As the new school year approaches, parents must make many decisions over how they want their children to be educated. For some, private schools factor into this decision-making process.
Perhaps they’re not happy with the local public school system or maybe they want their kids’ education to include a religious element. Sometimes, they themselves attended private schools, so want their children to follow suit.
Whatever the reason, Harrisburg-area parents are fortunate to have a wealth of options within easy reach. Below, we provide an overview of some of the more popular choices for private school education in the region.
Centuries of Tradition
Local private school offerings are varied and often steeped in tradition. In this area, it gets no more traditional than the Harrisburg Academy, the 17th oldest non-public school in the country. The school was founded in 1784 by John Harris, Jr., in a room of the Harris-Cameron Mansion, which now houses the Dauphin County Historical Society in Harrisburg.
According to the school’s website, Harris brought in a schoolmaster from Lancaster to teach his and his neighbor’s children. Soon after, he granted “the rent, issues and profits of his ferry for the endowment of an Academy where German and English should be taught.” Two years later, with donations and materials from Harris and more than 80 of his neighbors, “a log cabin school was built on a knoll 300 yards east of the Susquehanna River,” probably behind the Harris mansion near Walnut and N. 3rd streets.
The fast-growing Academy eventually moved Uptown, constructing five large buildings in what now is Dixon University Center and educating generations of Harrisburg’s most prominent citizens. It opened for classes at its current location, a 24-acre campus in Wormleysburg, in 1959. The school enrolls about 400 students annually ranging from preschool through high school, and 34 percent of students represent ethnic or international diversity.
Although not religiously affiliated, Harrisburg Academy holds events with an eye toward a global view of the world. One tradition is the annual holiday concert at the Forum, where students perform what they learn and celebrate about world religion and culture.
“We bring together a global representation of Christian, Jewish, Hindu, African and several other cultures to a family-based celebration highlighting a theme of light,” said Kristina Pae, director of communications for the school. “Light is a common theme of religious and ethnic holidays celebrated during the winter season, which is why it is a focal point of our all-school holiday concert.”
Another tradition, closer to home, is the school’s Fourth Grade State Fair. Ask students what they remember most about that grade, and they will mention the state they represented.
“I was Wisconsin,” said Carter Taliaferro from Harrisburg, who is entering his junior year of high school at the Academy. “That is always a fun time. We research the state and showcase what we learn at the fair. I brought in a variety of cheese from the state. All of the other grades get to come to our fair. It’s great to see what the younger students do year after year.”
Creating Citizens
The American democratic process is in full bloom at The Circle School in Swatara Township, a private school for preschool through high school.
Jim Rietmulder co-founded the school in 1984 when seeking alternative education for his family. He wanted an atmosphere that echoed the larger society rather than the standard rules that govern most classrooms.
“We focus on democracy and community,” he said. “Students here are essentially citizens in a scaled-down version of the larger world. The school is run democratically, with each student and each staff member having equal rights of voice and vote. Most things are decided by majority vote, including staff hiring and management, budgetary decisions and all school rules. Decisions of our School Meeting—students and staff—are not subject to approval, review or veto by staff or administration.”
A typical day is where students freely associate, often huddling into small groups to share interests, books, knowledge. The curriculum rarely segregates subjects, so that math, reading and other concepts are all learned as an integrated whole.
That is what most interested Laura Owens of Harrisburg, who recently graduated from The Circle School. “I had the freedom to learn with other age groups,” she said. “When I was younger, I looked up to a lot of role models, and then, when I was in the older classes, I gained valuable leadership experience. I enjoyed finding people of all ages who shared my interests.”
The school established a judicial system that closely follows cherished American traditions of due process, civil liberties—yes, for children, too—and rule of school law. A person charged with violating a school law can plead not guilty and is then entitled to a trial by jury of four students and one staff member, again with no review or veto by staff or administration, according to Rietmulder.
Owens, who was a member of the judicial committee and paid close attention to the prosecution and defense processes, said that this experience taught her that it truly is possible to be heard and to prove a point in a fair and democratic atmosphere.
The Circle School enrolls about 75 students at all grade levels. “Enrollment was in the mid-20s until around 2003, when we decided we needed to double in size to at least 50. Over the subsequent five years, we tripled to our current size, which is approximately what we want in our current campus. This year, we began an initiative to relocate to a larger campus with increased capacity,” said Rietmulder.
Sense of Community
Head of School Ruth Graffius at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, located in downtown Harrisburg, touts the school’s strong tradition and its picturesque setting along the Susquehanna River. It makes the most of the location with regular trips to a wide range of community resources.
“Because it has been a part of the city for 35 years, St. Stephen’s instills a love of the urban environment, a sense of community and an understanding of being part of something bigger than oneself,” she said.
Parents working in Harrisburg, many of them in government, send their children to the school so that they are nearby. Graffius said parents are welcome to join their children at lunchtime for a special break in the day. “We are a close-knit, child-centered community,” she said. Students come from a four-county region and can also participate in a before- and after-school program.
“It’s a wonderful place to be,” said Davin Anderson of Linglestown, who will be entering eighth grade, his final year at St. Stephen’s before high school. Anderson said he loves the small classes and the one-on-one time he gets with his teachers. He enjoys the familiarity of the people, and his kindergarten teacher is now the principal of the school. There are about 135 students. “Outside of school, I recognize 90 percent of the other kids by name,” he said.
Anderson has attended St. Stephen’s since preschool and said some of his best memories are of the school’s fundraising events, where students are matched with kids in younger grades to create posters for a “Race for Education.” He said the younger kids become their “little buddies.”
Graffius said, “Our downtown Harrisburg school provides a superior, affordable education for children in preschool through eighth grade. The diversity of the students reflects the mission to welcome children of all ethnic and religious heritages.”
Unique Partnership
The Londonderry School, at 1800 Bamberger Rd., deems itself a “wonderful alternative educational opportunity for more than 200 preschool through eighth-grade students from the greater Harrisburg area,” according to its website.
“We’ve been an innovator in education since 1971, when a group of parents initiated the school as an alternative to traditional education. For more than 40 years, the school has thrived as the result of the unique partnership among faculty and parents that has created a learning environment to encourage students to follow their curiosity, creating a pathway for lifelong achievement.”
What is Wise
Parents desiring another option for their children also led to the founding of Covenant Christian Academy, a pre-kindergarten through 12th grade school founded in 1997. Today, about 245 students from Harrisburg and the surrounding suburban and rural areas attend. In 2009, the school moved to its first campus located on Locust Lane just outside of Harrisburg.
“As a school, we are interested in teaching our students information in a variety of subjects,” said Joseph E. Sanelli, headmaster. “Equally important to us at CCA is our tradition of teaching students how to learn. We do not expect them to learn everything important by the end of twelfth grade; we do expect them to leave CCA prepared to be lifelong learners.”
The school, said Sanelli, employs a “classical” model in both curriculum and teaching.
“Our course of study is challenging and thought-provoking and will teach your child to think and prepare them for a life of learning,” he said. “Furthermore, each student is engaged spiritually as well as intellectually, learning what is wise—not merely smart—and the difference between integrity and expediency.”
The Whole Person
Big news came in January for a local private high school.
Bishop McDevitt High School moved from its landmark building at 2200 Market St. in Harrisburg to 1 Crusader Way in Lower Paxton Township. According to the Harrisburg Diocese, the new school, built on an 87-acre campus, is replete with 45 classrooms, a 1,200-seat auditorium, a fine arts center, a 1,000-seat gymnasium, a fully equipped library and a multi-purpose stadium with artificial turf and an eight-lane track.
Established in 1918, Bishop McDevitt was known as Harrisburg Catholic High School until it was renamed in 1957 to honor the founder of the school, the Rev. Philip R. McDevitt. It is a Catholic, college-preparatory, coeducational school within the Diocese of Harrisburg.
“It encompasses students of diverse intellectual, socio-economic and religious backgrounds. Bishop McDevitt strives to nurture the whole person by promoting a quality education rooted in Gospel values and creating a challenging academic environment. The school community aspires to graduate well-rounded Christian men and women committed to living moral lives of holiness, integrity, justice and responsible citizenship,” reads the school’s homepage.
From traditional to Christian to alternative schools, Harrisburg-area parents have a wealth of options for their children. These private schools, although varied in offerings, help to make up the diverse framework of Harrisburg education.
