A classical Catholic homeschool hybrid academy in the Diocese of Harrisburg is completing its inaugural academic year and welcomed Bishop Timothy Senior last week to showcase the faith formation and comprehensive education taking root there.
The Regina Caeli Academy, located at St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Mechanicsburg, is one of more than 20 centers around the country that provide families a hybrid model of in-school instruction two days a week and homeschool education on the remaining days.
The accredited PreK-12 program presents a classical education in the Catholic tradition while supporting parents as the primary educators of their children.
The Regina Caeli Academy’s center at St. Katharine Drexel has welcomed 52 students in PreK-11 this year, as well as 13 infants and toddlers in a nursery on site. Within the parish grounds, students enjoy access to daily Mass, an Adoration Chapel, classrooms, a lunchroom and outdoor space for reflection and recreation.
On May 7, Bishop Timothy Senior celebrated Mass for the Regina Caeli community of students, educators, families and supporters in the parish.
“Homeschooling has become very much a part of the fabric of our local Church. My presence here is not only to learn more about the experience you have, but also to affirm and support our homeschool families,” he said in his homily during the morning Mass, which he concelebrated with Father Kenneth Smith, pastor of St. Katharine Drexel Parish.
Dressed in navy and white uniforms and blazers, students greeted the bishop after Mass as Margaret Sanders, Coordinator of Education, welcomed him on a tour of the center on the parish’s lower level.
While enjoying brunch with students in the upper grades, Bishop Senior – joined by Daniel Breen, Superintendent of Catholic Schools and Secretary for Education – engaged them in discussion about their classical education, Scripture and vocation discernment. Students in the lower grades entertained the bishop with an endearing song and dance about Jesus’ love for them.
During their two days a week at the center, Regina Caeli students are educated by tutors, many of whom are parents of students.
Jill Miley, first- and second-grade tutor and a mother of four children who attend Regina Caeli, sees the students thriving in their education at the center and at home.
“Since the beginning of this school year, my children have come home overflowing with a love for Jesus and a zeal for knowledge. They have rapidly progressed in their studies and are always ready to learn more,” she said. “Likewise, they have grown in moral character as they are being guided by loving, Christ-centered discipline. They thrive with the structure and community that they get to partake in on center days, and that carries over into our homeschool days where I get to bond with them over their wonderful education.”
Curriculum for the lower grades includes religion, history that focuses on the foundations of our nation and our faith, visually-engaging math, and English classes that blend phonics, spelling and cursive.
Upper grade classes include sacred Scripture, foundations of algebra, classical history, grammar and composition, and professional development courses with a focus on public speaking, conversation and etiquette.
With faith and virtue at the center of every class, the academy gives students the opportunity to see Christ in every subject they study.
“There is a feeling of joy every day that we are at RCA,” said Bonnie Finnerty, upper-grade teacher. “Everyone seems to be very happy to be there. I am grateful for the many graces which the Lord has rained down upon us.”
Learn more about the Regina Caeli Academy at https://www.rcahybrid.org/harrisburg-pa.
(Photos by Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
