Nova’s History
Our History
Nova Classical Academy is a parent-initiated school. We began as a small group who felt that public school students should have access to the same quality of education as many private school students. We wanted a school that was academically rigorous, that valued scholarship and individual excellence as well as self-discipline and virtue, that taught students to think and reason from a solid foundation of knowledge and skills, that allowed all students to study at an appropriate pace, and where parents, staff, and students all shared a unity of purpose.
We looked into a number of different curriculum models. When we discovered the classical model of education, it struck a deep chord, and we knew without a doubt that it was not only what we wanted for our children, but it was also the education we wish that we had received.
Our Future
Nova Classical Academy has a K–12 charter. We opened in St. Paul in the fall of 2003 with grades K–6 and we have added grades yearly toward our goal of providing a complete K–12 education, beginning with our first ninth grade class in the autumn of 2009. We believe strongly that an effective K–12 education must be systematic and comprehensive and must have continuity from year to year. The resounding success of classical charter schools in other states shows that many parents agree with us. We provide many volunteer opportunities for parents to contribute to the success of the school. Parents of Nova students are expected to participate actively and support the school in its mission.
About Charter Schools
Charter schools are tuition-free, public schools started and operated by teachers, parents, or community members. Your taxes pay for charter schools just as they pay for traditional public schools. Charters are part of the state system of public education, but operate independently of the school district in which they are located.
Charter schools must agree to be held accountable for specific academic and non-academic outcomes. They must have an authorizer to oversee the school’s accountability efforts. Nova Classical Academy’s Authorizer is Friends of Education.
For more information on charter schools, visit the Minnesota Department of Education Web site at: http://education.state.mn.us or the US Charter Schools web site at: http://www.uscharterschools.org.
Letter from the Founders of Nova (October 2008)
Welcome from the founders of Nova Classical Academy!
As you explore and become familiar with our school—online and in person—we hope that you will be able to see and feel our founding vision being realized in the classrooms, the hallways, and the people of Nova. We are a community of learners who share a unity of purpose around the mission of engaging all of our students in a rigorous classical education. Our goal is to prepare these young people for a lifetime of continued learning, personal fulfillment, professional achievement, and thoughtful and productive citizenship.
Nova Classical Academy was founded by and for parents. As ordinary parents who were actively involved in our children’s education, we three founders united to create a school in which parents are expected to be leaders and decision-makers. We knew it was the only way that we, and many other parents like us, would be able to provide the academic depth we wanted for our children.
Nova Classical Academy is a public school and was the first Minnesota charter school to focus on the classical model of education. This is a model that systematically lays a foundation of skills, and then uses those skills to shape knowledge out of masses of information. It demands that reason and logic be applied to knowledge to understand relationships between disciplines. It expects intellectual and artistic creativity in all disciplines to flow from a mind that has been trained by these foundational principles. Very importantly, classical education understands that preparation for the future can only be successful if the lessons of the past have been learned. Our steadfast focus on this model has allowed Nova’s students to excel.
We are proud of the way in which Nova has grown and blossomed since opening in 2003. The success of our students is the result of the strength and commitment of parents as leaders in governing Nova, as volunteers in all facets of school life, and as supporters of the school’s curriculum at home; the knowledge and skills of our faculty and staff as they transform vision and policy into daily lessons and tangible results; and the enthusiasm and eagerness to learn of the students themselves. This partnership among the members of our community is the defining element of Nova’s success.
If your family’s educational goals resonate with ours, we strongly encourage you to find out more about Nova Classical Academy and the lifelong benefits of a classical education.
Valete!
Elisa Pacini Knudson
Teresa M. Schulte
Simon S. Fung
