Academy Life
At St. Peregrine Academy, a deep and traditional integration of the Catholic Faith is apparent not only in the curriculum, but also in the life of our school community. Christ and His teaching can be recognized at the foundation of all we do, just as His truth is the light which illuminates every lesson.
Each school day, and the entire academic year itself, is a reflection of that guiding principle. Children arrive to a lively yet disciplined environment, finding an atmosphere where friendships of potentially lifelong connection are born. Morning prayers begin each day, with the intentions of the church community beckoning the child to think beyond self. The entirety of the day is marked by Catholic practice – Holy Mass, the Rosary, and the Angelus form integral parts of the schedule, and the Liturgical Year sculpts the very calendar of the school.
At the basis of the education offered at St. Peregrine Academy is the idea that human reason can discover and understand an order outside itself, the order created by God. Students receive a thorough and integrated view of this reality through the organic unity of all subjects. Already at the earliest ages, before they are thinking abstractly, children are introduced to sacred realities on a simple, natural level. As they mature, their inquiries are guided by these realities, and students are enabled to master abstract ideas in a profound way. They learn to think in an orderly fashion, and to speak and write as clearly as they think, and ultimately to judge with wisdom and prudence.
Classrooms are alive with the pulse of true learning, and students are encouraged to actively participate and contribute, engaging in constructive class discussion, peer projects, and board work. Lessons are augmented by writing contests and art competitions, such as those for the Society of St. Pius X’s National Religion Exam, or the local Pro-Life organization. Compelling guest speakers supplement the curriculum, and extracurriculars such as Choir, Orchestra, Drama, and Journalism help immerse students in the power of learning; Cross Country will be a new offering in 2022-23 for after-school hours and interscholastic competition. The children also take several field trips, and make visits to the local senior facility to sing and show kindly attention to the appreciative residents. Student life being a reflection of real life, the children take an active role in maintaining a clean Academy building, with age-appropriate chores divided among all.
Parental involvement plays a critical role in the student’s career at the Academy, with reinforcement at home being what helps the child solidify the roots laid down by the teacher during the school day. Moreover, enrollment in the Academy will ideally be coupled with attendance at St. Peregrine Church, helping to make of the child’s life an organic whole wherein religion is the ever-present and pervasive reality, not a segmented or disjointed feature. Binding home, school, and church together in their hearts and minds is the Liturgical Year, whose great lessons the students learn in class and then see in church.
