Classical Catholic grammar school launches in Harlem

CNA Staff, Nov 10, 2024 / 07:00 am

A group of religious sisters has launched the only classical Catholic elementary school in New York City’s Harlem, designed to meet the needs of the city’s low-income families.  

Saint John Paul the Great Academy serves its students through its scholarship program while offering high-quality classical Catholic education. The school is managed by an order of religious sisters focused on evangelization: the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará, known as the “Servidoras.” 

While New York state public schools rank in the top 10 in the nation, less than half of third through eighth graders are proficient in reading, while only about 53% are proficient in math, according to a 2024 report. 

A little more than 70% of students in the New York City public school district are economically disadvantaged, according to data from the district from the 2023-2024 school year, meaning private education is less accessible for families. 

“We try to take up the torch of the way that Catholic education has been doing for centuries,” Sister Mary Mother of Truth Westermeyer, a Servidora and principal of Saint John Paul the Great Academy, told CNA. “And that includes the formation of the entire person.”

A community effort 

The only Catholic liberal arts elementary school in the five boroughs of New York City, Saint John Paul the Great Academy was largely a “community effort,” with families pitching in to help prepare the learning spaces. The academy began this year with a humble 11 students in grades kindergarten, first, and second grade, but Sister Truth said the school has plans to add grades as the students grow, ultimately looking to be a K–8. 

The sisters tag-teamed with families to help get the school in shape for its inaugural school year.

“We’ve experienced a really festive environment of joy — a family spirit,” Sister Truth said, noting that it is important to involve the family in education. 

The academy has plans for a monthly “family night” intended to “to give a formation point to the parents to help support them in their vocation to educate their children as primary [educators],” she explained.

At the first family night, the students participated in a procession around campus, which Sister Truth called “a moment of joy with the kids.” 

“They had a little procession with John Paul II [and] Our Lady around the campus and prayed the rosary together,” she recalled. 

Teacher Jennifer Rodriguez also highlighted the community at the academy. She told CNA that she values “the wonderful community we have created together in these couple of months.” 

Rodriquez added that the school was “not just a place for learning; it is a welcoming environment filled with the love of Christ and a commitment to nurturing our families.”

“When you walk through our doors, you can sense the warmth and encouragement that surrounds us all,” Rodriguez continued. “It brings me joy to see our students and their families excited to be here. We are touched by the many small yet profound ways God influences our lives and the lives of our families.” 

When asked why a Catholic liberal arts education was important to her, one parent, Sylvia Ramirez, said: “It is important because I realize that not all schools care about the well-being of the children academically, spiritually, and morally.”

“The community is very welcoming and respectful and compassionate,” Ramirez added. “What inspired me to choose the academy is the education they give the children, which develops in the children values and concern for others.” 

Jesus, day to day

Sister Truth said that each day of the week, a member of the staff shares a reflection on a theme relating to the Catholic faith, ranging from Mary and the saints to virtue and the Mass. 

“Jesus is our companion throughout the whole day,” Sister Truth said. “But I hope you understand what I mean. It doesn’t have to be weird; it has to be natural because our coexistence with him as our friend and our guide needs to be imbibed from a very young age.” 

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The sisters take inspiration from St. John Bosco, who worked with orphaned boys. They model some of their practices on his style and approach. 

Bosco had a “good night” spiritual practice for the boys who were staying at the orphanage.  

“He would stress some virtue or some habit that needed to be formed in the boys or something that he noticed during the day that needed to be corrected,” Sister Truth explained. “So each one of the staff members — because we’re five — we each have a day of the week where we give a ‘good morning’ to help them focus on something.” 

It’s important, Sister Truth added, to “share your expectations” with both students and parents.

“We use the preventative system of St. John Bosco,” Sister Truth said. “We make our goals known, and then we remind the kids over and over again that we want to be good Christians and good citizens.”

Another teacher, Molly Jensen, told CNA that the children at the academy “are so eager to learn” and to “know the Lord.”

“We learn about the different disciplines, but in each of those, both the students and myself get to learn more about Jesus,” Jensen said. “With the classical curriculum, it allows for us to form the whole person and not just their intellect.” 

“There is a great freedom when education is rooted in Christ and the sacraments that allows the children to truly love learning and want to come to school every day,” she continued. 

When asked what inspires her to teach at the academy, Jensen explained that it was all about Christ.

“What inspires me to work at Saint John Paul the Great Academy is Christ’s perfect love and my love of Christ and the deep desire to lead all souls closer to him,” she said. “Every day I get to lead these children closer to Jesus and in turn, they are leading their families closer to him.”

“The children, with their great joy and wonder, show me every day what it is to have childlike faith and love Jesus without reserve!” she added.

Scholarship development 

Both the sisters as well as families at the school are pooling their resources in the first year, helping with construction, cleaning, and other necessities. Sister Truth said it has required the staff to “think outside the box with a lot of faith.” The school is currently working with the Children’s Scholarships Fund but is looking for additional partners to sponsor students. 

“Thus far, the sisters have been seeking those benefactors who want to sponsor a child’s education here in Harlem, and that’s how we’ve been able to assure our employees that they’re going to have their paycheck and they’re going to have their benefits,” Sister Truth said. “But we have to think outside the box with a lot of faith to make something like this work.”

Sister Truth said that families help out in ways that they can, whether they are trade workers who can help with construction projects or can volunteer for the weekly schedule to help with cleaning. She noted that it would be easy for families to simply send their kids to New York public schools, “but these families are really fighting” to have their kids attend the academy.

“Our hope is that we never lose the buy-in from the family,” she said. 

“We’re all very convinced by God’s hand in this project,” Sister Truth noted. “There have already been students coming to visit, and [we’ve] only been in session for six weeks for the next year.”

Sister Truth plans to go forward with “lots of grit and lots of prayer.”  

“We know that God is calling, and we want to respond, and people are not surprised anymore when they see him come through because we know him, and we see his goodness palpably every day,” she said.