Providence Classical Christian School

Academics

Our vision is to graduate young men and women who are socially graceful, spiritually gracious, and academically curious, equipped to learn and think for themselves according to biblical principles.

Secondary School (7-12)

The secondary school at Providence is divided into two groups: middle and high school. Our middle school constitutes grades seven and eight. Students in middle school are still characterized by an excitement about learning, but they need and require more challenge.  The middle school student tends to be more critical of information and seeks to make judgments through debate and critique. They like to order things more, seeking fervently to know the how and why which lie behind the facts.  Occasionally this results in mannerisms and attitudes that project more confidence than is actually warranted by the age group.

 

Middle school teachers aim to harness these tendencies through a variety of methods including research and debate, written papers, and oral presentations. All 8th grade students receive instruction in formal logic (the science of ordered thought). Drama, re-enactments and role-playing are all tremendously effective teaching tools for the logic student.  Teachers will also employ visual materials such as charts, graphs and timelines to foster interest and feed their natural curiosity. Guest speakers and special trips are utilized as often as is feasible.

 

High school students at Providence range from ninth to twelfth grade.  This age is characterized by a mature excitement about learning that tends to be more reflective. The high school student begins to see the information he once learned by rote and analyzed using logic and reason as more than facts to be merely interacted with. Rather, the information becomes a tool for him to better understand the world around him and interact with others. Each student takes two years of rhetoric, which culminates in the senior thesis paper and presentation and public defense before select faculty.

 

While discipline, order and decorum are still important elements to maintain in the secondary classroom, there is an intentional shift from the more formal classroom environment in the grammar stage. Teachers at the secondary level seek to draw out individual student strengths and teach them to transform and develop their weaknesses.  Students are encouraged to express their thoughts and opinions in a wide variety of formats.