As my family and I celebrated Independence Day earlier this week, I found myself reflecting on the importance of a liberal arts education for the formation of a responsible and engaged citizenry. According to Blessed John Henry Newman, a liberal education is aimed at the cultivation of the human intellect and creates a “habit of mind.” The fruits of this habit include “raising the intellectual tone of society,” “cultivating the public mind,” “facilitating the exercise of political power, and refining the inter course of private life.”

When we open our doors on September 5, 201 7, Cardinal Newman Academy will begin the important work of educating our students in this spirit. Through their study of subjects like rhetoric, philosophy, moral theology, and American government, our students develop a vigorous intellectual commitment to true Christian principles, an understanding of the needs in their communities, and the means to be helpful and responsive. And through their immediate and consistent engagement with the Richmond community, our students thoughtfully address the needs of others, examine those needs within the framework of their faith and classroom learning, and exemplify the virtues of a liberal arts education.

As you have seen in our student profiles, CNA’s Class of 2021 includes wonderful young men and women with enormous talents and exciting futures. I am confident that when these students leave CNA in four years, their talents, perseverance, and study will have prepared them to leave CNA capable of recognizing truth and possessed of the courage to defend it with eloquent and civil discourse.

It is my pleasure to introduce to you another member of the class of 2021: James Seldon. It is fitting that one of James’s favorite poems is “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost. James notes that the poem points out that “not all decisions are going to be easy ones,” but that your decisions and what you make of your choices form the person you become.

James is an energetic person who has a curiosity that drives him to learn, discover, and try new things. He loves art and design and also has great interest in computers. He hopes to pursue a career in architecture when he grows up. He recently read Chinese Cinderella, by Adeline Yen Mah, a memoir that describes life in China in the 1940s. This summer James is also participating in 4-H science enrichment programs.

In his free time, James enjoys spending time with his family and friends, and practicing golf. He loves fettuccine alfredo and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. He would like to visit Dublin, Ireland one day .

James is looking forward to the small classroom experience, outdoor learning environment, and leadership opportunities at Cardinal Newman Academy. James’s friendly and fun personality will no doubt encourage others to join him in forming clubs or teams at CNA! James may have chosen a “road less traveled” for high school, but I know for certain that he can make all the difference.

I am pleased to introduce the first founding faculty member of Cardinal Newman Academy: Greg Tito.

Greg is a parishioner at St. Bridget Catholic Church and is proud to be a lifelong Richmonder. After attending Maggie Walker Governor’s School for his high school education, Greg received his Bachelor of Science from the College of William and Mary, with a major in biology and a minor in religious studies. He then earned his Master of Science from Illinois State University, completing his thesis on the topic of tropical bird distributions and taxonomy.

Greg has taught multiple courses in biology at the undergraduate and graduate level. Greg also has several years of research experience studying the diversity, natural history, and ecology of Virginia’s flora and fauna. He has done extensive reading and study in several other subjects as well, primarily history and the visual and literary arts. He has lectured and lead discussion on numerous topics in theology for the Catholic campus ministries (CCM) at W&M and ISU.

Greg’s activities in campus ministry at ISU and at W&M, where he received the annual Msgr. Kelly Award for Extraordinary Dedication to CCM, have been particularly instrumental in forming his desire to impart a unified Catholic worldview in all of the subjects he teaches. He considers a Catholic liberal arts education to be the strongest foundation for excellence in all fields and growth in virtue.

Among his other interests are architecture, birdwatching, and ultimate frisbee. Greg will be teaching several courses, including Natural History and Theology. We are fortunate to have Greg join us as our first full-time faculty member, and are excited for his contributions to the academic, spiritual, and cultural life at CNA.

On May 7th, we had our first Open House, and it was huge success! Thanks to all who came to learn more about CNA. I invite you to look at pictures from the event on our Facebook page.

Today, I am pleased to begin introducing you to Cardinal Newman Academy’s Class of 2021, the pioneering students who will join us this fall. Meet Emma Davis.

Emma will join Cardinal Newman Academy after completing her 8th grade year as a homeschooler. Emma is a voracious reader and looks forward to the small, discussion-centered classes at Cardinal Newman Academy. Emma would like to be writer when she grows up, and she enjoys reading, analyzing, and discussing great literature in English class, her favorite subject. In addition to devouring books, Emma is a foodie and hopes to take her adventurous tastes to Greece one day.

Though Emma will devote a great deal of time this summer as a volunteer with Richmond Autism Integration Network (www.richmondautism.org), she looks forward to spending her down time enjoying her hobbies: reading, writing, and photography. She is from Henrico County and has an older brother, Matthew, 3 dogs, and 5 cats.

I am thrilled to welcome Emma and her family to Cardinal Newman Academy, and I look forward to sharing more with you about our first class.

Merci Beaucoup! to the volunteers who helped us support the French Food Festival. It was wonderful to see so many from the Richmond community there to enjoy a good time and support the work of the Little Sisters of the Poor.

Support for our community initiatives has been vital to us as we built upon our feasibility study and created an educational vision for the Richmond Catholic community. We have listened to your feedback at our information sessions, and we have been energized by your encouragement and support. Now, our educational vision has become a reality: a faithful, co-ed, and affordable high-school option to serve the Richmond Catholic community. This weekend, come see where the Class of 2021 begins their journey.

We are excited to show you our school where, in just 125 days, our inaugural freshman class will begin blazing their trail for future students.

Last week, the Board of Directors and I welcomed many of our accepted students and their families for a meet-and-greet at Cardinal Newman Academy. It was a wonderful evening for us and these families to get to know each other more, for them to learn more about next year and explore ideas for our athletic and extra-curricular programs (more on that to come!), and take another step towards our Fall opening.

As the weather gets noticeably warmer and this school year winds down, my thoughts turn to summer and how quickly the 2017-18 school year will arrive. It is hard to believe, but in only 131 days the Class of 2021 will arrive to begin the school year! To view our 2017-2018 Calendar, please visit our website.

Before we reach our first day of school, however, we have a lot happening! I hope you will join us for our first Open House on May 7, 2017, from 1:00-3:00 pm.* So many of you have supported the vision of Cardinal Newman Academy since its earliest days. I hope you will join us to see the exciting ways that vision is taking shape.