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.