The Upper School years at The Avalon School are demanding: young men write to express their reasoning while challenging the boundaries of their world with an immersion in Shakespeare and the great novels of western civilization. Calculus and language study are pursued with an eye to college readiness and each student is coached in the planning and perseverance necessary to successfully navigate an increasingly sophisticated course of studies.
“You hold power with balance, with wisdom of mind… And you shall bring peace to your people for a long time to come, a source of strength to the heroes.”
– King Hrothgar to Beowulf from the Old English epic Beowulf
Curriculum
Mathematics
Religion
History
Languages
Science
Poetry
Literature
The Avalon School has adopted the Saxon Mathematics series for our math program. The classes consist of short lectures followed by students working on sample problems. The books are rigorous and there is little “fluff.” The learning is incremental with continual review. There is frequent cumulative testing. There is also an emphasis on correcting mistakes, a key area where much learning can take place. The classes will be supplemented with math puzzles, mental math, and topics from the history of math. Saxon books are especially suited for students to advance above grade level and we will do our best to accommodate such cases.
The Avalon School offers a regular and honors track for mathematics in upper school.
Regular
Honors
Grade 9
Algebra I
Algebra II
Grade 10
Algebra II
Geometry
Grade 11
Geometry
Pre-Calculus
Grade 12
Pre-Calculus
Calculus AB/BC
We have adopted Midwest Theological Forum’s Didache Series for the Upper School Religion curriculum. The goal is to give the boys an intellectual vision of the world as made by God and kept in existence by Him, and the central importance of the redemption by Jesus Christ on the cross and its renewal in an unbloody manner in the sacrifice of the Mass. Courses: Sacred Scripture, Church History, Sacraments and Moral Theology, Apologetics, the Blessed Trinity
Texts:
Ignatius Bible (RSV), Understanding the Scriptures, Didache Series, Midwest Theological Forum; The History of the Church, Didache Series, Midwest Theological Forum; A Moral Life in Christ, Didache Series, Midwest Theological Forum; The Sacraments, Didache Series, Midwest Theological Forum; The Blessed Trinity, Didache Series, Midwest Theological Forum
For students in the upper grades, the reading of biographies of historical figures and stories about the great events in history with an emphasis on Western culture will help foster a humble respect for the human heritage and its achievements.
Courses:
Medieval/Early Modern History
US History
US History (AP)
History of the 20th Century
European History (AP)
The study of a foreign language gives the student the ability to look at his own language with new eyes and a better understanding of grammar. Avalon offers courses in Spanish, Italian, and Latin.
Latin is a language of structure. Mastering the intricacies of its structure develops mental habits of precision, discipline, memory, and efficiency that manifest themselves in other fields from algebra to writing. Latin also links us to the past. The ultimate goal is to read the great works of Rome in their original language leading a student out of being a child of his age.
Courses:
Latin
Spanish
Italian
Grade 9
I or II
I or II
Grade 10
II or III
II or III
Grade 11
III or IV*
III
I
Grade 12
IV or V*
III or IV (AP)
I
*Latin V (AP) studies Horace and IV (AP) studies Virgil
Science is a hands-on subject. In Upper School, Avalon students are required to take both Biology I and Chemistry I in order to graduate. In the 11th and 12th grades, students can choose among science electives that are offered yearly or every other year, including: AP Biology, AP Chemistry, Conceptual Physics, AP Physics 1, Applied Science, Astronomy, and Anatomy/Physiology.
The reading, memorization and recitation of great poetry is an essential part of the Avalon curriculum and experience and comprises a part of the English literature course offerings. Each grade memorizes and recites a number of poems throughout the year. In addition, the competitive recitation of poetry by House representatives is a staple of festival day celebrations.
Professor John Senior wrote, “Western tradition, taking all that was best of the Greco-Roman world into itself has given us the thousand good books as a preparation for the great ones and for all studies in the arts and sciences, without which such studies are inhumane.”
Texts:
9th Grade
The Aeneid, Virgil
Beowulf
Out of the Silent Planet, C.S. Lewis
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
Henry V, William Shakespeare
A Man for All Seasons, Robert Bolt
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson
The College Counseling Office works with students and parents to find colleges where our graduates will not just succeed, but flourish. The office also coordinates visits from colleges to Avalon and assists in the application process, providing guidance on recommendations, essay-writing, interviewing, etc.
