Course Offerings

Introduction to Western Civilization 
Instructor: Dr. Richard Brake

Sweeping survey course highlighting the key historical events, figures, movements, and trends that comprise the story of western civilization, through the prism of the four great cities that formed American culture: Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, and London.  Instruction calibrated for all Grades 9-12, with course assignments and requirements organized on a sliding scale allowing for greater and greater levels of rigor and responsibility dependent upon the particular grade level of the student.
 

Introduction to the Great Books of Western Literature     
Instructor: Dr. Richard Brake

Sweeping survey course introducing students to the great authors of the western literature, such as Sophocles, Virgil, Dante, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Cervantes, Dickens, Dostoevsky, Lewis, and O’Connor.  Instruction calibrated for all Grades 9-12, with course assignments and requirements organized on a sliding scale allowing for greater and greater levels of rigor and responsibility dependent upon the particular grade level of the student.
 

Introduction to Catholic Theology and Philosophy             
Instructor: Mr. Samuel McIlheran

Sweeping survey course introducing students to the great Catholic theologians and thinkers in the history of Christendom, including Augustine, Boethius, Aquinas, More, Newman, Brownson, and Chesterton.  Instruction calibrated for all Grades 9-12, with course assignments and requirements organized on a sliding scale allowing for greater and greater levels of rigor and responsibility dependent upon the particular grade level of the student.
 

Latin I and Latin II           
Instructor: Mr. Samuel McIlheran

In Latin I, students master the basics of Latin Grammar and vocabulary using the first book of Fr. Robert Henle’s Latin series.  In Latin II, students will utilize Fr. Henle’s second Latin book, an ordered study of Julius Caesar’s Gallic Wars.  By the end of the year, students will have read several hundred lines of Caesar’s writings and will be capable of working through most works of Latin prose. 
 

Euclidean Geometry     
Instructor: Mr. Proska

In Geometry, students are introduced to Euclid’s Elements, a compilation of geometrical proofs that are the logical foundation of all mathematics.  Students learn the “why” behind mathematical theorems, proving their truth from the ground-up.

 

Chemistry       
Instructor: Mrs. Krystyna Szymanski
Through an inquiry into the complexity and beauty of God’s creation, the study of chemistry helps foster an appreciation of the organization and order that underlies the material world. In our chemistry course, students learn the principles of physical and organic chemistry, which allows students to make sense of the physical materials and processes relevant to daily life and modern applications of science. Chemistry also provides students with a fuller understanding of the chemical principles that underlie the marvelous phenomena witnessed in biological systems.
 

Studio Art/Art History   
Instructor: Miss Rebecca Woltornist

Students are introduced to advanced studio techniques, concepts (like color theory), and media (like charcoal, pastel, and paint), and challenged with longer-term, more refined projects.  The art history portion of the course introduces students to the art of the first Christians, followed by the art of the Early Medieval Period, Byzantine Art, Gothic Age, and the Northern Renaissance.

Choral Music/Music History                   
Instructor: Miss Sofia Farrell

Students are introduced to both the sacred and secular musical tradition of Western civilization by three complementary avenues: singing, musicology, and music theory.  Instruction begins with the medieval period followed by a steady progression through Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical music periods.

Dramatic Arts
Staff Instructor                                                              

The dramatic arts are particularly powerful in our present culture where movies and the media are often the primary source of knowledge and ideas for many young people. Drama involves the study of how words are brought to life, and in order to successfully do this on stage the actor must learn to see the work as a whole, to understand the author’s vision and the time in which it was written. In other words, the actor must learn to be a good literary critic, philosopher, and historian. Drama ties together the information students learn in the classroom and asks them to actively participate in its performance.