Congratulations to the following Gladwyne Library’s 36th Junior Author Contest winners:  Patrick Devine (poem “Right Down Santa Clause Lane,” Honorable Mention), Maggie Harnish (poem “A Horse Named Pete,” first place), Stephanie Meell (poem “My Sledding Hill,” second place), Ace Robinson (poem “Dad Travel,” first place), and Mikhail Shevchenko (poem “Whipping Wind Weather,” Honorable Mention).   There were a total of 851 entries from 17 different area schools!

Both Ace Robinson’s and Maggie Harnish’s poems will be published in Main Line Life in the upcoming months.

Julia Soper, TAA ‘06, Swarthmore ‘11 and Kate Anthony, TAA ‘05 and University of Pennsylvania ‘10, have  been admitted to the prestigious Middlebury Language program this summer in Middlebury, VT. Julia will participate in the Russian language program, and Kate will participate in the Arabic program.  Congratulations, Kate and Julia!

In the Spring 2008 issue of The Intercollegiate Review: A Journal of Scholarship & Opinion, an article by Peter J. Leithart, entitled “The New Classical Schooling,” refers specifically to The American Academy (p. 7). In the milieu of classical schooling, Leithart quotes the status quo: “At the Veritas School in Lancaster, students take Latin for six years before switching to Greek for two years, but Headmaster Ty Fischer admits that his students do not yet learn the languages as well as they should. Veritas initially taught Latin with the real aim of achieving ‘English mastery,’ but Fischer says they are now ‘moving in the direction of mastering Latin.’ … From his vantage point at CiRCE, Andrew Kern points to some language success stories, including [T]he American Academy in Philadelphia and St. Peter’s in Dallas. Yet he laments that many classical schools have ‘concluded that “classical” means three stages and a lot of books.’ Few schools ‘see mastery as the goal.’ Instead classical schools [often] teach Latin to help with English grammar, to raise SAT scores, or to increase vocabulary….”

Leithart adds that “What draws people to classical Christian schools is the children [and the teachers] they see who are different—more articulate, more respectful, and more intelligent.”

The entire article is available online at the Intercollegiate Study Institute’s web journal, “First Principles“

Last Monday, our students had the privilege of attending a lecture by George Weigel, entitled Faith, Reason, and the War against Jihadism. The lecture was sponsored by the Foreign Policy Research Institute and was given at the Union League of Philadelphia. George Weigel is a Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington. Mr. Weigel is very concerned about American “cultural self confidence,” and whether Americans know enough about our country to be convicted that the American system is worth preserving. Mr. Weigel was heard on Thursday being interviewed by WNTP radio host Dennis Prager, about the deplorable state of law in Britain where enclaves of muslim sharia law has been protected, including allowing “honor killings” of young women who do not wear the veil, etc.

Winter time means time for The Philadelphia Classical Competition, sponsored by the Philadelphia Classical Society!  Grades 6-12 are busily working on original poems or stories in Latin or English inspired by classical mythology, history, or literature, for the Sixty-Ninth Annual Latin Week Competition.  Because creative writing involves so many revisions to get the entries into good and proper form, these pieces are written over a period of several weeks.  Our students have also completed Greek Pottery to be entered into the art portion of the competition, and we are working on posters with this year’s theme of “love” as expressed in classical mottoes in latin.  Students are encouraged to build models for the model category, or make classical jewelry or clothing items.  Judging will take place at the Baldwin school in February.

Congratulations to Stephanie Meell, whose poem “My Sledding Machine,” and to David Null,  whose poem “The Slingshot Sled” won “Honorable Mention” for Cricket Magazine’s poetry contest on a “beautiful moment you experience during the winter holiday season,” to be published in March 2008.

Congratulations to former student Julie Soper, TAA ’05, Swarthmore College ’11, who has received an invitation to be a “key speaker” at the International Convention of Rotary International,” Los Angeles, CA, June 12-14.  Winning a year scholarship to Siberia last year, Julie has been asked to speak about her experiences throughout the region.  Her presentation at the winter Rotary Eastern States Student Exchange was described as “excellently delivered, well organized, very insightful, and quite entertaining,” thus earning her the trip to Los Angeles.  Julie will speak immediately after the Rotary International President addresses the convention.  What an honor for Julie—and for TAA.  BRAVA!

Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Norfolk, VA has recorded the entire Shorter Catechism on MP3 files. This resource may be downloaded for free, used on the PC, copied to MP3 players, or converted to cd audio files and burned to cd. This could be a very handy way for students to review their catechism questions! Go to http://ipcnorfolk.org/resources.shtml and scroll to the bottom of the page to find the MP3 files (HT to Mr. Barry Hofstetter of the TAA faculty).

We’re starting a new post category called “TAA Top Picks.” This will consist of lectures and cultural events that we recommend or plan to attend. This week, they are:

1. The Heavens are Telling the Glory of God: C.S. Lewis, Narnia, and the Planets - A brief talk by Dr. Michael Ward from Cambridge University, author of the newly released book, Planet Narnia, Sunday, February 3 at 8pm, following the evening service, Fellowship Hall Tenth Presbyterian Church, 17th and Spruce Streets, Philadelphia. See http://www.planetnarnia.com. Author Ward’s thesis is that Lewis secretly based his Narnia books on the seven heavens described in medieval cosmology books, and the link given will lead you to interesting reading on his blog. (HT to the Schevchenko family).
2. Faith, Reason, and the War against Jihadism, by George Weigel. This is a Foreign Policy Research Institute lecture at the Union League of Philadelphia, 140 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA on Monday, February 4, 2008 (4:00 reception, 4:30 lecture). From the FPRI website events page: “George Weigel is a Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington. His other books include Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II (HarperCollins, 1999), The Cube and the Cathedral: Europe, America, and Politics Without God (Basic Books, 2005), and God’s Choice: Pope Benedict XVI and the Future of the Catholic Church (HarperCollins, 2005).” Mr. Weigel gets a “thumbs up” from Mr. Tom Anderson, who hosted a Barnes and Noble event with Mr. Weigel and Fr. John Neuhaus. This event is free and open to the public.
3. Jerry Pinkney: Aesop’s Fables and Other Tails is an exhibition at the Brandywine River Museum from November 23, 2007 through March 9, 2008. From the museum website, the exhibition “features delightful and skillful portrayals of animals from The Tortoise and the Hare, The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, and other classic fables by Aesop.” For more information, see http://www.brandywinemuseum.org/news2007/news081.html
4. How Election 1936 gave us Election 2008, a Wynnewood Institute lecture by Amity Shlaes on Thursday, February 21, 7:30 p.m. From the Wynnewood Institute website, “Before the 1930s the role of the federal government in American society was small. There was little federal regulation of the economy. President Franklin Roosevelt, however, changed the course of American history and the very nature of American society by deliberately inaugurating an active role for government in solving the economic problems of society at the time of the Great Depression…” Our students will have a wonderful historic perspective on how the role of government has changed over the last 75 years, and the implications for the upcoming elections. The lecture will be help at Wyndham House, Bryn Mawr College, with a reception after the lecture. TAA students and families, please RSVP as soon as possible to Mrs. Anthony. Others may contact the Wynnewood Institute as described on their contact page. To read more about Ms. Shlaes, visit http://www.amityshlaes.com/index.php

5. 11th Annual Lincoln Symposium: The Image of the Great Emancipator: Abraham Lincoln, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Battle for Public Memory, featuring keynote speaker Harold Holzer, Co-Chairman, United States Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, Wednesday, February 27, 2008, 4:00 p.m. Reception, 4:30 p.m. Lecture, 5:45 p.m. optional tour of the Union League. This event is sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Foundation of The Union League of Philadelphia, in cooperation with the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Marvin Wachman Fund for International Education. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to celebrate the President’s Day month of February. TAA students and families, please RSVP to Mrs. Anthony as soon as possible.

Wednesday, November 21 was our annual fall fencing tournament in Philadelphia, held at the Fencing Academy of Philadelphia, at Lancaster Avenue and 36th Street. We had an enthusiastic crowd of cheerleaders from TAA, including friends and relatives of our students. Captains Joel Fink and Barbara Matejova did a great job of warming up the team, and helping the fencers when help was needed. Our opponent was Christ Classical Christian Academy, and a great time was had by all. We anticiapte a great re match in the spring, and all are invited.