As students begin to return to school after the summer break, I write with an update on our ongoing plans to open Chelsea Academy one year from now.

First of all, thanks to the initiative and tireless work of Bart Beasley, I should mention that we are moving forward with confidence that the timing is right to found an independent school that provides a truly Catholic education in the liberal arts tradition. Most significantly, Bart’s conversations with people in the Front Royal area and the positive response to his survey indicated that there are many people who are seeking an alternative to the existing educational possibilities. Thank you, Bart, for laying the groundwork for this project, and I thank all of you who have been supportive in these early stages.

The Chelsea Academy Board of Directors is taking shape and currently consists of five members. Father Edward Hathaway, who serves as the Pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Front Royal, had the vision to initiate the founding of a school and has been instrumental in every stage of its early planning. Bart Beasley will continue to promote the Academy on a part-time basis from his home in California, where he has resumed his work in the medical device industry. Steve Lee, who lives in Sperryville with his wife and six children, is a parishioner at St. Peter’s Church in Rappahannock County and brings considerable business expertise to the project. Dr. Patrick Keats, Academic Dean and Associate Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at Christendom College, is an experienced educator at both the secondary and the college levels. Finally, Joseph McPherson, the founding Headmaster of Brookewood School in Kensington, Maryland, a member and co-founder of the Avalon Education Group, and former head of The Heights School in Potomac, Maryland, and The American School in Switzerland, adds valuable knowledge and experience gained from founding and leading independent, Catholic schools over the past several decades.

The Board of Directors has met several times in the past months in its efforts to define the mission and philosophy of Chelsea Academy as well as to set priorities and goals in this planning year. Preparations have focused on opening the Academy with grades six through nine in the fall of 2008 with the intention of adding grades ten, eleven, and twelve in the following three years. At the moment, securing a location is the most pressing matter facing the Board and one that we are actively pursuing.

We anticipate that by mid-September the Chelsea Academy website will be up and running, providing information about the curriculum, admissions, and tuition among other things. In the meantime, we continue to develop the academic curriculum as well as work to meet the legal requirements for starting and operating an independent school. In an effort to make Chelsea Academy as accessible to as many families as possible, we are also making preparations to launch a fundraising campaign. By early October we plan to begin holding informational gatherings at the homes of families who wish to help in the promotion of the Academy, and we hope to begin accepting applications from prospective students in November.

During the past several months, many people have asked me why we chose Chelsea as the name for the school. Chelsea, the home of St. Thomas More, offers a timeless and inspiring educational model. A scholar renowned for his deep learning and a martyr for the Catholic faith, More provided his children and others in his household a classical and Catholic education. The great Renaissance humanist Erasmus was so impressed by what he saw at Chelsea that he likened it to “Plato’s Academy on Christian footing.” Although it is tempting to write more about the importance of More’s life and work, I will add only that it has been exciting to hear that the name Chelsea has already led to many healthy discussions about its origin and significance. We are off to a good start. Our hope is that the kind of inquiry and dialogue that the name Chelsea has stimulated is a precursor to the lively, inquisitive atmosphere that we wish to promote in the classrooms at Chelsea Academy.

It is a great honor, privilege, and challenge for me to be involved in this noble project of starting a school in Front Royal. I solicit your prayers and welcome you to spread the word to others who are seeking an education rooted in the rich intellectual and cultural heritage that has been safeguarded by the Catholic Church through the centuries. We have a wonderful opportunity ahead of us and a wonderful tradition on which to build. In the coming weeks, I hope to get a chance to speak to each of you, and I look forward to your input and support. Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time if you have questions or suggestions.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Brand

Headmaster
Chelsea Academy

Email: jbrand@chelseaacademy.org
Telephone: 540 671-3150

P.S. Please let me know if I have inadvertently failed to send this letter to someone who should be on the mailing list. At the same time, if you do not wish to receive periodic updates on developments at Chelsea Academy in the future, please let me know by sending a short note to the email address above.