Head's Welcome
"The Academy is a school committed to the mastery of academic content, the joyful expression of creativity, and a reverence for civility, community, and compassion." -- Interim Head of School David Perry
Small School, Big Ideas: A "Deft and Elegant Balance"
Welcome to The Academy at Charlemont, where academics in the classical tradition meet a progressive learning environment to create what a colleague once called "a deft and elegant balance." I have the honor of leading this unique and wonderful school on an interim basis as we search for what will be only the third head of school since The Academy's inception in 1981. The core values that our founders envisioned and articulated remain strong, and it is my goal to preserve them during this period of transition.
Academics in the Classical Tradition
Classical education in its purest historical sense meant acquiring through the difficult struggle with Greek and Latin certain habits of mind - intellectual discipline, respect for language and ideas, appreciation of the excellent and beautiful - and certain habits of the heart - reverence for tradition, sympathy with other creatures, and a profound respect for human beings and their capabilities. Today, there are four key characteristics of an Academy education that fall squarely within the classical tradition:
- our emphasis on the time-honored academic disciplines in the school's curriculum;
- our willingness to make critical judgments about quality and hold up models of excellence;
- our emphasis on becoming a well-rounded person;
- our confidence that a small school is the best kind of school.
A Progressive Environment: Learning by Doing
Being a student at The Academy is like having a six-year internship in public life. Our educational values are classical values, but our vision for what constitutes a healthy school environment is progressive, consistent with John Dewey's view that students would learn more about democracy by governing their schools than they would by studying the Constitution.
While we may still study the Constitution, Academy students have many concrete experiences that help them understand what it means to be a good citizen: living the school's Honor Code, doing chores, participating in school meeting, volunteering to organize an event, playing on a team, acting in a play, serving as an ombudsman or council member, or helping in the school kitchen.
In the past few years, The Academy has deepened its understanding of what it means to be a public-spirited private school, maintaining our long-standing commitment to providing scholarship aid, while strengthening our commitment to community service. We are trying as a school to be a good corporate citizen, to connect with other institutions and neighbors in ways that make Charlemont and all our hometowns better places to live. We send our students out into the world to become agents of change within their chosen communities, first in college, then in their workplaces and neighborhoods.
I encourage you to visit our school and see for yourself what a special place it is.
--David Perry
