'The kind of student you dream about' flourishes with the help of an education choice scholarship

Winter Park – The piano stood silent in the corner of the empty gymnasium until Riccardo Cerutti sat on the bench, lifted the key lid, and played the opening notes of Billy Joel’s signature song, “Piano Man.”

“That’s me,” Riccardo said, “Piano Man.”

He moved on to “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the 1975 rock ‘n’ roll anthem by the band Queen, and Riccardo’s favorite song.

The impromptu concert ended abruptly when the students of Highlands Latin School, a PreK-8 private school that shares the building with Chesterton Academy of Orlando, Riccardo’s high school, filed into the gym for afternoon dismissal. The piano couldn’t compete with the chorus of excited voices waiting for their ride to arrive in the pickup line.

Besides, Riccardo had to get ready for basketball practice.

Piano and basketball are just two of Riccardo’s many interests. There’s also poetry, songwriting, origami, karate (he’s a black belt), reading (science fiction, philosophy, and the classics), and learning.

Especially learning.

Riccardo, a junior, has been a top student since arriving in the middle of his freshman year at Chesterton Academy, a small Catholic high school in Winter Park, north of Orlando. He’s earned a 4.0 GPA each semester while acing regional and national tests. Riccardo was recognized as a “National Scholar” because of his score on the CLT10, an online college preparatory exam, which made him one of the top 50 students in the nation

“He is the kind of student you dream of teaching,” said Michael DeSalvo, who teaches theology and philosophy. “You can't hyperbolize enough here.”

Riccardo, 16, and his sister Sara, a freshman, attend Chesterton Academy with the help of the Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options managed by Step Up For Students.

Born in the Netherlands to parents who are from Italy, Riccardo moved to central Florida with his family when he was 7. He attended his district school for two years before his parents, Stefano and Serena, decided on homeschooling. But when it was time for high school, they wanted their son to experience a more traditional learning environment.

“We believe that homeschooling is great for all grades, except in high school,” Stefano said. “You really need to have a group of other students with whom you are actually studying together, because at that stage, the education really demands intensive discussion on the materials that they're studying.

“Literature is not just reading. It’s discussing what you just read.”

Riccardo’s parents also wanted him to attend a Catholic school to help grow his faith.

“We read about the aim of Chesterton Academy. We share their goals,” Serena said. “And we know one of the founders of this particular school. We felt it was the best option for our kids.”

The scholarship helps pay for the tuition at Chesterton Academy.

“Well, obviously, it's a very good thing and not only for us, but for anyone who wants to actively be engaged in the education of their kids … So, it's good for everybody to have this possibility,” Stefano said.

He said he wasn’t unhappy with the district school his children first attended, it just didn’t meet his standard for education.

“And that’s why we started homeschooling,” he said.

While Riccardo was initially hesitant to leave the homeschool setting, which is why he didn’t enroll until mid-freshman year, he is glad he made the move.

“I've made the best friends that I've ever had in my life here,” he said. “I really feel like I found the right people here, and I feel like I've – maybe this will sound selfish – but I've really gotten the chance to be appreciated.”

At Chesterton, Riccardo found a group of classmates who shared his values and interests. He is the co-captain of the basketball team. He formed a rock band with five other students. He plays the piano, co-writes the songs, and provides backup vocals.

“It's fun to play, compose, improvise, interpret, just listen to,” he said. “You know, play with friends, compose with friends.”

Riccardo has been taking piano lessons for six years. He recently received the highest-scorer award for piano performance level 7 in the Florida/Georgia area. Influenced by Queen, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and classical music, he’s composed more than 50 pieces, some instrumental, some with vocals. His song, “The Loser,” about a teenager who constantly makes excuses for his shortcomings, brought down the house last year at Chesterton Academy’s annual talent show.

“Board games, card games

every type of game

It’s just the same

You pour your heart and soul in it

You get all fired up

Then the timer’s up

And your anger flares

‘Cause it’s so unfair

And you act like it’s the end of the world.”

“I wrote 'The Loser' based on my personal experience of being a sore loser,” Riccardo said. “I was frustrated with myself, ruining fun games with friends by getting so upset. The song was my way of expressing that. Even though it's in second person, it's really about me”

Listen to a demo of "The Loser" as well as other demos written and performed by Riccardo.

Chesterton is divided into four houses, each named after a saint. Riccardo is the prefect of House Augustine. He composed the music to the house’s alma mater and co-wrote the lyrics with another student.

DeSalvo is the house mentor, and Riccardo said the alma mater captured DeSalvo’s vision for the house.

“Set the example. Do things first. Be innovative. Think of new things to do and be the reason why everybody's doing it,” Riccardo said.

That is in sync with Stefano’s goal for his children: Exceed expectations.

“Don't settle for the minimum that’s required,” Stefano said. “Aim for the best you are capable of.”

That’s not hard for Riccardo. His appetite for learning is insatiable.

“I would say it's not just love of learning and knowledge, although that certainly plays into it. It’s just wanting to know more about the world,” Riccardo said. “I would say it's just a desire to do things well.

“Even if there's a class that I don't particularly like, that I’m personally not too attracted to, I still try to do well because that's the right thing to do. It's just a matter of principle.”

Riccardo, who is dual enrolled at Seminole State College of Florida, plans to attend the University of Central Florida and major in math, with a goal of earning a PhD in physics or engineering. He hasn’t decided on a career path but thinks it might be something in research.

Chesterton Academy employs the Socratic Method of instruction, where desks are arranged to form a square around the class. Teachers lead discussions from inside the square instead of from the front of the room, using open-ended questions to encourage critical thinking. It is the exact learning environment that Riccardo’s parents sought for his high school education. And, DeSalvo said, it is a setting that allows Riccardo to reveal his thought process as he arrives at his answer.

“For him, he not only understands what he's learning, but he also understands how he’s learning,” DeSalvo said. “He just has a very deep kind of penetrating mind. There’s nothing you can teach him that he's not going to understand eventually.

“This is what makes teaching fun. You almost learn more when you're teaching, and it's students like Riccardo that make that obvious. You're learning just as much as they are.”

Roger Mooney, manager, communications, can be reached at [email protected].