Pillars OF EXCELLENCE & CHARACTER
A Quarterly Journal of the True North Foundation
A Framework for Charter Education Page 8
Seamus Heaney’s Clearances Page 10
Road to Santiago Page 14
Inside From our Head of Schools Page 3
VISION The vision of True North Classical Academy is to unleash a thirst for knowledge within our students. True North students will become lifelong learners as their passions align to their purpose in the pursuit of the True, Good, and Beautiful.
MISSION True North Classical Academy will achieve its vision through a rigorous, knowledge-rich curriculum grounded in the tradition of the classical liberal arts. Through steadfast focus on scholarship, citizenship, and leadership in an environment that values and models intellectual and moral virtue, we are committed to empowering our students to reach their highest potential and sustain a lifelong love of learning.
LEADERSHIP Michael Bileca Tim Howard Jeanine Finlay Chereen Coile Sari Guevara Emma Rowlands Jorge Finlay
FOUNDATION Marc Snyder
CONTACT 9393 Sunset Drive Miami, FL, 33173
Titan Takeover Page 6
A Framework for Character Education Page 8
Seamus Heaney’s Clearances Page 10
Our Gateway Campus Page 12
Road to Santiago Page 14
our “New” Dadeland Campus Page 16
Get Your Dash On! Page 18
From Our Head of Schools Jeanine Finlay, Ed.S.
Dear Titan Families, We are thrilled to have all our students back on campus! Witnessing them interacting with each other and their new teachers, as well as settling into their schedules, brings such a smile to my face. The halls become alive during the transition between classes, and I love joining them to be a part of it. Those moments are my favorite parts of the day! This summer was a whirlwind here at the True North campus—brief, busy, and tremendously sWuccessful. Our summer camp hosted over eighty students, and the summer school classes and boot camps were filled to the brim. Parents volunteered to assist with various projects, all to help our school run more smoothly and efficiently. Amidst all the activities, it felt as if our school never closed for summer. The Titan spirit was just as present as ever! Three weeks before this school year officially launched, our teachers participated in intensive professional development seminars to enrich and further cultivate their knowledge and skill sets. Our schedule was jampacked with amazing speakers from across the nation to enlighten us on the methodology and pedagogy of classical education, trainers to educate teachers on our rigorous curriculum, and much time dedicated to lesson planning and team meetings. Through all this, I have to say we truly have an amazing staff of dedicated and educated professionals, and our leadership team was impressed with their passion for and knowledge of classical education.
“Alone we can do so little; together, we can do so much.” ~Helen Keller
And so, this year promises to be a great one full of memory-making activities and life-long learning. As I always say, none of this would be possible without our steadfast and supportive family community, for which I am eternally grateful. Warmest Regards, Jeanine Finlay
Note From Dr. Tim Howard Page 19
Note from the Foundation Page 20
3
First Day of School
Welcome Back Titans!
Titan Takeover!
T
rue North’s 9th-grade year kicked off in style on August 23, 2021, with its popular Titan Takeover of Tigertail Lake in Dania Beach, Florida. Approximately 100 Titans stormed the beach, scaling walls and building boats, engaging in various team building challenges that would test the spirits of even the most courageous. Three groups quickly formed and took to the following activites: a ropes course, an aquatics’ obstacle course, and a boat-building challenge. For the ropes course, students climbed netted ropes, crossed thin wire and suspended boards, and rappelled down a three-story platform. The aquatics challenge included a water obstacle course and playground, featuring 8 challenging elements fit for students to have fun. The boatbuildiing challenge culminated in a race to see which group’s boat was not only built to last, but also built for speed. Overall, day one at Tigertail was so much fun!
habits include: 1) be proactive, 2) begin with the end in mind, and 3) put first things first. Students participated in hands-on acitivities and thoughtful discussions that helped solidify their understanding of Covey’s principles. Following the Covey training, the culminating event was an explication and discussion of True North’s honor code and why students are called to the higher standards of honest and integrity. Students were called to sign and pledge fidelity to the code.
Day two of our 9th-grade Titan Takeover switched from the beach to assembly with a full-day crash course on Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Led by True North President Michael Bileca, students were taken through Covey’s definition of habit, in addition to his first three habits, comprising what Covey calls one’s ”private victory.” These
Page 45
A Framework For
Character Education
By Marc Snyder, Ed,D., Executive Director, True North Foundation much of this, we can already see. We don’t have to do more than turn the news on or simply walk outside our door, to see this cultural decline. This brings about the question: what kind of job then is our schools doing in morally forming our students? I think most would answer without much pause: “Not a very good one.” The solution? The development a clearly defined character education program built on virtue with the end goal: human and societal flourishing.
I
recently read an article published by the Jubilee Centre for Character & Virtue titled A Framework for Character Education. The article is foundational for students studying for their Master of Arts in Character Education, such as myself. Not to mention, it fits perfectly with what True North is tryng to accomplish with its students. I believe the article captures, nicely, the importance of character education and sets forth a framework upon which schools can build a solid character education program. This article is meant to offer some reflections and hopefully spark some good conversation. The article begins by offering a “why” to character education. Why should schools worry about forming students’ characters? Shouldn’t character formation be left to the job of parents? The answer comes with a proper understanding of the role of schools in society. Schools function in loco parentis, that is, in the place of parents. It is the role of the school to take the place of parents when the student is left in the school’s care. Since students are in school for a minimum of eight hours a day, 40 hours a week, the impact a school has on a child’s moral development is enormous. Nothing could be more important than properly shaping a student’s character. Ill-formed students would eventually result in an ill-formed society. An ill-formed society would bring about an erosion of culture. Unfortunately,
According to the Framework, which is based on an Aristotelian understanding of virtue, the pathway to a flourishing individual and society is based on the interaction of the following virtues: intellectual, moral, civic, and performing. Intellectual virtue refers to character traits necessary for right action and the pursuit of truth; moral virtue refers to character traits that enable us to act well in situations that require an ethical response; civic virtue refers to character traits necessary for engaged citizenship and contributing to the common good; and performance virtue refers to character traits that enable the other three (see p. 7 for examples of these different virtues). Although the above-mentioned virtues can be divided up into different categories, they form a coherent whole guided by the overarching intellectual virtue of practical wisdom. Practical wisdom is the virtue which the ancient Greeks called phronesis, which in plain language means: “good sense.” Practical wisdom, or good sense, can be defined as the “overall quality of knowing what to want and what not to want when the demands of two or more virtues collide, and to integrate such demands into an acceptable course of action” (Jubilee Centre, p. 4). To live with practical wisdom is to be a flourishing individual; enough flourishing individuals result in a flourishing society. The next question that arises is important: how do we teach virtue effectively in schools, so that individuals and consequently society may flourish? The “Framework” mentions three
interelated components that need to be taught in order to establish basic virtue literacy: 1) Virtue perception; 2) Virtue knowledge and understanding; and 3) Virtue reasoning. Virtue perception is concerned with noticing situations in need of virtues (let’s call this “virtue awareness”). Virtue knowledge and understanding involves acquiring the language of virtue terms and what they mean. Virtue reasoning is concerned with making reasoned judgments about various moral situations. And while being virtue-literate is the first step to becoming virtuous, all of the above (perception, knowledge and understanding, and reasoning) must translate into virtuous action. Students need to be convinced of the importance of acting morally. This is not difficult with younger children, as they are motivated by external praise, often by the teacher. The challenge is with middle and high school students. Middle and high school students are motivated more by their peers and the surrounding culture in which they find themselves. Unfortunately, we cannot control the outside culture. But we can control the culture inside the school. This is why it is extremely important to have a school ethos centered on virtue. The ethos of a school refers to the collective character of everyone.
everywhere: from Morning Assembly, to the hallways, classrooms, bulletin boards, gym, football field, interactions between teachers and students, Head of Schools’ messages, staff trainings, and relationships with parents. The message of “virtue” must be a resounding gong that is heard everywhere in school. And, most importantly, must be embodied. At True North, we place emphasis on the teaching and living out of virtue as the hallmark of what we do. From the Core Virtue program (K-6) to a constant emphasis of virtue with our older students, and in partnership with our parents, we continue to make a difference in the lives of our flourishing students and society as a whole.
Everyone at school must be bought into the importance of character. It must be reinforced 9
Seamus Heaney’s Clearances By Marc Snyder, Ed,D., Executive Director, True North Foundation
I
have never been one for understanding poetry. I enjoy reading it and can see the profundity of meaning hidden in the words, but have a difficult time abstracting meaning on my own. Nevertheless, in community reading and discussion, I am often able to make heads or tails of what’s being said, and if I’m lucky penetrate more deeply into the meaning. One such example happened recently. During one of our faculty trainings this summer, Andrew Zwerneman, President of Cana Academy, led a group of Upper School literature and humanities teachers in a seminar discussion of a poem by Nobel Prize laureate Seamus Heaney called Clearances (p. 9). It was one of the most profound poems I have ever read and has struck a chord, resonating deeply within me. I went back to read it multiple times afterwards in the hope of gleaning an even greater understanding. Below are some simple reflections offered to stir one’s thoughts. The poem is centered around the deathbed of Heaney’s mother, Margaret Kathleen Heaney (19111984). You can almost “hear” the sounds of the carefully crafted words chosen by Heaney as he reflects on his mother’s life lessons and impact she had on his him: how to cut coal properly, peel potatoes, how to remain intellectually humble, and how to pray reverntly at Mass.
Time seems to fly, back and forth, until one gets to the climax of the poem: the moment Heaney’s father whispers into his mother’s ear calling her “good and girl” and then she dies. Many of us have experienced something similar. Whether being witness to the love of a father for a mother, as the mother passes away, or simply having a loved one (father or mother) pass away. It is a moment one never forgets. The realization. The cries. The moment of emptiness that fills the air, as your loved one has passed on. And while this moment clearly rings with sadness, confusion, and grief, for Heaney, and for us, there is that sense of joy and hope that penetrates the “clearances” with relief knowing that your loved one has moved on to a better place. The final line of Sonnet 7 takes the idea of moving on with hope to a wholly “other” level:
“High cries were felled and a pure change happened.” What “pure change” is Heaney referring to? One might never know. Is it the change Heaney now feels after realizing the impact of his mother on his life. Is it some kind of mystical or transcendental transformation? Again, hard to tell. But I think we can all agree that anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one has been changed. For it is in these moments that we realize what’s most important in life. That life is short; yet, worth living. It comes and goes in the blink of an eye. Loved ones pass. Before we know it our kids are grown up, and we hope that we have left the same impact on their lives, as our parents have had on ours. I would invite you to take some time, if you haven’t already, to read the poem, Clearances, on p. 9. Or if you have already read it, read it again. Semanus Heaney Biography Seamus Heaney was born in 1939 in Northern Ireland. After initial studies, he went on to study Classics at Queen University before training to become a teacher. He taught at Dublin, Harvard, and Oxford. He won awards for not only his poetry, but for his translations of Classics as well (our True North 8th-graders read Beowulf, which is translated by Heaney). His poetry was influenced by his close-knit family, as seen in the poem Clearances. He went on to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995 and died in Dublin in 2013.
In Memoriam M.K.H., 1911-1984 She taught me what her uncle once taught her: How easily the biggest coal block split If you got the grain and hammer angled right. The sound of that relaxed alluring blow, Its co-opted and obliterated echo, Taught me to hit, taught me to loosen, Taught me between the hammer and the block To face the music. Teach me now to listen, To strike it rich behind the linear black. 1. A cobble thrown a hundred years ago Keeps coming at me, the first stone Aimed at a great-grandmother’s turncoat brow. The pony jerks and the riot’s on. She’s crouched low in the trap Running the gauntlet that first Sunday Down the brae to Mass at a panicked gallop. He whips on through the town to cries of ‘Lundy!’ Call her ‘The Convert’. ‘The Exogamous Bride’. Anyhow, it is a genre piece Inherited on my mother’s side And mine to dispose with now she’s gone. Instead of silver and Victorian lace, The exonerating, exonerated stone. 2. Polished linoleum shone there. Brass taps shone. The china cups were very white and big— An unchipped set with sugar bowl and jug. The kettle whistled. Sandwich and tea scone Were present and correct. In case it run, The butter must be kept out of the sun. And don’t be dropping crumbs. Don’t tilt your chair. Don’t reach. Don’t point. Don’t make noise when you stir. It is Number 5, New Row, Land of the Dead, Where grandfather is rising from his place With spectacles pushed back on a clean bald head To welcome a bewildered homing daughter Before she even knocks. ‘What’s this? What’s this? And they sit down in the shining room together. 3. When all the others were away at Mass I was all hers as we peeled potatoes. They broke the silence, let fall one by one Like solder weeping off the soldering iron: Cold comforts set between us, things to share Gleaming in a bucket of clean water. And again let fall. Little pleasant splashes From each other’s work would bring us to our senses. So while the parish priest at her bedside Went hammer and tongs at the prayers for the dying And some were responding and some crying I remembered her head bent towards my head, Her breath in mine, our fluent dipping knives— Never closer the whole rest of our lives. 4. Fear of affectation made her affect Inadequacy whenever it came to Pronouncing words ‘beyond her’. Bertold Brek. She’d manage something hampered and askew Every time, as if she might betray The hampered and inadequate by too
Well-adjusted a vocabulary. With more challenge than pride, she’d tell me, ‘You Know all them things.’ So I governed my tongue In front of her, a genuinely wellAdjusted adequate betrayal Of what I knew better. I’d naw and aye And decently relapse into the wrong Grammar which kept us allied and at bay. 5. The cool that came off sheets just off the line Made me think the damp must still be in them But when I took my corners of the linen And pulled against her, first straight down the hem And then diagonally, then flapped and shook The fabric like a sail in a cross-wind, They made a dried-out undulating thwack. So we’d stretch and fold and end up hand to hand For a split second as if nothing had happened For nothing had that had not always happened Beforehand, day by day, just touch and go, Coming close again by holding back In moves where I was x and she was o Inscribed in sheets she’d sewn from ripped-out flour sacks. 6. In the first flush of the Easter holidays The ceremonies during Holy Week Were highpoints of our Sons and Lovers phase. The midnight fire. The paschal candlestick. Elbow to elbow, glad to be kneeling next To each other up there near the front Of the packed church, we would follow the text And rubrics for the blessing of the font. As the hind longs for the streams, so my soul. . . Dippings. Towellings. The water breathed on. The water mixed with chrism and with oil. Cruet tinkle. Formal incensation And the psalmist’s outcry taken up with pride: Day and night my tears have been my bread. 7. In the last minutes he said more to her Almost than in all their life together. ‘You’ll be in New Row on Monday night And I’ll come up for you and you’ll be glad When I walk in the door . . . Isn’t that right?’ His head was bent down to her propped-up head. She could not hear but we were overjoyed. He called her good and girl. Then she was dead, The searching for a pulsebeat was abandoned And we all knew one thing by being there. The space we stood around had been emptied Into us to keep, it penetrated Clearances that suddenly stood open. High cries were felled and a pure change happened. 8. I thought of walking round and round a space Utterly empty, utterly a source Where the decked chestnut tree had lost its place In our front hedge above the wallflowers. The white chips jumped and jumped and skited high. I heard the hatchet’s differentiated Accurate cut, the crack, the sigh And collapse of what luxuriated Through the shocked tips and wreckage of it all. Deep-planted and long gone, my coeval Chestnut from a jam jar in a hole, Its heft and hush become a bright nowhere, A soul ramifying and forever Silent, beyond silence listened for. 11
Our Gateway Campus
W
e are so excited to welcome our new Gateway Campus to our True North Family of schools. Many of you are familiar with Gateway, as it has been the home to athletic training for our Titan athletes (football, soccer, basketball, etc.). It is a lush 10 acre campus with pre-existing buildings from a private, faith-based school that was in operation years ago. Now it is, officially, True North’s third campus, which will eventually become our second K-5 standalone campus and future home to our Titan football and soccer players. Currently, our Gateway campus is educating Kinder and 1st-grade students only with approximately 80
students in total. Our Gateway Campus is also home to our new corporate offices, which include the homes of True North’s President, the True North Foundation, and True North’s Director of Finance and finance team. Gateway is a beautiful, open campus with lots of space for our tiny Titans to run around and play. There are a lot of big classrooms and lots of room to grow, both in adding facilities and student numbers. If you have not yet visited Gateway, come by and ask for a tour. Overseeing our Gateway Campus is Mrs. Coile (who also oversees our Dadeland Campus).
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Road to Santiago BY Ms. Beatriz Roca, sunset campus
begin. After about 15 minutes of walking, I could see the Pyrenees Mountains. I wanted to turn around and run the other way as I had absolutely no idea how I was going to climb them. (Let’s remember that Miami has ZERO mountains….) Before I left St. John Pied de Port, a gentleman told me one thing: “You are beginning a 500 mile journey. Have faith that whatever you need, the Camino will provide.” I was not quite sure what he meant by that and it was a little difficult to understand and blindly accept what he had told me. (I did not necessarily embark on this journey with a religious purpose.) I had no choice but to begin. I literally took one step after another and somehow ended up at the very top of those mountains. Throughout this journey there were many times where I was left speechless, and with no words to ever explain some things. This is one of them.
A
couple of weeks after school ended, I flew to Spain to begin a pilgrimage I had been looking forward to for over 20 years. It is called the Camino to Santiago de Compostela. The Camino has existed for over 1,000 years. It is a pilgrimage to the Cathedral to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. The original route, the Camino Frances, takes you from St. John Pied de Port (in France), 500 miles across Spain. I wanted to do this for so many years, but my children were little and I could not leave them for five weeks. That said, my youngest son, Matthew, graduated from high school in May, so it was time. Landing in Madrid by myself, I took a train to St, John Pied de Port, which is where the Camino Frances begins, at the foot of the Pyrenees Mountains. I arrived with my backpack, which would have all the essentials I would need for the entire time I was walking the Camino (over a month). One soon learns to realize what is truly needed to live on a daily basis. The morning I began, I walked out of St. John Pied de Port ready to
It was truly a majestic sight, being alone on those mountains with nothing to hear except the wind and your breath; however, that was just the beginning. Each day you get up and walk anywhere between 14-19 miles a day, as your goal is to reach Santiago de Compostela. You can imagine how those very first days I felt like I would never reach it. But, you learn to take one day at a time, one step at a time, and eventually you WILL REACH Santiago. Throughout many years I became very knowledgeable about the Camino, but no amount of training or preparation will make you ready for this. It was much more challenging than I had ever imagined. But again, it’s one day at a time. On that first week I had a very tough time when I was reaching the city of Pamplona. It was a very hot day, and a very long walk. About 3 miles before reaching Pamplona, I felt I couldn’t anymore, and I gave up. No more than 3 minutes later a gentleman (also a pilgrim on the Camino) saw me and helped me. I began to cry and cry out of frustration
and mere exhaustion. He gave me water and stayed with me until I was a bit more composed. He then told me he would stay with me to help me walk into Pamplona. When we finally reached Pamplona, I thanked him profusely and told him that he had saved me and that he was my “Camino angel.” He then told me, “There will be somebody along this Camino who will need YOU, and you will be THEIR ANGEL.” Throughout the next couple of weeks each day is “the same” in terms that you embark each day walking many, many miles with the hope of each day, inching closer to your final destination: Santiago. When they say that the “Camino provides,” well it’s so very hard to describe to those that have never been on the Camino; but it absolutely does. I have countless stories of just that, but I would end up writing a book. Throughout the Camino you end up meeting people who you see walking day after day. You eventually become friends with some of them and you become like a “Camino family,” everyone from different countries; everyone with a story to tell and everyone with a different reason for walking the Camino. But everyone’s goal is the same, to reach Santiago de Compostela. I soon learned that it was important to have a destination, but to not forget the journey leading to that destination. Onwards the very end, about 3-4 days before reaching Santiago, I was walking and ran into a little old lady from one of the villages.
Santiago, I stopped and sat on a bench, just to reflect and take in that I was 2 miles away from reaching my destination that I embarked on a month ago. I absolutely have no words to describe what walking into that plaza and standing in front of that majestic Cathedral (that I had seen and dreamed about for so many years) was like. After 500 miles, I had reached Santiago de Compostela!! Everyone has a different reason for being on the Camino. I can tell you something; it was a dream I had inside of me for so many years, and I made it! Talking with so many people who have asked about my journey, I tell them one thing: “Don’t ever be afraid to go after something you truly believe in.” I received countless support from so many people. But the amount of love and support I received from this True North family was overwhelming. From the faculty and staff, to parents and my students, I am so humbly blessed to be part of this amazing community. There is a spirit about True North, that just like the Camino, unless you are part of it, it is so very difficult to explain!
When you walk so many miles every single day, you can imagine the condition of your feet. When you pause from your walking for whatever reason, your feet begin to throb so it’s best to try to keep going as much as you can. Well, this little old lady stopped me and began to tell me her whole life story (a very sad one indeed). My feet were hurting and I really needed to just keep walking but how could I just walk away? After about 35 minutes, we said goodbye and she said (in Spanish): “Thank you very much for listening to me and talking with me. You were an angel to me.” At that moment, I got very emotional as I remembered what “MY angel” in the city of Pamplona had told me, that I would be someone else’s angel. That is just a glimpse of what one experiences day after day on the Camino.
The day I was to reach Santiago you can imagine my nerves, anxiety, excitement, all bottled up together. About 2 miles before reaching 15
Our “New” Dadeland campus
I
t’s been a long time coming, but our “new” Dadeland Campus is finally here. For those of you who may remember, we started out a few years ago with preK-primary grades only. The move came when we were not able to expand on our Galloway Campus (current early learning). Our partnership with St. Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Church opened the doors for True North to move in to its existing building - small and cozy, yet large enough to host up to 3rd-grade (our grade capacity last year).
will be ready to move in any day now. How exciting!
During last school year, True North commenced (see below) construction on this new building. Slowly, but surely, similar to our new academic building at our Sunset Campus, our new Dadeland building rose to its current stature. Once the frame was built, drywall went up, paint was added, electrical, plumbing, etc. was soon installed. And... voila...we are in business. The finishing touches are now being added, and we
Our Dadeland Campus’s new building has two floors, big classrooms for our upper elementary students. The previously existing building will house our primary grades and will have a second floor added to it, connecting both “new” and “old” buildings. It is, and will remain, in every way, a True North School! Welcome to Dadeland!
Our Dadeland Campus is now a full, standalone K-5 campus with approximately 375 students (and the capacity to grow up to 750 students). It will remain K-5, along with our Gateway Campus (which is currently K-1, but will also grow to K-5) and be a “feeder” to our Sunset Campus, which will eventually become a standalone Upper School Campus (6-12).
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Get Your Dash On!
G
et your running shoes on! True North Foundation is sponsoring True North’s 1st Annual Dash of the Titans 5K Walk / Run at Zoo Miami in support of our growing network of True North Schools.
race will become the first of many at True North. We are hoping to see all of our Mighty Titans on October 23rd at Zoo Miami.
The race will consist of a Titan Dash for students in K-5 and a full 5K Titan Dash for MS / HS students and adults. Children ages infant - 2 years old are free; students ages 3-10 are $15.00 (Titan Dash); students ages 11-18 (full Titan Dash) are $30.00; and adults are $40.00. *True North teachers will receive an online coupon that can be applied for a $10.00 discount.
In order to sign up, copy and paste the following website in your browser and click “sign up.”
Special pricing will be be applied upon checkout for students based on age. Following the race, the True North community will gather for a Titan Fun Day in which families will gather around good conversation, food, and fun. 100% of the proceeds from the race will go back to True North. It is our hope that this
Come out and show your support!!
https://runsignup.com/Race/FL/Miami/TitanTrot5KWalkRun Once clicking “sign up,” you will be able to register yourself and any additional family members who will be joining you for the race. You will be prompted to accept the waiver agreement, given the option to join a team, create a new one (or not join a team - it’s just for fun), choose your t-shirt size, select a campus and grade level fundraising team (with ability to include the name of the child), and then taken to checkout. Be ready to get your dash on - Titan style!
Note From Dr. Tim Howard Dear True North Community, Greetings! The 2021-2022 school year is off to a terrific start. Our teachers spent three weeks in intensive, high-quality professional development around classical education. I have been deeply impressed by the exceptional quality and dedication of the faculty, staff, and administration of True North. Your children are truly in good hands! Upon the reopening of classes, we initiated our 9th graders into the rigors and delights of True North High School via two days of bonding exercises and leadership study. Meanwhile, students in the 10th and 11th grades dived right into Socratic seminars, science and math, language study and the arts. By the end of Week 1, positive routines were well established in every classroom and it seemed as if we had been together for a month already! I feel honored to have the opportunity to serve a school that embraces the classical liberal arts tradition so robustly and is already achieving such remarkable results. True North’s commitment to guiding our students with relentless goodwill in pursuit of truth, goodness, beauty, and excellence aligns with my personal beliefs about what constitutes transformational learning for students.
I’ve always found this quote from H.G. Wells compelling, “Civilization is a race between education and catastrophe.” -Dr. Howard
As opportunities arise, I hope to meet you and learn more about your experience at True North. I am at your service. All best wishes, Tim Howard, Ed.D. Head of the High School Executive Director
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Note from the Foundation Marc Snyder, Ed.D., Executive Director
True North Foundation is excited to continue its “Build a Dream” Brick Campaign.
It’s difficult to believe we kicked off our seventh year as a school just a couple of weeks ago. What started out as an idea to change the face of public education, as we know it, in Miami, in pursuing good and noble things as the end of education, is fully underway in becoming a reality. Who would have thought that back in 2015, when a group of parents met in what is now the K-8 art room on our Sunset Campus (old building), and were pitched on classical education and the dream that was True North, that we would be where we are today!
Create a lasting memory by honoring True North family or friends, memorializing a special date, or sharing a meaningful message with a personalized engraved brick. This is a unique opportunity for parents, grandparents, faculty, and friends to make a lasting tribute in commemorative support of True North and its students. The first four installments of commemorative bricks have already been laid in front of our 15,000 square foot Titan gymnasium at our Main Campus. Due to our generous parents and donors, True North raised over $50,000 in bricks during the 2020-21 school year. The money raised from brick purchases is being put towards our Growth Campaign.
In 2020-21, the True North Foundation was launched with the sole mission of supporting the growth and development of the network of True North Schools in raising philanthropic awareness and support; and in being the mouthpiece of the vision and mission of True North and classical education. In just one short year, the Foundation has had tremendous success in cultivating gifts and relationships. As many are aware, with the help of our amazing families, local, and national donors, the Foundation was able to raise over $625,000.
And not to mention, we still have almost 3,000 students who didn’t get into True North, who are longing for this kind of education. Which is reason enough to continue the Foundation’s work in increasing access of a True North education to as many students as possible. We are already off to a great start with our Annual Fund. In just two short months we have raised $55,000, which is more than double the amount last year (at this time). But we can’t stop there. We need to continue pursuing support, which we are doing.
Brick Campaign
“Build a Dream” Brick Campaign
Dear Titan Families & Friends,
More than half of that money went back in support of True North’s operational budget while the rest went towards the growth and development of True North and its associated costs. This would not have been possible if it were not for the belief and support of our families and donors in the vision and mission of True North. I spoke with many new families over the summer, and the overwhelming consensus was one of undeniable support and understanding that their child is getting an elite, private school caliber education at no cost.
“Build a Dream”
“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts.” ~C.S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man I wanted to take this time to welcome all of our new families to True North, and welcome everyone to a new school year. Last year’s academic results showed us that we continue to top each year’s performance, despite pandemics, and anything else that may try to stop us. We continue to build a world-class classical education for our students where excellence is our mantra. Excellence in academics; in athletics; culture; in anything we do. For who are we? TNT!!
New brick orders are now being taken and will be part of our 5th order of bricks and 1st order of bricks to be placed for the 2021-22 school year. We will continue to install bricks in front of our gym until all of the designated space is filled. However, space is limited and the bricks won’t last. So get your own personalized brick, or purchase one for friend, and be a part of True North’s dream today!
“BUILD A DREAM” BRICK DETAILS Basic Level Cost: $125 per brick (text only) Brick Size: 4 x 8 Lines of Text: 3 Maximum Characters Per Line: 20 (including spaces and punctuation) Titan Sponsor Cost: $500 per brick Brick Size: 4 x 8 Lines of Text: 3 Maximum + Pillar or Tian Logo Characters Per Line: 12 (including spaces and punctu- ation) Pillar of True North Sponsor Cost: $1000 per brick Brick Size: 8 x 8 Lines of Text: 4 Maximum + Pillar or Titan Logo OR 6 Maximum (text only) Characters Per Line: 20 (including spaces and punctuation)
Major Donor – Brick Array Cost: $2,500 for 4 bricks Brick Size: (4) 8x8 Lines of text: 6 lines of text spanning the four bricks Characters Per Line: 40 (including spaces and For questions, please contact Marc Snyder (msny- punctuation) der@truenorthcharter.org)
Order Your Brick(s) Today! “Build a Dream” Brick proceeds support the growth and development of True North’s growing network of schools. Brick purchases are tax-deductible. Place your order today: https://brickmarkersusa.com/donors/tnca.html
Warm regards, Marc Snyder, Ed.D. Executive Director True North Classical Academies Foundation
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2020-21 “Build a Dream” Donors True North would like to say “THANK YOU” to its generous donors to our “Build a Dream” Brick Campaign (*list represents bricks purchased during the 2020-21 school year) Please consider giving to our 2021-22 Brick Campaign https://brickmarkersusa.com/donors/tnca.html Abbas Family Abreu Family Aguerrebere Family Aguiar Family Alaya Family Aleman Family Alfonso Family Amador Family Amato Family Ammon Family Anguin Family Aragon Family Arce Family Arencebia Family Arencibia Family Arguello Family Ariola Family Arrojo Family Ayala Family Baez Family Balleste Family Barrenechea Family Bejel Family Bell Family Benetiz Family Bileca Family Bishop Family Blaya Family Blissett Family Bolanos Family Bryan Family Buonassi Family Cabrera Family Caderon Family Camacho Family Cardwell Family Carmona Family Carothers Family Carrazana Family Carreno Family Cartaya Family Castenada Family Castrillon Family Catlette Family Cecchi Family Centeno Family Chin-You Family Chirini Family Chang Family Chavez Family
Christian Family Claro Family Coffey-Garcia Family Collazo Family Crane Family Crespi Family Cruz Family Davis Family D’Aquin Family De Guzman Family De La Cruz Family Desme Family DeSousa Family Diaz Family Diez Family Eguizabal Family Espinosa Family Fabian Family Farres Family Ferguson Family Fermin Family Fernandez Family Ferrari Family Fiallo Family Flores Gomez Family Foster Family Foti Family Galindo Family Ganovsky Family Garcia Family Gerber Family Gil Family Gilday Family Golburgh Family Gomez Family Gomez-Suarez Family Gonzalez Family Grassbaugh Family Harmond Family Hernandez Family Hartsook Family Hendricks Family Henry Family Hickson Family Hoadley Family Hoyos Family Hsu Family Hubbs Family Huillca Family Infante Family Izaguirre Family
Izquierdo Family Jimenez Family Johanson Family John Family Jue Family Kaczmarek Family Keil Family Kepner Family Kercher Family Khawly Family Lazarus Family Lange Family Lazo Family Leibow Family Leon Family Locke Family Lopez Family Lowe Family Lufbery Family Macias Family Mallas Family Marin Family Marti Family Martinex Family Matijevic Family Mesa Family McMillan Family Morales Family Morrison Family Moyano Family Moyssidis Family Nodal Family Nunez Family Olsen Family Ortega-Gonzalez Family Ortiz Family Pacetti Family Pages Family Parker Family Parra Family Paster Family Penabad Family Pendray Family Perez Family Peterson Family Pezoldt Family Piedrahita Family Pinks Family Pino Family
2021-22 Annual Fund Campaign True North would like to say “THANK YOU” to its generous donors to our Annual Fund Campaign (*list represents donations made July 1, 2021 through August 31, 2021) This list does not include those who donated to our 2020-21 Annual Fund Campaign.
Posada Family Quincosa Family Quinones Family Radillo Family Ramirez Family Ramon Family Rende Family Reyes Family Rivera Family Rodriguez Family Ronguillo Family Roque Family Ruiz Family Sakari Family Salgueiro Family Sallas Family Sanchez Family Santiago Family Santos Family Sarmiento Family Scantlebury Family Selman Family Sepulveda Family Serio Family Serrano Family Sharp Family Sirulnik Family Smith Family Soriano Family Soto Family Sparaga Family Suarez Family Sullivan Family Tapias Family Thadhani Family Tirse Family Tix Family Toledo Family Trane Family Travis Family Triana Family Tsninev Family Undorfer Family Vargas Family Vega Family Veres Family Viego Family Wilson Family Yague Family Zeledon Family Zinn Family
Please consider giving to our 2021-22 Annual Fund Campaign https://truenorthclassicalfoundation.givingfuel.com/annual-fund Abreu Family Alexander Family Alvarez Family Amato Family Aranguren Family Arencibia Family Ariola Family Aviles Family Baldwin Family Bernard Thorn Family Bernard-Zeledon Family Bernal Family Bas Family Brenlla Family Brohee Family Cabans Family Cabrera Family Cacace Family Cardwell Family Camacho Family Canelon Family Contreras Family Correa Iglesias Family Cowgill Family Davis Family De Guzman Family Dominguez Family Edwards Family Elejabarrieta Family Enriquez Family Fabian Family Fatemian Family Felipe Family Fiallo Family Flores Gomez Family Foti Family Golfari Family Gomez Family Gonzalez Family
Harris Family Harvey-Read Family Heffernan Family Hendricks Family Henry Family Hernandez Family Hoyos Family Hubbs Family Hung Salazar Family Jaimot Family Jue Family Keil Family Khawly Family Lange Family Lacayo Family Latronica Family Leoncio Family Lowe Family Luffi Family Madrid Family Mancini Family Mercier Family Medez Family Matijevic Family Maurer Family McElvanna Family Mion Family Monocandilos Family Morrison Family Moyano Family Olsen Family Ortega-Gonzalez Family Panne Family Perez Family Perozo Family Pezoldt Family Poli Family Ramirez Family Ramon Family
Reina Family Rivera Family Rodriguez Family Romero Family Saldana Family Santos Family Sirulnik Family Sintes Family Snyder Family Solis Family Sotolongo Family Suarez Family Tirse Family Toirac Perdomo Family (Ramirez) Toirac Perdomo Family (Romero) Toledo Family Torres Family Underwood Family Vega Family Viego Family Young Family Zinn Family Zubero Family
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