The Covenant School Lookbook

CO MPA SS I ON ATE

CUR I O U S

ENGAGED

TENACI O US

CO MPA SS I ON ATE

COU R AG EO U S

TENACI O US

ENGAGED TEACHING THE NEXT GENERATION TO LIVE WELL

“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”

— A R I STOT L E

WELCOME To a school intentionally developing the habits a meaningful life requires.

Engaged · Curious · Tenacious · Courageous · Compassionate Every school is built with an end result in mind. As you consider the options for your child, we urge you to think about the end goals of each. What is the school designed to produce?

How do they describe their ideal graduate? As you explore Covenant, you will discover that our goals for our students reach far beyond preparation for higher education. A Covenant education is unique. Every aspect of our students’ experiences intentionally builds the habits and tools our graduates will need to face the challenges of their lives with confidence. Our central focus is not simply that our students succeed but that they continually ask and answer two questions: What kind of life do I want to live? What kind of person do I want to be?

We invite you to explore partnering with us to equip your child with a Christian Liberal Arts and Sciences education designed for a life well lived.

ENGAGED

WHAT KIND OF LIFE DO YOU WANT TO LIVE?

D

Engaged: (adj.) To have established a meaningful contact or connection with From the earliest grades, Covenant students are taught to observe, wonder, question, and investigate every aspect of God’s creation.

Lower School students explore the impact of the seasons on their Lower School garden and Upper School students experiment to derive the mathematical equation to reflect the movement of light through a prism. Foundational habits for respectful community are nurtured from the strong handshake and eye contact expected of the youngest students to the rules of engagement in a lively middle school Socratic dialogue structured to help early adolescents disagree without being disagreeable. The Arts at all levels challenge students to pay attention and discover beauty and inspiration in the everyday, from creative photography of peers on the playground to dramatic exploration of our common humanity. As students grow they engage not simply for a grade or even simply for the joy of learning but because they know what they are learning will help them wrestle with the kind of life they want to live and the kind of person that they want to be.

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.”

— MA RTIN LUTHER KING, J R .

WHAT KIND OF PERSON DO YOU WANT TO BE?

C Curious: (adj.) Eager to know or learn something A truly educated person is one who understands that his or her education is never complete. At Covenant, we recognize a young child’s innate curiosity as the starting point from which to build a lifelong love of learning. We fan this initial spark with a deeply integrated curriculum that encourages students at every level to find the connections between the subjects they study and discover alternative pathways to reach solutions. Our favorite questions in every class are “why?”; “how do you know?”; and “what do you see?” We intentionally frustrate the natural desire to be told the right answer because we know that the truth a child discovers fuels excitement and confidence while the content covered solely for a grade is merely a chore.

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”

— WILLIA M BUTLER YEATS

WHAT KIND OF LIFE DO YOU WANT TO LIVE?

CURIOUS

WHAT KIND OF PERSON DO YOU WANT TO BE?

TENACIOUS

WHAT KIND OF LIFE DO YOU WANT TO LIVE?

S Tenacious: (adj.) Not readily relinquishing a position, principle, or course of action; determined Education is hard work. A child does not become a master of a musical instrument, a paintbrush, a lacrosse stick, or a math problem without repeated effort. Building the reading skills to tackle Homer or Shakespeare and the speaking skills to stand before an audience and deliver a persuasive argument requires persistence. Covenant intentionally builds age-appropriate challenges into every student’s experience so they not only understand the difficult content needed to tackle calculus or economics but also know they have the ability to face future challenges, break them down and overcome them.

“Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence.”

— A BIGA IL A DA MS

WHAT KIND OF PERSON DO YOU WANT TO BE?

Courageous: (adj.) Not deterred by danger or pain; brave At Covenant we know two things are true for every student: there are things they find hard to do; and doing those hard things will require the courage to overcome their fears. We also know that these two things will be true for the rest of their lives even while the specific things they fear may change. Making friends, speaking up in class, admitting a mistake, trying a new sport, reading a difficult original source, showing someone your artwork, writing the first sentence of a long essay, taking a risk on a playing field or a stage, voicing an unpopular position, speaking a hard truth to a friend, or standing up for someone else all require the courage to act in spite of our first impulse not to. A Covenant education requires that students tackle challenges from the first day of Pre-Kindergarten when they have to enter an unfamiliar class full of unknown classmates, to their last assignment: standing before an audience to deliver and defend their senior thesis. The Covenant classroom is structured to encourage taking risks, such as exploring possible alternative approaches to a math problem or playing the devil’s advocate in a debate. We want our graduates to face future challenges in the knowledge that they never have to be held back by fear.

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”

— WINSTON CHURCHILL

WHAT KIND OF LIFE DO YOU WANT TO LIVE?

C

COURAGEOUS

WHAT KIND OF PERSON DO YOU WANT TO BE?

COMPASSIONATE

WHAT KIND OF LIFE DO YOU WANT TO LIVE?

E Compassionate: sympathetically conscious of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it The world has plenty of smart, well-educated people who use their abilities solely for their own benefit. At Covenant, we know that a life lived in selfish pursuit is an isolating life, not a satisfying one. In order for our students to have a meaningful impact on the needs and issues of their day, their voices must be rooted in empathy and compassion.

For this reason, we require them to treat each other, our community, and all of God’s creation with respect. Every Covenant student serves his or her community through organized school activities and on their own, outside of regular school hours. The Lower School slogan “I’m third” recognizes God and others before self. Discussion from the earliest grades teaches students to address ideas while respecting the speaker who must always be treated as created in the image of God. Students are challenged to avoid judging others from their own limited perspectives and instead to explore the strengths and weaknesses they share with the people whom they study.

“And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”

— I CORINTHIA NS 13: 2

WHAT KIND OF PERSON DO YOU WANT TO BE?

H I C KO R Y C A M P U S 175 Hickory Street, Charlottesville, VA 22902 BIRDWOOD C AMPU S 1000 Birdwood Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22903

www.covenantschool.org | 434.220.7330 | admissions@covenantschool.org