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Crest, Flag & Anthem

Meaning & Symbolism of the John Adams Academy Crest

The Crest is an emblem signifying the vision and mission of John Adams Academy. At the center of the crest is a stylized shield bearing the John Adams Academy quill and ten lines representing the 10 Core Values.

The Shield or escutcheon has represented since Medieval times a warrior’s primary piece of defensive equipment.  The bearer of a shield is a defender. The scholars of John Adams Academy are courageous defenders of freedom, truth, nobility and the values upon which America was founded.

The 10 Core Values of John Adams Academy are fundamental to the culture and mission of JAA.  The values placed upon the defensive shield are an acknowledgement of the existence of a fixed standard of conduct and an anchor of stability and truth in a shifting world. The scholars of John Adams Academy develop the strength of character, knowledge, skills, and wisdom necessary to preserve freedom, serve their fellowmen, and walk a straight and steady course of principle driven leadership.

The Quill is a symbol of graceful and noble communication. The ability to think, speak, and write clearly are indispensable skills in moving forward the cause of liberty, recognizing and acting upon the good, loving and reproducing the beautiful, and articulating and disseminating the truth.

Surrounding the inner shield are these phrases:

  • John Adams Academy Patriots:  A Patriot is a defender, one who vigorously loves, supports, and defends his country and its interests. 

In Latin:

  • Servimus: We Serve  (Implies devoted servants)
  • Ducimus: We Lead  (Denotes as a guide or mentor)
  • Praecellimus: We Excel  (To surpass, to achieve greatness)

The Outer ring includes the words foundational to our mission:

  • Classics: A great book that has a great theme, noble language, universality, and speaks to the individual.
  • Mentors: An individual of high moral character more advanced than the scholar to guide the scholar’s learning.
  • Leadership: Leadership education presupposes that each individual is born with a unique and singular mission to fulfill.  A John Adams Academy education consists of discovering, preparing for, and fulfilling this mission. Classically educated leaders are prepared to motivate and inspire individuals, communities, and nations to a greater good and to be keepers and defenders of the principles of freedom.
  • Values: A moral and ethical character is necessary for the preservation of a peaceful, productive, free, and happy society. All true greatness comes from doing the right thing even when completely alone. John Adams Academy scholars receive the type of education that will develop greatness of mind and character in order to become an individual of integrity and sound judgment, prepared when called upon to perform the mission unique to them.
  • Service: Our mission is to develop servant leaders that internalize the skills, methods, and structure of a John Adams Academy Classical Leadership Education who will then desire to make a difference in the world and go forth to heal society, preserve freedom, and contribute to matters greater than self.
  • Liberty: For the founders liberty was the fundamental American value. The Declaration of Independence speaks of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  It was liberty that Patrick Henry declared himself willing to die for. Thomas Jefferson said, “Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others.” Liberty is the right and power to act and express oneself as one chooses as granted by the state. That state will do everything necessary to protect that grant but under which individuals must govern themselves, taking responsibility for their own actions and behaviors and qualifying themselves as active citizens of a free republic.

All the above were intentionally set within concentric circles universally symbolizing unity, totality, wholeness, timelessness, the self, and the continual improvement of that self. Circles are also often seen as protective symbols, so standing in adherence to the principles within these circles symbolizes a protection from dangers and influences of a society of lost values and democratic ideals that we might not relinquish the privilege of self-government that a “nation conceived in liberty…shall not perish from the earth.[1]”

Anthem

JAA Anthem PDF

The John Adams Academy Flag:
Elements and Meaning

John Adams Academy is restoring America’s heritage by developing servant-leaders who are keepers and defenders of the principles of freedom for which our Founding Fathers pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor.

This heritage is a legacy of pioneers and patriots, regardless of their nationality, race, religion, or cultural background, who have sacrificed their lives to protect the rights of all Americans. America was built upon several core principles that have become a force for good in the world, including 1) liberty, 2) equality under the law, 3) natural rights, 4) consent of the people, and 5) limited government. It is a tradition that is passed on to each generation, and each generation is responsible to make these principles available to all and to preserve them for future generations.   

The colors and images contained in the John Adams Academy Flag demonstrate the connection to the United States Flag and the American Classical Leadership Education™ model of John Adams Academy.

The elements and their associated meanings are described as follows:

  • Red, White and Blue: The red, white, and blue of the John Adams Academy Flag are reflective of our vision to restore America’s heritage.  The official meaning of the colors used within the flag of the United States of America are:
  • Red: The struggle for independence with courage, strength, and valor.
  • White: Honor, purity, and harmony.
  • Blue: Truth, loyalty, and justice.
  • Field of White: The John Adams Academy Flag begins with a field of white.  White is an inherently positive color. Beyond its traditional symbolism of faith and purity it also symbolizes light, goodness, understanding, mental clarity and harmony.  White is also the color of simplicity and perfection. White contains an equal balance of all colors, representing all possibilities.  Each individual is born with their own special excellence, their own gifts and talents, that are discovered, supported and developed within an American Classical Leadership Education™. All persons, regardless of background can achieve greatness.
  • Foundation: At the base of the flag are the words “John Adams Academy” and two bold horizontal lines representing the foundation of liberty upon which the American Classical Leadership Education™ is built.  A free person cannot be truly educated through a system of coercion. Education is an individual stewardship of mind, body and soul that produces a liberated, self-governing citizen leader.
  • The Shield: Rising from the foundation is “The Shield”. The Shield, as denoted in our Academy crest, has represented since medieval times a warrior’s primary piece of defensive equipment. The bearer of a shield is a defender. The scholars, staff, and families of John Adams Academy are courageous defenders of freedom, truth, nobility, and the principles upon which America was founded.  Each takes up the shield of the warrior to protect and create the liberty-based environment necessary to all to develop in his or her own special excellence. On The Shield is inscribed key elements of the American Classical Leadership Education™: The Quill and The 10 Core Values.
    • The Quill: The Quill is a symbol of graceful and noble communication. The ability to think, speak, and write clearly are indispensable skills in moving forward the cause of liberty, recognizing and acting upon the good, loving and reproducing the beautiful, and articulating and disseminating the truth. Through graceful and noble communication, we receive the classics and the liberal arts—key elements of discovering truth, becoming liberated from ignorance, and being empowered to think and act critically. Through the classics and liberal arts, a scholar comes face-to-face with greatness and is inspired to causes greater than self—using his or her liberty for the defense and propagation of goodness.
    • The 10 Core Values: The 10 white lines over the field of red represent the 10 Core Values of John Adams Academy which are fundamental to the culture and vision & mission of the Academy.  The values placed upon the defensive shield are an acknowledgment of the existence of a fixed standard of conduct and an anchor of stability and truth in a shifting world. The 10 Core Values are essential in creating the environment in which scholars develop the strength of character, knowledge, skills, and wisdom necessary to preserve freedom, serve their fellowmen, and walk a straight and steady course of principle-driven leadership.
  • The Stars: Above The Shield are three guiding stars. Stars have long been used by mankind to navigate safely in a tumultuous world and arrive at the intended destination. Stars are fixed principles that lead us through uncertain times, allow us to keep our course, and fulfill our ultimate mission.   The three stars on the Academy flag represent points of focus necessary to stay on course in the development of servant leadership—truth, virtue, and wisdom. 
    • Truth is conformity to fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, has been, or shall be. 
    • Virtue is moral goodness and the practice of moral duties conforming to natural law. Virtue is strength and voluntary obedience to truth. 
    • Wisdom is right reason in agreement with truth and moral goodness by virtuous means. An end of education is a great soul who seeks truth, is schooled by wisdom, and has the virtue to act on that wisdom.. Truth, virtue, and wisdom embody servant leadership—the very heart of the John Adams Academy mission through which we are restoring America’s heritage.