School Song, School Spirit

     Many of us graduated from a college or university that continues to take pride in its venerable School Song—a song that few may know by heart, but all can hum.  A song with a rousing chorus that even freshmen can belt out at the top of their lungs.  A song that, shared years later with a handful of gathered classmates, can evoke such poignant memories of days long past that tears well up in every eye.  School Songs have always been intended to create bonds of loyalty, foster kinship, and ignite a spirit of common purpose.  In short, School Songs exist to cultivate School Spirit. 

     You may be surprised to learn that we at Paideia have a School Song all our own.  It has never been formally designated as such, but it is our tradition to sing it together as a school family during Convocation at the beginning of the year, and again at Commencement when graduates receive their diplomas.  Our School Song is the Irish hymn “Be Thou My Vision.”  It is not just a song; it is a prayer set to music.  It is the mirror image of the School Songs of secular academia, because it does not create School Spirit.  Rather, it is the Spirit of God who infuses our School Song with a supernatural sense of loyalty, kinship, and common purpose.  It is not a muscular athletic “fight” song but, rather, a melody of such haunting sweetness and beauty that it draws us for a few moments back into our lost Eden, before lifting us into the Heavenly throne room where we will find Paradise again.

     Our School Song consists of five stanzas, each of which is in itself an expressive jewel.  Each conveys a truth about the inimitable character of our God.  Thus, each is worthy of individual scrutiny.  And that is what each will receive over the course of the next five Articles. 

     In the meantime . . . let Him be your vision and your Song!  

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q:  What is the core mission of Paideia Classical Christian School?

A:   Paideia’s mission is “to educate students to love both the Lord and learning so that they

       thrive as passionate disciples of Christ, exceptional scholars and virtuous citizens.”  Our

       highest aspiration for our students is that they become people of genuine Christian

       character, whose hearts love what is true, good, and beautiful and who can wisely

       distinguish from it all that is false, evil, and ugly.

Q:  What makes Paideia different from a traditional Christian school?

A:   Our model of education is fundamentally different!  Rooted in the teaching methods that

       produced ancient Greek culture, fueled the Renaissance, and energized the intellects of

       America’s Founding Fathers, the classical model of education enables Paideia to teach

       Grammar (Elementary), Dialectic (Middle School), and Rhetoric (High School) students in a

       manner consistent with their maturing interests and capacities.  Knowing that Jesus Christ is

       Lord over all His Creation and the Author of all Truth, Paideia is not content to acknowledge

       Him in a single weekly Chapel session, but rather integrates faith and the Word of God into

       all our classes, in every discipline.  Finally, we choose not to teach our students what to

       think, but how to think: clearly and logically, about any issue they might encounter in life.     

Q:  Why should parents continue to educate their children at Paideia through high school?

A:   Character formation and sound reasoning require time and continuous cultivation.  Our

       higher-level curriculum (including instruction in Latin, Logic, and Greek) strengthens

       students’ “mental muscle” and prepares them to ascend to the next educational level

       successfully.  Our record of strong performance in FACCS competitions and State Spelling

       Bees validates our educational model’s quality.      

Author: 

     Marne Kendrick graduated from The Colorado College in 1980 with a BA in Romance Languages and from Stanford University Law School in 1984 with a Juris Doctor degree.  She became a disciple of Jesus Christ at the age of 39 and a mother at the age of 42.  She and her husband enrolled their son in the 6th Grade at Paideia Classical Christian School, where he studied throughout high school until his graduation in 2017.  During this period, Mrs. Kendrick accepted a teaching position at Paideia and continued to instruct students in Logic, Literature, Bible, and Latin for seven years.  She currently serves as an appointed member of the Paideia Board of Directors.