By Melanie Kaiss
It is about to begin. A whole new era is about to begin. Next fall, September 2021, for the first time in the school’s 25-year-history, Rockbridge Academy will become one unified K-12 school on a single campus of it its own. It has been a long journey of hope and anticipation, now fully realized as Rockbridge moves into the former Indian Creek lower school on Evergreen Road in Crownsville.
Twenty-five years ago, in late summer 1996, Rockbridge Academy was about to open its doors for the first time. The school had come together through the vision of a few like-minded families yearning for a rigorous, bible-based education that truly taught to a child’s developmental strengths. These families chose to use the classical model, a time-tested method based on a traditional understanding of how children develop from the earliest years (grammar), through the middle (dialectic) and culminating in the high school years (rhetoric). Children soak up facts and details in the early years through repetition and memorization. In the middle years, children are natural questioners, so they are encouraged to examine their knowledge, applying formal logic and precise thinking to what they have learned. Finally, as Rhetoric students, they learn to express that thinking clearly in writing and speaking.
But, back to our story. Everything was in place, it seemed—curriculum, teachers, and a handful of students. One problem remained: the school had no place to meet. Then, just a few days before school was to start, the fledgling Rockbridge Academy found a space to rent at 911 Generals Highway. Here the school gained a footing and began to grow and thrive. By 2004, Rockbridge Academy was graduating its first students. As the school continued to expand, a second campus was established at a nearby church building. Ever since, Rockbridge Academy has longed to bring the student body back together as one, believing the interaction of older and younger students is essential for mutual encouragement and the opportunity for older students to mentor younger ones.
And now, (Drum roll, please!) The wait is over! The hope fulfilled! Rockbridge Academy will begin a new era in the life of the school as all thirteen grades come together in our new home. The new campus also has a host of amenities—a gym, athletic fields, art and music rooms, and more—that will allow the school to continue to grow in many areas. Come see for yourself. We’d love to show you around. Our welcome mat is waiting for you!
Visit today! Safe, in-person tours are available. Learn more here.
