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"He made for them discretion with a tongue and eyes and ears, he gave them a mind for thinking, and filled them with the discipline of discernment.
He created them in the knowledge of the spirit; he filled their hearts with understanding, and showed them good and evil." (Sirach 17:6-7)

Here we are: 2024. Thirty years of existence. 

The other day I was commenting to my wife a kind of strange realization: for all of my adult life, I have only known Mount Royal Academy. This is the only location I have been getting up to drive to everyday for the last fifteen years. I vividly recall making t...

Happy New Year! The first Sunday of Advent, which we celebrated this past Sunday, marks the beginning of the liturgical year.  Advent is a time of preparation, as we ready our hearts to welcome Christ, born to us as Messiah and Savior.  Advent can also be considered a time for a new beginning, or fresh start.  We ask ourselves what we need to change in our lives to become more faithful followers of Christ.  This type of self-reflection is necessary if  we are to grow in our spiritual life, and Advent is the perfect time to begin anew!

There is a saying, “Begin with the end in mind.”  Knowing ...

Mount Royal Academy has announced academic awards for the 1st Quarter of the 2023-2024 school year. (Headmaster's List - Summa Cum Laude: 3.9-4.00, High Honor roll - Magna Cum Laude: 3.7-3.89, Honor Roll - Cum Laude: 3.5-3.69)

Grade 6

Headmaster’s list: Liliana Chimienti, Joseph Flaig, Maria Gik, Jaylin Greenhalgh, Angela Moorehouse, 

High Honors: David Breisch, Claudia Gannon, Berklee Laslie, Evangeline Nadeau, Callan Ouellette

Grade 7

Headmaster’s list: Haley Elkind, Emma LeBlanc, Lucy Treece, Jubilee Tremblay

High Honors: Juliana Yost

Honors: Clare Holliston, Emma Kelley

Grade ...

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of 
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” - Philippians 3:7
 

Someone commented to me today that there is a lot going on in my head right now, and none of it seems to be connected. We used to host a podcast entitled, “Ruminations of Formation.” Yea, it didn’t go that far in terms of grabbing an audience. My faint recollection regarding the word rumination emanates from a biblical connotation: to meditate on the word of God. Much like the first compartment ...

In the world of classical education, we frequently refer to the three transcendental values of truth, beauty, and goodness.  We build curricula, lesson plans, and enrichment activities around them with the intention of filling our students’ hearts and minds with these universal attributes of being.  

The Greek philosophers, Plato and Aristotle, viewed these cosmic values of truth (that which defines reality), goodness (that which fulfills its purpose), and beauty (that which is lovely) as objective and knowable.  Human beings experience fulfillment through these transcendental values beca...

“Train yourself for the life of piety,
for while physical training is to some extent valuable,
religion is incalculably more so,
with its promise of life here and hereafter.
You can depend on this as worthy of complete acceptance.” - Timothy 4:8

The older I get the more I have come to believe in the value of listening. Last Friday evening, after a rather unpleasant experience on the soccer pitch - it was foggy, misty, soggy, and our girls were the recipients of rude language from the opposing team - I was graced with an opportunity to listen. 

Each morning I strive ...

The parable of the landowner at Mass last weekend put the figurative bow on my week. The message of human envy in opposition to the great mercy of God brought together in one package some of the themes I encountered on campus and off.

While the message is meant to highlight the generosity and mercy of God, it does so in an uncomfortable way.  The landowner hires day laborers and agrees to pay them a just wage for a day’s work.  He returns throughout the day to hire more laborers, even taking on more workers close to the end of the day.  When the time comes to pay them their wages, all of the ...

Niche, the leading platform connecting students and families with colleges and schools, has just published its new 2024 Best Schools and Districts rankings. Now in its ninth year, the rankings include updated data for 94,058 public schools, 30,809 private schools, and 12,192 school districts nationwide.

Mount Royal Academy is a Catholic liberal arts school for pre-k through 12th grade students in Sunapee, New Hampshire. Since 1994, families have chosen to partner with Mount Royal in the education of their children because the school’s mission fosters the pursuit of excellence in learning and ...

2024 marks the thirtieth year of our school’s existence. 

Each day I am reminded of the need and impact of our mission. It comes in ways both surprising and unsurprising.

Below you will find our mission statement: it is worth reading and reflecting upon at the start of this school year. It is a sacred mission. 

What does it mean to be sacred? It is consecrated for a divine purpose, set apart for God. A sanctification into the divine life. 

In a world where God is rejected, we accept Him. We love Him because He loved us first. 

In a world where religion and communal life are shunned, we embrac...

The staff of Mount Royal Academy started the school year by receiving training in the preventative system, otherwise known as the Salesian Way. We were honored to welcome Sr. Eflie back to campus. 

The preventative system is predicated on three pillars: reason, religion, and loving kindness. It was inspired by the life of St. John Bosco, the preeminent model of educative presence. Perhaps there is no better explanation than the very words of this saint of the youth. 

The following is a letter written by St. John Bosco to the staff of his own school - or oratory as he called it - back in...