THE GRAND OVERVIEW:
“The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.”
Psalm 16
The Glebe School is a one-room school house model that honors the tradition of colonial schools throughout Virginia’s history and combines the time-tested methods of classical philosophy with an emphasis on teaching heritage skills.
An Anglican parish school, The Glebe School is situated on sixty-five acres of historic land that dates back more than three hundred years. “Glebe” is a traditional term for farmland given by the king to the church in the colonial period. Our Glebe was tithed in the 1600s and the “Glebehouse” was built in the 1700s for the Anglican priest who served all the churches of the Middle Peninsula before the Revolutionary War. This land continues to be maintained by Christians of the Anglican faith and still functions as a Glebe, with the fields farmed sustainably and regeneratively.
The property includes the historic Glebehouse, chapel, church cemetery, fields, woods, headmaster’s house, and nine historic outbuildings including the charming restored Carriage House, where The Glebe School is held.
Cultivation of the cardinal virtues and Christian formation of students in the Anglican tradition is central to The Glebe School education. We are raising men and women rooted in the orthodox teachings of the church, through Scripture and tradition, who see the truth, beauty, and goodness of Christ in everything they study.
“And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Colossians 1:17
At The Glebe School we study:
-The Glory of Christ revealed in creation (Nature studies, mathematics, and the sciences)
-The Attributes of God (Order, logic, reason, phonics, reading, and grammar)
-The Image of God in us (Art, music, and virtue)
With plans to expand to a full K-12 school as each year passes,
The Glebe School is inspired by the life of the parish community of SJOTG, and the rich tradition of the Christian faith rooted in the study of classic literature and the history of Western thought: from Ancient Greece and Rome to the founding of our nation.
The Glebe School is an act of devotion. Founded by many former homeschoolers and graduates of classical schools, these parents and grandparents wanted the beauty and excellence found in their own classical Christian educations to give to their children and their community. Classical Education is a heritage passed down.
As a second generation of classically educated students, these children will be formed by the rich stories, rigorous academics, and delight in God’s creation just like their parents. With our focus on the Common Arts, they will also be given the skills that the most well-rounded men and women throughout history possess. We work to preserve the heritage skills that are dying out in the modern world. A graduate of The Glebe School should one day be able to discuss the historical significance of the Dutch Golden Age in Western art, paint a work of art in the style of Rembrandt, and use his skill in woodworking to make a custom frame.
We have been given a treasure trove of people on the Glebe who have devoted their life to the mastery of traditional skills: engineering, master joinery, fine sewing, construction work, hunting, farming, harvesting, preserving, animal husbandry, and the most important skill of faithfully mothering and fathering.
With the marriage of the study of the liberal arts and the cultivation of the common arts, The Glebe School is built on the desire of every parent: to give their own children the best qualities of their own childhood through holistic, hands-on education, as well as bestowing gifts and skills that surpass their own.
“Like religion, education is nothing or it is everything—
a consuming fire in the bones.”
Charlotte Mason, Formation of Character
HEADMASTER: Fr. Raymond Davison
With his large beard, booming voice, and signature blend of gravitas and joie de vivre, Fr. Davison is delighted to welcome students to Year One of The Glebe School. Drawing on his experience in the world of classical education and his love of literature, history, and the Church, Fr. Davison's vision for The Glebe School is one of academic excellence rooted in the cultivation of virtue, placed in parish community life, all while stewarding the land dedicated this work.
Born in the mountains of Pennsylvania and raised in various small towns in the Northeast, Fr. Davison graduated from a classical Christian school in Delaware, and earned his B.A. in Liberal Arts with an emphasis on history, philosophy, and education from The King’s College in New York City. After graduating, he jumped into elementary education at Great Hearts Academy and began to discerned his calling to the priesthood in the Anglican church. Upon completion of his M.Div. at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, he served as Headmaster of Saint Paul's Classical School in Melbourne, FL for five years. In 2026, he moved his family to Gloucester, VA to be the founding headmaster of The Glebe School.
Fr. Davison is married to Joy, a former teacher, writer, and classical school graduate. They have two toddler boys and a house full of books.
THE GLEBE SCHOOL BOARD:
A graduate of the public school system, Classical Education has no greater defender than Fr. Fife. As Rector of St. James On-the-Glebe, he knows the need for a Classical Christian School in Gloucester and is delighted to see God’s provisions for The Glebe School.
Special interests: Scripture, teaching Fine Art, old books, dignity of Christian life, & chopping wood.
PRESIDENT: Fr. Kevin Fife
Raised on Florida’s white sand beaches, Roy devoted his career to the US Navy as an Intelligence Officer. He brings all his skills of management and execution to The Glebe School. After placing his own daughters in a classical school, he was convinced after his youngest argued “Just War Theory” with him as a sixth grader.
Special interests: Getting things done, theater (both acting & writing), anything to do with the ocean, & most importantly: his wife, children, grandchildren.
TREASURER: CDR Roy Bertram
Growing up in a strong multi-generational Christian community, Jane knows what a healthy and living fellowship looks like. After graduating from UVA, she taught at a classical charter school. Now with four children of her own, she is committed to the success of The Glebe School.
Special interests: Virtue-focused education, einkorn bread, mathematics, biology, hospitality, & staying human in the age of AI.
SECRETARY: Mrs. Jane Gross