Bethany Farber Earns Prestigious Socrates Award At Chesterton Academy

Homeschool. Private school. Public school. California. Virginia. Maryland. Graduating Chesterton Academy of Annapolis senior Bethany Farber has done them all.

As a child of a Navy parent, Farber didn’t feel grounded until her family settled in Severna Park. When she and her family started looking into high schools, Farber knew that wherever she’d enroll, it would be for a full four years.

At the Chesterton Academy of Annapolis’ senior awards ceremony, held May 21, Farber received the State of Maryland Certificate of Merit and one of the school’s highest honors, the Socrates Award. The distinction not only recognizes her exceptional academic achievement but also her insatiable drive for truth and understanding, and strong Socratic approach to learning.

“I never attended one school very long, so I was really excited to find a high school where I would be completely grounded for four years,” Farber explained.

Her exploration took her to Chesterton Academy of Annapolis. The first Chesterton Academy was founded in 2008 in Minneapolis as a Catholic high school that was both academically challenging and spiritually fulfilling, following the education principles of G.K. Chesterton, an English writer. By 2024, 59 high schools had been formed in 25 states and in four countries. Chesterton Academy of Annapolis opened seven years ago.

After touring and shadowing at Chesterton, Farber knew she’d found her high school home.

“I really enjoyed the classroom dynamic of the Socratic seminars,” Farber said. “Teachers are more guides to knowledge than lecture-based educators. There is a lot of discussion with fellow students to reach the truth.”

The Socrates Award is given to the student who shows great class discussion participation, always strives to discover the truth, achieves superior academic accomplishment, and is never satisfied with a “so-so” answer.

Recalling education during the pandemic, Farber noted that online learning wasn’t something she enjoyed.

“I really like being present in the moment and being able to question,” Farber said. “Hearing different opinions forces me to open up my mind to other perspectives.”

One of Farber’s favorite teachers was Tim Feeney, whom she had for scripture and modern history classes. Feeney’s biography on the Chesterton website states, “He prefers to teach using the Socratic method because it trains students to think logically and systematically work toward conclusions that are rationally defensible.” Farber thrived in his classes.

“Mr. Feeney really makes hard subjects or deep philosophical issues fun,” she said. “He is legendary for his ‘caffeinated conversations.’ In his classes, we are not allowed to raise our hands. We are just a couple of friends having a conversation. Over tea and homemade pastries, we’d have these incredibly complex discussions. Some of my favorite scripture passages are ones we studied that year, and I’ve never been closer to a group of classmates.”

Farber will attend Belmont Abbey College, a private, Catholic liberal arts college in Belmont, North Carolina. She chose Belmont because of the strong honors college with small class sizes formatted in the Socratic seminar style.

Since a young age, Farber has been enthralled with Shakespeare. Peek inside her backpack and she will be carrying at least one – usually several – Shakespeare titles to read, “just for fun.” At Belmont, she is excited about the college’s focus on the “great books.”

“When I started reading Shakespeare when I came to Chesterton, I didn’t really understand it,” Farber said, “but the more I read, the more I enjoyed it.”

For her senior paper, Farber wrote “Injustice in Shakespeare According to St. Anselm.” She compared the endings of “Hamlet” versus “The Tempest,” a tragedy versus a comedy.

At Belmont, she plans on continuing her study of classic literature as a “great book” minor or major. She’s also interested in a philosophy, politics and economics track.

“I absolutely love English,” Farber added. “A dream job for me would be either a high school or college professor. I feel like everyone has that one teacher they remember forever. I’d love to be the teacher who creates memories. I would love to be someone else’s Mr. Feeney.”

Farber is the daughter of Rebecca and Adam Farber of Severna Park.