Covenant Christian High School
Our Academic Philosophy
We focus on an integrated three-year cycle of Western history from a Christian worldview. Multum non multa (much, not many). Our educational philosophy is centered upon the ancient concepts of: Ad fontes (to the source). We study Humanities using primary sources as our starting point for every lesson.
Our students know how to work hard habitually and be successful in an academically rigorous environment. However, we don't spend much time between classes on an hourly bell schedule or give busywork to maintain an academic image. Our students are expected to be able to spend meaningful time with their families, observe the Lord's day, and pursue independent interests.
2024-25 Academic Calendar
Click here to view our academic calendar.
2024-25 Academic Year Course Descriptions
Humanities & Electives
art
Students will be introduced to mono-printing using a gel plate and a variety of mediums and mark making and image transfer techniques. They may consider key design principles of shape, color, texture, repetition, layers and cultural allusions in the process of exploring print making techniques. In the book-making class segments they will undertake several paper crafting techniques, including ‘zines, accordion fold booklets, tag booklets, stitched pamphlets, and multi-signature bound book design showcasing mono-prints created in earlier sessions.
BIBLE
The course this year is a survey of the life of Elijah and Elisha in First and Second Kings with a focus on prophets in the Old Testament and the Christological themes of the passages.
Course Objectives:
Students will grow in their knowledge of:
1.The role of prophets in the Old Testament.
2. The historical facts of the time period of Elijah and Elisha.
3. The way Christ is presented to us in the Old Testament.
4. How to exegete a passage and grasp its meaning.
Basic 3d modeling & printing
Basic 3D Modeling & Printing will give students experience in doing basic 3D modeling, and designing models with 3D printability in mind. The instructor will cover how 3D printing works, the characteristics of popular plastic materials, and train students on the use of the cloud-based 3D modeling resource by Autodesk called TinkerCAD, popular with STEM classes. Students will create individual projects, and will patriciate in at least one group project made of up several assigned components. During a few in-class sessions, the instructor will do a live demonstration of the operation of a 3D printer while explaining techniques to help ensure a successful print.
Some emphasis will be placed on creating models for enclosures of electronic and electro-mechanical prototypes, which will include using calipers for making measurements of the equipment to be enclosed, how to read dimensional drawings and how to design for use with standard metal fasteners (screws and nuts).
HUMANITIES - ANCIENT ERA
HISTORY - This class is an interactive survey of Ancient World History, from the rise of river valley civilizations to the end of Late Antiquity with the fall of the Han, Gupta, and Roman empires. Along the way, students will explore ancient Egypt and Sumer, encounter the destruction of the Bronze Age Collapse, enjoy the drama of Classical Greece, visit the great dynasties of China, witness the rise of Christianity, and grasp the profound changes that swept Europe at the dawn of the medieval age.
Over the course of the year, students will read pivotal texts of politics, philosophy, and literature, memorize essential quotes from the figures who shaped our modern world, and learn the fundamentals of physical and political geography. Students will also conduct independent research projects, collaborate on creative group presentations, and debate choices made during key moments in history.
LITERATURE - C.S. Lewis once wrote, of The Consolation of Philosophy, that “Until about two hundred years ago it would have been hard to find an educated man in any European country who did not love it. To acquire a taste for it is almost to become naturalized in the Middle Ages.” That encapsulates the purpose of this course. Most literature-survey classes are content to play the tourist; our goal will be to become citizens of the past, to engage authors on their own terms and in the context of their own cultures.
Over the year, we will encounter some of the greatest poems, plays, and writings of Western literature, from the Jewish, Greek, Roman, and early Christian traditions. Students will collaborate on creative group projects, debate key themes, and develop their own thoughts on ancient works through teaching.
COMPOSITION - This year, students will practice and apply the research and writing skills needed to produce a novel. They will identify traits of successful writers, create a personal writing space, and cultivate the habits for a lifetime of writing. In producing a novel, students will select a genre and setting, create a cast of characters, build and storyboard a plot, and deepen their understanding of grammar, vocabulary, and style. By the end of the year, students will have written and published an entire novel.
Physical education
The goal of this course is to learn skills and workouts that will enable the students to get and stay physically fit, and to enjoy the gift of our bodies by playing sports together. We will be learning several workouts that focus on different parts of the body (lower body, core, upper body), and students will have to keep a fitness journal throughout the week to encourage their exercising and keep track of their workouts. Students will be expected to work out for 30 minutes at least 3 times a week. Hopefully the consistent workouts throughout the school year will transition into a long-term habit of taking care of their bodies and staying in shape. We will have a fitness test at the beginning of the year, and at the end, and the students should be able to see improvements over the course of the year. I'm looking forward to a year of helping the students get stronger and enjoy working out and playing sports together.
STEM
Classes
alGebra II
Algebra II is the study of functions and equations, with an emphasis on quadratic equations. Trigonometry is the study of circular functions. We will study these functions in depth and use them to create mathematical models of phenomena in the real world.
CHEMISTRY
In this course we learn that all of the material world is interconnected by the basic building blocks and predictable laws governing matter. This allows students to begin to understand how the foundation of earth, space, and life processes are governed by the attractive forces of atoms and molecules. The study of chemistry inspires awe and reverence toward the complexity and elegance of creation and demonstrates something of the character of the Creator.
calculus
Calculus develops the topics of limits, derivatives and integration and their formulas for algebraic and transcendental functions. This class covers most topics typically covered in the first two quarters of college calculus. Course content includes limits and continuity, derivatives and applications including related rates, motion and optimization, differential equations, indefinite and definite integrals, application of integrals including area between curves and volume, and the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus.
geometry
The curriculum will include all of the traditional topics in the geometry canon and some algebra review. Both inductive (experiments) and deductive (logic) methods will be used to examine geometric objects in two- and three-dimensional spaces. This is a formal course in geometry covering the basics of lines, planes, angles, triangles and congruence, the Pythagorean Theorem, similarity, and special right angles.
pre-calculus
The curriculum will include all of the traditional topics in the geometry canon and some algebra review. Both inductive (experiments) and deductive (logic) methods will be used to examine geometric objects in two- and three-dimensional spaces. This is a formal course in geometry covering the basics of lines, planes, angles, triangles and congruence, the Pythagorean Theorem, similarity, and special right angles.