The Atheneum School


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	Our Faculty Our faculty members demonstrate the integrity and coherence of the curriculum by teaching in all of its parts. Since an education in fundamental principles develops without narrowing into specific disciplines, the faculty, as participants in such an education, bring their various proficiencies together for the common benefit of the school. Each faculty member thus models for the students the type of learning that is both personally and socially rewarding. Atheneum's teachers have been recognized in Who's Who in American Education; received the Educator's Award for School Principal from the Alaska PTSA; nominated for BP Teachers of Excellence Award; distinguished by the Greek Press as one of "Six Women Who Change the World"; teacher trainers in Socratic Seminars for the Anchorage School District, Mat-Su School District and the Smith Center at CalState Hayward; teachers for the Clemente Project; consultants to educators at St. John's College in Santa Fe, the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Montana, and in Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Honolulu, among many other cities. "Therefore in his teaching superior man guides his students but does not pull them along; he urges them to go forward and does not suppres them; he opens the way, but does not take them to the place. Guiding without pulling makes the process of learning gentle; urging without supressing makes the process of learning easy; and opening the way without leading the students to the place makes them think for themselves." -Confucius Faculty Members and Founders The founders' united vision of education largely stems from conducting Socratic seminars, developing curricula, and training teachers together in the Anchorage public schools. Each of them possesses a personal history rich in teaching and community service. As members of the faculty, they are continually inspired to extend Atheneum's programs into the greater community from their daily study with the students. Kevin Holthaus, Governing Board Member, B.A. (St. John's College), is a founder of the Alaska Paideia Project. He has implemented seminar programs in the classroom since 1987. Kevin is responsible for many of the innovations which have made Alaskan Socratic seminars more effective than their counterparts in the Lower 48. He has led public school Socratic seminars in all academic subjects and has taught numerous workshops and education courses on Socratic seminars. He is also a teacher of the Internal Lineage Tradition T'ai Chi and Pa Kua, and is one of the first American students of Quintsai Rong Zhou. Kevin studied at St. John's College (Santa Fe), Eastern Montana State University, and the University Of Alaska Anchorage. Lydia Ossorgin, Director and Governing Board Member, B.A. (St. John's College), B.S. and M.A. in Teaching (Univ. of New Mexico), has implemented programs and conducted seminars at the junior and senior high school levels since 1990, three of which were with the Alaska Paideia Project. Prior to Atheneum, she spent five years teaching in New Mexico public schools. Her experience included planning a new public school. Lydia is certified to teach elementary and secondary math, science, social studies, and language arts. She has been a Russian icon painter for over twenty years following her study in Paris with a Russian master. She is an instructor of T'ai Chi and Pa Kua. She has studied at St. John's College (Santa Fe), University Of New Mexico, L'Alliance Francaise, L'Institut De Theologie Orthodoxe St. Serge, The Tolstoy Foundation, Glinka Museum Of Music, and The Hermitage Museum. As Director of Atheneum Lydia was awarded the Alaska State PTSA Educator's Award for Excellence, 1996. Quintsai Rong Zhou, Great Learning Program Founder and Director, Mr. Zhou was brought up in the historic Da Dao Cheng District of Taiwan. He was one of the few and last of the contemporary Chinese who received a traditional education mastering classic texts and related healing arts, philosophy and science, and physical movement arts. Mr. Zhou has made world-renowned, revolutionary breakthroughs in the understanding of these classics and shows their importance to contemporary society through educational programs. After teaching in Taiwan and Japan, he now resides in San Francisco. He participated in the founding of Atheneum School and visits Alaska to work directly with the Atheneum staff and students in the Great Learning Program. Douglas Ryan, coached in the Atheneum School during the 1996 school year and has tutored philosophy for two years at the University of Sheffield. He holds a BA (Boston College) and PhD (Sheffield) in philosophy and he is a member of the American Philosophical Association. In 2000, he was awarded the competitive Overseas Research Studentship to research and write his dissertation "Two Realist Accounts of Colour", which he completed in 2005. During the summers Doug enjoys hiking and camping and he plans to take up cross country skiing this winter.

Our Faculty

Our faculty members demonstrate the integrity and coherence of the curriculum by teaching in all of its parts. Since an education in fundamental principles develops without narrowing into specific disciplines, the faculty, as participants in such an education, bring their various proficiencies together for the common benefit of the school. Each faculty member thus models for the students the type of learning that is both personally and socially rewarding.

Atheneum's teachers have been recognized in Who's Who in American Education; received the Educator's Award for School Principal from the Alaska PTSA; nominated for BP Teachers of Excellence Award; distinguished by the Greek Press as one of "Six Women Who Change the World"; teacher trainers in Socratic Seminars for the Anchorage School District, Mat-Su School District and the Smith Center at CalState Hayward; teachers for the Clemente Project; consultants to educators at St. John's College in Santa Fe, the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Montana, and in Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Honolulu, among many other cities.

"Therefore in his teaching superior man guides his students but does not pull them along; he urges them to go forward and does not suppres them; he opens the way, but does not take them to the place. Guiding without pulling makes the process of learning gentle; urging without supressing makes the process of learning easy; and opening the way without leading the students to the place makes them think for themselves."
-Confucius

Faculty Members and Founders

The founders' united vision of education largely stems from conducting Socratic seminars, developing curricula, and training teachers together in the Anchorage public schools. Each of them possesses a personal history rich in teaching and community service. As members of the faculty, they are continually inspired to extend Atheneum's programs into the greater community from their daily study with the students.

Kevin Holthaus, Governing Board Member, B.A. (St. John's College), is a founder of the Alaska Paideia Project. He has implemented seminar programs in the classroom since 1987. Kevin is responsible for many of the innovations which have made Alaskan Socratic seminars more effective than their counterparts in the Lower 48. He has led public school Socratic seminars in all academic subjects and has taught numerous workshops and education courses on Socratic seminars. He is also a teacher of the Internal Lineage Tradition T'ai Chi and Pa Kua, and is one of the first American students of Quintsai Rong Zhou. Kevin studied at St. John's College (Santa Fe), Eastern Montana State University, and the University Of Alaska Anchorage.

Lydia Ossorgin, Director and Governing Board Member, B.A. (St. John's College), B.S. and M.A. in Teaching (Univ. of New Mexico), has implemented programs and conducted seminars at the junior and senior high school levels since 1990, three of which were with the Alaska Paideia Project. Prior to Atheneum, she spent five years teaching in New Mexico public schools. Her experience included planning a new public school. Lydia is certified to teach elementary and secondary math, science, social studies, and language arts. She has been a Russian icon painter for over twenty years following her study in Paris with a Russian master. She is an instructor of T'ai Chi and Pa Kua. She has studied at St. John's College (Santa Fe), University Of New Mexico, L'Alliance Francaise, L'Institut De Theologie Orthodoxe St. Serge, The Tolstoy Foundation, Glinka Museum Of Music, and The Hermitage Museum. As Director of Atheneum Lydia was awarded the Alaska State PTSA Educator's Award for
Excellence, 1996.

Quintsai Rong Zhou, Great Learning Program Founder and Director, Mr. Zhou was brought up in the historic Da Dao Cheng District of Taiwan. He was one of the few and last of the contemporary Chinese who received a traditional education mastering classic texts and related healing arts, philosophy and science, and physical movement arts. Mr. Zhou has made world-renowned, revolutionary breakthroughs in the understanding of these classics and shows their importance to contemporary society through educational programs. After teaching in Taiwan and Japan, he now resides in San Francisco. He participated in the founding of Atheneum School and visits Alaska to work directly with the Atheneum staff and students in the Great Learning Program.

Douglas Ryan, coached in the Atheneum School during the 1996 school year and has tutored philosophy for two years at the University of Sheffield. He holds a BA (Boston College) and PhD (Sheffield) in philosophy and he is a member of the American Philosophical Association. In 2000, he was awarded the competitive Overseas Research Studentship to research and write his dissertation "Two Realist Accounts of Colour", which he completed in 2005. During the summers Doug enjoys hiking and camping and he plans to take up cross country skiing this winter.