Angelus Academy Testimonials

My husband, Steve, and I are convinced that it was our Blessed Mother and the angels, with one final nudge from Saints Philip and Nathanael, who ultimately led us to the doorsteps of Angelus Academy in November 2021. We had grown increasingly dissatisfied with the lack of rigor in the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). Seasoned teachers from the “old way” were retiring or being pushed out by more progressive school administrators. Our family had continued to grow, so we still had little ones who were starting to experience the change in teaching philosophies.

All the while, I had been experiencing a deep reversion to my Catholic faith, and Steve had converted. He was confirmed and our marriage was convalidated during the same Mass in 2019. It was years in the making, but we now wanted to go another step further and embrace Catholic education as part of our family culture. Early on, we had felt like FCPS needed our children to be the light in the darkness, but as the ideologies got further from truth, we desired more support. 

We spoke to a priest-friend about our decision to make the leap to Catholic school. Where should we go? He replied, “Angelus Academy.” I had heard of Angelus and understood it to be “tiny” and “very Catholic.” For years, I can honestly say that neither Steve nor I felt “spiritually ready” for such a school. We just couldn’t “hang” with “those kinds of Catholics.” This priest never let up. He would hear us complain about FCPS and then simply respond with, “Angelus Academy!”   

When FCPS decided to remain closed for the fall of 2020, we went against our priest-friend’s recommendation and enrolled our children in a different Catholic school. We thought that a larger school would be beneficial. It was anything but that. The school community seemed gripped by fear and lacking in their trust in God as they implemented COVID-related protocols. 

We returned for a second school year in the hopes that lifted COVID restrictions would improve the experience. It did not. During prayer before the Blessed Sacrament one day, however, the Lord brought many disjointed pieces of information together for me. I recalled a slide from the Back-to-School Night presentation boasting a social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum being used at the school. I realized that this was the exact same SEL program used by Loudoun County Public Schools. I asked the Lord what to do next. He told me to read about the program. 

I subsequently discovered that funding for this SEL program came from nefarious groups that promote ideologies strictly against the teachings of the Church, such as transgender ideology and abortion. Surely, the school simply did not know what they had gotten themselves into by using this program. Unfortunately, a meeting with the administration a month later yielded no change. Steve and I both agreed that we needed to find a new school for our children immediately.

Steve and I also felt like we had discovered an evil dragon but could only see its toenail. The beast was too big for us to battle on our own. We were further down the road of knowledge than most. Rather than continuing to fight for other families unaware of all that I had discovered, we first needed to care for and protect our own family. I was frantic. My children’s innocence was at stake. I then remembered our priest-friend’s repeated advice: “Angelus Academy!”

Mrs. Sheila Bruen answered my frantic phone call the next day. She assured me that none of that same “funny business” goes on at the school, it’s a very low-tech environment where books are everywhere, and kids play for hours in an imaginary playground called the parking lot. She told me that this was a place where “children stay children” longer because the school protects their innocence. I cried my way through our conversation. She then invited me to come for a visit.   

I arrived at the school as it was opening for the day to meet with Mrs. BettyJo Lash and have a tour. I was nervous to go inside. The school is in an industrial park, for Heaven’s sake, and there is no campus to speak of. What was I doing?! As I was walking up the side of the building, I heard Saints Philip and Nathanael. St. Nathanael joked to me, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?!” St. Philip seemed to be on my other side; he smiled and said, “Come and see.”

I then walked into the school lobby and immediately felt the Holy Spirit’s presence. There was peace and sunlight. It smelled like a school. Children were happy. They greeted me cheerfully as I waited in the lobby. They were physically close to each other. Their friendship was evident. I sensed more love than fear. This was exactly the kind of school I wanted for my children!

I finally had to admit that through prayer, study, and consecration to Mary, I had become one of “those kinds of Catholics” and wanted to “hang” with the likes of them. This is a school where faith and reason are intertwined beautifully in every decision made, no matter how big or small. Mother Mary protects our children and the mission. Angelus is helping Steve and me to raise saints (rascally ones, though they may be). Steve and I always tell our children that our rally point is Heaven. The faculty, staff, and families are all working toward that goal…Heaven!

This is only the beginning of my family’s story at Angelus Academy. How Steve came to be the second-grade teacher is one for another time. It’s steeped in Eucharistic miracles, spiritual attack, suffering, redemption …. all of that. God has a plan for all of us, and sometimes, He gives us the grace to see how it all fits together—and how it was years in the making.

– Dr. Margaret Fisher School parent and
wife of our second-grade teacher, Dr. Steve Fisher

My husband Jim and I had originally decided that our children would attend Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), and we would save our additional money for their college education. With that decision, we took our responsibility to raise our children in the Catholic Faith seriously with family prayer time, volunteer work for the Church, and faith formation. In 2017, my husband lost a two-year battle with cancer, and I suddenly became the solo parent of five young children. My prayer was that God would provide the people/friends in my children’s lives to bridge the gap where I couldn’t be there for them.

At the time, I would never have guessed that Angelus Academy would become one of our “bridges” and a lifeline.

When the pandemic hit in the spring of 2020, I was struggling to balance all five of my children’s schooling at home. Then, a friend mentioned that the doors of Angelus Academy would be open for in-person learning five days a week. In the fall of 2020, I considered sending my elementary-aged daughters to the school. Two of my three daughters decided to “try” Angelus.

Two years later, and after FCPS has resumed in-person learning, I have fallen in love Angelus Academy and have decided that it is the best environment for my children.

Angelus Academy isn’t just a school where I send my children to learn, grow, and mature. It’s a community of love and support that embraces the Christian virtues and Catholic values that our family strives to safeguard in today’s culture. Prayer is woven throughout my children’s day. They are learning to love the Faith by living it and by understanding the authentic Catholic doctrine.

I will never forget the excitement my seventh-grade daughter expressed one night after learning about the Nicene Creed: “Mom, did you know that the Creed we pray every Sunday at church came from the Council of Nicaea?” By teaching the fullness of the Catholic Faith in a multi-faceted, integrated-humanities approach, my daughter has developed a greater appreciation for and knowledge of her faith.

The Head of School, teachers, and staff greet the children at the start of every school day. Students are known by name and embraced with love. The teachers and staff are deeply committed to their own personal faith development and prayer life. Their example to the children is invaluable. They not only “talk the talk, but walk the walk.”

To know that my children’s faith formation is as important to their teachers as it is to me is a great source of comfort and is something for which I will be eternally grateful.

– Andrea Albanese, school parent

I love Angelus Academy — for the Faith they have shared with us, for the examples they set, and for the ways they have been there for our family over the years.

When we applied to Angelus Academy as non-Catholics, admittedly, I did not know much about Catholicism. I was quite comfortable as a non-denominational Protestant. Our children were accepted and started attending right after All Saints Day 2018. We were welcomed wholeheartedly. During that first year, we attended Mass, the Mother’s Day celebration, the Jog-a-thon, and other school events. Little by little, we began to change as a family.

The following school year, I began working in the Little Messengers program as a teacher’s aide and assisting in the Atrium. Angelus reminded me why I always wanted to be a teacher. Then, at the end of last summer, I was ready to begin the new school year by assisting in the kindergarten class when our family grew overnight with the addition of two children. Once again, Angelus was there for us. They made room for all our children, on very short notice and in the midst of the pandemic. I will never be able to fully express how truly grateful I am for the way that Angelus Academy has taken care of my whole family.

This past spring, my husband and I completed RCIA and officially joined the Catholic Church. By next spring, all of our children will have received their First Communion. Angelus continues to inspire my children to love God and to become the people that God wants them to be. Christ is present at Angelus. You can see Him and His Holy Family everywhere you look. You can hear Him in the halls when the school is praying together, and you can feel Him in the loving way that everyone is treated.

Angelus Academy, thank you for loving my family so well and for helping us grow in our faith – to always seek the fullness of God and His Holy Church.

– Diane White, school parent and teacher’s aide

In Angelus Academy, we have found more than just a school.

We have found a community of faith and friendship that has enriched our lives on so many levels. Our son has flourished in the joyful, faith-filled environment.Each day he is greeted by loving teachers and staff who recognize the unique dignity of every child. Theexperienced, knowledgeable educators at Angelus understand the natural development of children, meeting students where they are and lovingly challenging them to grow both in virtue and academics. Their approaches to education and pedagogy are thoughtful and wise, based in the morals of Catholic teaching as well asresearch-based best practices. Namely, they value the development of intellectual curiosity rather than arbitrary, externally imposed standards, and work to cultivate a sense of wonder and awe asthe students learn about God’s creation.

We also have been welcomed into the school community as an entire family; we have found the kind of life-long friends that will support and accompany us on this journey of parenthood. Angelus Academy   has   been   the   answer to a prayer that started the day our oldest was born, a prayer that the HolySpirit would lead us to a school and a community that would support us as we raise our childrenaccording to the truths of the Catholic faith. We could not be more grateful, nor feel any more blessed.

– Julio and Rachel Jerez, school parents

I am a graduate of Angelus Academy and Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School. I currently attend Virginia Tech as part of the Honors College. Angelus Academy provided me with a solid foundation in my faith that prepared me for the bigger world of high school. For obvious reasons, the religion courses at Angelus helped me to fly through the religion courses of John Paul. But on a deeper level, the faith that was present in everything at Angelus helped me to stay strong on my journey at John Paul.

In high school, I encountered people who did not have the same views as me, and I was able to explain to them the reasoning in my beliefs. Angelus Academy taught me to defend myself well, which helped in many bioethics debates. Finally, I found that I knew more about basic points of the Catholic faith than my other classmates. I firmly believe that this was due to my Angelus education.

Another important aspect that I took away from Angelus is what you hope to receive from any school, academics. I like to say that I did very well in high school. I ended with a 4.4 cumulative GPA; I was an active participant in math, Latin, and national honor societies; and I was captain of the girls’ varsity soccer team for 2 years. Of course, a lot of my success is due to hard work; but Angelus provided the foundation for me to learn how to work for greatness. The teachers always pushed us to do our best, and those lessons became habits as I went through high school. The ambition that I developed from my time at Angelus and that was reaffirmed at John Paul helped me gain a spot in the Honors College at Virginia Tech, which is hard to accomplish as a freshman.

I am eternally grateful to all of my teachers and classmates at Angelus who pushed me to always do my best in every aspect of my life. As I approach the even bigger world of college, especially a large public school like Virginia Tech, I expect that I will need my strong faith and academic foundation more than ever. I know that the education and preparation that I received from my two previous schools, coupled with the strength and knowledge that Our Lord provides for all of us, will get me through it.

– Kaitlyn Hurley, Angelus Academy, Class of 2012

 

We are fortunate to live in an area with many good schools, public and private.  We send our boys to Angelus because of the excellent faith formation.  The faculty and staff emphasize the development of virtue, which is our top priority in raising our sons.  At Angelus, they are learning a lot about the world, and gaining many important academic and practical skills, but what we appreciate most is the way that the school supports our efforts to properly form their conscience in a world that has forgotten (or rejected) so much of the message of Christ.

– Joe and Christina Cautero

“Learning about God, wonderful staff…loving school”

Our son attended a Fairfax County Public School for kindergarten and first grade. While he enjoyed his school and made lots of friends there we wanted a smaller school where he would get more attention and most of all learn to respect God. The summer of 2016 was hard for him, knowing he was going to a different school. It was very hard on mom as well as I tried to explain why the new school was a good idea.

At the beginning of this school year, his wonderful first grade teacher (thank you, Mrs. McCrumb), assured me that he would be fine in a few weeks. In mid September, we joined friends from the neighborhood for a movie night at his old school. I was afraid this would again start a conversation about why he was going to Angelus. To my surprise it didn’t. In fact, when parents and friends asked him if he wanted to come back to his old school, his answer was a firm “No”. He explained how much he liked his new school and how he liked learning about God. It took him just a couple of weeks to adjust to Angelus Academy.   I knew then that he was going to be fine at this special school. The small class size with the wonderful staff at Angelus has helped him to be a very happy and a more confident boy. We feel very blessed to have a loving school close by with a very dedicated staff.

– Emmanuel Family

 

 

The mission of Angelus Academy is to infuse young lives with the truth of Catholic teaching at the very beginning of their vocation as students. It permeates every aspect of school life, from the daily routine of classes to community and parish outreach.

CONTACT US

7644 Dynatech Court
Springfield, VA 22153
(703) 924-3996
admissions@angelusacademy.org

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