9th - 12th Grade
Rhetoric School
Providence launched the Rhetoric school (high school grade levels) in the 2022/23 school year and is currently offering ninth and tenth grade. Eleventh grade will be offered in 2024/25 and twelfth in 2025/26.
The curriculum builds on what students have learned in the grammar and logic schools, teaching them to think and articulate concepts to others in a persuasive and eloquent manner.
Rhetoric is a core skill in leadership. Leading others requires the ability to see the big picture, think clearly about the facts involved, and persuade others to follow. Classical Christian education’s long history has been attributed to the effectiveness with which it trains leaders. In high school, students begin to develop a sense of how others perceive them. They become self-conscious about fashion, vocabulary, mannerisms and various other forms of expression. Classicists called this the rhetoric phase. Students in this phase learn to speak and write well. They learn to relate to their audience with clarity and persuasion. Without the ability to communicate, the best ideas go unheard and are impotent.
Rhetoric students learn how to defend their faith. Most importantly, they begin to understand how to take their place in the world in order to fulfill God’s purpose for them in His Kingdom.
Classes Taught:
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Literature, History, Math, Science, Greek, Theology, Art, Music, PE, Government
Why do you refer to grades 9-12 as Rhetoric School?
Classical education acknowledges 3 stages in learning: Grammar, Logic, Rhetoric. Grades 9 (or 10) through 12 make up this last stage. Simply put, it is the stage where the students are now ready to outwardly express and apply by written and spoken word, with wisdom, the facts and information they have learned/memorized (Grammar Stage) and have come to understand after much critical thinking (Logic Stage)
How is this different from other Christian High Schools in the area?
It is very similar in the subjects studied, however the methodology in which it is taught is different from other 9-12 grade schools. A Rhetoric school is meant to take everything you have learned from K-8 and now instruct the students how they may use and share the knowledge in an applicable way. A quick idea of the classical method regarding grades 9-12 is that we take the knowledge (grammar grades K-6) now understood (logic grades 7-8/9) and being transmitted outwards as wisdom (rhetoric grades 9/10-12).
My child has not learned Latin. Will it interfere with their high school education?
No. We offer Greek as a classical language course. We do this so that our children may learn to read the original language scripture to gain a better understanding of the truths of the Bible, as well as the Greek classics. If your child already knows Latin this may help but will not be required.
Do you offer STEM or STEAM classes?
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) is a way to integrate practical disciplines into a specific class. At Providence, this integration of disciplines is already being accomplished through the classical model. “The idea of STEM is a classical one. STEM refers to the integration of science and mathematics with an eye to practical uses in technology or engineering. The idea is to use mathematical models to understand real data from science, applied to solving modern problems—something we should easily be able to picture ancient Greek natural philosophers and engineers doing, not to mention the practical Romans with their aqueducts, plumbing, advanced road systems and architectural marvels. STEAM goes the full way and includes the arts, just like the classical quadrivium included music.” So while we do not have specific STEM classes, the principles and goals of STEM are being realized through the classical mode. (quote from Jason Barney, Clapham School). You can also visit classicalchristian.org/stem-vs-classicalscience for a more in depth comparison.