St. Andrews Academy

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TOOLS OF LEARNING

St. Andrew’s graduates know how to learn. The phrase, “The lost tools of learning,” comes from the famous essay by Dorothy Sayers in which she describes the Trivium, which embodies the human learning process as initial formulated by the Ancients as the first three Liberal Arts in the West. Learning is a lifelong calling, and St. Andrew’s students embrace intellectual challenge because these Tools are readily available.

WISDOM OF THE AGES

The lack of historical, literary, and philosophical knowledge inevitably leads to a culture’s demise. St. Andrew’s students spend much time reading and studying that which has gone before giving context to contemporary ideas and issues, and preparing them to be effective leaders.

SERVING GOD

The education at St. Andrew’s Academy is Orthodox Anglican. This does not mean that we only educate Anglican Christians, but rather that we want to be straightforward about the worldview on which we base our institution. Christ says that the greatest commandment is to love God with all that we are. Therefore, whatever a particular student’s beliefs, we call them to accountability to God.

SERVING MAN

The second greatest commandment is “to love your neighbor as yourself.” Spirituality without active concern for those around us is disguised selfishness. As St. James says, “True religion is to look after widows and orphans in their distress.”

VIRTUE & STRENGTH

The highest virtue is charity, unselfish love for others. St. Andrew’s students are challenged to serve not because it is convenient or because it makes one satisfied with his or her own behavior. Opportunities to serve often require sacrifice and must be actively pursued.

I am a proud St. Andrew`s Academy graduate. From the first day I entered the school, I was taught how to work hard, manage my time wisely, study effectively, and present myself in many different situations. St. Andrew`s was more than just an education, it was a life-changing experience. Eight years have passed since I graduated, and I am still close with my fellow graduates and teachers. These relationships helped me become who I am today, have helped me grow from a child to a successful future doctor.

The words “thank you” do not convey the overwhelming appreciation my heart contains for what you have done for and with my daughter. St. Andrew’s Academy has lit a bright light in her soul, and I hear in her the promise of incredible inner beauty.When speaking with my daughter, I hear maturity, determination and wisdom. I listen to a young woman who feels the worth of hard work; a little girl able to enjoy being a little girl; a daughter extremely respectful and loving to her mother. I thank you for your instructions, discipline and discernment in how best to ‘raise’ a teenage girl. I will be forever grateful for what you all are doing for my daughter.God’s prosperous blessings on St. Andrew’s.

St. Andrews is not a typical school. The [small] size of the student body means close and binding relationships with everyone—with all the students and even with the teachers. People at St. Andrew’s really care for one another. Everyone is willing to help and encourage each other. This is really part of the whole magic of St. Andrew’s Academy. … I LOVE ST ANDREWS!!!!

Studying at St. Andrew`s Academy provided me with a foundational education unlike any other available to me. The emphasis there on a classical education has helped me to stand out amongst my peers. St. Andrew`s academy not only prepared me for college, it also prepared me for a mature life away from home. The atmosphere promotes professionalism as well as creativity. St. Andrew`s faculty did not simply fill my head with facts so that I could pass a standardized test; they taught me how to think on my own, and gave me a moral framework.

What I like about St. Andrew’s Academy is that it has a greater sense of community than at [other schools]. At [other schools] you are just one out of the swirling masses, and you don’t interact with your teachers very much outside of class. You could easily make your way through the school year without making any friends whatsoever. But at St. Andrew’s you have a greater sense of community with the other students.

Attending St. Andrew`s was the single most formative experience of my teenage years, and the time I spent there continues to enrich and direct my life years later as I do graduate level study and teach at a school similar to St. Andrew’s. St. Andrew`s taught me above all things self-discipline and respect. My teachers always treated me like an adult. They always respected my ideas, even when I disagreed with them; they taught me how to be a student, how to teach myself for the rest of my life. I`m thankful for the vision of responsible and thoughtful maturity my teachers gave me.

Despite its small size and modest appointments, at St. Andrew`s Academy the three goals of an excellent school—spiritual formation, character development, and intellectual preparation-are given serious attention. It is the antidote to most of the weaknesses affecting education in America. I have confidence that this is a community with its philosophy and priorities straight. I don`t know of a school in the world that`s doing what they`re doing.

To Teach

EDUCATION & ENCHANTMENT:
RECOVERING THE LOST LOVE OF LEARNING

Is your child bored by school? To what extent are children’s imaginations being engaged by going to school. If you ask the children, it’s not …

To Teach

COMMON CORE MISSES THE MARK

Mr. Martin Cothran was interviewed by David Kern of the Circe Institute regarding the Common Core State Standards Initiative in American Education, known as “Common …

To Teach

SETTING A CHILD UP FOR SUCCESS

When a baby’s physical growth is stunted, it is considered a tragedy. The aim of parenting is not to prolong childhood, but to encourage maturity. …

To Teach

STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

“American farmers are the only farmers who can read Homer.“ – Thomas Jefferson While Thomas Jefferson boasted of the education of the commoners of his …

To Teach

A LIBERAL ARTS EDUCATION

Recently, while I was touring a certain University with some of our students, the tour guide mentioned, “When I first came to this University, I …

To Teach

HOUSTON, WE HAVE LIFT OFF

Space exploration is back in the news. On August 22, SpaceX’s Falcon 9-R exploded moments after lift off. On October 31, the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo …

HISTORY

St. Andrew’s Academy is a private, preparatory micro-school in a beautiful rural area of Northern California. We are community-oriented and worship-centered, bookending the day at school with the traditional services of Morning and Evening Prayer, and offering students opportunities to board with dedicated St. Andrew’s staff families in walking distance to our campus.

We were founded in the Fall of 1999 by a small group of educators and families concerned about the state of contemporary education. They envisioned a school that would seek to train, not just the minds, but also the heart and souls of young men and women in knowledge and wisdom. Our first graduate was handed her diploma in 2003.

The Academy moved to the town of Chester, on the shores of Lake Almanor, in 2011. Expansion of the campus is underway; the chapel and grass feild was purchased in 2015, and student/staff housing purchases have been ongoing. We don’t believe that size is the only measure of an institution, and so we persevere in our calling to train the next generation of leaders in our country.

In 2008, St. Andrew’s began her boarding program. The reasons for moving into boarding are twofold: economically, the rural area where St. Andrew’s is located will not be able to support the school in the long-term, and missionally, the school desires to have a wide-spread influence on education and society so she must recruit students from a widespread region.

Prayer • Study • Work