Raven Headmaster Brings Catholic High to N. Colo.

The Benedictine mission of community, faith and scholarship transformed culture in Europe at the dawn of Western Civilization and Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, believes it can do the same in America today. To Transform Culture in America, Benedictine College plans to Form its students deeply in the mission, Advance its mission through alumni in every walk of life, and Extend its mission regionally and nationally.

The Fort Collins, Colo., area has long sought a Catholic high school. Now plans are underway to launch a school this Fall.

The new headmaster has been named: Blaise Hockel, a Benedictine College graduate from Walnut Creek, Calif., majored in Theology and graduated in 2014.

“Our main priority was to get a headmaster,” said David Whitworth, Interim Executive Director of the Chesterton Academy of St. John Paul II told the Denver Catholic. “The hiring committee found Blaise, and we fell in love with him. He came with great recommendations and has done a great job at advancing the hiring process for the faculty as soon as he was hired.”

Hockel, who has a Master’s degree in Education with an emphasis in Curriculum and Instruction and significant experience in classical education, will be will be the “spiritual and intellectual head of the school,” he said.

The Windsor, Colo., school is starting out with grades 9 and 10, with special attention on the Sophomores, and plans to add further class years.

“I think it’s important for people to know that this isn’t something that is simply being thrown together,” said Hockel. “It’s being very intentionally and considerably put together.”

“The first thing that the community should know is that we are an extremely dedicated group of people,” Hockel told the paper. “They are going beyond any normal expectation for someone in their position, and they are all extremely well-thought, well-spoken and intelligent individuals who are working toward the longevity and fulfillment of the school’s mission.”

The mission of Chesterton Academy is “to help parents raise up a new generation of joyful leaders and saints, educated in the classical tradition and the truths of the Catholic faith. Our rigorous, integrated curriculum unlocks student’s potential and prepares students to succeed in college and professional life, and to excel in service of family, of country, and of Christ our Lord.”

There are more than 30 Chesterton Academy schools in the United States, Canada and one in Italy. The schools bill themselves as offering strong study habits, positive peer pressure toward virtue and holiness, and leadership skills.

“This school is the fulfillment of the promise long awaited by the community,” Hockel told the Denver archdiocesan paper. He hopes it will bring Northern Colorado “a spiritual boon and a great development in our love of Christ.”

Read more at Denver Catholic.

Watch the YouTube video here.

Visit the Chesterton Academy of St. John Paul II.