Co-Curriculars

Art

Art – particularly sketching, drawing, and painting – is incorporated into Calvary Schools’ curriculum throughout each day as part of our regular programming. All students, and indeed, all classroom teachers, learn to draw and sketch, incorporating it into Picture Study, Nature Study, Handwork, and even Geography. Students begin mixing their own color matches in kindergarten. 

Elementary and middle school students have an additional dedicated Monart class, based on the methods of the Monart drawing process, which teaches the elements of shape, lines, and colors. High school students have art basics courses based on Drawing From the Right Side of the Brain.

Charlotte Mason spoke of the need to establish a mental library of beautiful images. Thus, students also have a dedicated classroom subject called Picture Study.

Drama

Drama is incorporated into many elements of our curriculum and programming. Students begin reading aloud expressively as part of reading instruction. This carries into literature courses as students get older. 

Students are introduced to Shakespeare in condensed Read Aloud texts in kindergarten through 8th grade. High school curriculum includes many well-known plays, including Our Town, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Twelve Angry Men.

Music

Music is an integral part of a Charlotte Mason pedagogy and, therefore, Calvary Schools’ curriculum and programming. Singing together is a foundational aspect of who we are as a school, and we sing daily including during morning worship times, free time, and chapel services. Students study great composers in Music Appreciation classes.

All students receive musical and vocal instruction in dedicated music and choir classes. Coram Deo choir includes K-5th students. Cantate Deo choir includes 6th-12th students. Students participate in at least three musical performances every year at our Christmas Concert, Spring Celebration of Learning Concert, and Grandparents Day. High school students have additional opportunities through the MVMSA Festival and various ensembles.

Physical Education and Sports

Movement is highly valued at Calvary Schools. Physical education is a dedicated course for all junior kindergarten through upper school students. In physical education classes, the goals are to move often, practice targeted movement skills, and to engage with personal physical and emotional growth.

Sports are valued as an extension of our pedagogical convictions. Many students, from a young age, participate in athletics opportunities. Sports are offered in proportion with a balanced perspective that allows for pre-teen and teenage students to engage in a wide range of interests, not just athletics. We focus on sports that make sense for our school population and size with consideration for quality in our offerings and what we can do well.

Service Practica

At Calvary Schools, we believe that humans are made to work with their hands and to take delight in genuine work. All students take an active part in chores and maintaining classrooms and common spaces (indoor and outdoor). Chore time is included in the school schedule from junior kindergarten through upper school. This is an important aspect of learning to serve others meaningfully. 

Middle school students begin intentionally serving those who are weaker, younger, or more vulnerable through cross-campus relationships with younger students and eldercare facilities.

Service Practica is an aspect of chapel and worship at Calvary starting in upper school. High school students sign up for courses that give focused training in various areas designed on “learn, plan, do, debrief” cycles. Recent offerings have included volunteering at Benjamin’s Hope, making crochet items for hospitals and eldercare facilities, and practicing The Five Love Languages as described by Dr. Gary Chapman.