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“You are no longer a slave but a son!
And the fact that you are a son makes you an heir,
by God’s design.” - Galatians 4:7

Henceforth comes the random interior ramblings of a school leader on this day which marks the thirty ninth year of his existence…

Sometimes I ask myself what is actually going on in my head. In the spirit of goofy awkwardness, I will sometimes ask a student, “What do you think about when you are working at the pharmacy?” Part of me is genuinely curious what goes on in the adolescent mind. Part of me is asking myself what goes on inside my own head. 

Yesterday anot...

Mount Royal Academy has announced academic awards for the 2nd Quarter of the 2024-2025 school year. (Headmaster's List - Summa Cum Laude: 3.9-4.00, High Honor roll - Magna Cum Laude: 3.7-3.89, Honor Roll - Cum Laude: 3.5-3.69)

Grade 6

Headmaster’s list: Tucker Cole, Lilyanne Trow

High Honors: Mary Drake, Miley Rondeau, Claire Towne

Grade 7

Headmaster’s list: Liliana Chimienti

High Honors: Joseph Flaig, Teodora Miletto, Evangeline Nadeau

Honors: Claudia Gannon

Grade 8

Headmaster’s list: Haley Elkind, Madeleine Howerdel, Emma LeBlanc, Lucy Treece, Jubilee Tremblay

High Honors: Lily Moore

Grade...

Working with high school students is one of the most rewarding parts of my life. It’s not always easy—teaching comes with its fair share of long days and challenges. However, spending so much time around young people always keeps me hopeful and inspired. At Mount Royal Academy, this experience is even more special because of the school’s Catholic identity, which brings so much meaning into what we do every day. As Catholics, we believe that God is good, that he created the world out of love for us, that he was willing to die for us, and that there is a universal call to holiness. Every hair o...

January is a time when we naturally look to make a fresh start.  Resolutions may seem arbitrary and contrived, and certainly the public perception of them has become more cynical, but I am always up for reimagining how I can do things differently, and hopefully better.  Advent, Lent, New Years, or even just Monday are all times that hold that promise of hope; hope that we can make a positive change in our lives.

One step I decided to take to improve my life was to clear off my bedside table of the books that I had begun and not finished! I started with Searching for and Maintaining Peace by F...

This will be the final newsletter focused on the text from Andrew Zwerneman entitled, “The Life We Have Together: A Case for Humane Studies, A Vision for Renewal. In order to tie this altogether and perhaps successfully integrate the way in which this season of waiting relates, I would like to harken back to that concluding image referenced in my previous message:

“Structure creates security and order for freedom to flourish in the self and society. I like to think of a liberal education as a stone mansion - a sort of super structure - that stands the test of time and resists the immature imp...

Congratulations to the newest members of the St. Thomas Aquinas Chapter of National Honors Society! Ten students were formally inducted at our recent ceremony. This induction traditionally took place in the spring but it was deemed more appropriate to move it to the fall. Doing so will allow new NHS members more of the school year to embrace the mission. It also gives aspiring future candidates a greater opportunity to achieve eligibility for next year. 

Mr. Bean began the event with a reflection on the value of small things. The most important moments in life often remain unnoticed by the wi...

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The vivid colors of early fall have given way to colder weather, bare branches, and the anticipation of  some meaningful, family-centered holidays.  It’s the time of year when we get cozy – warm sweaters, crackling fires, and feelings of gratitude for all of God’s blessings.

This holds true at school as well. We have completed quarter one, had parent-teacher conferences, and I have had the opportunity to observe several clas...

Mount Royal Academy has announced academic awards for the 1st Quarter of the 2024-2025 school year. (Headmaster's List - Summa Cum Laude: 3.9-4.00, High Honor roll - Magna Cum Laude: 3.7-3.89, Honor Roll - Cum Laude: 3.5-3.69)

Grade 6

Headmaster’s list: Tucker Cole, Lilyanne Trow

High Honors: Claire Towne

Grade 7

Headmaster’s list: Maria Gik, Teodora Miletto, Angela Moorehouse

High Honors: Liliana Chimienti, Joseph Flaig, Evangeline Nadeau

Honors: Claudia Gannon

Grade 8

Headmaster’s list: Haley Elkind, Madeleine Howerdel, Emma LeBlanc, Lucy Treece, Jubilee Tremblay

Grade 9

Headmaster’s list: ...

It might be helpful to begin where I left off in my previous message.

“Givers of life remind us that no one person can live without being carried by someone else. All of our lives are relational. We are who we carry and how we respond to them. As individuals, all of our days are measured by how we give ourselves. As members of society, all of our existence is measurable by the record of life-giving, collected in memory as history, and practiced as culture.” [italics added for emphasis]

The next question becomes, “What is the purpose of this vision?” The answer may or may not...

Well, it’s happened again.  I can’t say it surprises me anymore, but it definitely brings me great delight when I see it.

The students head off into the summer at the beginning of June and when they return in September, they are changed.  They have matured and “grown in stature before God and man.”

The young girl who struggled with a temper has returned with a sweet spirit and a beautiful smile for her teachers and her classmates.

A young man with a tendency to make questionable decisions has come back to school with a new determination to do the right thing.

A student who struggled with impu...