St. John Paul II Elementary School (St. JPII) has committed to a renewal of Catholic values by partnering with the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education (ICLE).
ICLE assists Catholic schools in forming educators and implementing Catholic curriculum based on the classical tradition of education developed and embraced by the Church.
St. JPII began its partnership with ICLE in the spring of 2024 as a result of the Rise Up Strategic Plan. A large focus group with parents and stakeholders expressed a desire for a Catholic-based curriculum.
“We looked into different organizations that help schools develop a classical or liberal arts approach curriculum and ICLE was the most prominent and experienced,” explained Fr. Yamato Icochea, PES, school chaplain. “We liked that they were Christ-centric and unapologetically Catholic in their view of education.”
This 2024-2025 school year, St. JPII has begun its implementation of classical Catholic education, which will take place in a three-year phase. Classical Catholic education can be defined as material that draws on the liberal arts and teachings of the Church, focusing not just on “what” students learn but “how” they learn. Classical Catholic education educates the student as a child of God, an identity that is lost in the secular model of education.
This school year, each grade has adopted a classical Catholic curriculum in social studies. The 2nd and 4th grades are also adopting a classical curriculum in English-Language Arts. The grades will continue to switch over curriculum in all subjects over the next two years. With the updated curriculum, St. JPII will continue to be certified through the State of South Dakota with the opportunity to be double-certified in the future.
“My hope for the school as part of this process is to form students who can think well, speak well, and write well,” says Mrs. Robin Cahoy, Principal of St. John Paul II. “Our goal at St. John Paul II is to engage students in lifelong learning. The approach to Catholic Liberal Arts Education is to teach children to investigate the meaning and purpose of all created things.”
Evaluating and updating the curriculum is only one piece of the renewal. ICLE also supports the school by providing regular professional development for the faculty and staff. This renewal is not simply a change in curriculum, but a change in the whole culture of the Catholic school. The renewal aims to form the faculty who are, in turn, forming the students.
“At St. John Paul II, we are leading the way in the Diocese to provide our children the ability to see the beauty in God’s creation,” says Principal Cahoy. “We are cultivating each child to come to love that which is true, good, and beautiful.”
The Diocese of Sioux Falls has several schools in partnership with ICLE or discerning the process. Schools that have partnered with ICLE and undergone a Catholic renewal overwhelmingly report increased staff engagement, enrollment, and academic performance.
To learn more about ICLE, visit catholicliberaleducation.org. To learn more about St. JPII and the Rise Up Strategic plan, visit johnpaul2.org.