While academic achievement plays a significant role in preparing a student for college, �Ӱ���Ƶ focuses on the development of the whole student, based on the values of virtue and wisdom.  By fostering a well-rounded approach to education, �Ӱ���Ƶ produces students who not only graduate with the ability to further their academic goals, but also feel prepared to live a full life, enriched by culture, the arts, and athletics, to name a few. Below are examples of how students at �Ӱ���Ƶ excel in a variety of subjects and focus areas.  This achievement among  students is just one of the reasons Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report consistently ranks �Ӱ���Ƶ as one of the top schools in Colorado and the nation.

Academic Achievement

For the 2018-2019 school year, �Ӱ���Ƶ High School, Junior High, and Elementary earned the Colorado State Board of Education’s John Irwin Schools of Excellence Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement.  The high school also received the Colorado State Board of Education Award for Academic Growth.

Fine Arts

Two �Ӱ���Ƶ students earned a spot at this year’s All-State Choir, bringing our total students selected for this honor to thirty-one in the past ten years. �Ӱ���Ƶ Singers were selected to perform at the 2017 and 2018 Colorado Music Educators Association Conference. Art students at �Ӱ���Ƶ have excelled in recent art competitions and exhibitions in the area, bringing home several awards for �Ӱ���Ƶ.

Cultural Enrichment

Students continually find opportunities to excel in areas of cultural enrichment through our foreign language and travel abroad programs.

Awards

Last year, �Ӱ���Ƶ art students won two National Gold Medals for Self-Portraits, ten gold key awards, and two silver keys at the Colorado Scholastic Art Awards.  �Ӱ���Ƶ art students also won seventeen awards at the Congressional Competition and the Young Peoples Art Exhibition.

High School Athletics

The 2018 boys basketball team finished 21-3 overall (11-0 Tri-Peaks League Champions) and advanced to the 3A State Tournament.  The 2018 girls basketball team finished 14-9 overall and qualified for the 3A state tournament.  The 2019 boys club volleyball team will be chasing their fifth straight state championship this year.

College Readiness

64 students took 135 Advanced Placement exams in the spring of 2018.  The percentage of AP students with scores of three or higher (on a one to five scale) was 92.2%.  American colleges generally grant placement and course credit to students who obtain scores of three or higher on exams.

In a recently published report by the Colorado Department of Education, �Ӱ���Ƶ had the lowest percentage of graduates requiring remedial classes in college.

Scholarship Opportunities

Students from the 2010-2018 classes have had 52 members who have received recognition through the National Merit Scholarship Program.  In the last nine years, �Ӱ���Ƶ has had sixteen National Merit Finalists, two Boettcher Scholarship recipients, and five Daniels Scholarship recipients.

Two  students are finalists for the most prestigious scholarships in Colorado: the Boettcher Scholarship and the Daniels Fund Scholarship.  Both scholarships not only provide full tuition, but  also  leadership mentoring throughout college.

Last year’s Class of 2018, with 56 graduates, earned $4,202,872 in scholarships.  Over the past nine years, �Ӱ���Ƶstudents have earned over $31,800,000 in college scholarships. Collectively, 14% of the Class of 2019 earned recognition through the National Merit Scholarship program.

Become A Student At �Ӱ���Ƶ

If parents and students are interested in attending �Ӱ���Ƶ, contact the enrollment office today to schedule a tour or attend an information session.  Alternatively, parents and students can begin the application process directly online at www.The�Ӱ���ƵSchool.com.

Classical education is an approach to learning that takes the whole individual into context.  It teaches students how to learn and use reason to ultimately make informed decisions later in life. This whole-person approach is accomplished by introducing disciplinary themes among the backdrop of history.

So while a student is learning to sift through historical events, they can integrate concurrently evolving theories and facts in mathematics, science, the arts, and literature.  Knowledge of one subject always has a connection and role to play in another subject.

The difference between classical education and curriculums often found in traditional public institutions is the importance placed on the act of learning.  Classical education strives to develop a student into a disciplined and robust thinker able to parse information, ask essential questions, and ultimately form their own well-reasoned opinions and contributions to the Great Conversation of humanity.

Students in a classical education curriculum learn that the point of education is the learning itself, and the immense amount of effort and discipline that goes into it.  Focus and dedication are required to learn any specific skills.  Likewise, learning how to think, form arguments, and make conclusions based on well-substantiated evidence is an invaluable skill for navigating life’s great journey.

What Makes Classical Education So Effective?

The number and variety of educational institutions adopting classical education methodologies are consistently growing because of the quality of student who graduates these programs. Additionally, college attendance rates amongst graduates are typically higher as well.

The focus on education for the purpose of developing wisdom and virtue in each student is not a new concept.  It is an idea that has been spreading beyond traditional private schools and into charter schools for the last few decades.

Classical Education Methodology & Curriculum

Classical education focuses on the interconnectedness of different subject areas while establishing a foundation in learning, and building on that foundation as students mature and progress.  Generally, most institutions implementing a classical education approach the students learning with three phases that reflect the student’s needs and abilities.

The Elementary Phase (K-6)

Classical education begins with a strong foundation in the basic disciplines for the elementary age student. Children absorb key building blocks in grammar, reading, spelling, writing, and mathematics.

When they transition to the next stage, these young students have the fundamentals they need to start to organize information and ask important questions on their own.  Students are exposed to the great works in literature, for example, but in a format that is greatly simplified, and appropriate for their level.

Junior High Phase (7-8)

In this phase, a classical education may consist of more investigative lessons of history, science, literature, and similar disciplines that are all interconnected by time and place.  Students use the tools they acquired in the elementary stage to parse new information, identify patterns within a historical context, and draw independent conclusions.

High School Phase (9-12)

By this time, students have begun delving more deeply into subject areas.  They have been able to organize information based on multiple categories that interconnect.  During the high school phase, students learn the importance of knowledge by drawing their conclusions about our world.  They make informed arguments and support their arguments with a wealth of foundational knowledge.

Benefits of a Classical Education

Developing Virtue

Through a graduated in-depth approach to the evolution in thinking across multiple disciplines, classical education allows the student to absorb and adopt many of the themes that ribbon through time and place in learning.  One of the most important of these themes is virtue.

Virtue can be described as knowledge of, and the ability to, adhere to what is morally right.  Classical education equips the student with the strength and discipline to continually learn and draw lessons throughout his/her life beyond formal education. Students become adults who use their solid sense of virtue to inform future decisions and contribute to the Great Conversation.

Finding Reward in the Effort

Education is not just about setting a student up to get admitted to a decent college.  Nor should it be looked at as a game to play – a slurry of GPAs, test scores, extracurricular, and service hours that serve as bullet points on a college admission application. Education should be about finding reward in the very effort of learning itself.

Understanding the evolution of the human condition via a historical multi-disciplinary approach is crucial to future personal development.  Likewise, the effort required to learn, incorporate, and analyze these essential lessons in itself is a gift that can be applied to any particular future endeavor.

Contributing to the Great Conversation

Many popular forms of curriculum produce educated individuals.  But only a specific portion of those individuals can genuinely contribute to the Great Conversation — the ability to make new conclusions and offer opinions about the human condition based on previous works authored by writers, thinkers, philosophers, scientists, and other intellectuals recorded throughout time.  Classical education works to develop the mind, body, and soul of each student so that they do not just pass through life; instead, they contribute to it.

Classical Education at �Ӱ���Ƶ

�Ӱ���Ƶ embraces these fundamentals and many other essential characteristics of classical learning to produce deep thinking, well-rounded individuals able to evaluate contemporary issues based on historical knowledge.

Is Classical Education Right for my Child?

Choosing a classical education curriculum requires considerable contemplation.  It is a decision best made with first-hand knowledge of the specific school you are interested in having your child attend, whether that be a private school or a charter school.  We strongly encourage scheduling an interview with admissions and touring the school before making any decision.

The concept of Classical Education is not a new one.  In the face of new curricular trends, Classical Education has endured because of its foundation educating wisdom and virtue.

This article will explore the principles and benefits of Classical Education and demonstrate why its approach continues to persist as a successful foundational model for shaping students’ minds in a holistic way.

Classical Education Builds A Strong Academic Foundation:

The Three Stages of Classical Education

The classical approach relies on the Trivium (or the three stages) of language: grammar, logic, and rhetoric.  Each stage builds on the former, and focuses on developmentally appropriate approaches to learning.

Grammar (Grades K-5)

During the years when children learn quickly through rhyme and melody, basic facts in all major subject areas serve as a foundation upon which to build in later stages.

Logic (Grades 6-8)

During these years, students cultivate their increasing interest in argument by studying logic and reason throughout the curriculum.

Rhetoric (Grades 9 – 12)

Students use their foundation of grammar and logic to organize and effectively communicate  thoughtful and strong arguments.

Classical Education Focuses On Academic Mastery:

The Principles of Classical Education

A leader in Classical Education Theory, Dr. Christopher Perrin, articulates eight principles of Classical Education that, when incorporated, contribute to the whole education of a child.

Make Haste Slowly

Students must discover the opportunity to master their studies, which means taking as much time as required to learn something well.  Rushing achieves no purpose.  This mastery directly contributes to the character of the student.

Much not Many

Acquiring many tidbits of knowledge does not contribute to the overall quality of a student’s intellect.  Instead, choose a few things and learn them well.  A deeper understanding of select subjects embeds knowledge in long term memory.  Superficial learning of many subjects only reaches short term memory, which stores facts that will soon disappear.

Repetition is the Mother of Memory

A review of material in a meaningful way helps solidify important information in long term memory.  Repetition should occur in a way that re-seeks essential fundamentals.

Songs, Chants, and Jingles

Younger students connect easily with new knowledge through songs and jingles.  It is a fun and exciting way to learn new information.

Wonder and Curiosity

Younger students have built-in awe for all things new that teachers can help cultivate by serving as a guide through journeys in curiosity.

Educational Virtues

Educators should serve as cultivators of humanity in students as they grow: helping foster virtues such as humility, temperance, love, diligence, courage, and constancy.

Embodied Education

Educators should incorporate all the senses in their educational approach and should consider these factors when designing any learning environment or approach.  This way, each student has a chance to cultivate not only their mind but body and soul too.

Contemplation

Students must be afforded space for undistracted reflection: a casual, relaxed practice that organically occurs as they learn a subject more deeply.

By Teaching, We Learn

Students teaching other students is a way to learn twice.  Information becomes more solidified as children attempt to share that information with others from their peer group or to younger students.

Classical Education Leads To Long-Term Results:

Classical Education & College Success

By utilizing Classical Education principles and stages, students become multi-faceted, naturally driven, and disciplined thinkers who find success in college.

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At �Ӱ���Ƶ, Classical Education is the foundation on which each student learns about the world around them.  Educators guide students in developing their mind, body, and spirit in a way that sets them up for success in college and their years beyond.

Choosing a school for a child is an important decision, one that can impact the future direction of that child’s academic journey.  Education shapes the child and contributes significantly to how they learn, what most interests them, and how they inform their decision making as adults.

Knowing the child, how he or she best learns, and what environments they respond to best are essential elements in a parent’s decision.  Here is a list of questions a parent may want to ask a school they are considering.

1.  What Is The Schools Philosophy or Vision?

Having a clear understanding of a school’s vision allows families to balance that against their educational beliefs and values.  To prepare before visiting the candidate school, visit their site.

Key Questions to Ask:

• What is the single most crucial aspect of the school’s philosophy?
• What values set this school apart from other schools?
• In implementing this vision, what is the school’s biggest challenge in accomplishing the said goal?

�Ӱ���Ƶ Mission Statement

The mission of �Ӱ���Ƶ is to help guide students in development of their character and academic potential through academically rigorous, content-rich educational programs.  �Ӱ���Ƶ’s students develop lifelong habits of excellence in virtue and intellect, allowing them to prosper as classically-educated individuals advancing a free society.  Our enduring, nationally acclaimed program prepares graduates for advanced education, meaningful contributions to society, and a life of purpose.

2.  What Curriculum Does The School Use?

Any school should be happy to provide a detailed overview of their curriculum and be able to explain how the curriculum contributes to the long term goals for each student in terms of academic achievement and character development.

Key Questions to Ask

• Does the school’s curriculum have specific curricular approaches, such as Montessori, Classical, Waldorf, or others?
• How does the curriculum address government-mandated learning standards?

Academic Curriculum at �Ӱ���Ƶ

The academic curriculum at �Ӱ���Ƶ is rooted in liberal arts.  This curriculum provides a solid academic base upon which our students achieve success in higher education endeavors.

�Ӱ���Ƶ students are required to take college-preparatory courses in English, math, history, science, a world language, and Latin.  Students devote a portion of their time to study hall, and a mentor is assigned to each student to help them prepare for future academic goals.

This curricular model, employed by �Ӱ���Ƶ, has consistently resulted in high test scores among its students in preparation for college.

3.  What Certifications and Qualifications Do Teachers Have?

A school’s vision and curriculum success are directly dependent on the quality and relevance of the training and qualifications of every teacher.

Key Questions to Ask

• What are the qualifications all teachers possess that conform to the school’s curriculum?
• What is the professional development process for staff?
• What kind of background does the school look for when recruiting a teaching professional?

4.  How Does the School Guide and Prepare Students for College and Their Career Path?

Given ample time each day spent with a student, a school should take an active role in shaping the a student’s character, not just their academic knowledge.

Key Questions to Ask

• What is the school’s process for preparing each student for college?
• What percentage of students go on to college each year, on average?

Student Success at �Ӱ���Ƶ

�Ӱ���Ƶ is proud to see many students move on to high performing colleges in the area, such as Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley.

5.  Does the school provide help with the college application process?

A well-qualified school should also play a significant role in assisting the child in finding the right college.

Key Questions to Ask

• How would the school describe college counseling services and opportunities for scholarships?
• How does the school fulfill expectations regarding the college admissions process?
• What percentage of students are accepted to their first school of choice?

College Preparation at �Ӱ���Ƶ

�Ӱ���Ƶ prepares each student for college, not just through its Classical Educational curriculum, but also with its college counseling team.  Counselors work in close coordination with parents and staff to help students identify potential academic and career paths.  This process occurs throughout high school so that each student’s progression can remain in line with their ultimate academic goals for higher learning.

�Ӱ���Ƶ offers the following services:

• Visits from college admissions representatives
• ACT/SAT preparation information
• Financial aid and scholarship information
• Resource books on colleges and careers

6.  What Extracurricular Activities Does the School Offer?

In producing a well-rounded student with real intellectual and creative depth, �Ӱ���Ƶ offers a wealth of extracurricular activities in areas of academics, leadership, community service, and much more.

Key Questions to Ask

• How would the school describe the extracurricular programs offered?
• What factors determine what kind of extracurricular activities the school offers?

Extracurricular Activities at �Ӱ���Ƶ  

�Ӱ���Ƶ offers a variety of extracurricular activities that provide student leadership opportunities such as student government, National Honor Society, and Rotary Youth Leadership; social events such as the high school retreat, homecoming week, and Christmas festivities; and community service projects such as the Thanksgiving food drive, “Feed the Children” campaign, and the “Christmas Blessings” store.  Students also have the opportunity to join a variety of clubs and fine arts programs.

7.  What Athletic Sports Does The School Have?

Athletics is an influential contributor to the well-roundedness of any student.  A conditioned mind is as crucial as a cultivated spirit.  Look for a school that offers a variety of athletic opportunities to fit the varying tastes and interests of each student.

Key Questions to Ask

• Will the school provide a list of the sports programs offered?
• What is the school’s approach to sports? How does the school’s athletic approach contribute to the overall character of the students?

Athletic Sports at �Ӱ���Ƶ

�Ӱ���Ƶ is a class 3-A school, competing in the Tri-Peaks League.  They offer a variety of sports activities such as track and field, soccer, lacrosse, basketball, cheer, volleyball, and more.

8.  What Cultural Opportunities Does The School Offer?

Cultural opportunities are another vital component in shaping a student’s educational character.  Exposure to cultural enrichment further contributes to the well-roundedness of a student.

Key Questions to Ask

• Does the school have a study abroad program, cultural development program, or foreign language classes?

Cultural Opportunities at �Ӱ���Ƶ

�Ӱ���Ƶ offers a two-week summer abroad program for students looking for more cultural enrichment in addition to the foreign language classes the school provides.

9.  Does the school offer AP or honors courses?

Many students are capable of studying at an advanced level, which positions them well for dual enrollment opportunities in college accredited courses.

Key Questions to Ask

• What college accredited classes does the school offer?
• How does the school identify accelerated learners, and what program that adequately addresses their needs?

AP Courses at �Ӱ���Ƶ

�Ӱ���Ƶ offers 15 AP courses in a variety of subjects.  The AP participation rate at �Ӱ���Ƶ is 79%.

10. What Are Some of the School’s Greatest Accomplishments?

Student success is highly dependent on the quality and well-roundedness of the school’s academic and extra-curricular approach.

Key Questions to Ask

• What are academic awards commonly awarded to the students?
• Does the school have some student success stories they can share with us?
• Wholistically, what accomplishments is the school most proud of achieving?

Awards & Achievements at �Ӱ���Ƶ

�Ӱ���Ƶ is currently ranked #1 in Colorado Springs by U.S. News and as one of the top 25 high schools in the nation according toCLT national rankings.

11. What Are Some of the Academic Highlights?

Check key academic indicators of the school, such as SAT, ACT scores, yearly assessments, CSAP outcomes, math averages for the state of Colorado, or other indicators.

Key Questions to Ask

• What are the average ACT scores at this school?
• What percentage of students are above average in English, Mathematics, Science, and other fundamental subjects?
• What assessment does the school most struggle with each year?

ACT & SAT Scores at �Ӱ���Ƶ

In 2016, �Ӱ���Ƶ ranked eighty-eighth percent nationally for the ACT, and the second-highest mean SAT score in the Pikes Peak region in 2018.

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At �Ӱ���Ƶ, we believe all aspects of learning addressed in the questions above deserve real consideration.  Here are some additional suggestions to help parents make an informed decision about our school.

In-Person Interview:

Meet with key staff and view the learning environment.  First-Hand experiences provide an impression that goes far beyond the words printed on a school’s website or brochure.

Informational Parents Night:

Another birds-eye view of our school’s approach and learning environment and a chance to ask personalized questions.

Student Shadow Day:

Potential students have the opportunity to shadow a current student from �Ӱ���Ƶ and attend all classes and activities.

Application Process

Admissions begin at �Ӱ���Ƶ online student application.  Next, schedule a visit and tour, join us for a shadow day, or attend one of our information nights.  After that, students take a placement test.  Once the placement test is complete, parents will be contacted with the enrollment decision.