April 2023 | Volume 2, Issue 8 |
|
Free Enrichment This Summer! |
|
|
The Academy for Classical Teachers provides online enrichment for classical teachers, through collaboration between Great Hearts and its partner institutions. This summer, the ACT is offering live online courses, which remain free for Great Hearts employees!
|
|
New Leadership - Flag Bearers of Culture |
|
|
Follow the professional journey that led these three Great Hearts employees to take on new opportunities this month. |
|
Jonathan Gray
New Assistant Headmaster, Cicero Preparatory Academy
|
Jonathan Gray’s illustrious career at Great Hearts did not begin where one would expect. While working towards his undergraduate degree at Hillsdale College, life circumstances led him down a different path, requiring a move back home and a change of schools: “I worked in road construction, warehousing, shipping, and retail. The work was good work, but not intellectually fulfilling,” Mr. Gray says. “The classes I took at my new college did not approach the material in a Socratic manner, and I felt just as mentally hungry as when I was shoveling asphalt or loading a semi-trailer.” At that time, a friend already at Great Hearts contacted Mr. Gray and told him about a position at Archway North Phoenix: “I presented a teaching demonstration, was hired, and never looked back.” Since then, Mr. Gray has served to shape school culture in multiple roles, from third grade assistant teacher to Academic Dean, and he now finds himself stepping into the position of Assistant Headmaster at Cicero Prep.
Having been at two Great Hearts campuses, Mr. Gray says his headmasters are among his most formative influences. “As a recent graduate, I understood the importance of the classical liberal arts in an abstract and idealistic way but had given very little thought to its practicalities,” he says. It was in a faculty meeting in preparation for the AZ Merit examinations that it clicked: “Mr. [David] Denton deftly addressed practical concerns but always brought them back to our vision and philosophy… It allowed me to begin thinking about the goodness and the blessing of classical education in a practical as well as an abstract way.” Experiencing the steps upward, as well, from third through sixth grade, and middle school to high school, have been integral as well: “I am very thankful that I chose to spend several years at Archway before moving into the Prep grades… The years spent in Archway, teaching habits, disciplines, and joy-in-order were a schoolhouse for developing those habits, disciplines, and joys in myself, and they gave me a foundation that I could build on in later years and upper grades… If you want to teach and discuss the precepts of Aristotelian virtue ethics, teach eleventh grade Humane Letters. If you want to learn them, teach third grade.”
|
David LaPointe
New Assistant Headmaster, Great Hearts Prairie View
|
|
David LaPointe came to Great Hearts after nearly a decade of dedicated service to the Catholic Diocese of Forth Worth, serving communities in the greater Fort Worth area, the Archdiocese of New Orleans, and, most recently, the Archdiocese of Washington D.C. He attained his master's degree from the Catholic University of America and soon joined the network as Director of Campus Operations and notably, Headmaster Ryan Mullins' first hire! Continuing his life and career of service, Mr. LaPointe was drawn to Great Hearts’ mission: “Something I love most about Great Hearts is our dedication to serving any student and family regardless of what zip code they live in or their socio-economic status.”
Mr. LaPointe says the ethos of Prairie View encourages personal excellence: “The culture at Prairie View is conducive to growth. We work both collaboratively and multi-disciplinarily, always with an eye towards excellence and driven by a love for our families.” It is in this inspiring environment that Mr. LaPointe looks forward to beginning his new role as Assistant Headmaster. “Simply put, I absolutely love building and contributing to the culture of our Prairie View campus,” he says, ready to embrace the challenge ahead. “To that end, I look forward to any opportunity to expand the way in which I serve our wonderful families, teachers, and staff.” As he prepares for the job next year, Mr. LaPointe has one major goal for himself: “To be better than I was this year!”
|
|
Jessica Turner
New Assistant Headmaster, Arlington Lower School
|
Jessica Turner began her teaching career, not at a Great Hearts campus, but at a progressive private school. Unfortunately, the school was moving in a direction Ms. Turner did not agree with: “The school had gotten rid of spelling and handwriting, and was implementing iPads for all students… My principal was telling me about how literature was going to be all comic books since students don’t care for actual novels anymore. I couldn’t do that!” Encouraged to investigate classical education, Ms. Turner began teaching at The Classical Academy in her home state of Colorado, where she says she learned “true joy” in the Socratic method and classical pedagogy. Not long after, during a relocation to Texas, Ms. Turner looked at Great Hearts for continuing her career: “I was really looking for a classical approach that was also linked towards a sense of wonder and depth of inquiry as explained by Charlotte Mason. I found that with Great Hearts.”
From her first role at Great Hearts Irving through today as she begins a new chapter as Assistant Headmaster at Great Hearts Arlington, Ms. Turner credits the teachers and leadership around her as her greatest inspiration: “Headmaster Marcy Finn, Assistant Headmaster Thomas Beyer, Dean Mary Pantin, and Dean Robert Tiffin were such critical mentors to me and strongly encouraged me to pursue a position in leadership.” She also credits APEX courses such as Building a Strong Faculty Culture and Hiring for Mission Fit for her growth: “I have learned so much about culture, hiring, and coaching through these courses. The best part is that these APEX courses are led by Great Hearts leaders who share their actual experiences and wisdom.” That guidance, Ms. Turner says, is what she is excited to pay forward in her new role: “I have absolutely loved coaching teachers these last two years. I’m looking forward to expanding my coaching work to include Deans as coaches of teachers... In order to coach, there has to be trust. In order to have trust, there must be a relationship. I hope to grow in this as I coach more teachers and deans this upcoming year.” |
|
Highlighted Opportunities |
|
|
Each month, we share this listing of highlighted opportunities to provide you with new avenues for growth available across our network. Feel free to share these opportunities with colleagues outside of Great Hearts, and receive a faculty/staff referral bonus!
Executive Academic Leadership
Academy Leadership Positions
Academy Positions
Lead Office/Support Services Positions
Finance
People
Operations
|
|
Personal and Professional Growth |
|
|
|
|
Why Must We Cultivate Virtue in Children? |
Dr. Vigen Guroian, a speaker at this year's National Symposium for Classical Education, speaks here about the importance of cultivating virtue within our students. As educators, when we demonstrate virtue within our classrooms, we practice it for ourselves and model it for our students as they grow and learn. |
|
Have a Question or Suggestion? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
