Bloomington-Normal is widely recognized for the quality and quantity of its schools. Yet a group of people says it's identified a need for a new private Christian school with a unique curriculum.
White Horse Academy plans to open this fall. Head of School and Teacher Sarah Fletcher and School Board President Drew Martin said White Horse’s specific style of education differs from what other schools in the area offer.
“We are a Classical Christian school,” Martin said. “Our mission is to glorify God by providing a classical and Christ-centered education for our students and for the community.”
White Horse will run out of Heartland Church in Normal and will provide K-3 education beginning in the fall. It plans to expand to a K-12 school as current students age up and the retention rates increase.
The four grade levels offered will be split into two classrooms, with K-1 in one class and 2-3 in the other. Even with combined grade levels, the academy’s target class size is about 15 students. According to Fletcher, the lower numbers will be beneficial for the students.
“It’s a lot more manageable for the teacher to individualize instruction and be able to meet the needs of students that have stronger abilities in something, versus students that need a little more support,” Fletcher said. “There’s a lot more ability of the teacher to meet those needs in a smaller classroom.”
Some of the ideas taught in a Classical Christian Education are quite broad and complex. The Association of Classical Christian Schools emphasizes teaching moral imagination and liberal arts. Fletcher explained how they plan to convey these ideas to their young audience.
“A lot of that is trying to be really intentional with what we’re putting in front of them as far as curriculum goes,” Fletcher said. “We really want to lay before them a feast of good literature and good ideas. We’ve gone through and looked at many different Classical Christian schools and what are they reading. Taking those books, or something even like ‘Frog and Toad’ and talking about what does it mean to be a good friend.”
Fletcher wanted to emphasize that while White Horse is a religious institution, it is still a school. There will be no distinct “school time” or “chapel time”; instead the Christian themes will be supplemented into the lessons.
“Our goal is to have the Christian aspect of what we’re doing be really integrated in what we’re teaching,” Fletcher said. “It’s not going to have a separate ‘we’re just doing chapel time’ or something like that, but really that a lot of the conversations we’re having in the classrooms [lead] back to the author of all of these things.”
As a member of the school board, Martin is less connected to the specifics of what goes on inside the classroom. He was able to offer a broader perspective on the educational climate of the academy.
“We kind of view our students as like placing them in a greenhouse,” Martin said. “While they’re in school, [we] view that as a time in a controlled environment where they can be exposed to all different kinds of ideas.”
White Horse will open its doors for the first time in August.
