HIGH SCHOOL
At SCCS, you're not just a student; you're a critical thinker in the making. We empower you to think with reason and embody virtue as we nurture academic excellence and foster a resilient faith in God.
SCCS Rhetoric School (High School) currently consists of 9th and 10th grade with additional grades added each year (11th grade in the 2024-25 school year and 12th grade in the 2025-26 school year).
EDUCATION THAT CULTIVATES CHARACTER
SCCS understands that character and virtue are of paramount importance—it influences every aspect of a person’s life. Teaching with wisdom and virtue in mind (rather than knowledge alone) alters the focus of education to who we become, not simply what we know. Alongside rich academics, we use liturgy, love, and example to cultivate affections. With the Gospel at the center, our students learn stewardship, honor, wisdom, and self-control. Thoughtful, disciplined, inspired minds influence how we live our lives, from how we solve a math problem, to how we understand and love our neighbors.
ACADEMICS FOR CURIOUS MINDS
Our students learn by asking questions, reading original texts, and using logic to reach educated conclusions. We teach our students in a way that aligns with their natural development, encouraging a love of learning that equips them well beyond the classroom. Our curriculum uses history as its organizing principle, beginning with the ancients and progressing forward to the moderns in history, science, literature, art, and music. This time-tested framework results in a more comprehensive understanding of subject matters and the valuable skill of making connections between past events and current information. Rhetoric, the final stage of learning in the classical model, focuses on helping students refine their thinking, with an emphasis on speaking well.
INTENTIONAL STUDENT CULTURE
SCCS House System: Cultivating Community and Leadership
House systems have been around for centuries and have been a staple culture-builder for classical schools. SCCS Houses (teams of students across Upper School grades) create instant community, facilitate student connection, and provide regular opportunities for leadership and mentorship. Each house earns points throughout the year through friendly competitions, academic achievements, and demonstrations of virtue, all aimed at winning the yearly House Cup.
Student Life: Beyond the Desk
Our student experience is more than just rich academics; We form students who are set apart and well-prepared to embody God's goodness, truth, and beauty in all of life.
Upper School practices weekly chapel together, which includes opportunities for guest speakers, student-led devotionals, and corporate worship.
Creative field trips offer students a hands-on opportunity to apply their learning and explore the rich resources our city has to offer.
School-wide events where Rhetoric students participate as leaders, such as music concerts, all-school chapels, theater productions, and more.
In addition to school-wide events, our Rhetoric School students look forward to enrichment opportunities such as a start-of-school Retreat (builds relationships with peers and teachers to strengthen their grow in the academic year), Protocol Night (preparing young men and women to be comfortable in social settings and care for others well) and engaging Capstone Trips crafted to bring their education to life.
Clubs and Sports
Our after-school clubs and sports will continue to expand as our school grows. We currently offer: Speech & Debate, Drama, and Archery Club. We believe in supporting every student's interests, even if it's beyond our current offerings. If SCCS does not offer a particular sport, students may choose to participate with their local public school.
Curriculum guides by grade:
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Bible: New Testament Survey
Math: Integrated Math 1 or 2
Humanities: History of Early Modern Revolutions
Science: Biology
Literature: Candide, Frankenstein, Macbeth, Return of the King, Tale of Two Cities, Modern European Short Stories, Animal Farm and others.
Language: Upper Latin I or Spanish I
Writing: Lost Tools of Writing 3
Logic & Rhetoric: Intro to Rhetoric I
Virtue Formation: Stewardship, Self-Control, Wisdom, and Honor
Electives: Performing or Visual Arts, Common Arts, Specialty P.E., or additional Math, Science, Language
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Bible: Systematic Theology I
Math: Integrated Math 2 or 3
Humanities: Ancient Civilization to 500 AD
Science: Chemistry
Literature: Ancients, Bhagavad Gita, Confucius Analects, Iliad, Antigone, Oedipus the King, and others.
Language: Upper Latin II or Spanish II
Logic & Rhetoric: Intro to Rhetoric II
Virtue Formation: Stewardship, Self-Control, Wisdom, and Honor
Electives: Performing or Visual Arts, Common Arts, Specialty P.E., or additional Math, Science, Language
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Bible: Systematic Theology II
Math: Integrated Math 3, Personal Finance, Pre-Calculus, or Calculus
Humanities: Medieval Civilization to 1600 AD
Science: Anatomy & Physiology or Physics
Logic & Rhetoric: Debates (Rhetoric I)
Virtue Formation: Stewardship, Self-Control, Wisdom, and Honor
Electives: Performing or Visual Arts, Common Arts, Specialty P.E., or additional Math, Science, Language
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Bible: Ethics and Apologetics
Math: Optional additional math for Honors Diploma or as Elective
Humanities: Modern European and American History
Science: Optional additional science for Honors Diploma or as Elective
Logic & Rhetoric: Speeches (Rhetoric II)
Virtue Formation: Stewardship, Self-Control, Wisdom, and Honor
Electives: Performing or Visual Arts, Common Arts, Specialty P.E., or additional Math, Science, Language