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Ionic columns, barrel vaults and capstones are not words you might typically hear tossed around by second graders in the 21st century.
So it warmed the Rev. Jamie Hottovy’s heart to watch students from St. Teresa Catholic School in Lincoln confidently answering questions about the Ancient Greek and Roman influences on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s architecture during a tour this past school year.

Rev. Jamie Hottovy points out the columns on the Temple Building on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus during a St. Teresa Catholic School second grade field trip last school year. A new curriculum called Catholic Liberal Education is being piloted at the school.
Just look at the Temple Building with its columns, the priest pointed out.
Or Memorial Stadium and the debt it owes to the Roman Coliseum.
The field trip coincided with a unit on Ancient Rome and STEM the second graders were studying, just one of the new features of an educational approach the Diocese of Lincoln is piloting at St. Teresa.
It’s called Catholic Liberal Education, a new — or rather “old” — curriculum based on the liberal arts and sciences and the classical method of learning cultivated by the church for centuries.
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Beauty, truth and a deeper understanding of the faith are an especial focus of the curriculum, which has been touted as the “gold standard” of education and a way for Catholic schools — which have long faced enrollment concerns — to renew and revive their central mission.
“It’s all about coming to Christ. That’s first and foremost,” said Hottovy, the pastor of St. Teresa until this month, when he was reassigned to parishes in Lawrence and Deweese.

Rev. Jamie Hottovy
The curriculum, elements of which teachers tested out this past school year, will be introduced in phases over the next few years at the school for pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students near 37th and Randolph streets. If all goes well, it may be introduced to other schools in the diocese, officials say.
“It’s more of a return to what Catholic education always was in the past,” said Matthew Hecker, chief administrative officer of the Diocese of Lincoln’s schools. “(It’s) the Catholic education that is responsible for things like the training of St. Thomas Aquinas, responsible for the training of and formation of musicians like Mozart and Beethoven and artists like Michelangelo. I don’t think God quit making those kinds of artists. I think we quit forming them.”

Matthew Hecker
The first phase, which will start in August, will focus on history, language arts and religion, with nature studies, science and math to follow.
The lower grades will study the Age of Antiquity — Ancient Greece and Rome — and will be introduced to literary fairy tales, in addition to stories about the early church.
As students progress, they’ll track the history of Western Civilization and Christendom from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, and also American history.
Third graders will read stories about King Arthur and the saints of the medieval period. Lessons in Latin will also be incorporated at the school.
Students in junior high will revisit many of the topics introduced in earlier grades but on a deeper level, including studying the emergence of democracy and other forms of government.
Science and math curriculum will include more experiential learning, including nature journaling and observing how mathematical principles play out in real life.
“You can learn about Newton’s laws in a textbook, but you can learn about them by engaging in them,” said Sister Mary Cecilia, the principal at St. Teresa.

Sister Mary Cecilia
The curriculum also includes the study of sacred art and architecture. In addition to the field trip to UNL, students visited churches in Omaha this past school year.
Fourth graders will still learn about Nebraska history, and lessons about other peoples and civilizations outside the West will still be taught.
But make no mistake, Catholic Liberal Education will be a new approach for teachers and students.
For one, it places less of an emphasis on textbook learning and more on primary sources. And while school officials say students still will be prepared for a 21st century world, teachers are expected to be more discerning with screen time.
The use of discussions, such as Socratic seminars — which involve students asking open-ended questions and working through the answers collectively — is encouraged, too.
Bishop James Conley first approached school officials about implementing Catholic Liberal Education at St. Teresa in the spring of 2021, Sister Mary Cecilia said.
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It was classical education that, in part, led to Conley’s conversion to Catholicism when he was a student in the Integrated Humanities Program, a classical literature program at the University of Kansas.
And St. Teresa already had a strong track record in the arts — especially its strings program and Hottovy’s interest in sacred art and especially architecture, which he studied in college before entering the seminary.
The school has worked closely with the Institute of Catholic Liberal Education, a national organization that offers teacher training, professional development and classroom materials.
Staff from the institute have provided webinars and on-site training for teachers, many of whom will be traveling to the institute’s national conference next month.
While officials say the change will not affect tuition, the shift has not been entirely smooth.
When officials announced that St. Teresa would implement the new model, some parents — who felt they had not been properly consulted — raised questions about the rollout of the program.
Others wondered if teachers would be properly supported.
In response, school leaders held a town hall meeting to address concerns. A committee of parents was also formed.
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“I think in large part when people see the results of this, many of those concerns will go away,” Hecker said.
The classical approach to education has been on the rise in the past two decades or so, Hottovy said.
While many schools across the U.S. and internationally are using the curriculum, St. Teresa is the first school in Lincoln to fully make the shift to the model. St. Peter’s in Lincoln is also listed as a member on the Institute of Catholic Liberal Education’s website.
It’s been in use elsewhere in Nebraska, including St. James Catholic School in Crete and Christendom Academy in Omaha.
Hecker said other schools may be invited to adopt the curriculum if it goes well at St. Teresa, but stressed that it would not be a top-down mandate.
The curriculum is in line with state standards, and the same yearly assessments will still be administered, Hottovy said.
While the pandemic hit Catholic schools hard, Nebraska fared relatively better than other states. St. Teresa, which has about 280 students, did see a drop in enrollment during COVID-19.
Sister Mary Cecilia is hopeful that Catholic Liberal Education will reverse that trend and lead to a revitalization of Catholic schools.
“We’re not looking to change everything,” she said. “But we’ve got new families coming because of this. And I think we will continue to have more families come as this grows.”
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Photos: Inside Lincoln’s beautiful houses of worship
Churches

The sanctuary of First-Plymouth Church
Mount Zion Baptist Church

Mount Zion Baptist Church.
Holy Thursday 4.1

The Newman Center-St. Thomas Aquinas Church hosted in-person worship for Holy Thursday. One year after COVID shut the doors to in-person services, churchgoers again returned to the pews the week of Easter, the most important holiday for Christians.
Westminster Presbyterian

The Westminster Presbyterian Church’s newly renovated sanctuary.
St. Patrick’s
Newly installed stained glass windows and stations of the cross help move the new St. Patrick’s Catholic Church toward completion on Aug. 14, the day before the church dedication.
First-Plymouth stars

“It’s not like people will think they are in a planetarium, but you can see all the stars,” the Rev. Jim Keck said about the constellation adorning First-Plymouth’s ceiling.
St. Mary’s

St. Mary’s Catholic Church has a small gated room off to the left of the main entrance with a statue of St. Joseph and a baptismal font.
St. Joseph Catholic Church
Organ builders from Bedient Pipe Organ Company install a new pipe organ in the upper cavity behind the crucifix and a mesh screen at the front of the church on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013, at St. Joseph Catholic Church.
First Christian Church

A Bedient pipe organ is in the First Christian Church chapel.
First Presbyterian Church

The current First Presbyterian Church organ includes all three organs used in the church. Each time a new organ was installed, the chancel was remodeled and enlarged to accommodate the new piece.
Friedens Evangelical Lutheran

Friedens Evangelical Lutheran Church installed this statue of Jesus in the church in 1907. The statue was saved from a fire in 1925 when it was carried out by the pastor.
Sabah Mosque

The interior of Sabah, a mosque in the 1100 block of Furnas Avenue.
St. Luke United Methodist

Rod Scott uses a nail gun to attach wood trim around the final pane to be installed in 2004 in a stained glass window at the St. Luke United Methodist Church at 1620 Superior St.
St. Teresa’s

The meditation garden at St. Teresa’s Catholic Church.
Zion Church

John C. Friesen practiced on the new Zion pipe organ in 2011.
Salem Baptist

Salem Baptist Church in 2008.
Saint Paul United Methodist

A cross hanging over the pulpit is framed by organ pipes at Saint Paul United Methodist Church.
North American Martyrs

Sydney Arndt (left) and Jalyn Meyer watch Mass at North American Martyrs Roman Catholic Church from the choir loft in 2004.
St. John the Apostle

St. John the Apostle Catholic Church.
First United Methodist Church
The stained glass dome at First United Methodist Church in Lincoln features a portrait of Abraham Lincoln and Civil War-related symbols.
Christ Temple

A view of the renovated interior at Christ Temple Church.
St. Thomas Aquinas Church and Newman Center

A 72-panel stained glass window containing about 7,200 individual pieces of glass is a major focal point in the chapel of the new St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church. The window, called “Christ in the Heavenly Court,” was made for the church by Franz Mayer of Munich in Germany.
Compline at First-Plymouth

First-Plymouth Congregational Church’s Compline service harkens back to ancient fourth-century monastic traditions. Not a word is spoken, and only candlelight illuminates the vast sanctuary.
Tifereth Israel Synagogue
Megillat Lincoln is a relief sculpture at Tifereth Israel synagogue. The sculpture by Lincoln brothers Dean and Jay Tschetter, depicting the history of Jews in Lincoln and their ancestry, was a gift to the synagogue from the Max Neiden family.
St. Joseph Catholic

This stained glass window towers over the sanctuary in the new St. Joseph Catholic Church.
St. Patrick’s
Murals were installed at the new St. Patrick’s Catholic Church on Aug. 3, 2015.
First Presbyterian

A reredos titled “Christ – Teacher and Lord of All” is at First Presbyterian Church.
Zion Church

After Zion Church’s original building was destroyed by fire, the church rebuilt.
St. Thomas Aquinas Church and Newman Center

The chapel of the new St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church was nearing completion in April at 16th and Q Streets.
Saint Paul United Methodist

New oak pews grace the sanctuary at Saint Paul United Methodist Church.
St. Patrick’s
A finished pew rests in a press created for assembling the pieces in the new St. Patrick’s Catholic Church on Aug. 9.
Contact the writer at [email protected] or 402-473-7225. On Twitter @HammackLJS
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