Welcome to Ms. Rogers’ New Neighborhood

Brianna Rogers is a 5th grade Lead Teacher and the Team Lead for 4th and 5th grades at Great Hearts Harveston, the newest campus in the Great Hearts network and the first Great Hearts academy to open in the state of Louisiana. Rogers has enjoyed getting to acclimate her new students to the “Great Hearts Way,” and if anyone suited for this task, it’s her. She knows Great Hearts inside and out, having been a Great Hearts graduate and a Great Hearts teacher. “I’ve been in the Great Hearts family since 2005, so I’ve been fortunate to have received an extensive classical education by the very best teachers. It’s been an absolute honor to be both on the receiving end and now the giving end of the classical education continuum,” she said.

She was born and raised in Chandler, Arizona. “I lived in the same house growing up that my parents bought when they got married, and it’s still the family home,” she said. “I’m the daughter of two successful engineers, which has factored into my work ethic and love for mathematics. I was raised to value education and to not expect things to be handed to you in life.”

Rogers still remembers what it was like to be a new student at Great Hearts. In 2005, going into her 7th grade year, Rogers and her family heard about Chandler Prep, a new charter school that was opening in their neighborhood. “I recall taking a tour… and falling in love with the Socratic style while observing a Humane Letters class. I immediately went home and wrote a letter to my parents begging them to send me to Chandler Prep and not the local public school.” Rogers said her parents still have the letter. Fortunately, the letter convinced her parents, and she was selected in the enrollment lottery that first year the Great Hearts Academy in Chandler opened.

Her experience in being a founding family in Chandler has helped Rogers understand what it takes to pioneer a new school. “I remember fond times the next 6 years having classes in a Target strip mall, an annex building, and even an abandoned movie theatre during my junior year. My senior year was the first in our ‘new’ building, which is now 13 years old, and I was a member of Chandler Prep’s first graduating class to attend from 7th-12th grade,” she said.

Moving onto college, she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Design from Baylor University. “While there, I also elected to be a Scholar in the University’s Honors Program so that I could continue being part of the Great Conversation and engaging in classic texts. Part of my graduation requirements included writing a senior thesis – my second one, thanks to Great Hearts,” she said. “Later, after deciding upon a career change, I went back to school to receive my Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction from Middle Tennessee State University,” said Rogers. “I felt called to serve this world in a greater capacity by sharing my knowledge with others.” She returned to Great Hearts, this time as a teacher at Archway Chandler, in 2020.

She first heard about Great Hearts Harveston from an internal interest survey that went out shortly after the plans for the new school were announced. “Something about the Southern culture and lifestyle has always attracted me. When I learned Great Hearts was moving into the deep south, I was immediately interested. I met up with Mr. Heisman at the Classical Education Symposium in February and he offered to fly me out to Baton Rouge to explore the area. During my short visit, I fell in love with the cuisine, friendly people, and lively Louisiana culture. There’s always something to do here – an LSU game to attend, a concert, parade, or other event. The community rallies together to make every holiday into a big production. I love the joy and vibrance here! And when I discovered how dog-friendly Baton Rouge is, I was officially sold.”

“The idea of cultivating students’ hearts is what most draws me to the Great Hearts network,” she said. “Aristotle believed that ‘educating the mind, without educating the heart, is no education at all,’ and that has been my shared teaching philosophy since the beginning of my career. Great Hearts is known for high test scores and graduation rates, but to me the greatest accomplishment lies in the virtuous citizens we grow through extensive moral education. We don’t just teach these children the liberal arts; we teach them how to be a good person and how to live an excellent life. We do this not only through our words to them, but through our actions toward them. As faculty members, we lead by example. Virtuous teachers are one of the greatest assets that sets our network apart, and I’m honored to be a small part of helping to fulfill our mission.”

Rogers is excited to have the opportunity to further serve Great Hearts in a new location. “As a Great Hearts graduate and now teacher, this felt like the natural next step in my service to the network. I felt called to continue to share the innate beauty of classical education with a new community that has not yet had access to such a culture and curriculum. I’m overjoyed that the children of Baton Rouge now have the ability to receive the same great education I had growing up, one I am eternally thankful for – not just for the successes and opportunities it has afforded me in adulthood, but for the morally conscious person it transformed me into.”

Ms. Rogers and the rest of the Harveston faculty would like to invite you to tour Great Hearts Harveston to see how this amazing educational experience is available for every student. During your tour, you can get a behind-the-scenes look at the curriculum in action and receive an overview of the application process. You’ll also learn about enrichment programs, athletics, and more. Sign up at https://harveston.greatheartsamerica.org/tour/.

Open enrollment for the 2024-25 school year begins October 9^th, 2023. For more information, visit https://harveston.greatheartsamerica.org/enrollment-timeline/.

Do you have a story or know of a story that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts?  Please contact jason.moore@greathearts.org.