Salute to Our Great Hearts Veterans: John Fowler

Great Hearts Academies are pleased to recognize, celebrate, and honor some of the amazing Veterans in our schools who have not only served our country in the military, but have continued to do outstanding work to support the students of Great Hearts.

John Fowler enlisted in the United States Army while he was still attending high school. He served for nearly 4 years as a soldier in Army Intelligence while on active duty and was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.  After active duty he served another 4 years in the U.S. Army Reserves.

“Serving in the Army gave me a greater sense of meaning in our mission as educators.”  Fowler currently teaches Latin for all middle school grades, and Greek I for high school juniors at Cicero Preparatory Academy.  He has worked for Great Hearts in different capacities since 2016 and his passion for engaging his students in a classical education is evident.  “Every day I see students adjusting course in their pursuits as they reflect on their knowledge of our ancestors speaking to us an invitation to join in that great conversation.”

“My military service demonstrated to me that the survival of our nation is dependent upon an education that promotes the debate of ideals as solutions to our most difficult questions. To the best of my knowledge, I know of no other school system that provides this level of education better than Great Hearts. I often have the sense that my mission in the classroom is only an extension of the commitment I made to my country many years ago.”

Cicero Prep Headmaster Christa Reichert is personally grateful for Fowler’s commitment to his students.  “Mr. Fowler is an exemplary member of the Cicero Prep faculty. His dedication to civic education through the classical liberal arts is demonstrated each day in his transformative teaching and in his commitment to professional development,” explained Reichert.  “As my son’s Senior Thesis Advisor and the faculty member to deliver his Senior Tribute, Mr. Fowler is an honored member of our family’s history at Cicero Prep. To have Mr. Fowler, a Veteran, come alongside Blaize as he wrote about the sacrificial life in his Thesis and prepared for his own enlistment in the Navy was remarkable.”

“In his Thesis, Blaize concludes, ‘So it has been observed how sacrifice brings people to participation and communion with the good via Goodness, Truth, and Beauty…’ And so it is with great assurance that we sent our son Blaize off to serve in the Navy, knowing he has the kind of transformative education that Mr. Fowler has dedicated himself to. It is a privilege to call Mr. Fowler a friend, a colleague, and a mentor.”

Please join Great Hearts in honoring Veterans like John Fowler and many others who have served our country.

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