1,000 OF THESE SCHOOLS NEEDED

                  Last week I had the distinct pleasure of spending a day at St. Martin's Academy in Fort Scott, Kansas.  I became acquainted with the school in the fall of 2020 (remember that?) when a busload of students stopped by for a farm tour as part of a trip to the east coast.  

                  What I remember were totally engaged teens, firm handshakes, and direct eye contact.  That's unusual these days.  When I was scheduled to do presentations out there, I decided to add a day and spend it at the school.  What a treat.  We need a thousand of these.

                  It's a Roman Catholic all boys boarding school with about 65 students grades 9-12 located on a farm.  These boys hand milk half a dozen grass-fed milk cows each morning for their roughly 20 gallons of raw milk they consume each day.  Only 7 years old, the school is still in its toddling stage, but carries a significant waiting list of parents who want to invest in this for their sons.

                  The school has four objectives:

1.  Nurture authentic masculinity

2.  Awaken Wonder

3.  Heal the imagination

4.  Develop attentiveness.

                  The curriculum includes liturgy, academics, farming, sports, recreation and music. The motto is "cast out into deep waters."  No screens are allowed on campus.  None; zero.  Everyone plays rugby and the school team just Saturday went into a three-peat state rugby championship over rival St. Thomas Aquinas 50-0.  Until three years ago, St. Thomas won the state championship 13 years in a row.  St. Martin's now rules the roost.  Every student learns to play the dulcimer.

                  Of particular interest to me was getting to meet the first student in their seven-year history to accomplish the Deerslayer badge.  That means he went to the woods, cut a branch, used a drawknife to shave it into a bow, twist a string from thread and kill a deer with it.  He spent four years making bows, trying to get them perfectly balanced, perfectly symmetrical, and perfectly carved (wood fibers must go from tip to tip).  What an amazing accomplishment.

                  And wow, could these guys sing.  They serenaded me when it was time to leave, with harmonious parts and gusto.  Juniors get to wear kilts once a week.  Their academics center around the classics.  

                  Wednesday is work day.  They have pastured chickens and an eggmobile.  They butcher chickens, lambs, and pigs.  Every single boy had the demeanor and eye sparkle you'd want as your partner on a project.  Some may think this is a step back in time, but I think it's a step forward into human flourishing.  Oh, whenever a woman walked into a room, they all stood up and offered a chair.  

                  As an example of their learning, they re-create the Battle of Preveza from 1538, a decisive naval battle between the Ottoman Turks and Holy Roman Empire.  The boys receive cardboard, duct tape, and something like Crisco, using these three things to build boats to re-enact that battle in the farm pond.  When I visit a place like this, my overwhelming thought is a tearful yearning that every child could have an experience like that.  We need a thousand of these schools.

                  Is farmwork and learning a Biblical timeline contradictory to academics?