Many people remember their years in junior high or middle school as some of the most challenging of their childhood.
The middle school of Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh in Hampton is changing that expectation for today’s students by providing an academic program with the mission of forming students in faith and virtue, leading to a full flourishing of their abilities.
“Middle school students aren’t little kids anymore,” middle school director Nicholas Salinas, who has 16 years of experience at Aquinas, said
“At the same time, they’re not fully teenagers, either. They’re in this transition point of their lives called adolescence, and it is a crucial time: a time to instill in these boys and girls what the most important aspects of life are, a time to inspire them to work their hardest and become passionate about different subjects, a time to show these students how to become virtuous adults.”
Salinas aims to set the right tone during his weekly assemblies, which include announcements, inspiring talks and always some fun.
“Fun is definitely a key element to reaching our middle schoolers. It helps them to smile and laugh with their friends and therefore build fond memories of these years,” the principal said.
Activities in that vein include a Fall Festival party in October, twice-yearly field trips for each grade, competitive sports teams and extracurricular clubs.
“There is a lot of energy in our middle school. Students are frequently laughing, joking, and smiling with each other,” Salinas said. “And that’s true for our faculty, as well. It is a lively, joyful place while also being academically challenging.”
Aquinas athletic director Tom Kayda works with coaches on finding the right balance at each level of school athletics.
“Our lower school teams are all about development, with every player participating and learning the fundamentals of the game,” he said. “As they progress to middle school, we start to focus a bit more on competition, where individual skills, ability, and team dedication start to become factors in playing time.
“This leads up to our varsity teams, where our teams play very strong WPIAL schedules and playing time is not a guarantee, but all are still encouraged to participate and be part of a strong team environment focused on character and faith formation.”
For middle school, Aquinas has implemented a program that provides opportunities for teachers and students to learn the language of virtues and to practice magnanimity, affability, courtesy, self-control, generosity and perseverance, among other attributes.
Students meet daily in small groups with faculty advisers who introduce a virtue of the week, chosen by the principal, and give daily challenges.
“To show them how to be virtuous so that as they move toward adulthood, our students will know how to become the good men or good women they truly want to be,” Salinas said.
He starts the year with a Parent Night, which enables parents to meet briefly with each of their children’s teachers. Salinas gives practical tips to parents to help their children manage the challenges they might face in their middle school years.
“Aquinas Academy firmly believes that parents are the primary educators of their children,” he said. “They are, in a sense, hiring us, the faculty of Aquinas Academy, to help them in their fundamental task of forming and educating their children.”
That education is rooted in faith and reason, the two complementary pillars upon which Aquinas Academy stands.
Aquinas Academy was founded in 1996 when local parents saw a need for a Catholic school that would be both completely faithful to the teaching authority of the Catholic Church and uphold the high academic standards that would be expected of a private, independent college preparatory academy. Aquinas is unique in being the first Catholic school in the history of the Diocese of Pittsburgh to be lay-founded and governed, and to have a classically oriented curriculum.
Peter Blume, academy president, recently oversaw the completion of the school’s $6.5 million building for students in the lower and middle schools.
“Aquinas has been blessed to grow from 13 students at its founding to over 500 students today, and this new building beautifully accommodates that growth and reflects Aquinas’ reputation for academic excellence,” he said.
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The building provides ample space for growing enrollment and includes two new state-of-the-art science labs and a well-equipped computer lab.
For more information, contact Joe Austin, director of admissions, at 724-444-0722, ext. 15 or austin@aquinasacademy-pittsburgh.org. Visit www.aquinasacademy.info to register for an admissions Open House from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 12. All prospective families are invited.