Scaling New Peaks at The 2024 Summit

The 2,000+ educators and support staff that make up Great Hearts Arizona gathered for the annual event called The Summit. This large kickoff for the school year provides space for the staff to learn together, celebrate the enthusiasm for the year ahead, and remind every one of the purpose and vision they share at Great Hearts before the academies celebrate the return of their scholars over the next few weeks.

“For many of us, the work we do in Great Hearts is unique because of the mission,” explained Brandon Crowe, Great Hearts Arizona Superintendent. “After all, in our founding documents, we boldly declare, ‘The Great Hearts mission is not ONLY to educate children: we seek to educate our teachers and all our employees, the parents of the children entrusted to us, and the general public as well.’ We want to live that out.” Crowe announced to attendees that “relevance” was the theme for the Summit this year. “In 2022 it was Mathematics; in 2023 it was the Arts; 2024 will be about what’s relevant,” he said.

Crowe opened with a special “welcome back” message to faculty, followed by the much-anticipated “roll call,” in which Crowe ceremoniously calls out academy names one-by-one as if he were taking attendance. Each campus has the opportunity to cheer and let their presence be known. Perhaps the most notable “rowdy” response came from the Glendale Campus (Archway Glendale and Glendale Prep) who brought in props including a boombox blaring Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” and spirit flags.

This year, Professor Edward Mulholland gave the keynote address about the relevance of story and the meaning of relevance in our consideration of the world, titled “The Myth of Relevance and the Relevance of Myth.” Mulholland, renowned for his insightful perspectives on culture and literature, delved into the intricate relationship between timeless myths and their significance in today’s world. “It was a wonderful opportunity to listen, ponder, and learn as a network,” shared Crowe. It was definitely an engaging and enlightening session for all the attendees. You can learn more about Mulholland’s talk at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkuJr8xbIqU.

Dr. Edward Mulholland is the Sheridan Chair of Classics at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, where he co-directs the program, Great Books: The True, the Good, and the Beautiful. Born in the Bronx, New York, he earned his master’s degree in classics from the University of London, England, and received both a licentiate and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

The program included the Great Hearts Bard, Elinor Patient, a fifth-grader at Archway Roosevelt, who presented her winning recitation of “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost. In addition, the Great Hearts Faculty Choir, composed of staff from several academies and directed by Sarah Joseph from Trivium Prep and Elliot Liles from Cicero Prep, showcased that the faculty leads from their own pursuit of Beauty along with their pupils.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcOpNEL3Sms

The exhortation, which is given by a faculty member each year, was this year presented by Dan Schutten, Headmaster at Trivium Prep. Schutten joined Great Hearts in 2011 as a math and Latin teacher, later moving into his current headmaster role in 2020. He spoke about the Truth that Great Hearts teachers strive, toil, and struggle for in hopes of sharing that Truth with their students.

Overall, it was an uplifting time for staff. “It is an occasion for all colleagues in our region to come together and behold wonderful things: the first being the impressive array of colleagues with whom we partner in providing a rich Classical education to children; the second, a particular topic of learning and living that we ought more intently behold,” said Crowe.

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