The Art of Painting by Johannes Vermeer

January at Golden View

A LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL

January 2022

Dear Friend of Golden View Classical Academy,

Mr. Petersen, our Assistant Principal, and I were recently in the atrium greeting students for the day. It’s a groggy time, both of the day and in the year, but nothing a half-dozen cups of coffee can’t temporarily fix. While we were chatting, we noticed a Kindergarten student come to a full stop by one of the large paintings in the atrium and stare at it for ten to fifteen seconds. The painting was Washington Crossing the Delaware, which is hung next to six others as representative of the school’s core virtues. Mr. Petersen and I watched and waited to see what he would do, but after a spell he simply turned and walked to class. 

I wonder if he was making up his own stories about it – making an image in his mind of what it must have been like on the river. Perhaps he was merely looking at the colors. Maybe, like many others on a cold January morning, he was still half-asleep and needed a moment before taking the plunge for the day. It’s impossible to say, of course, but we can say that the art struck him, and that it was good art that did so.

It reminded me of another conversation I overheard in our High School painting class recently. A student remarked that in its current state, her painting was dull and made her feel down. The teacher said, more or less, “well, yes, it is, but that is because you are blocking your colors at this point, and it’s all dark. Be patient at this phase. When you add the highlights and depth, you’ll come out of it and see really what it is.” I thought that was lovely - the student’s vulnerability, the opportunity for direct instruction on art, and the teacher’s sensitivity to how the work itself affects what we do and feel and think.

Classical art, both the study and the practice, engages us with beauty and therefore shapes our tastes. This is not a precise thing, as if certain paintings at the right time do something predictable. The beauty comes in the random encounter: the moment you see a painting for the first time as a child and play with it in your mind, or take a breath from your work and realize that it is changing your emotions as you do it, and then use tools you have to emerge from it. 

In many schools today, the classrooms and hallways are cluttered with color explosions and hastily made “posters.” Or, alternately, they are bare and lifeless, as if any decoration at all would be a distraction. It would be too cheap to say that we perfectly navigate those extremes, but fair to say, I think, that the right kind of art to see and do improves our souls. Both the Kindergarten student and High School student experienced that in different ways, and we didn’t need to strive after being artificially appealing or relevant to make it happen. The paintings simply are relevant and lovely, and cause the souls of our students to respond in unique and random ways. That is truly something to admire.

Sincerely,

Dr. Garrow

Principal, Golden View Classical Academy

curriculum

CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHT

The Classics Department at Golden View has continued to expand its offerings in the 2021-2022 school year with the arrival of French, to go alongside the Ancient Greek and Latin courses. Now, Sophomore students who have taken three years of Latin have the option to continue in Latin or pursue French or Greek. If students do choose to continue in Latin, there are now two translation courses: Caesar and His World and Augustus and His Poets. These allow students to take Latin courses from 7th Grade through 12th Grade. I am pleased to say that we have a few students, and surely the credit is theirs, who will have completed this expansive curriculum at the end of this year. This is an impressive accomplishment when one considers the cumulative nature of learning any language, particularly Latin. These students should be proud of themselves; I know I certainly am.   

From Mr. Olson, an Upper School Latin teacher at Golden View

athletic highlight

ATHLETIC HIGHLIGHT

This has been an exciting year for wrestling at Golden View. After years of building up the program, the High School team is finally competing with a full CHSAA schedule and a nearly full roster. Mr. Summers, an Upper School Philosophy and Economics teacher, is the head coach. Golden View alum Mr. Porter and Physics teacher Mr. Chacon also assist the team. Consisting primarily of ferocious freshmen and a few experienced upperclassmen, the team has experienced impressive success on the mat. So far this season, many wrestlers have placed in their respective weight classes at tournaments. The team looks forward to traveling to their first ever regional tournament in February with hopes of sending some wrestlers to the state championships.

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY

Apply for Enrollment

The 2022-2023 lottery window ends next Monday, January 31! Families who apply here before that time are most likely to receive an offer for enrollment. After the lottery window ends, we will still accept applications, but names will be added to waitlists in the order they are received. We will begin sending offers and announcing waitlists in early February 2022.

Board Meeting

The February Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 16 at 5:30pm in the Bailey Heritage Library. You can find meeting agendas on BoardDocs prior to the meeting. Unless otherwise noted, all meetings will be held in-person only this year.

Save the Date: Caritas Aurea 2022

We invite you to save the date for our annual Caritas Aurea gala and auction on March 12, 2022 at Mount Vernon Canyon Club. The event will take place from 5:30-11:00pm, and tickets will cost $80 a piece. We will include more information and a link to purchase tickets in the February Monthly Newsletter, but if you would like to make an inquiry or purchase tickets before then, please email Mrs. Grimshaw.