Idaho Couple Revives Classical Education at Northern Schoolhouse

A student reads a poem at the Northern Schoolhouse in Middletown, N.Y., on Feb. 13, 2023. Cara Ding/The Epoch Times

MIDDLETOWN, N.Y.—About two years into teaching English at the Northern Academy in Middletown, New York, Michael Fitzgerald was given an opportunity to start an elementary school, in his own model.

At the time, principal Marilyn Torley was planning an expansion of the highly rated private academy to include elementary grades, and she turned to Fitzgerald and his wife for help.