About Us
The restoration of Christian Culture through the formation of boys into Catholic men.
Our Vision
St. Joseph the Worker Academy is an all-boys classical Catholic high school founded on the educational philosophies of St. John Bosco and Dr. John Senior. We believe boys become men through beauty, brotherhood, labor, and the sacraments — not through the isolation and distraction of modern schooling.
"Our goal is not the production of experts but the formation of men who can see, sing, speak, and pray — men with fire in their hearts for the truth."
Our Faculty & Administration
Our faculty are men and women dedicated to the formation of young men, with graduate degrees in theology and the humanities.
Our Curriculum
Rooted in the classical tradition and informed by Dr. John Senior’s Poetic Education — integrating mind, body, and soul through beauty, work, and prayer.
Dr. John Senior’s Integrated Humanities Program at the University of Kansas is one of the great roots of our curriculum. His vision of a “poetic education” — one that trains the senses and imagination before the analytical intellect — shapes how we teach every subject.
We believe real learning begins in wonder, not in abstraction. Before a boy can understand, he must first see. Before he can analyze, he must first love.
Our Courses
What does it mean to be classical? True classical education is not a style or a reading list — it is an encounter with the great ideas, conversations, and methods of inquiry that comprise the Western Tradition. Below are the disciplines we teach:
Sacred Scripture, the Catechism, Church Fathers, and the life of prayer.
Homer, Virgil, Dante, Shakespeare — read deeply, discussed honestly.
Narrative history of Western Civilization from ancient Greece to modernity.
Science studied from wonder — observing nature firsthand.
Euclidean geometry, classical arithmetic, and higher math.
Drawing, music, singing, and the appreciation of beauty.
The language of the Church and of Western learning.
Carpentry and craftsmanship — formation through real work.
How Rigorous Is SJWA?
Our course of studies is demanding but not cruel. Students prepare for college through classical methods — reading difficult texts, writing clear prose, solving geometric proofs, and engaging in Socratic discussion. We prepare boys for standardized tests and college admission, but we refuse to let test scores drive our curriculum.
Our Patrons & Spiritual Life
The Mass is the source and summit of our school life. Every day is shaped by prayer — from Morning Prayer to Compline, with Mass, the Rosary, and the Little Office of the B.V.M. woven throughout.
Our Patrons
Patron of the Academy. Earthly father of Our Lord, model of the man who sanctifies his family and his craft through labor offered to God.
Patron of the Bosco Program and of our approach to forming boys. "It is not the end; it is rather the instrumental means for improving the way of life."
The Four House Saints
Each student belongs to one of four houses, each under the patronage of a great saint of the Church. Houses compete, pray, and feast together — forming brotherhood within the larger school.
Our four house saints will be announced at the start of the academic year.
Our Liturgical Life
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered daily. It is the center of our school life, the source from which all else flows.
Students pray the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary together — joining their voices to the ancient song of the Church.
Every Holy Day of Obligation and major feast is celebrated with solemnity. These are days of joy, food, song, and worship.
Our Students
Life at SJWA is ordered but lively — discipline and joy woven together into the rhythm of a young man’s formation.
Older students serve as prefects, helping mentor younger boys and model the virtues we seek to form. Discipline is firm but fatherly.
A classical dress code reflects the seriousness of our formation. Coat and tie for class; proper attire for Mass and formal occasions.
Phones and personal technology are not permitted during the school day. This policy follows the guidance of Bishop Conley's pastoral letter on technological poverty.
Rugby, soccer, and track form the backbone of our athletic program. We believe manly virtue is forged in bodily competition as well as in the classroom.
Our Arms
Our coat of arms bears the cross of Our Lord and the tools of St. Joseph — signs of the twofold formation we offer: a life oriented to Christ, lived through prayer, study, and the work of human hands. The motto — Virtutemque Quas Honoramus — “The virtues we honor.”
Our Calendar & Events
Feast days, festivals, and community gatherings
Quarterly Oxford-style academic conferences with each student
Parent-Teacher Conferences three times per year
Christmas, Easter, and summer breaks aligned with the liturgical year