feel unnecessary) to assure the physical safety and emotional well-being of all. Trust is built when together we sacrifice for the greater good. -
Friday, July 31, 2020
Dear JH Classical Academy Parents,Read MoreLast spring, as our nation faced the rapid spread of a new virus, JH Classical Academy made the transition to distance learning in a matter of days. Robust instruction continued to the end of the school year, with parents providing great support, empowering students to complete the majority of the planned material for each course.
Updates 2017-2020
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Head of School Update: Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Parents,Our priority is to be in-school, in-person. In order to get students here, and keep them here, we must be vigilant. Our community will need to selflessly do tasks that take longer (and might even feel unnecessary) to assure the physical safety and emotional well-being of all. Trust is built when together we sacrifice for the greater good. -
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! 2019
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Parents,They lived in a very sparsely furnished flat in New York City, barely able to pay their $8.00 a month rent. $1.87 was all Della had left to buy a Christmas present for her husband Jim. It seemed that a gift worthy of all of her love was going to require a great sacrifice -- selling her most treasured possession, her long, lustrous hair that fell to her knees. So, Della sold her hair for $20.00 to Madame Sofornie, a nearby hairdresser. After searching around the city, Della found a platinum chain for Jim’s prized pocket watch. $21.00 dollars, with 0.87 left. Della was satisfied. She had found the perfect gift for Jim. For Della, Jim made a sacrifice no less great.Jim came home from work on Christmas Eve and looked at Della. He stared, not sure what to say. Fearful that Jim might not find her beautiful anymore, Della admitted that she sold her hair to buy him a present. But before she could give Jim the gift, he pulled a package out of his overcoat. Inside, Della found a costly pair of decorative hair combs that she’d so long admired -- useless now that her hair was short. Hiding her tears, Della held out the chain she bought for Jim. He flopped down into the old sofa and put his head in his hands. He told Della that he sold his pocket watch, a gift from his father, to get the money to buy her ornamental hair combs. -
Head of School Update: Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Transitions take patience and perspective. Advent is a time of longing and waiting. This is the season we are in both at JH Classical Academy and in our liturgical calendar year. We spent a good portion of our faculty-in-service day last Monday talking about getting through the Wilderness and into the Promised Land; the physical and psychological effects of the transition our school is going through. It is a time of ending, losing, and letting go before new beginnings provide new energy, identity, and purpose. Transitions are wandering between two worlds, one past and one not yet born, but birthing. We united and celebrated by decorating the school and enjoying a feast at Figs.Read More -
Head of School Update: Thursday, November 21, 2019
Most Americans think of the first Thanksgiving as a feast shared by pilgrims and Native Americans in 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Few know that the modern version of a nation-wide Thanksgiving holiday didn’t come until 1863, thanks to the persistence of Sarah Josepha Hale. When President Abraham Lincoln issued the proclamation declaring “a day of thanksgiving and praise," the 36-year campaign started by the so-called “mother” of Thanksgiving finally ended. Hale promoted her silent lobbying by publishing poems of gratitude, recipes for autumnal feasts, and stories to make Thanksgiving the heart of the American experience, like 4th of July.Read More -
Head of School Update: Monday, November 4, 2019
Two weeks ago, the Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole brought in Brad Griffin, co-author of a book Growing Young and director of the Fuller Youth Institute, to help us learn ways to reach and engage the younger generation that breathe life into a church. Mr. Griffin’s research revealed that there are a few common core commitments that keep teenagers and young adults coming back for more.Read More -
Head of School Update: Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Read MoreThere was a beautiful herd of elk resting in the corner of our property this morning as I drove into the school. This is such a beautiful place to build a school and work every day! We are so blessed to have more space, bright classrooms, and mountain views from every point on the land. Our week of firsts – first birthday books, first poetry recitation, first morning assembly, first Latin quiz, first day of rain with no gym, first sack lunch delivery, first sick child -- is over. Everything went more smoothly than expected. -
Head of School Update: Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Parents,I hope you marked your calendars for our Campus Dedication on Monday, September 2nd. We have a lot to celebrate! It is a miracle that we are able to start school on Tuesday. I use the word miracle as defined: “a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural law and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.” Despite tremendous twists and turns (Bouma might use the word obstacles!), God has shepherded us through this 3-month construction project and we must give Him praise! -
Head of School Update: Friday, August 9, 2019
Dear JH Classical Academy Parents,Read MoreI hope your children are having a great summer adventuring, reading, and enjoying time with family and friends. We returned from two wonderful weeks in the Swiss and French Alps, taking full advantage of the Jungfrau and Mont Blanc passes. We hiked the trails, visited the glaciers and ice caves, and summited the peaks via trains, gondolas, and trams. The beauty of those views and healthy exercise nourished my soul. Time away with my family restored my vision and provided time for new learning and inspiration. I am am so grateful. I hope the same for each of you... -
Head of School Update: Friday, June 14, 2019
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Parents,In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis wrote, “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means the point of highest reality.” The challenges this year presented, of seeking approval for our new campus and securing an interim place to operate, provided all of us this testing point.
In the first stanza of Rudyard Kipling’s poem, If, he advises his son:If you can keep your head when all about youAre losing theirs and blaming it on you,If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,But make allowance for their doubting too;If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise… -
Head of School Update: Monday, June 3, 2019
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Parents,
End-of-year traditions abound as we head into the final two weeks of school. Baby chicks hatched in Mrs. Patrick’s classroom, and the Kindergarten students are visiting a working farm today. First Grade had their annual visit to the National Museum of Wildlife Art and Fish Hatchery last week, and the Fifth Grade is returning to Cosmic Apple Gardens in Idaho. Students who have Birthdays in July and August are receiving their Birthday Books on Thursday mornings. Eighth Graders will be challenged in the Escape Rooms next Thursday before their memorable Promotion Ceremony. Our final community event, Field Day, will culminate in JB Park’s delicious Korean BBQ and a time of thanks for those that have given extraordinary time, talent, and treasure to JH Classical Academy. I’m looking forward to these two weeks! -
Head of School Update Thursday, May 16, 2019
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Families,Tonight is a special night at our Academy. It is our annual Evening of the Arts, and the last performance of our five years in this building. It is a celebration of music, poetry, and learning this year, and a closure to the founding phase of JH Classical Academy in this space.A liberal arts education is a vital foundation for both individual flourishing and the well-being of our society. We celebrate both tonight -- the individual flourishing of students in areas where God has gifted them and they have excelled, and the cultural preservation of our Western cannon through our oral and visual arts program here at JH Classical Academy. -
Head of School Update: Friday, May 3, 2019
Read MoreDear JH Classical Academy Parents,
Jackson Hole Classical Academy’s new campus for Fall 2019 is in full motion!The new facility will be a substantial upgrade. Today’s 13,000 square feet, which includes our half-court gym/multi-purpose space, will be replaced with almost 18,000 square feet of instructional and office space, plus a full-size gym in an 11,700 square foot field house. The 80-acre setting gives our great institution plenty of room to grow and open space to enjoy for generations. -
Head of School Update, Thursday April 18, 2019
Dear JH Classical Parents,Read More
We ended our study of the virtue of love during this Holy Week. Tonight, liturgically known as Maundy Thursday, is one of my favorite nights of the year. John, Jesus’ “beloved disciple,” chose to devote over a quarter of the pages of his Gospel to remembering the Last Supper with his Lord and Savior. Jesus washed his Disciples feet that night and commanded them to “love each other as I have loved you.” They argued about which of them was to be considered the greatest, but Jesus showed them that true greatness comes through being a servant to all.
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2500 S. Park Loop Rd.
Jackson, WY 83001
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 7466
Jackson, WY 83002
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