Mr. Andy Gist —
Headmaster and Founder

As parents, we want the best education for our children. But what is the best manner in which to achieve this? To answer this, we must consider two questions. First, what is the purpose of a human being? Second, what is the purpose of life? The ancients believed the fundamental purpose of education is to cultivate excellence, or virtue, (arete) in young people in order to live a life of happiness (eudaimonia). The Greek philosopher Plato likened education to the blueprint of a ship that will guide children best through the voyage of life.

The founders of the American Republic understood that the success of our great republican “experiment” rested in large part on a wise and virtuous citizenry educated in the principles of liberty and capable of self-government. They believed that a classical education, based in the artes liberales (from the Latin artes - “skills” or “arts” and liberal from the Latin liber, meaning “free” or independent) is essential in a democracy if citizens are to govern themselves wisely, understand the complexities of and form sound judgements about public issues and policies, and make informed contributions to the deliberations of the republic. Our very form of republican government, of the people, by the people, and for the people, is rooted in classical antiquity.

In our lifetime, we have seen a fundamental shift in schooling away from what the true purpose of education is meant to be; away from an emphasis on intellectual, moral, and civic virtue towards a decidedly pragmatic and utilitarian purpose. As a parent, I have witnessed how one educational fad after another and countless spending on education, has produced lackluster results. As an assistant professor during my Navy career, I saw the ramifications of young people who do not have a proper primary education – students with college degrees who are not culturally literate about their own heritage and cannot articulate themselves in a thoughtful or persuasive manner.

As Dorothy Sayers stated in her now famous 1947 speech, “although we often succeed in teaching our pupils "subjects," we fail lamentably on the whole in teaching them how to think: they learn everything except the art of learning.”

I unequivocally believe that the best approach to education is a classical education, because it is a proven approach that will teach your child how to learn and become an independent thinker in their formative years. More importantly, it is an approach that will nurture your child's humanity while inspiring them to lead a rich, thoughtful, and virtuous life. Classical education is education for knowledge and character. Its purpose is to teach what it is to be a true human being, living within a moral order. Classical education disciplines and opens the mind to engage in a higher order of thinking and allows students to compete in, what George Washington called, the “arena of ideas." It creates a wise and virtuous citizenry who know their history so deeply, they can apply the lessons of the past to solve contemporary problems.

I spent the majority of my adult life upholding and defending the principles of our founding. The future of our country depends on preparing young people who will become the future guardians of the American republic to act worthy of the blessings of liberty entrusted to them. I founded Hampton Roads Classical with the vision of bringing the time-honored approach of classical education to our area in Virginia. I would love to meet you and share more about our vision of excellence.