“A grateful mind is a great mind which eventually attracts to itself great things.” – Socrates

This last Friday, I had the opportunity to join our high school students around a giant table to enjoy a pre-Thanksgiving feast with them.  Each student, from the newest freshmen to graduating seniors, was prompted to share what they were thankful for this season.   Their beloved Humanities teacher started and then student after student spoke as we went around the table.

There were the usual mentions of a beloved dog or a recently obtained driver’s license, but there was one thing that every single student mentioned:  our school.  Funny memories were shared and there was plenty of laughter around the table, but one by one, every single student got completely serious as they talked about our school.  A handful of students even teared up as they talked about their teachers, their peers, and the education they were receiving.  

It took a long time to get through to every student, but it didn’t matter – we were all captivated as we went around the table.  Listening to them share, I marveled at what I was seeing and hearing.  I kept thinking to myself, where else would you hear 14-year-olds and 18-year-olds alike agreeing that their school is a gift from God?  

These students see that the opportunity to come and taste the truth, beauty, and goodness of a classical, Christian education daily is a gift from God himself.   They see that they have a beautiful oasis of stability and truth in a chaotic world.  They see that the rigor and challenges they experience through our academics and physical training are a blessing to their lives.  They see that an education steeped in God’s Word, shaping a Biblical worldview, is a beauty in and of itself.

And so, they give thanks and that gratitude itself makes them even more open to the many gifts offered through a Classical, Christian education.  Grateful students, grateful parents, grateful teachers, and grateful administrators open the door for even more truth, beauty, and goodness to overflow here and in other like-minded schools.  I hope you will join me in expressing great thanks to God for the gift of Classical, Christian education this year.  

Holly Kalton
Head of School, Libertas Academy