The Other Chesterton Conference
From the Pages of Gilbert!
The Magazine of the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton
By Emily de Rotstein, Executive Director of the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton and the Chesterton Schools Network
From the September/October 2019 Issue of Gilbert!
Nearly 60 faculty, staff, volunteers, and Board members from the Chesterton Schools Network gathered in Kansas City July 30 – August 1 for our annual summer conference. This year’s event took place concurrently with our inaugural White Horse summer gathering for Chesterton Academy students. The conferences provide a tremendous opportunity to support our growing Network with valuable training and resources; share best practices and expertise; and build camaraderie, community, and lasting friendships. The summer conferences are emerging as one of the most impactful ways of uniting our schools in our mission of raising up a new generation of joyful leaders and saints, and creating lasting communities where members—students, families, faculty, supporters—can experience the joy of learning and grow in holiness together.
Conference highlights included an opening address by Dale Ahlquist on education as evangelization; a Socratic seminar practicum, featuring a dramatic reading of selections from Orthodoxy by Kevin O’Brien, followed by spirited discussion; and a surprise field trip (with transportation by yellow school bus!) to the world-renowned Nelson Atkins Museum where we took in masterpieces such as Caravaggio’s St. John the Baptist and casts of the original Gates of Paradise doors, a sister set to the originals at the Baptistry of the Duomo in Florence, Italy.
Our students, led by dynamic faculty members from the Chesterton Academy of The Holy Family and Chesterton Academy of the Twin Cities, explored Kansas City, visited the art museum as well, and also took in a Royals baseball game, competed in teams in a local Escape Room and in the nearby parks, and sang (and sang and sang).
In addition to meals, the two conference groups gathered for daily Mass, night prayer, and Eucharistic Adoration, led by the wonderful Father Bob McElwee. Our evening “Fire & Fellowship” sessions were marked by hours of singing, laughter, and fun. The friendship and fellowship experienced at the conference was a microcosm of the joyful school culture we aim to build within each of our school communities. And the Chesterton Schools Network is growing! Click here to view our directory.
MIDWESTERN UNITED STATES
Chesterton Academy of the Twin Cities (Hopkins and St. Paul, MN) – Opened 2008
Chesterton Academy of the St. Croix Valley (MN) – Opening 2020
Chesterton Academy of the Holy Family (Downers Grove, IL) – Opened 2015
Chesterton Academy of Milwaukee (Milwaukee, WI) – Opened 2016
Chesterton Academy of the Sacred Heart (Peoria, IL) – Opened 2017
Chesterton Academy at Catholic Central High School (Steubenville, OH) – Opened 2018
Chesterton Academy at St. Michael’s High School (Petoskey, MI) – Opened 2019
Chesterton Academy of Detroit (Detroit, MI) – Opening 2020
EASTERN UNITED STATES
Chesterton Academy of Buffalo (West Seneca, NY) – Opened 2014
Chesterton Academy of Rochester (East Rochester, NY) – Opened 2014
Regina Chesterton Academy at Cardinal O’Hara School (Springfield, PA) – Opened 2016
Martin Saints Classical High School (Oreland, PA) – Opened 2017
Chesterton Academy of Annapolis (Annapolis, MD) – Opened 2018
Chesterton Academy at Immaculata High School (Somerville, NJ) – Opened 2019
WESTERN UNITED STATES
Chesterton Academy of Our Lady of Victory (Denver, CO) – Opened 2019
Chesterton Academy of Northern Colorado (Fort Collins, CO) – Opening 2020
Chesterton Academy at Valley of the Sacred Heart (Dixon, CA) – Opened 2018
Chesterton Academy of the Willamette Valley (Mt. Angel, OR) – Opened 2018
Chesterton Academy of Albuquerque, Our Lady of Victory (NM) – Opening 2020
Chesterton Academy of Notre Dame (Spokane, WA) – Opening 2020
INTERNATIONAL
Scuola Libera G.K. Chesterton (San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy) – Opened 2008
Chesterton Academy of Ottawa (Ottawa, Canada) – Opened 2018
Chesterton Academy of Our Lady of the Wayside (Peterborough, Canada) – Opened 2019
Plans are already coming together for our 2020 conference, which will be hosted by Chesterton Academy of The Holy Family. To inquire about starting a school in your area or to make a donation to support the work of the Chesterton Schools Network, click here or contact me at emily@chesterton.org.
Emily de Rotstein is Executive Director of the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton and the Chesterton Schools Network. She served as the founding Executive Director of Chesterton Academy of the Twin Cities from 2011 to 2018, and has led the Chesterton Schools Network since it was established in 2013. She began her career in fundraising for higher education, serving in advancement positions at Amherst College, Trinity College, and leading global philanthropic consulting firm, Grenzebach Glier & Associates. Prior to Chesterton, she served as Vice President of Marketing of a venture-backed electronics display company she helped spin out from The Dow Chemical Company. She holds a B.A. from the University of Minnesota and an M.B.A. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.