THE GRAND OVERVIEW

A large house with white brick walls, multiple gabled rooflines, and a chimney, surrounded by green trees and a well-maintained lawn with several chickens.

For its earliest years, the Glebe School will be a one-room school house model that honors the tradition of colonial schools throughout Virginia’s history. It combines the time-tested methods of classical philosophy with an emphasis on teaching heritage skills.

Our Anglican parish school is situated on sixty-five acres of historic land that date back more than three hundred years. “Glebe” is a traditional term for farmland given by the King of England 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 tradition and still functions as a Glebe, with the fields farmed sustainably and regeneratively.

“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

Cover page of a magazine titled 'Garden Gossip,' recording gardening activities in the Mid-South, August 1934, priced at 10 cents, featuring a black and white photograph of a historic house in Abingdon Glebe, Gloucester County, Virginia, with text noting the photographer Frances Benjamin Johnston.

The property includes the historic Glebehouse, chapel, church cemetery, Headmaster’s house, fields, woods, and eight historic outbuildings including the charming restored Carriage House, where The Glebe School is held.

A classroom setting with a blackboard, American flag, and framed picture on the wall. There are chairs and a table with papers or cards in the foreground.

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 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

A garden bed with various green plants, including large-leafed vine plants and smaller plants, bordered by bricks and gravel.

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)

A row of colorful hardcover books on a wooden shelf, arranged by color. The titles include classic literature and children's books.

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 St. James On-the-Glebe 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.

A group of children with blonde and dark hair are looking at a framed painting or photograph on the wall of the Nativity.

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 an heritage that is handed down.

As classically educated students, these children will be formed by rich stories, rigorous academics, and delight in God’s creation. With our focus on the Common Arts, they will also be given the skills that the most well-rounded men and women throughout history have possessed. 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 geometry and woodworking to make a custom frame.

An elderly man with glasses and a white beard gives a demonstration of cursive handwriting as children watch.

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.

A young boy with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a big smile, sitting on a wooden stool against a brick wall background. He is wearing a light blue short-sleeved button-up shirt and navy shorts.

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 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

A family of four standing in front of a brick wall, with two adults holding young children. The father has a beard, glasses, and is wearing a black shirt. The mother has long brown hair and is wearing a navy dress with white patterns. The boy on the father's side has brown hair and is wearing a brown patterned shirt. The baby girl on the mother's side has light hair and is wearing a light gray outfit.

With his booming voice, large beard, and signature blend of gravitas & 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.

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 a Great Hearts Academy and 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 family of six people standing outdoors in a green field with trees in the background. The man in the center is dressed as a priest, holding a young girl, and two young boys are in front, with a woman wearing a large floral hat standing next to them.

A public school graduate, Classical Education has no greater defender than Fr. Fife. As the 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: Christian worship, teaching Fine Art, extra-long recess, Patrick Leigh Fermor books, & building wood fires in the Glebehouse fireplaces.

PRESIDENT: Fr. Kevin Fife

An elderly man and woman standing outdoors on a sunny day, smiling, with a grassy field and trees in the background.

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 (ret)

A group of seven people, including adults and children, standing outdoors on a grassy field with trees in the background. They are smiling and appear happy, with some children clapping and one child sitting on an adult's arm.

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: Talking about good books, Einkorn bread with too much butter, hospitality, line editing, light reading on physics & amateur oil painting.

SECRETARY: Mrs. Jane Gross