Dear Live Oak Owls,
It is with great excitement that we reveal the venerable mascot of Great Hearts Live Oak: the Athenian Owl. Goddess of wisdom and civilization, Athena zealously guarded the ancient city of Athens, the cradle of western civilization and the birthplace of democracy, drama, and philosophy. Enchanted by its wise eyes, the beautiful
Athena Glaukôpis—
the bright-eyed, grey-eyed, owl-eyed goddess—
chose the
glaux
, or
little owl,
as her sacred animal.
With its ability to see with extraordinary precision even in the darkest hours of night, the owl is a fitting symbol of wisdom. Athena was often depicted with the owl on or near her shoulder; the
owl
atop Athens’ famous Acropolis and was imprinted on
Athenian coinage
. The ancient biographer Plutarch tells the story of an owl perching upon the mast of Themistocles’ warship during the Battle of Salamis, rousing the dejected Greeks to prepare for battle against the invading Persian fleet. When Athenians spied an owl, they felt the strong and protective presence of their guardian.
The inhabitants of Athens during its Golden Age were a remarkable people, and in their works and actions our community of Great Hearts Live Oak will find inspiring examples of human intellect, action, and artistry. Our students will encounter in their art classes the ideals of Athenian sculpture and architecture, and their imaginations will be nourished by those same Greek myths which the ancient Athenians knew from childhood. They will learn about the doers and deeds of Ancient Greek history, events which have inspired and guided men and women for thousands of years. In time, our future high school students will be ready to encounter some of the greatest minds to have ever written: the philosophers
Socrates
,
Plato
, and
Aristotle
, the historians
Herodotus
and
Thucydides
, and the tragedians
Sophocles
and
Aeschylus.
As the faculty grow and develop, they will read and study many of these same works, exploring alongside our students what it means to be human.
The high standards of citizenship in Ancient Athenian democracy serve as a fitting example for our own Academy. Consider the Ephebic Oath, sworn by the males of Classical Athens on the cusp of adulthood:
We will never bring disgrace on this our City by an act of dishonesty or cowardice. We will fight for the ideals and Sacred Things of the City both alone and with many. We will revere and obey the City's laws, and will do our best to incite a like reverence and respect in those above us who are prone to annul them or set them at naught. We will strive unceasingly to quicken the public's sense of civic duty. Thus, in all these ways, we will transmit this City not only, not less, but greater and more beautiful than it was transmitted to us.
May we, the citizens of Great Hearts Live Oak, similarly carry this oath in our hearts. May we all commit to transmit this new Academy greater and more beautiful than it was transmitted to us. And may wisdom ever be our guide. Go Owls!
Yours in the pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty,
Headmaster Audelo
