2 weeks Ago By Tony Glaros
Every weekday morning, Dr. Ian Stout stages a fast break toward another incalculably bejeweled transformation. There, in the foyer of Loveland Classical Schools, the executive director of the public charter school is sensitized by the soaring artwork that greets him.
It represents more awareness of why the classics so absolutely invigorate him.The opportunity for such a renewed connection, with art serving as a guidepost, showcases the “environment of learning. It sets that tone.
It’s immersing ourselves in works and thoughts that stand the test of time,” he says.Tony GlarosLongmont LessonsAs Stout takes a deeper dive into the classics, his cadence elevates to childlike, over-the-moon heights. It’s contagious.
As he unspools glowing descriptions of what the classics mean, I hear a small voice inside my gray head asking why this out-of-the-box curriculum wasn’t on the table when I was in school decades ago. I feel deeply shortchanged. Or, maybe I was in school before Socrates and Aristotle were around.
The K-12 schools, operated by Thompson School District, use a free, Core Knowledge curriculum from K-5th grades and from sixth-eighth grades. High school students are immersed in a classical liberal arts curriculum. Viewed holistically, the approach is built on three pillars, he explains.
The first, “great teaching, “teaches students not only what to think but how to think.” Following it “is great character,” which, he notes, was an element woven tightly into Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
’s, playbook for living a moral and just life. The third pillar, great writing, “speaks to humans across time and place.”Stout, who has served at LCS since it opened in 2011, volleys an example: “When Sarah picks Billy up off the ground, that’s a more good thing instead of pushing him down.
We can move beyond opinion and to a universal agreement on what is good and healthy.”As is the case with most charter schools in Colorado, LCS was established by parents who reacted to the growing demand for a school that centered on the classical model. After more than a year of intense work, the charter application was approved by the School District.
Buoyed by the input of scores of volunteers and seasoned charter school pros, LCS opened with an initial enrollment of 540 students in kindergarten through 9th grade. Today, the total enrollment is around 1,000, with 500 names on the waitlist. The thirst for education through a classical lens, Stout proclaims, “is in the middle of a renaissance.
The data is clear that in 2025, the classical schools model is the fastest growing model in the country.”Kaylin Inman holds dear the deep pool of memories about her alma mater. The Longmont resident attended LCS from sixth grade on.
One of the most poignant recollections is what she spotted on the first day she was there. “I was pretty excited about the uniforms. I went on a shopping spree with my mom where I bought new pleated skirts.
” Inman, who works in the leasing office at The Legacy apartments, also enjoyed her art, literature and history courses. “The discussion groups in those classes in particular were incredible, as we always circled up in a seminar style format.”Inman also remembers the government class where students were required to read the Federal Papers.
“They made sure we understood in detail the checks and balances of our government. I found that class one of the most useful.”Stout emphasizes that LCS operates on a lottery system, while also accepting prospective students from nearby cities like Longmont.
“Great families have a choice. We serve all students. Our mission is to provide equal opportunities,” he says.
Stout’s academic “North Star” lies in the liberal arts constellation, where his years of training were steeped in the history of thought with the accent on comparative ontology. He earned his doctorate with a concentration in executive leadership from the University of Colorado, Denver.Inman credits her exposure to LCS for equipping her for college.
“A classical education made me more prepared,” for higher education, he says. “I took all my core classes first and found that work was much easier and the deadlines and extensions were more forgiving.”When I quiz him on what classical literature resonates and can recommend, his nearly instantaneous reply is ”East of Eden,” by John Steinbeck.
It’s a book that many staff members have been reading of late. “You appreciate (the book’s) artistic elements of human creativity. It also speaks universally across time, place, and identity.
”However, the curriculum doesn’t stop at classical art and literature. LCS also offers “high level” courses in math and science, computer science and robotics. “It’s a classical education for the 21st century,” Stout enthuses.
Before returning to an afternoon meeting I took him away from, Stout ties the classics up into a sweet-scented bow, elevating birth, growth, development and preservation. “It’s the Greek conception of sculpting the soul.”To be sure, in an era where diversity, equity, and inclusion are being pummeled and left for dead, Stout’s words form a soothing balm.
Precisely like the objects d’art in the foyer that quicken steps and feed souls.Related ArticlesLongmont Lessons: A stroll on memory lane with Tim McGinnLongmont Lessons: Celebrating four years of living in LongmontLongmont Lessons: Choose your perspective on LentLongmont Lessons: Doodling our way to self-discoveryLongmont Lessons: Picasso exhibit a highlight of the season at Longmont MuseumTony Glaros, originally from Washington, D.C.
, is a longtime reporter and former educator. He says living on the Front Range sparks euphoria..
