New homeschool co-op drawing interest in River Valley

The former St. Boniface School is hosting a new student body, the newly founded River Valley Catholic Homeschool Co-op, which meets every Friday from 8:45-11:45 a.m.

“Our group had been meeting monthly for several years to celebrate liturgical feasts but gradually we wanted to have more interaction in a Catholic setting,” Shari McCoy said. “Several moms went up to Northwest Arkansas to see their homeschool co-op, which uses a pre-packaged curriculum. Afterward, we discussed the pros and cons of that option and focused on what we all considered important.”

The eight founding families of the co-op wanted book groups, Latin, choir, and arts and crafts. During the first semester, they taught all the children together except for the book group, but in the second semester, they divided into two groups for everything but choir. 

McCoy, who teaches Latin, now teaches the older group nouns, verb conjugation and simple sentence composition, as well as traditional prayers.

“Today the choir learned how to sing ‘Dona Nobis Pacem’ in a round,” she said, “and it was beautiful. Some of our older girls wo are excellent vocalists were able to help.”

Faith is taught throughout the curriculum. In art class, students used mosaic tiles to make colorful plaques of the Christogram (Chi Rho). During book group, the younger children learned about the lives of the saints in graphic novel form. At their recent Valentine’s Day Party, they learned that the celebration was named after St. Valentine.

“All of our local priests have been very supportive,” Katie Sharum said. “Father Mario (Jacobo, pastor of St. Boniface Church) has been so generous in letting us use the school building for our co-op. Father Brian (Cundall, pastor of Christ the King Church) has taught our children about the Mass. Living here is awesome because there are so many avenues for us to practice our Catholic faith.”

Dr. Natalie Jordan, whose two younger children attend the program, is the program’s administrator.

The co-op operates on a two-semester calendar and charges $75 a year per family for materials. New families are welcome to visit with their children but can’t enroll until the following semester.

“We wanted to get this first year under our belt with a small number of families,” Sharum said, “but we already have several new families who are interested in joining next year.”

The parents who participate teach the courses, using their talents and homeschool teaching experience. McCoy has taught Latin to her own four children. Although none of the families regularly attend traditional Latin Masses, she sees Latin as an important part of Church history, a vocabulary builder and a key to understanding other Romance languages.

Several moms are juggling full-time careers with homeschooling.

“Natalie (Jordan) is a geriatric psychiatrist, and Casey (Dodd) is a full-time book publisher,” Sharum said. “I worked in finance until I had my fourth child. A lot of moms work half-time or full-time with less traditional hours. If you’re dedicated enough, there are ways.”

Jordan and her husband, who practices forensic medicine, organize their schedules to allow them to homeschool their three children, aged 17, 11 and 8. She cited recent studies affirming the benefits of homeschooling and sees how regularly meeting with other families to foster Catholic friendships and reinforce liturgical living enhances their homeschool experience.

“My children love it,” she said. “My daughter asked whether it can be two days a week or can we have science. I’ve been pleased with the organic growth of the program, as people with different talents come forward to meet the needs of our group.”

The group has branched out to include service projects. On the feast of St. Francis, they spent part of the day packing bags for St. Boniface’s food pantry. They are also looking into setting up robotics and Lego classes.