February at Golden View

A LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL

February 2024

Dear Friend of Golden View Classical Academy,

Classical educators tend to repeat that learning ought to be for its own sake. But this is not true, at least not for all kinds of learning. Take history, for instance. It’s possible to say that learning history is satisfying in itself, but this is neither persuasive to students who don’t like it, nor sufficiently attentive to the real, tangible purposes of knowing history, specifically our own history.

The citizen who doesn’t know history, names and dates and places and stories, is one who may be led to believe anything. Without knowing something about the founding and the major writers of the time, a citizen could be led to believe that the Constitution is directly and profoundly racist. He could then be led to believe that some policy today ought to be pursued to remedy that racism, allocating time and resources to something that the barest historical research would prove to be nothing but wind. Without knowing something of the horrors of the Pacific theater in WWII, a citizen could be led to believe that Truman’s decision to drop an atomic bomb, controversial though it remains, was wildly unjustified, and be led into a posture of shrinking apologies, believing less in the justice of his own country and the bravery of her young men and women. And if a person had such an impoverished education, without actually reading actual documents, and making them personally meaningful, what would be his ability to advocate for the country’s interest?

We don’t teach students history just for the sake of knowing history, but to make sure they can’t be led around by their nose to conclusions they wouldn’t agree to. This doesn’t direct students to conclusions, but it does weight their judgment. It forms a disposition to distrust claims that circumstances are new and policies improved, to believe that radical revision is unwise and generally ineffective, and to know that tradition has an argument all its own, even if its reasons aren’t immediately clear. To have a mind shaped by the study of history means to know enough not to be lied to, specifically about the past and the meaning of who you are and what your civilization is.

The greatest trick tyrants ever played is to convince their subjects that tyrants don’t exist. And citizens who don’t know history become the subjects on whom the trick can be played. So there is a purpose to studying history short of loving to learn. It’s to learn that tyrants exist, that they lie about it, and that something can be done. Just like in the past.

Sincerely,

Dr. Garrow

Principal, Golden View Classical Academy

CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHT

Speaking well is a particular skill we prioritize at Golden View. In history and literature classes students practice the art of conversation in regular seminars, and in Rhetoric they learn the art of public speaking in the form of speeches. The Rhetoric curriculum is based on the classical approach of Aristotle, but we read, watch and study speeches given by the Ancients (Pericles and Gorgias), men of the Renaissance (Shakespeare and Thomas More), American Revolutionary heroes (George Washington and Patrick Henry), as well as modern leaders and presidents (Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan).

Moreover, students are responsible for crafting and delivering three major speeches throughout the course of the year. The first is a contest of the school’s virtues in which they attempt to persuade the audience as to which virtue is supreme. The second honors the dead and calls the living to emulate great heroes of the past. The final speech celebrates the legacy of a literary or historical figure the student has grown to admire, and explores how the student may also devote themselves to the same cause.

Learning the art of persuasion both in conversation and public speaking gives students an opportunity to learn from and honor virtuous people as well prepares them for all manner of situations, public and private, that they will encounter throughout their lives.

From Mrs. Hitch, Upper School English Teacher

ATHLETIC HIGHLIGHT

A truly special story unfolded for Golden View at this year's Colorado State Wrestling Championship. Many people say that this is the best high school athletic event in the entire state because of the electric atmosphere created by thousands of wrestling fans cheering loudly in Ball Arena. Athletes experience an enormous amount of pressure when competing on this stage.

For Golden View junior Cael Charlson the pressure was even higher as this was his first time qualifying for the State Tournament and his coach was unable to attend all of his matches. Fortunately, Cael's grandpa, Dave Jasko, who has five grandchildren at Golden View, was an accomplished collegiate wrestler. He willingly stepped in assuming the role of coach and brought his decades of experience onto the mat.

As Coach Jasko watched his grandson courageously fight from start to finish in the biggest matches of the season, he recollected that he had "long forgotten what that was like," but values that "any young athlete can learn life lessons from such an experience." In his matches, Cael showed superior strength and set the tone as the aggressor, but ultimately his more skilled opponents defeated him. An important lesson learned from wrestling is that technique usually beats brawn.

From Mr. Gilmore, Athletic Director

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

Board Meeting

The March Board Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 13th at 5:30pm in the Bailey Heritage Library. You can find meeting agendas on BoardDocs prior to the meeting.

Enrollment

If you or a family you know is interested in enrolling at Golden View Classical Academy, please send them to our enrollment page.