-
Welcome to St. Jerome AcademyA CATHOLIC PAROCHIAL SCHOOL IN HYATTSVILLE, MARYLAND -
A PERSONAL WELCOME FROM PRINCIPAL KEVIN SOMOK
-
-
Principal Kevin Somok
-
We are pleased to offer you an educational program that stresses growth in virtue and intellect. We believe that Jesus Christ - the Logos - is both the foundation and goal of our studies as we survey the history of mankind and develop the skills of observation and analysis.
Classical Education: A civilizational journey to the truth
Our classical curriculum promises a learning adventure that will take our students from Mt. Olympus in ancient Greece to King Arthur's court and St. Benedict's monastery in the Middle Ages. They will learn about Rome's conquests and its ultimate fall, the rise of Christianity through the ages, and the thinking of our Founding Fathers as they embarked on the American experience over two hundred years ago.
Grammar Stage: The building blocks of creation
We chose the classical model, based on the Trivium, because it best reflects a child's natural learning. In the first years, the Grammar Stage, we emphasize mastery of the building blocks of reading, writing, and math. To achieve this, our students learn chants and rhymes, memorize poetry, and learn phonics and phonemic awareness.
Logic Stage: Organizing the building blocks
The upper-grade students enter the Logic stage, where they will use the information they have mastered in higher-order critical thinking. Here, they will formulate and defend arguments, identify the fallacies in positions, and make connections between eternal truths and our world today.
Observation & Inquiry
The emphasis on observation and inquiry is threaded through the curriculum, from our hands-on nature studies program to the Ward music method and fine arts, where rendering is added to observation. Our physical education classes honor the gift of physical movement as we learn teamwork and graciousness. At the same time, we tackle the finer points of soccer, hockey, football, basketball, and baseball.
Unfolding the Adventure of Learning
When the school bell rings each morning, the learning adventure continues. On behalf of our faculty and staff, we are honored to be on the journey with our students.
Pax Christi,
Principal Kevin Somok
-
-
Classical Curriculum & Montessori MethodA Unique Harmony
-
St. Jerome's Classical Educational Plan and the Montessori Method are founded in the recognition that the true nature of man is to be found in the Incarnation of Christ, the Word made flesh, which confirms the dignity of the whole human person—body, mind, and soul.
Working harmoniously together, they ground our approach in transcendent truth and practical wisdom and are ordered for the good of the children, guiding them to realize their full potential in themselves, their families, and the larger community.
-
-
St. Jerome ’ s Story: 80 Year Legacy, Renewal & Growth
-
St. Jerome's School was opened in 1943, staffed by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, who had been teaching Sunday school in the parish since 1914. Classes were held at first in the parish hall (the old church). Construction of a permanent school began after the parish purchased the Wheatley residence on the west side of 43rd Avenue, and the new school building was completed in 1947. The convent, just to the north of the school, was built in 1951. The present church and rectory complex came next; it began in 1955 and was completed in 1957. The parish plant was completed with additions to the school in 1960.
In 1985, the lower floors of the convent were converted into St. Jerome's Child Center, which offers daycare services for infants and toddlers.
In 2009, the school entered the consultation process with the Archdiocese of Washington. It emerged with approval to launch its own Educational Plan of St Jerome in 2010. Since then, St Jerome Academy has used this plan to implement Catholic Classical education for grades K-8.
In 2013, the school opened the Montessori House for Toddlers and Primary students. Today, both the child center and the school are at total capacity with waitlists.
-
