Classical Catholic grammar school launches in Harlem

CNA Staff, November 10, 2024 / 7:00 AM

A group of religious sisters has launched New York City’s only classical Catholic elementary school in Harlem, designed to meet the needs of the city’s low-income families.

St. John Paul the Great Academy serves its students through its scholarship program while providing high-quality classical Catholic education. The school is managed by an order of religious sisters focused on evangelization: the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará, known as the ‘Servidoras’.

While New York State’s public schools rank in the top 10 in the country, fewer than half of third through eighth graders are proficient in reading, while only about 53% are proficient in math, according to a 2024 study . report.

According to figures, just over 70% of students in the New York City public school district are economically disadvantaged facts from the district from the 2023-2024 school year, making private education less accessible to families.

“We are trying to take up the torch of what Catholic education has been doing for centuries,” Sister Mary Mother of Truth Westermeyer, a Servidora and director of St. John Paul the Great Academy, told CNA. “And that also includes the formation of the whole person.”

A community effort

The only Catholic liberal arts elementary school in New York City’s five boroughs, Saint John Paul the Great Academy was largely a “community effort,” with families helping to prepare the learning spaces. The academy started this year with a modest eleven students in kindergarten, first and second grades, but Sister Truth said the school plans to add numbers as the students grow, and eventually looks forward to having a to become K-8.

The sisters worked with families to get the school in shape for the first school year.

“We experienced a very festive atmosphere of joy – a family spirit,” said Sister Truth, noting the importance of involving the family in education.

The academy has plans for a monthly “family evening,” intended to “provide parents with a point of formation to assist them in their vocation to train their children to become primary (teachers),” she explained.

On the first family night, students participated in a procession around campus, which Sister Truth called “a moment of joy with the children.”

“They had a little procession with John Paul II (and) Our Lady around campus and prayed the rosary together,” she recalled.

Teacher Jennifer Rodriguez also highlighted the community at the academy. She told CNA that she values ​​“the amazing community we have created together over the past few months.”

Rodriquez added that the school was “not just a place to learn; it is a welcoming environment filled with the love of Christ and a commitment to cherishing our families.”

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“When you walk through our doors, you will feel the warmth and encouragement that surrounds us all,” Rodriguez continued. “I am pleased to see that our students and their families are excited to be here. We are touched by the many small but profound ways God influences our lives and the lives of our families.”

When asked why a Catholic liberal arts education was important to her, one parent, Sylvia Ramirez, said: “It is important because I realize that not all schools care about the well-being of the children academically, spiritually and morally.”

“The community is very welcoming, respectful and compassionate,” Ramirez added. “What inspired me to choose the academy is the education they give the children, which develops the children’s values ​​and care for others.”

Jesus, day by day

Sister Truth said that each day of the week a member of staff shares a reflection on a theme related to the Catholic faith, ranging from Mary and the saints to virtue and the Mass.

“Jesus is our companion all day long,” Sister Truth said. ‘But I hope you understand what I mean. It doesn’t have to be weird; it must be natural, because our coexistence with him as our friend and our guide must be absorbed from a very young age.”

The sisters are inspired by St. John Bosco, who worked with orphaned boys. They model some of their practices on his style and approach.

Bosco had a good night spiritual practice for the boys staying at the orphanage.

“He emphasized some virtue or habit that needed to be formed in the boys, or something that he noticed during the day that needed to be corrected,” Sister Truth explained. “So all the staff – because there are five of us – we all have a day of the week where we give a ‘good morning’ so they can focus on something.”

It is important, Sister Truth added, to “share your expectations” with both students and parents.

“We use the St. John Bosco preventive system,” Sister Truth said. “We make our goals known, and then we remind the kids over and over again that we want to be good Christians and good citizens.”

Another teacher, Molly Jensen, told CNA that the children at the academy are “so eager to learn” and “want to know the Lord.”

“We learn about the different disciplines, but in each one, both the students and I learn more about Jesus,” Jensen said. “With the classical curriculum we can shape the whole person and not just his intellect.”

“There is great freedom when education is rooted in Christ and the sacraments, allowing children to truly love learning and want to come to school every day,” she continued.

When asked what inspires her to teach at the academy, Jensen explained that it was all about Christ.

“What inspires me to work at St. John Paul the Great Academy is the perfect love of Christ and my love for Christ and the deep desire to bring all souls closer to Him,” she said. “Every day I get to bring these children closer to Jesus and in turn they lead their families closer to Him.”

“The children, with their great joy and wonder, show me every day what it is to have a childlike faith and to love Jesus without reservation!” she added.

Scholarship development

Both sisters and families at the school pool their resources in the first year and help with construction, cleaning and other needs. Sister Truth said it required staff to “think outside the box with great faith.” The school currently partners with the Children’s Scholarships Fund, but is looking for additional partners to sponsor students.

“To date, the Sisters have been looking for benefactors to sponsor a child’s education here in Harlem, and in doing so, we have been able to assure our employees that they will receive their salaries and benefits,” Sister Truth said. “But we have to think outside the box with a lot of confidence to make something like this work.”

Sister Truth said families are helping in ways they can, whether they are trade workers who can help with construction projects or volunteering for the weekly schedule to help with cleaning. She noted that it would be easy for families to simply send their children to New York public schools, “but these families are really fighting” to get their children into the academy.

“Our hope is that we will never lose the family’s support,” she said.

“We are all very confident of God’s hand in this project,” Sister Truth noted. “Students have already visited, and (we) are only six weeks into next year.”

Sister Truth plans to move forward with “much perseverance and much prayer.”

“We know God is calling, and we want to respond, and people are no longer surprised when they see him show up, because we know him and see his goodness tangible every day,” she said.