We are a private school that pursues this approach because it equips students with the tools and love for life-long learning. Students are taught the fundamentals of each discipline (grammar), how to think through each discipline (dialect or logic) and how to express their thinking on each discipline (rhetoric). This three-pronged approach, known as the Trivium, is pursued at all ages, but each prong is emphasized successively to match the students’ development. They begin during their grammar years with a focus on memorizing and mastering important basic information in creative ways such as songs, chants or repetitious learning games. They continue during the middle school years to focus on how to think, reason and evaluate logically using such methods as debates, discussions and examinations of arguments. During their high school years, their focus turns to how to communicate clearly and persuasively using a variety of methods, including drama, thesis writing, mock trials and apologetics. As a school, we are training students with academic excellence to think sharply and communicate clearly. Washington teaches the absolute truth of God’s Word, the Bible, and commits to integrating all areas of study with God’s Word. We intentionally seek to instill a thoroughly Christian worldview in our students. As a school, we are contending for the faith, and our vision includes graduating students who contend for the faith.
