St. Jerome in Post Magazine...classical education...any MOCO catholic schools attempting this?

[Anonymous]

I was enamoured with the description of what the kids would be learning.....currently MOCO public but would try to find a way to afford an education like that being offered at St. J's...

[Anonymous]

OMG, I just came onto DCUM to post about St J's. It is beyond random that someone else just posted about the school, because it is really not typical DCUM private school board fare. So, I live in the Hyattsville Historic District a few blocks from the school. (Actually, my child isn't school age yet, but I shamelessly read the school boards all the time.) Anyhow, this evening my neighbors told me to check out the new video featuring another neighborhood kid. I watched it on You Tube, and it didn't make any sense. Then, after looking at the school website, I realized that it was a parody of the Chrysler Super Bowl commercial and I can't stop cracking up. On second thought, it might not be as hilarious if you don't live here and know the kid in the video... http://www.stjeromes.org/stjeromeschool.htm

To answer the PP's question, I don't know of anything like this in MoCo, but I can tell you that tuition at St. Jerome's is way way more affordable than most private schools. Something like 5 to 8K I think. Move to the neighborhood, join the parish, and they will make sure that it works out for you no matter your income level. Lots of big (4-8 kids) families are everywhere here, and the school works with them to make a dollar go the distance. Good Luck! I love living here

[Anonymous]

Right now, St. Jerome Academy is unique in the Washington area -- although as the article mentions, several Catholic dioceses elsewhere in the country are planning to implement the St. Jerome educational plan in all their schools -- including one of the nation's largest archdioceses.

As PP poster indicated, St. Jerome has one of the lowest tuition rates of any private school -- especially if you are Catholic (non-Catholics pay a non-subsidized rate).

Hyattsville is in western PG, about 15 minutes from Silver Spring or Takoma Park. There are some families from eastern MoCo sending their kids here, so carpooling is a possibility.

We have three kids all in their first year at St. J's, and we've been absolutely delighted. And this is just the first year of the new program.

The school has a rigorous process for implementing the plan and continuous improvement, and continues to attract unsolicited applications from top-quality teachers from all over. (Next year, due to only one teacher leaving -- a retirement -- there is a single new hire, but she is a young department chair with two Master's degrees who designed the curriculum for that department at a prestigious NoVa private high school.) Thus, I expect things will get even better with time.

I'm told there is a waiting list for kindergarten but pre-school and some of the elementary and middle school grades still have spots available. There is a response form at the home page, http://stjeromeacademy.org (the school just changed its name last week), if you'd like to get more information.

[Anonymous]

Sounds similar to the Heights. They teach liberal arts - they recite poems like St. J. The Heights is more expensive though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds similar to the Heights. They teach liberal arts - they recite poems like St. J. The Heights is more expensive though.

I couldn't help but chuckle at PP's comment because I went to the school Web site and they have a new video posted there that parodies the famous/infamous Chrysler Eminem Super Bowl commercial and in the video the narrator says, "We're a private school, but we're not The Heights ..."

Also loved the cute skateboarding kid who delivers the punch line in Latin ...

http://stjeromes.org/stjeromeschool.htm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hyattsville is in western PG, about 15 minutes from Silver Spring or Takoma Park. There are some families from eastern MoCo sending their kids here, so carpooling is a possibility.

St Jerome is even closer to D.C. -- about a mile from the line. Five minutes from Woodridge, 10 from Brookland, etc. A fair number of kids enrolled from N.E. D.C., as far as Capitol Hill (15 minutes).

[Anonymous]

That is funny - since I posted the Heights comment.

I think most people who have grown up in the Archdiocese of Washington school are very comfortable poking fun at each other's schools without it being mean or spiteful. We are all friends now that we are no longer in our teens.

Looks like somebody put together a great program at St. J's. Can't wait to see how it progresses.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I agree - I don't think it was meant to be spiteful. It sounded like they were saying that those are great schools but that St. Jerome's is not as upscale, maybe more diverse. Like, "we may not look like what you expect one of the best schools to look like, but your kid would still get a great education here."