One of the primary goals outlined in our mission statement is to “offer a rigorous course of study in the Western liberal arts tradition, teaching students to discover goodness, truth, and beauty in every discipline as a reflection of God.” A great deal of preparation goes into the fulfillment of this statement. The governing board supports the school by upholding the […]
Culture
Harvesting Where We Did Not Plant: The Story of a Brick-and-Mortar School
In the summer of 2017 on a sweltering weekday morning, I parked just south of the Capitol and walked to the Michigan Department of Education, holding the hands of my two toddlers, in order to get a letter of approval declaring us a school. I had tried and failed to register our school with the […]
Five Tips to Enjoy Nature with Your Family
Building family culture is simply about doing things together. Shared experiences, shared interests, and repeated activities (traditions) are what stick in kids’ memories and make your family a fun place to belong. Exploring nature is together is a relatively easy, free activity that is accessible to all. Even if the outdoors isn’t your thing, the […]
Three Ways to Reinforce Classical Education at Home
If what your children do at school matters, then how they live at home ought to matter even more. At Cedar, we want our students to celebrate the continuity in the Lord’s sovereignty and grace in all things, whether that be during a lesson on fractions or while taking out the trash at home. We […]
Family Worship
Jason Helopoulos is a Cedar dad since 2019 and pastor of University Reformed Church. He is author of A Neglected Grace: Family Worship in the Christian Home which calls parents and church leaders to reclaim the practice of family worship. To encourage Cedar families to build strong family cultures in their own homes, we asked […]
Count the Cost, Part IV: Failure
Count the Cost is a blog series designed for prospective parents. In our fourth installment, we asked Miss Katherine Bradford about how a classical school’s high standards inevitably mean that students will deal with failure. (Spoiler Alert: We think that is a good thing.) Katie was a founding teacher at Oakdale Academy in Waterford Township […]
Count the Cost, Part III: Tiny School
Count the Cost is a blog series designed for prospective parents. In our third installment, we asked the Poortenga family about the steep costs of pioneering at such a small school community in which each family plays a major part in shaping the school culture. The Poortengas co-founded Trinitas Classical School, a Michigan K-8 classical […]
Count the Cost, Part II: A Singing Culture
Count the Cost is a blog series designed for prospective parents. In our second installment, we asked our music teacher to explain why we spend so much – so much – time singing. If you a spend a day at Cedar Classical Academy, you will quickly notice that we constantly sing together throughout the school hours. The […]
Count the Cost, Part I: Money Etc.
Count the Cost is a blog series designed for prospective parents. In our first installment, we asked the Liebing family about the financial sacrifices they have made over the past 21 years of their involvement with Mars Hill Academy. Our core conviction is this: we have a responsibility as parents to do the best we […]
Christmas Gift Guide 2020: Books
Our staff has compiled some family read-alouds and gifts for grandparents or friends interested in classical education. Keep scrolling for our top book picks from the year. Family Read-Alouds Mrs. Berggren: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle Mr. Hummel: The Binding of the Blade by L.B. Graham Mrs. Hummel: Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome Mrs. Peng: Where […]
Christmas Gift Guide 2020: Staff Picks for Kids
Welcome to Cedar Classical Academy’s Christmas Gift Guide! Our staff has compiled gift recommendations for the children in your life. Keep scrolling for our practical, tried-and-true, and sometimes unconventional picks for this Christmas season! This post is not sponsored. For even more gift ideas, check out our read-aloud and book list. Boys Kindergarten-2nd Grade Mr. […]
From Great to Okay: What we’ve learned about distance learning
We at Cedar Classical Academy are confident that, right now, mid-pandemic, we continue to offer the best K-6 educational option in Lansing. Now beginning our ninth week of distance learning, we have kept our mission alive. Cedar Classical Academy’s culture has been marked since our founding by parental partnership, high standards, character emphasis, and real […]
Quarantine Chronicles: One Thing We Miss
We asked our teachers one thing they miss about school during distance learning. Here’s what they said: “I miss the laughter and enthusiasm each student brings to my class” – Mrs. Meibeyer, Physical Education “I miss circling up to read poems with the kindergartners!” -Mrs. Setterington, Kindergarten “I miss hearing the students sing!” – Mrs. […]
“Beauty is not an elective”: Our Music Curriculum
Here is a glimpse of Wassail & Carols, our December 12 celebration of Christ’s incarnation through recitation and carols. This was also a night to revel in the musicianship that our music teacher, Mrs. Peng, has been teaching to our students. At Cedar, we like to say that beauty is not an elective. We think […]
The Mission Series, Pt. V | “A springboard to understanding the created world”: The Western liberal arts tradition
Those who become involved with classical Christian education quickly discover that, as with any specific discipline, there is a vocabulary that usually seems foreign and intimidating to newcomers. Classical educators liberally spice their conversation with words like “headmaster,” “dialectic,” “rhetoric,” “the Great Conversation,” and “trivium.” From context, most pick up some vague idea of what […]
Feedback: “What we have in common is more significant than what divides us”
A primary purpose for our events here at Cedar Classical Academy is to welcome people with different views to the table to continue what Mortimer Adler calls The Great Conversation. Our friend Dr. Peter Vande Brake spoke on classical education in an urban context at our May 10 Academy Dinner. Here, our friend Dr. David […]
“I will learn the True, I will do the Good, I will love the Beautiful”: The culture of a classical school
As many of you know, we are in the process of founding a private classical school in Lansing sometime 2019-2021. We hosted an introduction to classical education on April 22 and visited two Michigan classical schools on May 1 and May 8. We have spent a lot of time this month talking pros and cons […]