As you all may already know, Plato Academy lost two champions earlier this month. Board of Directors member Stacey Sauvageau lost her fight with cancer… I’m pretty sure it’s the only fight she ever lost! I also lost a best friend, a partner in education, and a true intellectual who could discuss any topic for hours over a cup of coffee.

A few weeks later we lost another member of our founding Board, Dr. Catherine Antonopoulos, who was also a former Plato Academy principal in the 1980’s and also a force to be reckoned with. The three of us were an unbeatable team! We navigated the school through turbulent times, having to move into four different buildings until we finally found our amazing and forever home last year.

When Stacey, Catherine, and I incorporated Plato Academy as an independent progressive school in 1999, we had a very clear vision. We wanted to create a school that honored children and how they learn. We wanted to allow children to play, be curious, be problem solvers and ultimately become critical and analytical thinkers. We also wanted to be sure that our students maintained that love of learning that every toddler exhibits as they explore the world. We wanted to create a school where students were not defined by grades and standardized tests. In this way we would not be inclined to compare one child to the next. We wanted to create a school where students are honored for thinking “outside the box:”  We wanted to create a school where the most important lesson was that of philotimo. In our vision, there was to be no predetermined curriculum, but rather one that emerges from the interests of the learners themselves. Our hope was that the lessons our students learned during their time at Plato Academy would impact their lives in such a way that they themselves would become future champions of education and philotimo!  

Plato Academy has a dedicated and diligent School Board, a talented staff and an amazing director at the helm. We are all completely dedicated to the Plato Academy mission and ideals.

Stacey and Catherine, your spirit will continue to help guide the Plato Academy team as we continue our purpose of educating the citizens of tomorrow!