Email headmaster@thelyceum.org
Phone (216) 707-1121
Thank you for your interest in The Lyceum. Students of The Lyceum experience a breadth of education that encompasses each and every area of learning, but at the heart of our curriculum are the “the classics” -- the greatest works of mathematics, science, history, literature, politics, philosophy, and theology. Often referred to as the “great books,” these are the foundational writings of Western Civilization. These books cannot be left on the shelf to be admired. Each generation must discover them anew for true learning is in souls, not in books. If these books are left unread, men inevitably become the slaves of the intellectual errors of their own times. Through the reading and discussion of the classics, true liberal (derived from the Latin word, “liber” – “free”) education, i.e., the education of free men—an education which makes men free—takes place. Liberal education is right for everyone because we all share a common human nature. Liberal education perfects what is best in man and yet common to all—reason, which distinguishes man from beast.
Classical liberal education is also a formation in the “liberal arts.” The liberal arts are distinguished from the servile arts which have as their end things exterior to and less than man. The liberal arts, however, perfect man himself by giving him the intellectual tools to learn—to become wise. The seven liberal arts are divided into the trivium (the three ways) of grammar, rhetoric and logic which are concerned with reading and writing, speaking, and thinking; and the quadrivium (the four ways) of arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy which give him the tools to develop a proper understanding of the world about him. Without a formation in the liberal arts, all specialized learning suffers. Through the study of Latin and Greek, students of The Lyceum master the art of grammar; through the Socratic (seminar) method of learning, the reading and recitation of great speeches, and their own thesis defenses, Lyceum students have a direct and indirect experience of the art of rhetoric; and, through the study of Euclidean geometry, they acquire the art of logical thinking while they grasp mathematical truth.
Classical liberal education is necessary for citizens of our American Republic and the Catholic Church if true freedom is to be preserved. Indeed, the founding fathers of our nation and the Fathers of the Church were themselves classically educated. If we fail to follow in their footsteps when we have the leisure and freedom to do so, we will produce citizens without the intellectual virtues proper to man. Without classical liberal education men more easily become slaves to the “dictatorship of relativism” and their pursuit of happiness is likely to become nothing more than the gratification of fleeting passions.
The motto of the Lyceum is “Fiat lux,” “Let there be light.” With a liberal education, the light of truth shines in the soul and the individual develops an integrity of mind which allows him to judge wisely in all fields of learning. Classical liberal education is not only good for the individual, but it is essential for the survival of Western Civilization, a civilization which arose out of the “logos” of the Greeks and The Logos--“The Word” who became flesh. Indeed, the entire Lyceum education is pursued under the light of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Church. Theology, the “queen of the sciences,” is the capstone and ordering principle of The Lyceum curriculum for it was God Himself--the way, the truth, and the life who said, “You will come to know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Enjoy reading about our program of classical Catholic education and discover if The Lyceum is right for your child. We believe that it is right for every child who desires to live as a free individual in a free society.
Fiat lux!
Luke Macik, J.D.
Headmaster.