A School Within the Liberal Arts Tradition

All of us – students, parents, faculty, and administration – are engaged in a noble endeavor this year: the development of a new school that takes its place within the venerable tradition of liberal arts education. At Great Hearts Northern Oaks, we are indeed doing something new, yet we are also inheritors of something old, a cultural tradition whose literary roots date back to the earliest moments of human history. Though we are aware that some believe a liberal arts curriculum to be irrelevant or out-of-date, we begin the school year here at Great Hearts Northern Oaks with the conviction that precisely the opposite is the case: our curriculum is most relevant because it addresses students in all the depth and breadth of their humanity. We ask the perennial questions that remain at the heart of human life: “What constitutes a just society? How do I lead a good life? What is man’s place in the world?” Rather than being irrelevant, a liberal arts education is acutely, dramatically relevant to the formation of the character of your sons and daughters through their growth in wisdom and character. With them, the faculty will study that which is most enduring in human culture, and will do so with the conviction that reading, writing, and discourse within the context of community can lead us all toward those aspects of being that the tradition refers to as the transcendentals, namely the good, the true, and the beautiful.

A Rigorous Curriculum in a Community of Friends

The curriculum of Great Hearts Northern Oaks is challenging and all courses are taught at an honors level. In the Middle and Upper School (7-12), students study Latin in depth, take seven years of math and science, read and discuss authors such as Aristotle and Dostoyevsky, and write a senior thesis. This course of study will not be easy for everyone, but any student who has the desire to learn and the willingness to work hard can find a home at Great Hearts Northern Oaks. Not all students will get “A” grades, but every student will have the opportunity to learn and grow. This learning and growth takes place in a community of friends, a community formed through solidarity in the pursuit of academic and athletic excellence, as well as growth in moral character. It is imperative for our school that students, faculty, staff, and parents unite to realize this fulfillment of the individual student within the school community. Only then will we succeed in assisting your sons and daughters to realize the fullness of their human, cultural, and personal identity. Only then will our graduates have the character to serve the larger community through the preservation and development of our culture.  

Our Commitment to Your Children

You have chosen Great Hearts Northern Oaks for the education of your children, and for this we are profoundly grateful. I speak for everyone involved in the Great Hearts Northern Oaks family when I say that we accept this responsibility with seriousness of purpose and with a dedication to serve your children and this community with integrity. The faculty and leadership team at Great Hearts Northern Oaks have been selected on the basis of character, academic distinction, and practical wisdom, and all of us are committed to act in accordance with the highest levels of professionalism.  

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Join Us!

Even with the highest degree of dedication, our faculty and leadership team cannot accomplish our academy’s goals without you. I ask you to support our teachers as they establish a school order respectful of the dignity of the person, rooted in an ethos of personal responsibility, and consistent in upholding student accountability. I ask you to support your sons and daughters by encouraging their sense of wonder in the intellectual life. I ask you to become involved in school functions, volunteering your time to help make Great Hearts Northern Oaks a success. And finally, in anticipation of your assistance, I thank you most warmly.