The Latin motto on the lower part of the Great Hearts Christian Academies crest—via, veritas, vita—is translated as “the way, the truth, the life” and refers to Christ’s description of himself in John 14:6:

“I am the way and the truth and the life.”

The Latin motto on the lower part of the Great Hearts Christian Academies crest—via, veritas, vita—is translated as “the way, the truth, the life” and refers to Christ’s description of himself in John 14:6: “I am the way and the truth and the life.”

We believe primary education should instruct the heart and the mind through the pursuit of that which is true, beautiful, and good (Phil. 4:8). We also believe, as Aristotle said, that we are what we repeatedly do. To cultivate students who possess knowledge and wisdom, we expose them regularly to Socratic discussion, great books, language, music, and the arts. To cultivate virtue and character, we engage them in worship, prayer, scripture, and service to others.

We believe every child is fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps. 139:13-16) and we commit to discovering and unlocking the God-given potential in each one. Our knowledge of who we are is ultimately revealed in Christ. Our dignity is founded in our creation in His image (Imago Dei, Gen. 1:27).

We believe each child has been created with a purpose, written by God before their birth (Ps. 139:16). Everything we do is covered in love, because it is the greatest virtue (I. Cor. 13:13). As Christians, we especially understand that there is an inherent relational nature between who we are, what we learn, and our calling in Christ. Christ completes our natural desire to know who we are, to know God, and the world we inhabit. His calling to each of us completes the draw that reality has on our natural desire to learn.

GHCA embraces the classical model of education, rooted in the Western Tradition and the great books. We teach our students to be clear thinkers and to strive for the highest level of knowledge. Why? Because to learn—to wonder, seek, discover, know, and understand—is inherently good precisely because the human mind, what our Greek forebears called the highest or most divine feature of our humanity, allows us to participate in every level of reality. But we don’t want to cultivate students who have knowledge without wisdom, and so we seek to develop both.