More details on new St. John Fisher Academy in Racine

A school in the Catholic tradition

Racine's new St. John Fisher Academy high school is "a school in the Catholic tradition" instead of "a Catholic school" because the Milwaukee Archdiocese has not approved the school. Instead the archdiocese rejected the school's proposal, in part because archdiocesan officials felt the school could take students away from existing area Catholic high schools.

Without approval, the archdiocese says St. John Fisher is not supposed to hold Mass, offer sacraments or teach Catholic theology. There would be no immediate repercussions for doing those things, but St. John Fisher officials said they are respecting the archdiocese's rules while they work toward approval. They have a meeting with archdiocese officials Sept. 23.

In the meantime the school is holding prayer time instead of Mass and teaching theology in the Catholic tradition instead of Catholic theology.

St. John Fisher has 52 students enrolled in ninth through 11th grades; organizers plan to add 12th grade next year. Of those now enrolled, only one is paying the school's $5,500 annual tuition. The others receive new state-funded school choice vouchers, Tomasiewicz said.

About 20 of the students come from the Milwaukee area and are bused together to the school from a pick-up site on Milwaukee's south side, Lundin said. The school's about 30 other students, like freshman Elicia Ocasio, are from the Racine area.

 Read more: http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/article_2838047c-d945-11e0-81f9-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1Y2KrmAA2

I'm kind of growing fond of the idea of home schooling until high school and then sending kids to an academy like this.   It's nice to have that elementary option but it kind of encourages home schooling in the sense that it's not a K-12 program.  If dioceses aren't yet, they had better get used to this.  With respect to the current landscape of Catholic institutions in this state, being an independent Catholic school is seen as a good thing by many of us.

New Racine catholic high school works towards Archdiocese approval

A new catholic high school in Racine just opened its doors, but it doesn't have the blessing of the Milwaukee Archdiocese. The Milwaukee Archdiocese says there already is another catholic high school in Racine to serve the community. The Archdiocese believes a dwindling number of students in catholic private schools makes it unwise for another one to open.

St. John Fisher Academy Founder Dave Toma-Shevitz said, "What we wanted to do is provide a classic catholic education for parents of Racine, and in the entire state, with the opportunity to have an education in the catholic traditions without huge tuition payments." [SOLD!  Where do I sign up!]

The school is without the support of the Milwaukee Archdiocese and is getting no financial or religious support.

Clergy is not allowed to celebrate mass, administer the sacraments, or support the school in any way. [besides the frightening grammatical errors, doesn't this seem a bit harsh?  support in any way?]  The Racine school says it is operating in the catholic tradition and still trying to work towards approval from the Archbishop to become a sanctioned catholic school.

There is a meeting on September 23rd the school says the Archdiocese asked them to attend. They are not sure what will happen there, but the school says it's willing to talk.

Fox6(video there)

St. John Fisher Academy is on Facebook.

Marquette administration going Catholic?

Marquette InterVarsity

First we have this incident:

Apparently, an officer of the Marquette Intervarsity Christian Fellowship came “out of the closet” as gay. He made it quite clear that he disagreed with the organization’s interpretation of Christian teaching about homosexuality (which happens to be essentially identical to Catholic teaching about homosexuality).

He admitted to having a homosexual affair with another male, and made it clear that he did not intend to break it off. He was dismissed as an officer.

He complained to Student Affairs at Marquette, apparently claiming he was discriminated against because of his sexual orientation.

Belling reported that the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship has been suspended at Marquette on the basis of this complaint.

But low and behold someone in the Marquette administration upheld the rights of a Christian group by overruling two lower admins:

The decision was appealed to Dean of Students Stephanie Quade who just this morning reversed the ruling and lifted the suspension.

The group will be on probation for a year for violating a narrow clause of their constitution specifying the procedures for dismissing an officer. The organization will also have to submit to a review of their constitution. It is unclear, at the moment, what changes (if any) might be required in that document.

It appears, however, that Marquette has conceded the right of a campus Christian organization to hold officers to Christian standards of sexual conduct.

LifeSiteNews picked up the story as well and quoted Marquette Warrior

McAdams credits conservative Milwaukee radio personality Mark Belling for breaking the story last Tuesday.

“It’s good that Marquette backed away from punishing a group for insisting that its officers adhere to Christian standards of sexual conduct,” McAdams told LSN. “But there is such a thing as a ‘chilling effect.’ Other student groups are likely to back away from anything that is disapproved by the gay lobby because they simply don’t want the hassle. Only a minority of students enjoy doing battle.”

Since the suspension was overturned, McAdams suggested that the consequences of the university’s decision for Catholic higher education are “perhaps not much.” “But,” he said, “had it been upheld, other ‘Catholic’ universities would have been emboldened to do the same.”

Eau Claire's new John Paull II Academy announces location

On September 7, 2011, the John Paul II Academy of Classical Education (JPII) holds its first day of school on the campus of Chapel Heights United Methodist Church, 300 Hamilton Avenue in Eau Claire. John Ruplinger, Headmaster for the JPII Academy, likes the central location for students from around the Chippewa Valley.

“The format for a classical classroom is different from traditional school rooms,” says Ruplinger, who has eight years of classical education teaching experience. He points out that classical methods do not lean on memorization of textbook facts but encourage careful reading and discussion of the actual writings of history. “The large classroom and gathering areas, beautiful grounds and central courtyard at Chapel Heights offer ample room for students to meet and learn in a more relaxed and varied atmosphere,” Ruplinger states.

The John Paul II Academy is currently taking applications for middle and high school students from around the Chippewa Valley. Ruplinger is pleased with the interest shown and the number of students already registered to attend JPII in the fall.

Classical Education is a growing trend in the country. “Parents of students in public, private and home schools are taking a closer look at the education their children are receiving,” says Paul Stark, a Founding Board member of JPII. Stark notes that JPII will focus on teaching students to learn how to learn by emphasizing the skills of grammar, music, arithmetic, logic and rhetoric. “We need to teach children of today to think for themselves instead of simply repeating what textbooks tell them they should know,” says Stark. “I challenge all parents to get involved in their children’s education and learn about the benefits of a Classical Education.”

For more information on the John Paul II Academy of Classical Education, go to www.johnpaul2academy.org.

John Paul II Academy, Eau Claire, WI

In September 2011, Eau Claire will be the home of a new school, the John Paul II Academy of Classical Education (JPII). Local middle and high school students interested in attaining a classical style of education currently not offered in this area, will have the opportunity to focus on written and spoken language skills, learn logical tools for organizing facts and develop the ability to express what they learn in well-formed arguments.

“We will focus on teaching children how to learn, with more emphasis on the Great Books and less on technology and sports,” says John Ruplinger, the newly hired Headmaster for JPII Academy. Classical education is not only a method of teaching, but also a curriculum that follows methods of study used by the founders of our country and the great thinkers over time. Ruplinger indicates JPII Academy is planning opportunities for the public to learn more about this style of education in the near future.

The idea for the John Paul II Academy started about five years ago with several home school parents looking for a classical educational opportunity for their growing children. “We wanted an option of a small school environment that combined a classical curriculum with the Catholic faith,” says Board Chairman Kevin DeCook of Chippewa Falls.

After much research into classical educational opportunities, a board of local parents was established in January of 2011, and the John Paul II Academy, a non-profit entity, was officially formed. It will follow the NAPCIS (National Association of Private Catholic Independent Schools) model and is a member school of that organization.

For more information and to follow the progress of the John Paul II Academy of Classical Education, go to www.johnpaul2academy.org.

John Paul II Academy will join three other academies in Wisconsin with a classical style of education; St. Ambrose in Madison(from where Mr. John Ruplinger is coming from), Trinity Academy in Milwaukee, and Providence Academy in La Crosse. JPII offers middle school (grades 6-8) and high school (grades 9-12) only at this time. The website is well done. Plans for the first year are only to have 15-20 students but obviously as time goes on those numbers will grow. I would think this eventually will expand to K-5 as well. I have not yet heard of Bishop Callahan's position on the school, but it is my understanding that then-bishop Listecki had problems with the other independent Catholic school(Providence) in the diocese when they expanded to high school age. If I lived in the area I'd be sending my children there.