UPPER SCHOOL

In the Humane Letters seminar, a two-period course taken each of the four years of Upper School, students embark on an integrated study of literature, history, philosophy, and theology. Rather than read secondary texts and have teachers lecture them, students are engaged in reading and discussing original texts and source documents, and writing essays about issues that emerge from their study. Historical lectures frame and supplement the discussions. The Humane Letters seminars encourage students to understand and analyze the enduring principles of Western civilization through careful, integrated study of both history and great literature.
 

Primary Text
Instead of reading textbooks or commentaries about history, students read the great primary texts that made history.

Student-Led Discussions
Teachers do not lecture, but lead students in a conversation. This Socratic dialogue enables students to think through and articulate the issues for themselves and to develop skill and confidence in public speaking.

Analytic Essays
Students learn to write clearly and to defend a claim cogently.
 

One of the hallmarks of the Upper School is an advanced math and science curriculum that enables students to enter into a two-year calculus, physics, and programming course in their junior and senior years. Students entering our private high school must demonstrate a solid understanding of algebraic principles in order to succeed in this curriculum.

MATLAB
In their junior year, all high school students are introduced to MATLAB. MATLAB is a programming language that allows students to manipulate data, design simulations, and create both 2D and 3D graphs of data and algebraic relationships. After students have studied linear motion in the context of MATLAB and in calculus, they build on these understandings in order to complete a study of mechanics - including Newton's laws of motion, energy relationships, motion in two dimensions, and rotational motion. In their senior year, students continue to use MATLAB for modeling while studying universal gravity, oscillations, electricity, and magnetism. MATLAB is also used for 3D graphing in Multivariable Calculus.

What Makes MATLAB Unique:

• MATLAB is normally taught at the college level. Our curriculum incorporates it at the high school level.
• The course visually complements a study of calculus, physics, and programming.
• Students develop the mental disciplines of programming-careful, logical, and concrete problem solving.
• Students learn to create working mathematical models of physical phenomena so that they can better understand physics.
   

Fine Arts are an integral piece of Upper School curriculum. All students participate in a well-rounded education, including both the visual and performing arts in studio art, choral music, art history, and theatre.

STUDIO ART

Studio Art focuses on increasing visual literacy, developing a range of technical skills and establishing a solid conceptual foundation. Students focus on two-dimensional art and develop their knowledge of design, planning, and creative thinking. They conclude their study of studio art with the creation of an original art piece, influenced by their favorite artists and genres.

CHORAL STUDIES

In Choral Studies, students develop a healthy vocal technique, music theory and composition, and participate in ensemble performance. They also study 16th-century counterpoint and composition.

ART HISTORY

Art History surveys diverse forms of art, ranging from the prehistoric era to present. Students study various mediums including sculpture, architecture, and painting in order to recognize and describe timeless works of beauty.

THEATER

In Theater, students study acting, stage presence, technique, collaboration, and exploration. Students perform plays from Shakespeare’s corpus, and conclude with modern repertoire and performance.

The Wilberforce School covers church history, biblical studies, and apologetics in Upper School theology courses. This framework is designed to impart an understanding of the church’s history and foundation, a strong biblical knowledge, appreciation of one’s own faith tradition, and the ability to articulate and discuss faith with others.

HISTORY & CREEDS OF THE CHURCH

High school students begin their four-year theology studies with History & Creeds of the Church, where they study the earliest creeds, such as the Apostles, Nicene-Constantinopolitan, and Chalcedonian, as well as the subsequent missionary movements of the church. Students interact with and discuss the importance of these creeds and their impact upon the church today, and conduct an independent study of their own faith tradition.

OLD TESTAMENT

The Old Testament course introduces students to the corpus of biblical literature. Students will examine various genres and interact with significant themes from the Old Testament, including the fall, the promise of the Messiah, and the formation of God’s people Israel. This class also addresses textual critical issues. Students also study contemporaneous Ancient Near Eastern literature and read sections from the Apocrypha.

NEW TESTAMENT

The New Testament course continues the study of the biblical corpus, where students read the entire New Testament and focus on Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament expectations. Students also study the cultural milieu of the New Testament world and discuss the formation of the New Testament canon.

APOLOGETICS

Upper School Theology ends with an Apologetics course, which is designed to allow students to engage other religions and worldviews from a Christian perspective. Students learn to respectfully interact with perspectives different from their own as they discover the validity and credibility of the Christian faith, while simultaneously cultivating wisdom and humility in their interactions with others.