The Reggio-Emilia approach to education was selected for Ventana because it aligns beautifully with the values and methodologies of Episcopal spirituality, which values questions above answers, community above conformity, and affirms the fundamental competence of every human being, including children.
As a ministry of Christ Church, Ventana is a spiritual community in the most expansive sense possible. For this reason, we do not offer formal religious education, but we do support and nurture the natural spirituality of children by celebrating our connection to the natural world, practicing developmentally appropriate mindfulness meditations, and honoring the big questions of our students. These principles are evident in our daily work, but are more visible during our weekly Wondering Time. While the parish and school are grounded in shared Episcopal and Ventana values, the majority of our students and staff are not Episcopalian. Ventana is a wonderfully diverse community. Our teachers, staff, and students come from a wide range of religious and spiritual practices, or none at all.
The Episcopal Church is inclusive and affirming, respecting the goodness and truth of other religious traditions, celebrating science and other academic forms of inquiry, and affirming the dignity of every human being, including those who identify as LGBTQIA+.
FAQs
What does it mean that Ventana is an Episcopal school?
While we are grounded in shared Episcopal and Ventana values, the majority of our students are not Episcopalian. Ventana is a wonderfully diverse community. Our teachers, staff, and students come from a wide range of religious and spiritual practices, or none at all.
What role does religion play at Ventana School?
We do not teach religion as part of our curriculum or hold church services. Our philosophy is to be open to all curiosities and questions as children develop their own ideas about spirituality and their unique sense of connection to the earth and the people around them. We understand spirituality as a natural and integral part of a child’s experience of the world. This is defined beautifully by Dr. Lisa Miller, Professor of Psychology and Education at Columbia University, as follows: “Natural spirituality is a direct sense of listening to the heartbeat of the living universe, of being one with that seen and unseen world, open and at ease in that connection. A child's spirituality precedes and transcends language, culture, and religion. It comes as naturally to children as their fascination with a butterfly or a twinkling star-filled night sky.”