Servants, scholars, saints

COEUR d'ALENE — The old Methodist church at 618 E. Wallace Ave. is going to be a school.

Coeur du Christ Academy, a private classical liberal arts high school in the Catholic tradition, will open Sept. 7 for its inaugural school year.

"The reason we got this building is because we're going to honor the intended purposes of it,” said Coeur du Christ Academy President Genavive Edman.

The historical building — which also houses Revelation Church and Archwood Hall, a wedding and events venue — was built as the First United Methodist Church in 1906 by local architect George Williams, who also designed Roosevelt School. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Coeur du Christ Academy will share space with Revelation and Archwood, holding school Monday through Friday while church services and venue functions will happen on weekends.

“There’s that other revenue stream,” Edman said. “It’s necessary. If you want a downtown location, you better have other ways to make money besides education."

Local families came together earlier this year to find a site for a classical Catholic high school. The 13,990-square-foot church is listed at more than $2.8 million on Zillow.

Without disclosing sale details, Edman said the academy was grandfathered in because it will honor and maintain the historical building.

"Most investors are looking to turn this into dirt and to build more condos," she said. "Rather than that, we want to embrace the space as-is."

She said with the boom that’s taking place, churches and schools are bursting at the seams.

“Those teens, they end up being lost in the shuffle a little bit. They don’t bring money into the church. They don’t bring their time or talents in because they’re still being formed," she said. “I see it as they need us and we need them."

Classrooms were once housed in the basement of the old building, evident by the segments in the flooring. The walls are gone now, but Coeur du Christ will resurrect four classrooms and eventually have partitions to separate them.

Each class will only have about a dozen pupils. The school has 30 students now enrolled, with room for about 10 more. The building is expected to expand with the school in coming years.

Kieran DuFrain, who teaches Latin, logic, algebra and geometry, is a graduate of Christendom College in Virginia and serves as a captain in the Idaho Army National Guard. He said North Idaho hasn’t had a classical Catholic school for about 40 years.

"We have 2,000 years of history of tradition of what the Catholic Church has done and taught that you’re unable to get in a public school," DuFrain said. "If you really are tied into that and want that for your kids, that way of life that you need to have in an education of a child that you can get at this school, through working together with the families and that whole encompassing view of the world."

Edman explained "classical" education is an original approach that seeks to inspire awe and wonder in learning.

"Classical education, also known as a liberal arts education, has the goal of teaching humans how to think, not what to think," she said. "By utilizing philosophy and historical timelines from ancient civilization to present day and learning through an integrated class structure and curriculum, inclusive of math, science and the arts, etc., students learn to encounter education, virtue and formation as the end and not the means. The goal is always that students learn joyfully and that they come to discern their unique vocation in life as a well-rounded and virtuous child of God."

The academy's mission is "Heaven for all." Its prayer is "with God's grace we will form the next generation of saints, scholars and servant leaders to impact the world and bear much fruit for Jesus Christ and His church."

“What we want to produce is Catholic citizens engaged not just in their own little Catholic bubble, but actively engaged as productive citizens here in the U.S. in standing up and trying to make sure the world and the culture around them is really a better place, and they’re set up to enter a world where they're able to articulate what their beliefs are and why they believe them,” DuFrain said.

Coeur du Christ's athletics program is already off to a strong start. Its board chair and athletic director is former National Football League quarterback Kellen Clemens, who played for the New York Jets and the Los Angeles Chargers. The athletics program is expected to start with basketball and volleyball and add other sports in the future.

"There’s all kinds of opportunities being presented,” Edman said.

She said the academy is working with the Coeur d'Alene Tribe to host a football camp this summer.

“We’re building those bridges,” she said.

Edman said the name "Coeur du Christ" pays homage to Coeur d’Alene history and the Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy, a Catholic school that was active in Coeur d'Alene from 1907 to 1971.

"They had the Immaculate Heart of Mary; we have the sacred heart of Jesus," she said.

Edman said the school will have a hands-on approach to learning and will not heavily rely on technology. The dress code will be enforced at least for four of the five school days, with girls in long skirts and boys in slacks. All students will have uniform jackets.

History, literature and physical education teacher Grace Drinkwater grew up in northern Minnesota, graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee and served in the Navy for five years. She said she attended public school and was uncertain about classical education until she learned more about it.

“When I first started looking into it, it sounded intimidating. Classical education sounded hoity-toity almost, but it’s definitely not like that,” she said. "I am going to really love teaching these kids and hopefully, in return, they’ll really love the learning process even as it challenges them to a level they haven’t been challenged at before.

"It’s going to be a very joyful environment," she said.

Info: coeurduchrist.org