Alpha Junior
For 26 years, Alpha Academy has consistently transformed high school students' lives. Now, Alpha Junior brings that history of transformation to elementary school students too. In school, many student face rote memorization and mind-numbing drudge-work.
We provide an alternative: an opportunity to experience a compelling, exciting education like the one that students at Oxford and Cambridge have received for centuries, centered on the Socratic Method. Favoring intelligent discussions over rote lecturing, the Socratic Method harnesses and nurtures the natural curiosity of developing minds to produce emotional and intellectual growth.
We provide an alternative: an opportunity to experience a compelling, exciting education like the one that students at Oxford and Cambridge have received for centuries, centered on the Socratic Method. Favoring intelligent discussions over rote lecturing, the Socratic Method harnesses and nurtures the natural curiosity of developing minds to produce emotional and intellectual growth.
Junior High students are at a critical developmental point as they transition into High School. Students move from what is concrete and repeatable to what is abstract and theory-laden. Those who flourish are those who can think critically and write powerful essays. This summer program is designed to give students those exact tools.
How will we do this?
First, we will do this by giving them intellectual and writing exemplars to engage with, people like C.S. Lewis, Plato, and Dorothy Sayers. Each week we will discuss a new text while sharpening particular writing skills. In addition to weekly papers, we will craft and develop a thesis paper over the course of the summer. This paper will unite everything we will have worked on thus far.
In the end, every student should walk away competent to research, write, and discuss, at an above-average 9th grade level.
How will we do this?
First, we will do this by giving them intellectual and writing exemplars to engage with, people like C.S. Lewis, Plato, and Dorothy Sayers. Each week we will discuss a new text while sharpening particular writing skills. In addition to weekly papers, we will craft and develop a thesis paper over the course of the summer. This paper will unite everything we will have worked on thus far.
In the end, every student should walk away competent to research, write, and discuss, at an above-average 9th grade level.
Benefits of Attending Alpha Junior
-Improved critical thinking, persuasive writing, and eloquent speechmaking
-The ability to express emotions accurately and appropriately
-Compassionate mentoring at a formative stage of life
-Sharpened public speaking and social skills
-Familiarity with the Great Books of the Western intellectual tradition
-Superb preparation for the critical reasoning requirements in the PSAT, SAT, ACT, and beyond
OUR VISION
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OUR MISSION |
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Launching invigorated generations of junior high students who love learning and who exceed their peers in critical thinking, social maturity, and depth of character.
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Fostering emotional and intellectual maturity in students through classical education so they can become mature, articulate, and virtuous young adults.
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CURRICULUM
7th GradeFeatured: The Odyssey
There are few texts that can match the Odyssey's drama and influence. It is an archetypical story that gives ample opportunities for students to consider their duties to the community and their responsibilities within it. |
The Odyssey
The Death of Socrates (Crito, ) To Kill a Mockingbird The Old Man and the Sea Pride and Prejudice Shakespeare's Henry V The Hero with a Thousand Faces |
8th GradeFeatured: Shakespeare's King Lear
One of Shakespeare's greatest plays, King Lear is a transcendent tragedy that wrestles honestly with the problem of evil. This is a story that begins where most stories end and it faces tragedy, pain, and loss with incredible power and beauty. |
The Aeneid
Plato's Phaedrus Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics Anna Karenina Shakespeare's King Lear Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl Of Mice and Men Letter from Birmingham Jail |
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