Enroll

There’s a new alternative for high school in Bellingham! The Fairhaven Program offers classical, place-based education to teenagers in Whatcom County. Without screens or politics.

What sets us apart:

  • Small classes and one-on-one attention.
  • Rigorous curriculum of mathematics, Ancient Greek, classical and American literature, local history, science, art, and public speaking.
  • Education without digital distractions.
  • Cozy, book-filled location in the heart of downtown Fairhaven, a short walk to the woods and the water.
  • Led by an Ivy League educated classicist.

Applications are now open for 2025-2026!

Please fill out the enrollment form below. We will then schedule an in-person conversation. You can also attend our Open House on January 6th from 3pm-6pm.

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Student Name
Student Date of Birth
Parent Name
Address
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Please attach a scan or picture of the student’s work in any subject as a PDF.
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Please have your student write by hand, from memory a one page description of a scene from his/her favorite book. Attach a picture or scan.
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Questions?

Call/text (360) 230-8012 or write to donald@fairhavenprogram.org to schedule a conversation or tour. Financial aid and scholarships are available.

Meet the Founder

Welcome to the Fairhaven Program! My name is Donald Antenen. I live in Bellingham with my wife, two daughters, and thousands of books. Why did I start the Fairhaven Program? There are many K-8 options in Bellingham, but few choices for high school. Students need an environment where they are taken seriously and can read and study serious books. One of my former students writes of a class she took with me, “I think of this seminar as really the beginning of my becoming confident in my own intelligence. I was very apprehensive at first and worried if I would have anything interesting to say. But I was pleased to feel like I could meaningfully contribute. It gave me a lot of confidence in my own ideas and analysis and my ability to communicate them.” That is why I started the Program: to create a place for students in Whatcom County to discover for themselves the confidence to think and to speak and to write.

What’s my background? I was graduated summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in classical languages and literature (Greek, Biblical Hebrew, & Latin) and from St. John’s College in Annapolis with an M.A. in liberal arts. At Penn I was recognized as a University Scholar, was on the Dean’s List, was awarded the College Alumni Classics Award and Allen Prize for Excellence in Ancient Greek, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. I’ve taught and mentored middle and high school students, led an annual Plato seminar in Philadelphia, and taught and tutored Latin and Greek, and I am a popular instructor in Western Washington University’s Academy for Lifelong Learning program. I also lead a homeschool co-op and teach Sunday school at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church. Besides reading and teaching, I enjoy vegetable gardening, time in the woods and on the beach, lifting weights, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.