The final aspect of a classical education in the trivium is wisdom or rhetoric, in which we focus upon faithfully communicating what has been learned. High school students incorporate the subject matter into their own understanding; they then either reject the idea as unworthy or allow it to change the way they are thinking. This process only comes to fruition as the students learn to express in the community the knowledge they have accumulated and evaluated. The study of rhetoric is the elegant expression of these opinions through speech and writing.
HIGH SCHOOL COLLEGIATE-MODEL SCHEDULE
Full-time students in grades 9-12 participate in our college preparatory program four or five days a week with some classes meeting two to three times a week. This non-traditional model allows students to develop the self-discipline and organizational skills they will need in college. At this stage, parents serve as coaches and provide support and encouragement as students begin to monitor themselves and their discretionary time.
Dominion Academy offers a program designed to prepare students for a college or university education in two ways:
- Curriculum and Academic Program – The Dominion Academy academic program provides a rigorous Liberal Arts foundation, a collegiate-model schedule, and STEM emphasis.
- College Credit Plus – Classes offered by Dominion Academy certified teachers or facilitators on the Dominion Academy Campus or attendance at local colleges and universities.
According to Straford Caldecott in his book Beauty in the Word: Rethinking the Foundations of Education, Rhetoric is…
not a set of techniques to impress (oratory, eloquence), nor a means of manipulating the will and emotions of others (sophistry, advertising), but rather a way of liberating the freedom of others by showing them the truth in a form they can understand… In order to ‘persuade’ in this sense, and to do so ‘efficiently,’ a speaker’s words must be ‘charged with meaning to the utmost possible degree,’ as Ezra Pound said of great literature.
Students in this level typically attend the program four to five days a week.
More details about our high school program: