Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words The Rise of America’s ‘Alternative’ Classical Schools | Deacon Christopher Roberts
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Feb 6, 2026 Deacon Christopher Roberts, a Catholic deacon and classical education leader who runs Martin Saints Classical High School, discusses the rise of classical schooling in America. He explores why families crave truth and beauty. He explains Chesterton-influenced schools, great-books curricula, Latin and craftsmanship Fridays. He describes faith woven through academics and practical steps to start and grow such schools.
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Longing Drives The Classical Turn
- Classical education responds to a deep human longing for truth, beauty, and goodness rooted in the Western intellectual tradition.
- Deacon Christopher Roberts says this interior longing drives families off the educational 'conveyor belt' toward classical alternatives.
Movement Is Growing But Limited
- The classical movement is real but still small in many places; a few schools can serve as seed institutions within large dioceses.
- Deacon Christopher Roberts notes Philadelphia has only three purported classical high schools combining for roughly 200 students.
Great Books As An Apprenticeship
- Chesterton schools use a chronological great-books curriculum to apprentice students into the Western conversation.
- Deacon Christopher Roberts explains students move from Homer and Plato to Dante, Aquinas, and modern thinkers over four years.
