Thales Academy Richmond (Photo by Jay Paul)
A Classical Campus in Midlothian
Thales Academy’s new facility features natural light and inspiring artwork
Last month, Thales Academy Richmond kicked off the school year by welcoming students to its new permanent campus in Midlothian after five years at a temporary location in Glen Allen.
“There was a need in Virginia, and Midlothian is thriving,” says Ashley Dundas, head of school. “We needed to find an acceptable area, one in which our facilities team ensured fit all of the facility standards for [children].”
The new campus on Center Pointe Parkway features floor-to-ceiling windows in every classroom, fresh-air vents and large outdoor play areas. Natural light, fresh air and physical activity are crucial for children, Dundas says, so those elements are designed into every Thales Academy building. The hallway walls are decorated with educational murals depicting nature, influential scientists and entrepreneurs, and Thales Academy core values.
Founded in 2007 by business executive Robert L. Luddy, Thales Academy has grown to 13 campuses in North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, serving more than 6,000 students. The school’s mission is to provide an excellent and affordable education in the classical tradition. The Midlothian campus currently teaches prekindergarten through fifth grade and will add one grade level each academic year as enrollment allows, Dundas says.
To keep costs low, the campus does not have a cafeteria. For families who prefer not to pack lunches, Thales Academy partners with the North Carolina- based company My Hot Lunchbox. The delivery platform allows parents to purchase lunch for their child from a range of preselected local businesses.
The school operates on a year-round schedule, so students start the academic year in July and alternate nine-week stints in the classroom with three-week breaks. Elementary core classes are taught using the direct instruction method, meaning students are divided into small groups by skill level and taught interactive lessons at a pace appropriate for their abilities.
During school breaks, Thales partners with Blast Youth Sports in Chesterfield County to provide students with the opportunity to be physically active with their peers and connect with the community in a summer camp setting. Activities include sports, dance, martial arts, games and crafts.
“Our overall goal is to teach students how to think, not what to think,” Dundas says. “We do believe that accessibility is important, so that’s why we keep our costs low and our quality high. So that’s our goal: to make sure that we can reach as many students and families as possible so they can make a positive mark on our community.” —Bailey Miller
Seven Hills School’s multipurpose Great Hall will be updated with new furniture. (Photo courtesy Seven Hills School)
Taking a Seat
A simple update optimizes education at an all-boys middle school
Located in a converted factory building in Richmond’s North Side, Seven Hills School is home to cheerful classrooms with multicolored walls and natural light. This all-boys middle school, characterized by intention and invention, is one of three institutions nationwide to be awarded a $75,000 Steelcase Learning Innovation Grant.
Office furniture manufacturer Steelcase and its subsidiary Smith System assist grant recipients in optimizing their educational spaces by funding research-based campus remodels. “Authentic active learning starts with the [school] environment,” says Dagan Rowe, Seven Hills’ head of school and an educator for 25 years. “Visual stimuli in classrooms directly influence learning. Paint colors, furniture, windows — they all have an effect on focus levels.”
Movement and adaptability are key components of Seven Hills School’s curriculum. “Middle school is an uncomfortable time for most,” Rowe says. “Complying with stillness constantly is not natural for young boys; movement is natural. Learning retention is optimized by movement.”
The campus’s Great Hall, a brick building buzzing with theater productions, talent shows and pickleball tournaments, reflects that belief daily. “The issue [with the space] currently is with the chairs and tables,” says Will Murphy, assistant head of school. “They are clunky and don’t stack on top of each other. It’s hard to transform the space as quickly as needed.”
The grant will fund long, durable tables and stackable chairs, furniture that is resilient, easily stored and encourages physical activity. Delivery is expected to take place in August ahead of the 2025-26 academic year.
The new furniture will benefit students in a required eighth grade course: Community Problem Solving. During the yearlong program, Seven Hills students will collaborate with pupils from other local urban schools to identify issues in Richmond and surrounding communities and propose solutions. Modified furniture will assist the boys in working together to enact positive changes within the Richmond region. Rowe says, “Tolerant and functional furniture is an important step to creating a space that is conducive to collaborative learning. —Anna Kiepke
Patteson Branch, editor-in-chief of The Pine Needle (Photo courtesy St. Christopher’s School)
Dusting off the Press
An after-school newspaper club defies the digital world
When St. Christopher’s School tightened its classroom cell phone policies two years ago, an online student-run publication, The Pine Needle, faced certain discontinuation. High schoolers with a desire to write turned to a traditional medium to ensure its survival.
The Pine Needle has amplified student voices and fostered journalistic passion for nearly 110 years as a newspaper, magazine and online publication distributed to parents, pupils and alumni. By last year, however, just two upper school students, Mac Dixon, class of 2024, and Patteson Branch (pictured above), class of 2025 and editor-in-chief, were keeping the online-only version afloat. After Dixon graduated, Branch was determined to drum up student engagement. In a last-ditch effort, he proposed that St. Christopher’s physically print The Pine Needle for the first time since 2016.
“Upper school students weren’t really aware that [The Pine Needle] existed at all. They’d maybe read the satire section and then put it away,” Branch says. “I knew that the stories we were telling were meaningful; they just needed to be accessible as well. If the paper was physically around people in communal spaces or delivered straight to their hands, I knew they would be interested.”
Returning to the traditional format proved successful, and students flocked to the publication. “Students seem more eager to read the traditional newspaper and more interested in writing for the paper, too,” says Montana Rogers, upper school head librarian. “[Printing the paper] has allowed us to publish more frequently, which means the paper is more current and timely.” The students have maintained the online version as well. —AK
Blessed Sacrament Huguenot students take a cooking class in Greece. (Photo courtesy Blessed Sacrament Huguenot Catholic School)
The Real Thing
Blessed Sacrament offers the ultimate art appreciation field trip
For the past eight years, upper school students from Blessed Sacrament Huguenot Catholic School have had a remarkable opportunity: spending spring break in Europe studying art.
In April, 21 students and adult chaperones travelled to Greece to view art and architecture. The group visited Athens, Delphi, the Acropolis, the original Olympic stadium and other sites; hiked near the mountain town of Vytina; and attended a Greek Orthodox mass.
The trips provide students with in-person exposure to the works they have studied in class, says Library Manager Barbara Rogers, who will lead future trips. Past destinations have included Italy, France and Spain; students will return to Italy in 2026.
Rising junior Emma Bentajado says her interest in the trip was sparked by Greek mythology, adding, “I’m very adventurous, so I loved being able to try different foods and meet new friends and people.” Emma particularly enjoyed cooking a traditional meal and learning a Greek dance. In addition, she says, “I loved the boat when we went to see the three different islands, because my friends and I decided to swim in the ocean.”
The trips were begun by former upper school art and art history teacher Lisa Goodwyn. “She truly believed, rightly so, that students need to see the world and the art as it is in place,” Rogers says. —BM
Richmond Montessori School
After a yearlong search, Richmond Montessori School welcomed a new head of school in July. Beth Suitor brings to the role 20 years’ experience as a teacher, school administrator and strategic consultant specializing in Montessori and independent education. In announcing the decision, the school praised Suitor’s leadership style, communication skills and financial strategies. —Staff reports
