CLASSICAL
At St. Thomas Classical Academy, we immerse ourselves in the beauty and order of art, literature, music, poetry, Latin, mathematics, and the natural world. exploring these gifts, we seek to awaken a sense of wonder in our students and to encourage their natural pursuit of virtue and knowledge.
Classical curriculum
As a classical academy, St. Thomas Classical Academy holds to the following educational principles:
We learn history through the lens of salvation history, focusing extensively on the study Hebrew people and the history of Christendom. Students read living books and original sources as they encounter our Catholic heritage in a curriculum that includes art, poetry, philosophy, history, and literature.
We are guided by all that is true, good, and beautiful in choosing curriculum, décor, language, manners, and discipline, the goal being to awaken our students’ natural desire for virtue.
We study ancient languages, primarily Latin, so that students can read and study literature in the language of the Church.
We follow an integrated curriculum covering religion, math, language arts, science, history, poetry, geography, Latin, music, logic, and art.
We embrace the “three ways” of knowing in the Trivium: Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric. In addition, we introduce our students to the “four ways” of knowing in the Quadrivium: Music, Astronomy, Geometry, and Arithmetic. Doing so, we begin a student's lifelong quest for the liberal arts, enabling each student to live freely according to God’s law.
We use traditional teaching methods, focusing both on mastery of material, and also drawing connections among all subjects.
Content
STCA offers the following subjects for Grammar students (1st-6th grade): Latin, Language Arts, Literature, Writing, History, Geography, Science, Math, and Fine Arts.
Logic (7th-9th grade) students will also be offered classes in Faith.
The high school classes engage in discussions about primary sources they read at home in the subjects of history, literature, philosophy, theology, Latin, math, and science.
Resources
If you are interested in learning more about classical education, the following books, articles, and web sites might be helpful for you.
An Introduction to Classical Education
The Liberal Arts Tradition: A Philosophy of Christian Classical Education
Children playing soccer at recess. STCA prioritizes breaks for the children during the academic day so that the children have time to exercise and enjoy the outdoors.