Clear, Concise Communication Skills
The Augustine Christian School of Rhetoric is modeled after the classical training institutions that produced the great statesmen of Western Civilization. Such classical schools emphasized both reasoning and communication skills, providing their graduates with the desire and the ability to persuade the world of the truth of the Christian faith. Today the term is too often used to refer to over-ornate or inflated language. Instead, the School of Rhetoric gives high school students the opportunity to express clearly and persuasively the truths they have discovered in their research. Courses in speech and composition at this level complete the training begun in the logic classes of the School of Dialectic and produce students capable of standing for the Christian faith in a society that is increasingly relativistic.
Integrated Learning
Too often the individual disciplines are separated to the point that students see no interrelationship whatsoever. At ACA, students are taught that "nothing happens in a vacuum" and that "ideas have consequences." In our history-driven curriculum, students discover the relationship of art, literature, music, and even scientific "discoveries" to the prevalent philosophy of the time. Everything is studied from a thoroughly Christian perspective helping students see that the ultimate question is what any people does with the revealed truth of God.
Complete Curriculum
Students in ACA's School of Rhetoric complete all of the Oklahoma State requirements for graduation and much more. The average graduate will complete 28 units of credit in a challenging college-preparatory program. Courses include four years each of math, science, English, history, and Bible. Courses in rhetoric, Greek, and Hebrew are also offered. To this academic load, students may round out their experience with team athletics, journalism, choir, drama, student leadership, and other extra-curricular pursuits. Music and art are a part of the standard curriculum for every student.
Diverse Understanding and Appreciation
The goal is a diverse understanding and appreciation for the wonder of our God as expressed in His creation.
