School of Rhetoric (9–12)

Student Growth

With minds full of knowledge and the ability to organize that knowledge into meaningful arguments, students in our School of Rhetoric are prepared to focus on winsome and effective expression.

Students are inspired to learn, serve, and lead here. They seek and embrace meaningful challenge. Teachers encourage our students to stretch and grow through vibrant and engaging lessons both inside the walls of the classroom and outdoors among God’s creation. Here our students are able to discover their passions, challenge themselves, and explore the opportunities available to them in life after Veritas. 

The School of Rhetoric is not our students’ final destination, rather it is a stepping stone on the path of becoming a life-long learner. Our students leave Veritas with the knowledge and tools to succeed in college but also with the desire to continue learning throughout their lives. While most Veritas graduates attend college or university, students also leave Veritas to pursue a trade, begin mission work, and more. Throughout their time in the School of Rhetoric, students are encouraged and guided in making the right decision for themselves with the help of our College and Academic Advising staff. No matter the path they choose, Veritas students leave ready to make their mark on the world. 

Curriculum Overview

Students enrolled in the School of Rhetoric follow a university schedule M-F which includes off periods and study hall. Core courses include math, science, history, English, leadership, and foreign language with varied enrollment in electives. The courses for each grade level are carefully designed to integrate all subjects into a particular period of history. Instructors teach from a Christ-centered worldview, following the Classical model to develop the good, true, and beautiful. The curriculum is carefully designed to meet the school's mission of helping children commence a lifelong pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in their purposeful and passionate service of Jesus Christ, for the glory of God. 

Logic is at the core of all learning, in that through the use of our God given intellect we will complete in the marketplace of ideas, engage in the Great Debate of the Ages, and change the culture as did the Christians who came before us. Veritas focuses on developing both written and speaking abilities, starting in Grammar School and building throughout the Schools of Logic and Rhetoric. This culminates in a Senior Thesis; wherein each student presents a 20-minute oral presentation, followed by a 20-minute defense before a panel of judges, on a topic they have researched and prepared throughout their senior year. 

To ensure all students are on track to meet graduation requirements and prepare for their goals after high school, our Academic Advisors guide students in their course selections each year. 

Parent Partnership

Throughout their schooling, parents play an active part in their child’s education. In the School of Rhetoric that role can easily be overlooked because students have become quite independent. Thoughtful dinner table conversations help students process what they are learning and provide opportunities for parents to influence the growth of wisdom and virtue in their children. Parents continue to aid in organization and time management to help grow these life skills in their children.