Upper School Curriculum
The upper school curriculum is based on a Great Books approach in which students enter into the “Great Conversation” of the ages through the classic works of literature and science. We are not only interested in mastering Physics or Calculus but also in reading Newton’ Principia; not merely interested in knowing about of the Peloponnesian War but in reading Thucydides’ eye-witness account and analysis. This primary sources approach is one of emphasis, not of exclusion. We regard the original works of literature, art and architecture, and music as more weighty and valuable in a student’s academic experience than a mere textbook; though certainly a textbook can be a helpful supplement. For this reason, the Socratic Method is the favored approach, for students must engage in the conversation themselves and learn to ask good questions.
In addition to traditional advanced courses in science and math, the 9th-12th grade students take a Humane Letters seminar for two periods per day. These seminars survey from antiquity to America and combine into one course the areas of English, history, and philosophy. Theology, logic, rhetoric, and classical languages are also required courses in the upper school curriculum. Two capstone experiences at Westminster occur in the senior year. The seniors travel for two weeks on a “Grand Tour” of Greece and Italy. Then in the late spring, each senior must defend before the entire school community a twenty-page thesis.
The upper school curriculum assumes the traditional division of the middling years and the more advanced years. In grades 7-8, emphasis is placed mostly upon the acquisition of the basic skills of algebra, reading, writing, grammar, and logic. In grades 9-12, students enter into the more advanced levels of the various subjects.
