w w w . c h e s t e r t o n a c a d e m y . o r g

On February 19, 2011, Chesterton Academy held its second annual benefit gala at the Riverfront Hotel in St. Paul. The highlights of an evening of highlights were the speeches

made by the first two graduating seniors, Alea Florin and Joseph Barron. So moved were we, and the audience, by the words of these outstanding students about the mission of Chesterton Academy and what has been accomplished in our first three years that we have decided to share their speeches with you in full, modestly edited for the transition from the spoken word to the printed page.

All three of us could testify to what Alea and Joe have accomplished and what blessings they have brought to our school, but their words describing what they are taking away from Chesterton speak much more clearly.

John Niemann, HeadmasterTom Bengston, Chairman and Co-Founder

Dale Ahlquist, Vice-Chairman and Co-Founder

Our Faith Has Made Us Whole

— B Y A L E A F L O R I N —Class of 2011

Good evening. As you all know, Chesterton Academy was named after G. K. Chesterton. It was Chesterton who said, “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a

living thing can go against it.” The motto of our school is “Cultura

VOL. II, NO. 1 MARCH 2011

2 C o m m o n S e n S e

Vitae,” which means “Culture of Life.” Today, we live in a culture of death. Abortion, euthanasia, and embryonic stem-cell research have all come to be seen as normal. This culture also affects education. The standard education today is dreadfully mediocre and people are expected to be satisfied with it. At Chesterton Academy we are building up a Culture of Life. We are going against the stream of mediocrity and striving to make education better as well as the society around us.

Many schools today do not have a joyful atmosphere. Students are afraid of their teachers, or resent them. At Chesterton there is a great sense of joy in all of the teachers as well as the students. From the beginning to the end of the day we laugh. We have fun. There is a perfect balance of fun and seriousness. As Chesterton said, “The opposite of funny is not serious; the opposite of funny is not funny.” Students enjoy themselves in order to learn more. We enjoy our classes and are therefore more engaged in debates and conversations. We listen to our teachers more because we enjoy their classes.

The teachers at Chesterton Academy are some of the best teachers in St. Paul and Minneapolis. From Philosophy to Drama, all of them know their subjects extraordinarily well. The teachers swear an Oath of Fidelity to the Magisterium at the beginning of every school year. The teachers are serious in their faith and loyal to Christ and His Church. All teachers teach their subjects through the Catholic lens, reflecting on what Christ has established with regard to each subject. Our Biology teacher had us read the encyclical Humani Generis in order to know the Catholic Church’s stance on evolution. This integration of the faith into every subject is one thing that sets Chesterton Academy apart from other schools in the country.

Our small class sizes are crucial to the Chesterton experience. At this point, there are three classes, with a total of four grades and 41 students. The freshman class is the largest class with a staggering 16 students! Actually, even though we love it small, the number of students keeps doubling. We went from 9 students the first year to 20 the second to 41 this year. If the numbers continue to double, in 30 years the entire world will be attending . . .

With our precious 41 students there is approximately a 5 to 1 student-to-teacher ratio. This could be considered intimidating, but both teachers and students see it as a way to learn better. If a student

The freshman class is the largest class with a staggering 16 students!

V o l . I I • n o . I - 3

has a question, he does not have to hesitate fearing that he will slow down the class. Students can learn at a pace they can keep up with. Since there are so few students in a class, they are all able to know everyone on a personal level.

There are absolutely 100 percent no cliques at this school. Students are too good friends to even want there to be cliques. I have never seen any Chesterton student put another classmate down. Here at Chesterton Academy we do not simply make friends, we make friends for life . . . FRIENDS FOR LIFE. That is what the Culture of Life is about.

Another characteristic that sets Chesterton apart from other schools is its curriculum. It is a classical curriculum that teaches students how to think and not what to think. Students are not brainwashed by, say, angry feminists who are obsessed with global warming. We are taught by devout believers who openly teach their students the most important thing in life . . . the Truth. The fullness of Truth is found only in the one true Church that Christ founded . . . the Catholic Church. There is a sense of unity among all of the subjects at Chesterton Academy since they are all taught through the Catholic lens with Christ at its center. Throughout the Gospels when Jesus healed people he said, “Go, your faith has made you well.” However, in older English translations, Christ’s words are, “Go, your faith has made you whole.” Here at Chesterton Academy, students are being made whole through a deepening of faith, which is the thread that ties all subjects together.

I regularly thank God that my parents decided to send me to Chesterton Academy. Thank you.

Students are being made whole through a deepening of faith, which is the thread that ties all subjects together.

All the Way Home

— BY JOSEPH BARRON —Class of 2011

Hello, everyone. I am one of the two Chesterton Academy seniors this year. I did not always go to school at Chesterton . . . but I was here in the beginning. That might be a bit

confusing, but don’t worry, I will explain. You see, I was one of the first students to walk through the doors at Chesterton Academy in the fall of 2007. I definitely was not the first, though, because I remember I had to bike from church to school that day, and it was raining, so let’s just say it took me a little longer than everyone else to get to school.

At first, I did not like the school very much. There were only nine students, we had to wear ties . . . AND we had to learn Latin! I could not think of a worse combination. But then my eyes were opened to what was really going on. I was being taught the faith and was learning more than I had ever learned before. I began to appreciate everything I learned—from the Battle of Thermopylae to the Creation story in the Bible—I loved it all. I also made a great group of friends, ones that I am still very good friends with today, and, I hope, will be forever. In that group of friends, I made a new best friend, Josh Romportl. I felt like I really found a great place to go to school.

Then . . . one night . . . my dad told me something that shocked me. He said that we were going out to eat. This scared me because we never go out to eat. I told my little brother that we were going out to eat, and he sarcastically said to himself, “We’re moving, aren’t we?” At dinner that night, my parents told me the biggest news I had ever heard. They told me . . . that we had to move. My little brother was right.

I was thinking, oh, we’ll move somewhere close, Minneapolis or

I thought . . . where could I go to a school where I would be taught my faith, become well rounded, and receive a superb education?

4 C o m m o n S e n S e

something. Nope, we were moving to Georgia. Not Georgia Street in St. Louis Park. The state down south, with all the peaches. I was devastated. I had just started to like Chesterton Academy and now I had to leave it and move down south.

At the end of the school year, I said my goodbyes to everyone. I thought I would never see their faces again.

When I got down to Georgia and started school it just wasn’t the same. I didn’t have my great group of friends to be there for me, and what I learned wasn’t even close to what I had learned at Chesterton, especially in matters of the faith. The school was Catholic by name, but the majority of the students were attending the school due to the poor choice of public schools available. We did not go very deep into the material in theology class; we barely skimmed the surface.

Because of this, and because of the fact that my friends were not there to support me, I could see myself slowly losing my faith and slipping over to the side of sin. It got so bad that one night I said enough is enough. I lay in bed and prayed to God to help me, help me get back in communion with Him. I prayed to Him and asked that He please help my family move back to Minnesota because when I lived there I felt much closer to Him and to my family and friends.

I begged God for this every night for about two months until one day . . . my prayers were answered. One night, my parents told us we were going out to eat, and you could see everyone’s faces light up. We got to the restaurant and guess what my dad said? He said, “We’re moving back to Minnesota.” The whole family was ecstatic! Once we got back to the house after dinner, I rushed to the phone, called Josh, and said . . . , “I’m coming home!” I could almost hear him smiling through the phone. Then he told me how he had been praying for me to come back ever since I moved away, and I told him how I did the same too.

Before we got back my parents told me that once we were back home I could go to school wherever I wanted. I thought about it for a while. I thought . . . where could I go to a school where I would be taught my faith, become well rounded, and receive a superb education? Only one school came to mind: Chesterton Academy. And so I chose to come all the way home, to Chesterton, and that is where I will be graduating from this spring. It feels great to be home . . . and I hope I never go out to eat again. Thank you!

V o l . I I • n o . I - 5