AN AUTHENTIC LABOR OF LOVE & LEARNING THE

New Upper School Curriculum Guide

By Heather Bennett, Communications Specialist

A“A Christian education can never be merely a mastery of a field of knowledge or technical skills; learning is embedded in a wider vision of who I am called to be and what God is calling the world to be.”

This poignant quote from award-winning author, professor, and philosopher James K. A. Smith in his book, You Are What You Love, really sets the tone by gracing the inside cover of the new Upper School Curriculum Guide.

So, what’s the big deal about a book that talks about subject matter and classes? Isn’t that what a course catalog is? Well, it’s much more than that.

“COVID forced us to innovate and define courses in modules…to be masters of our curriculum, not just textbooks. This was a process of refining what we do and knowing the essence of what we do, and putting it into meaningful words and tables. Every seventh through twelfth grade teacher touched this at some point,” explains Dr. Justin Smith, Head of Upper School.

The massive undertaking was coordinated by a Curriculum Guide Committee consisting of Upper School faculty members Jennifer Byrd, Kim Fullerton, Dr. Adam Funmaker, Shonda Phelps, Tony Saegert, Dr. Justin Smith, and Hope Winburn. It was compiled, edited, designed, and produced by the LRCA Communications team.

LRCA students Julia Blanscet ‘22 and Josiah Johnson ‘23 created original artwork imaginatively and beautifully depicting each subject area. Their art has also inspired the upcoming mural project to be recreated by current students in the high school hallways.

The Guide’s Foreword explains our “why”: Written with the student experience and parent perspective at the forefront, we have written this Curriculum Guide with parents, students, visitors to campus, fellow educators, faculty, and those curious about Little Rock Christian in mind in order to provide information about our academic program in grades 7-12.

Social Studies World Languages

Not as formal or technical as the standard curriculum guide, rather, the reader journeys through the disciplines represented, seeing things unique to the learning DNA of LRCA students.

You will see elements we believe are vital to and evidence of good instruction and vibrant learning: learning goals, essential questions, tips for success, how students show what they are learning, what they do in class, and more. These things embody the language that we use regularly on our campus.

In this digital age it is rare to find booklike artifacts. However, there is a distinct beauty in books different from what we find in solely digital products, though they can also be beautiful. So, we have published a limited number of copies. What you see online is the digital version of a physical artifact.

Faculty members and teacher leaders from each of the disciplines represented have contributed to this work as have student artists and the LRCA Communications team.

This Curriculum Guide gives an accessible overview of the excellent work that daily manifests in the lives of our students and teachers.

Biblical Worldview

Course Electives

HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION