← Hillsdale College K-12 Classical Education Podcast
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- [00:00]
A
Hey, it's Scott Bertram, host of the Radio Free Hillsdale Hour and the Hillsdale College K12 Classical Education Podcast. I want to know what do you think about the show you're listening to right now? Visit Podcast Hillsdale. Edu and click the survey Pop up to take our very first ever listener survey. Tell us what you like, what you don't like, and what you want to hear from us in the future. Visit Podcast Hillsdale. Edu and click the pop up to take the survey and thank you for listening. Welcome to The Hillsdale College K12 classical education podcast, bringing you insight into classical education and its unique emphasis on human virtue and moral character, responsible citizenship, culture, content, rich curricula and teacher led classrooms. Now your host, Scott Bertram. Thanks for listening. The Hillsdale College K12 Classical Education Podcast is part of the Hillsdale College Podcast Network. More episodes at Podcast Hillsdale. Edu or wherever you get your audio. You also can find more information on topics and ideas discussed on this show at our website, K12. We're joined by Steven Cox. He is a founding board member for Thomas Moore Classical School, a new private classical school opening in the fall of 2026 in Anchorage, Alaska. Stephen, thanks so much for joining us.
- [01:36]
B
Thanks for having me.
- [01:38]
A
So give us a picture of what the educational landscape looks like in that great state of Alaska and what led you to decide that you were going to help start a new school?
- [01:49]
B
Sure. So Alaska's educational landscape, it's, it's challenging, like many things in Alaska, to say the least. Our public schools are struggling. Test scores here been reported to be ranking near the bottom nationally. In Anchorage, there have been sort of a growing group of parents that have been vocal about struggles and issues that they have about large bureaucratic schools, one size fits all kind of approaches, and even a breakdown in school culture and school discipline. But for us, for my wife Christina and I, we had been interested in and committed to a classical education model for our children since they were in preschool, dating back to 2017 when we lived in Northern Virginia at our parish school school in Alexandria, Virginia had adopted a classical curriculum. And then later, when we moved to Alaska in 2021, we knew that we had to make it through a couple of winters to really know whether this was going to be a long term move. And once we did that and knew that this was going to be our new home, we decided to create a classical school here in Alaska and we started talking with others in the community about how to do. And so in 2023, we came together with a group of parents With a shared conviction that education should do more than just transmit facts to children. Education should be more than about sort of utility and, you know, job skill training, that sort of thing. It really, education really should shape students minds and souls. And we wanted a school in Alask that would revive the time tested classical model of emphasizing great books, virtue and critical thinking, and also ground students in faith. So that's why we did it.
- [04:00]
A
How did you land upon Hillsdale College? Why did you decide that the Hillsdale K12 classical curriculum was what you wanted to install for Thomas Moore Classical School?
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B
It's a great question. When we set out to create a classical school, we explored several models. We were fortunate enough to have dozens of friends who had built and financed and operated classical schools in the lower 48 using a wide array of classical curricula. But Hillsdale College kept emerging to us as the gold standard. I remember the evening when Christina and my wife told me, she said, I just want to build a Hillsdale school. And, and that's because Hillsdale has really been a leader in the classical education revival for decades. They have a whole office, as you know, dedicated to helping K through 12 schools. They have this amazing, amazing podcast, which is really just a deep reserve of resources on how to do classical education the right way. And so rather than reinvent the wheel, we wanted a proven curriculum and a model to follow. And so in 2023, we approached Hillsd through some mutual friends. I remember it vividly. I was at a cabin in Cooper Landing, which is on the Kenai Peninsula, a couple of hours away from Anchorage. Had just done some fly fishing with a family on the beautiful Kenai river. And I got on the phone with Dr. Katie O' Tool for about an hour and we talked about the program, the application process, and the time frame. And she was very enthusiastic and encouraging. So we took a year and evaluated the program guide and the curriculum from Hillsdale. We used a lot of it in a homeschool pod that we had formed with several other families that we used sort of as a test pilot. And then in 2024, we went through the rigorous application process. We competed with a dozen or so founding teams, and Hillsdale accepted us into the K312 program last October.
- [06:09]
A
And so Thomas Moore in Anchorage, it's the first Hillsdale supported founding effort in Alaska. The first to use the Hillsdale K12 curriculum. Right?
- [06:18]
B
Yes, we are proud to be the very first Hillsdale supported school initiative in Alaska. We're officially part of the Hillsdale network of classical schools. And practically speaking, what that means is that we have their curriculum, we have their training and their mentorship at our disposal. And it doesn't mean, as you know, this affiliation with Hillsdale, it doesn't mean that Hillsdale is running our school or will be running our school day to day. We're independent. Hillsdale doesn't own or govern the school. It's not like a franchise. They just act as strategic advisors and content partners. And it's really a great backbone for us in terms of how to bring the Hillsdale model to the last frontier.
- [07:07]
A
Talking with Steven Cox. He's a founding board member for Thomas Moore Classical School in Anchorage, Alaska, opening in the fall of 2026. So these are still visions and plans at this point. But how would you describe what you want for Thomas Moore Classical School? And how is that vision unique from other educational options in that area?
- [07:30]
B
Sure. Our plan for Thomas More Classical is really, and this is really our vision is to offer an unparallele, a classical education that forms both the minds and the hearts of students. We have a motto of more Classical, more saints. And that means that we want an academically rigorous school and one that nurtures. Nurtures virtue and faith. So in more concrete terms, our plan is to open in fall 2026. We'll serve grades K through 6 and then add a grade each year until we're a full K12 school. In the years that. And we see Thomas Moore eventually as a thriving classical academy with perhaps, you know, 400 students, two classes per grade, K through 12. A school really known for its excellent liberal arts curriculum and its upright, joyful school culture. So what makes Thomas Moore unique in Alaska is a combination of things. First, it's our curriculum and our pedagogy. No other school here is offering the Hillsdale Classical curriculum that we will. Our students will be reading the great books, learning cursing Latin, memorizing poetry, studying American founding documents. And then second, our focus on virtue and faith will set us apart. We are an intentionally Christian school. We're going to be an independent, interdenominational school where character formation is really woven into daily life, Whether that's through morning prayer, whether it's studying the lives of saints and heroes, or holding students to that high standards of behavior. And so we think, and this is really why we use the name Thomas Moore, because he wrote it in his letters to his daughter's tutors. Is education's true purpose is to train students in virtue. That's the philosophy that really guides everything that we do. Another unique aspect, and this is huge, is the Support network behind us. We're the only school in Alaska that's backed by Hillsdale College, which means we have have access to top notch teacher training and a proven curriculum model. And for, for me as a board member, we have the best board governance resources and education you can find in the nonprofit world. And then finally, I guess I would say that our school will be affordable. We're doing a lot of fundraising, aggressive fundraising. That's something that I personally bring to the table to keep tuition as low as possible and to offer scholarships so that a wide range of families can attend.
- [10:11]
A
I love talking to these founding board members because all these journeys are really interesting and they're all unique, yet they all sometimes have similar challenges. And that's fun to sort of find out. So as you've been putting the pieces together for Thomas More Classical School in Anchorage, what have been your most significant challenges on that journey?
- [10:35]
B
The hardest concrete challenges in starting any school, I think, are fundraising. It's the three Fs, fundraising facility and faculty. So finding that facility, finding the right faculty and leadership, those are the three mountains that every founding team has to climb. We have really seen the hand of God in all three of those fronts, and we've been blessed with the success that we've seen. But I would say that at the outset, and I'll get back to the three Fs on how that's worked out for you. But at the outset, I would say that the challenge that, that I had was, was first in building the board. I had had this vision. My wife and I had this vision of bringing this Hillsdale model to Alaska. And, and I spoke to a number of people, intentionally seeking out people who brought certain skills to the table and inviting them to be on the board. And it took a while for me to get yeses. There were a lot of folks who wanted to send their kids to the school but weren't, didn't have the capacity or for other reasons. Couldn't take that laboring or with me and building it. So that was building the team was probably the first big challenge. But back to the three Fs. Fundraising was probably the first hurdle. We signed with Hillsdale last October. We had an ambitious goal of raising $50,000 in the first two months. By the end of last year, we quadrupled that. We raised $200,000 actually, and it all came in the month of December. We raised another $100,000 in the spring. We are on track to raising a million by the end of this year. And we have a goal of raising 2 million by the, by the time that we open our doors. And, and if we do that we, we will be able to sustain operations really through our first few years. On the facility side, Anchorage doesn't have a lot of affordable school ready space. And so we needed, we needed a building that could meet code, that could accommodate growth and align with our mission. But we found a perfect partner in a church called Church in South Anchorage, which is a great part of the city. And the church leadership really shared our vision for forming students in virtue and truth. And their campus has more than 30,000 square feet of up to code classrooms, offices and multi purpose space. And so it's ideal and we created, we, we landed on a creative agreement, a five year lease with early office access to this year zero for a headmaster. We have a very, very generous rent agreement. And so it really is a partnership that will give us stability and room to grow. And then the third F is finding the right faculty. And we launched a nationwide search through our network and Hillsdale's network. We interviewed a remarkable field of candidates. I think we had over 20 applicants, but ultimately we found Mrs. Sarah Spalding who had helped found two Hillsdale affiliated schools in Ohio. One was a charter school and one was a private classical school. And so she brought a wealth of experience in classical education, administrative skill and this calm, mission driven spirit and the relationships she had built with Hillsdale over the last five years. And so she accepted our offer and, and she began work in July of this year and she's doing fantastic.
- [14:34]
A
What's her work look like from the middle of 2025 to have a year plus in run up to the time the doors open. I know there is unbelievable amount of work to be done before that happens. What does the work of the founding headmaster look like right now?
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B
Sure. Well, we just had a big budget meeting with our board a few weeks ago where she presented a year through five estimated budget. But we voted, we were voting on year zero to make sure that she has the resources and the authorities to, to build out the school. We have developed our website. She's continuing to develop that website@moreclassical.org and, and she is starting to accept applications. I think we've gotten more than a dozen applications in the first couple of weeks, which is encouraging. And, and then now she's recruiting. So she's got job descriptions and an application process and so she'll be hiring leadership and faculty and assistants. And so there's a lot to do. But the one thing that she doesn't have to do is learn the Hillsdale curriculum. She brings that already to the table. And so when she's doing an information session with a new potential faculty member or a new potential parent, she knows exactly what we will be delivering because she's delivered it before for the last five years at her two other schools, which is really, really a head start.
- [16:08]
A
As you're trying to attract talent, is it even more difficult to do so given the fact you're in Alaska? Not that Alaska isn't beautiful and a great place to be, but it is isolated from the rest of the continental states. Is it tougher to find the right mission aligned talent up there both for teachers and other parts of the leadership team?
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B
The short answer is yes. Alaska has often left off of the map of the United States or put into the bottom left corner. Of course it's the northernmost, westernmost, and because of the international dateline, it's the easternmost state and country. There's a little bit of trivia for you, but yeah, it's very difficult to bring in talent into Alaska, but it's not impossible. Our, our state offers so much for people who are looking for excitement, new endeavors, a frontier spirit, entrepreneurism. And so I think it's very exciting. I think Hillsdale is very excited about the idea of bringing in faculty or helping us find faculty for our school. The pool up here, the pool of educators up here who are familiar with classical education here in Alaska is of course small. But we've known from the start that we'd likely need to recruit nationally and locally to get the caliber of classical teachers and leaders that we want. And that's one of the biggest reasons we partnered with Hillsdale is because they I really believe in building pipelines of talent into the state. And that's what Hillsdale can help us with, is building that pipeline to tap into a nationwide network of like minded educators. We will probably do a, a mix of relocating some teachers from the lower 48, but we'll also be finding and supporting and retraining local teachers who share our values, mission and vision, but maybe need a little bit more orientation to the classical curricula. I really believe that the mission of Thomas More Classical is going to be a magnet, a strong magnet for the right kind of educator and teachers who love the classical approach and who want that freedom to teach with purpose. I think they will be excited to join us. Even if it moves, moving to Alaska or from a different part of Alaska. I really think we're going to see a lot of success on that front.
- [18:47]
A
Talking with Stephen Coxey's founding board member a founding board member at Thomas Moore Classical School in Anchorage, Alaska, opening fall of 2026. Why did you decide to go that the private route instead of the charter or tuition free pathway at Thomas Moore?
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B
Sure. It was a big question that we had to answer early. And I remember meeting. I took my whole family to Hillsdale about a year and a half ago and we spent practically the whole day with Dr. O' Toole and her team. We toured Hillsdale Academy. We talked about the K through 12 office. We asked the question about charter school, like a tuition free charter school or a private school. We chose the private path really to preserve our freedom and fidelity to our mission. Alaska's charter framework, it brings really a lot of oversight and really there are few chartering authorities that can charter new schools. So here in Anchorage, we would only be able to use, I believe, the Anchorage school district as a chartering authority. And there's no appeal if they deny. And of course, there's no room in a charter school. There's no room for a faith based identity. So as a charter, we might not be able to pray, we might not be able to teach theology or fully integrate virtue and faith into the learning. And so going private really gives us complete freedom to uphold our Christian and classical mission. It also protects the school, I think, from political shifts or bureaucratic interference. And then, rather than waiting for years to, you know, for Alaska's laws to change that might afford more options on the chartering front, we opted to do things our way through a private school. And Hillsdale was supportive. They affiliate with both charter and private schools, even Hillsdale Academy, the very first Hillsdale school. That school is private. And so as a private Hillsdale partner, we'll be able to teach scripture, study the saints, and set higher standards without compromising on anything.
- [21:11]
A
Now that you've been through some of the process and are looking toward that start date in fall of 2026, what kind of advice do you have for someone who might be thinking about starting a school? And perhaps if you could change one decision you made along the way, what might that be?
- [21:29]
B
Oh, gosh. So first I'll take the easier question and I would say build a strong team. That's the best advice. It really takes a committed team of people who share a clear mission and a diverse set of skills with education, finance and law and faith. I would encourage anyone to find proven models like Hillsdale's and really learn from them. And then I would say visit other schools. Don't try to reinvent the wheel by visiting other schools, you will see what works, you will see what success looks like and that will help you. And then I would say keep your mission front and center. We begin every board meeting with a 5 or 10 minute talk by one of our board members about something related to classical education and pedagogy to really remind us of what we're here trying to do. And because it's easy to get lost in logistics of building a school, there's, it's easy to have mission drift, but the why, why you're doing it, that's what sustains you. And so, so, yeah, and in terms of one decision that I might revisit, you know, I would say engaging the community earlier would have been, would have been helpful because, you know, we're starting to get the message out and we're getting more and more people into these information sessions. But I do wish we had spent a little bit more time really getting the whole community excited about this. And there's a, the flip side to that coin because sometimes when you're in sort of that stealth mode and you're not sure if, you know you're going to get the approval from Hillsdale, you know, you might not want to be saying too much out loud, but I think if, if there's one thing we could have done a little bit better is to engage in the community a little bit earlier.
- [23:37]
A
And if people want to find out more about Thomas Moore Classical School, the website is moreclassical.org m o r e classical.org you can also find them active on Facebook and Instagram with news and photos and updates, and also events in the area as well. Moreclassical.org Stephen Cox is a founding board member for Thomas Moore Classical School in Anchorage, Alaska at a private classical school opening doors fall of 2026. Stephen, thanks so much for joining us here on the Hillsdale College K12 Classical Education Podcast.
- [24:16]
B
Thank you for having me and thank you for doing what you do.
- [24:18]
A
I'm Scott Bertram. We invite you to like us on Facebook. Search for Hillsdale College K12 classical education. You also can follow us on Instagram hillsdalek12. That's hillsdalek12 on Instagram. Thank you for listening to The Hillsdale College K12 classical education podcast, part of the Hillsdale College Podcast Network. More at Podcast, Hillsdale Edu or wherever you get your audio.