Shaping the Soul of a Child: Hillsdale Graduate School Alumni in Classical Schools
Written by Madelaine Christensen
It’s impossible to be uninspired after talking with alumni of Hillsdale’s Van Andel Graduate School of Statesmanship who work in classical schools. Their voices are animated as they articulate the critical role of education in a free republic. When they talk about the students, there’s an unmistakable light in their eyes.
This excitement is palpable when speaking with Paul Mittermeier, ’19, M.A. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree from Hillsdale, Mittermeier taught rhetoric and moral philosophy at Classical Preparatory School in Tampa, Florida, and also served as the classics department chair.
While working in Florida, he was approached by local residents in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, about starting a classical school. Harnessing his experience in education, Mittermeier answered the call, helping Cincinnati families facilitate a relationship with Hillsdale College through the Barney Charter School Initiative. Mittermeier was a founding board member until Cincinnati Classical Academy officially opened its doors in the fall of 2022, when he transitioned into his role of teaching sixth grade, inspiring his students to love the Great Books.
“The temptation today in the educational landscape is to reduce everything about education to questions of utility,” he said. “What’s really missing are these qualitative questions about what is right, what is good, what is edifying to human nature.”
Mittermeier said he felt prepared by Hillsdale’s graduate program not only to guide students through the practical aspects of the research process, but also to lead students through substantive works that are seminal in the Western tradition and have enriching discussions.
Many School of Statesmanship alumni like Mittermeier left Hillsdale to work at classical schools in their hometowns or in other cities across the nation. Others, like Nathan Neveau, ’22, M.A., teach within walking distance of the College. Neveau, a former Charger basketball player, serves as the athletic director at nearby Hillsdale Academy, where he also teaches ninth-grade ancient literature.
While a student in the master’s program, Neveau took Early Modern Politics and Literature with Dr. Veronica Brooks, and said the class taught him how to think about the connection between politics and literature. He applies that knowledge in the classroom by making political themes found in works like The Iliad, The Odyssey, and the Old Testament accessible for high school students.
“We were reading Sophocles’ play Antigone, and a student wanted to come into my office and talk for an hour about the text,” Neveau remembers with a smile. “To see these kids take serious steps of maturity—these incremental growth moments are incredibly rewarding.”
Educators like Neveau and Mittermeier work tirelessly to help their students grow into Christ-like, curious, and responsible citizens—and the skills they developed while in the School of Statesmanship are high in demand. This was evidenced by the veritable flood of eager administrators from K-12 schools across the nation who came to recruit Hillsdale students during the Annual Classical School Job Fair that takes place each February.
Over a quarter of the Graduate School of Statesmanship’s alumni, both men and women, have gone on to work in K-12 education—as headmasters, teachers, or policy researchers. Some are founders, like Tara Elkins Beam, ’16, M.A., who started multiple classical programs in her home state of New Mexico. And there are more current students planning on entering the field, like Dylan Croup, ’23, M.A., whose desire to teach was solidified by his participation in the Classical Schools Administrator Apprenticeship offered as part of the School of Statesmanship curriculum.
“Kids are smarter than we think they are,” Croup said. “If you hold the kids to a higher standard and build an environment of trust, they’re capable of far more than we give them credit for.”
This sentiment was echoed by Nathaniel Pullmann, ’16, M.A., founder and headmaster of Redeemer Classical School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. When asked what the most rewarding part of his work is, he didn’t hesitate.
“It’s the kids,” Pullmann said. “It’s seeing how education shapes the soul of the child. We say that, and we believe that, but when you can actually see it, it’s sometimes a little overwhelming. It’s the weight of glory.”
Maddie Christensen, M.A., ’24, has her undergraduate degree in journalism from Brigham Young University and is thrilled to be studying in Hillsdale’s Graduate School of Statesmanship. After graduating, she plans to pursue law school. A native of Southern Utah, Maddie enjoys running and rock climbing with her handsome husband.
Published in March 2023