FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Greetings! It is a dream come to lead St. Michael Academy at this crucial juncture in its history, as I am convinced that our unique brand of education and formation is exactly what our Country and our Church so desperately needs. We all strive to make a difference, but what is the best way to change the world for the better? Some look for political solutions; others technological innovations. But honestly, it is cultural renewal that we need today, and that is what we are providing here at St. Michael Academy. Every day we are grooming the future Catholic leaders of America by cultivating in their minds, bodies, and souls the classical virtues of wisdom, courage, temperance and justice; and the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. The result is a remarkable synthesis of faith and reason, made evident by a close examination of the Great Books of western civilization, that produces Christian ladies and gentlemen who are smart, caring, and courageous enough to defend their principles in the public square. So, if you want to be part of the fastest growing educational reform movement in the country, I urge you to learn more about how you can help the little school that packs a big punch here in Northern Michigan.
Why Catholic?
Schools like St. Michael are part of the “New Evangelization,”, a realization that in order to spread the Gospel in this complicated age, we must be much more intentional and much more knowledgeable about our Catholic faith. As a result, we truly catechize our high schoolers just at the moment when their faith is being severely tested by the broader culture. Rather than sheltering our students, we arm them with the sword of St. Michael and the shield of faith, and urge them to go out and be the salt, leaven, and light of the world by spreading the law of love through selfless acts of charity and mercy. And while there is no doubt that we are a premier college prep school, we take much more pride in being a “Heaven Prep” school, taking seriously our evangelical obligations and vocations.
Why Classical?
Sometimes what is really, really old becomes, through disuse, really, really new. That is certainly the case when it comes to the Trivium—Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric—the “Classical” model we employ here at St. Michael. Stripped down to its essence, the Classical approach weaves facts (grammar) and reasoning (logic) together through written and oral expression (rhetoric) in the pursuit of the unvarnished Truth. But what gives the Classical model its unrivaled horsepower is that we utilize those tried and true learning techniques when tackling the very best that has been thought and said in human history. Rather than dumbing down the curriculum, our liberal arts and sciences program challenges our high school students to master through the medium of the Socratic Method such intellectual heavyweights as Plato and Aristotle; Homer and Virgil; Augustine and Aquinas; Dante and Shakespeare (just to name a few). And our integrated curriculum does not shy away from rigorous Math and Science instruction, as the Truth resides just as much in the world of numbers and the scientific method as in philosophy and theology. As a result, here at St. Michael we like to say that we seek the True, the Good, and the Beautiful by journeying through Athens, Rome, and Jerusalem. And what a wonderful ride it is!