BELFIELD BANTER THE
June 8th, 2022
Issue #8
The St. Anne’s-Belfield School Student Newspaper
In This Issue:
CAPSTONE PROJECT: WHY EVERYONE SHOULD BE A HUMANIST
HOW DO YOU MEASURE A PROGRAM’S SUCCESS? SMILES! AN INTERVIEW WITH ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, MR. SETH KUSHKIN
(FINAL EDITION) CONVERSATIONS WITH COLLEGE COUNSELING WHY DO HUMANS LIKE TORTILLA CHIPS? FACULTY FEATURE: MR. JUSTIN ESPOSITO EDITOR’S NOTE
born into artisans, they would attend a formal school to receive a rudimentary education focused on grammar and ancient texts. Further, they would abandon specialized schooling to begin shadowing and learning the trade of their fathers. Finally, if a child was born into a noble or royal family, they would either attend a formal school or participate in one-on-one tutoring and would continue their studies past the point of literacy into adolescence. However, as humanists began to alter the traditional curricula by including a basic Latin education in every region, establishing communal schools in most Italian communes, or towns, and translating and amending Latin textbooks, working and middle class citizens were able to gain exposure to and obtain “professional” occupations. Previously, only Latin speaking upper middle class, noble, and royal citizens could be in legal, political, religious, or medical positions. Communal schools in rural areas, less advanced, more organized Latin and grammar textbooks in different vernaculars; and the incorporation of Latin into every curricula represented the first steps toward bridging the rural and urban economic and educational divide in Europe.
WHY EVERYONE SHOULD BE A HUMANIST
by Ally Alvarez — Although humanism began during the late Middle Ages, the philosophy’s values are far from outdated. Humanism is constantly reflected in the modern world, and it is responsible for some of the current school system’s most effective programs. Since 1300, humanism’s influence has touched every individual who has received a formal education and established the foundation for increasing access and quality of education regardless of class and location. To begin, humanists inspired financial aid scholarships, rural outreach programs, and the public school system. Prior to the fall of the Medieval Era, the education a student received was entirely based upon the social status of their family. For instance, if a child was born into a peasant family, they would receive minimal inhome schooling from a family member or friend who was likely only partially literate and would begin manual labor at a young age. If a child was
We can also credit humanism for the idea that schools should encourage students to grow academically and morally. As secularism gained popularity, humanists employed biblical texts and Christian doctrines to teach ethics rather than religion. They used such writings as examples of important leadership qualities and how to act in trying circumstances. Later in the Renaissance, a nearly perfect balance between a religious and secular education was achieved as Jesuits established their first, free school. This school combined a high quality humanist curriculum with religious study and secular, moral education and became a model for later Christian humanist schools. This balance can be seen in modern religious schools and page one