Profile of CCA

     

    Covenant Christian Academy (CCA) is a Pre-K-12 classical and Christian school founded in 1997 by parents

    interested in giving their children a challenging Christian education based on the medieval model of the trivium.**

     

    Student Body:  265 students from the city of Harrisburg and the surrounding suburban and rural areas make up our enrollment for the 2011-12 school year.  

    Organizational Structure:  Board governed, administratively operated, parent supported

    Academic Emphasis:  Classical, college-preparatory

     

    Curriculum:   Upper school students take two courses in Logic, which is then integrated into their study of all subjects. They also complete three courses in Rhetoric, applying their study of eloquent speech and writing to assignments in other courses and to the presentation and defense of their senior theses. Integration between subjects is emphasized, as well as the application of a biblical worldview to all areas of study.  Students have opportunity to learn foriegn languages including Latin, Spanish and French.

     

    School Atmosphere:  Orderly, peaceful, enthusiastic, warm.

     

    Average Class Size: 14- 18 (Kindergarten); 18-24 (grades 1-6); 16-24 (grades 7-12)

    Administrative Structure:  Headmaster, Academic Dean, Lead Teachers

     

    School Membership and Accreditation:  CCA retains membership in The Association of Classical and Christian Schools; and has candidacy for accreditation through the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges.

     

    Number of Churches Represented:  Over 50

    Athletic Programs:  Cross-Country, boys and girls (grades 7-12); Boys Soccer (grades 7-12); Boys Basketball (grades 6-12); Girls Basketball (grades 6-12); Girls Volleyball (grades 6-12); Girls Soccer (6-12);               Intramural Sports Program (K-12)

    Special Programs/Electives:  CCA offers a variety of electives for our students.  Electives have included Hiking, Greek, Debate, Military History, School Newspaper, Choir, Chorus, Guitar, Painting, Drawing, Drama, Culinary Arts, Poetry, Tolkien Studies, Self-Defense, Conversational Chinese, Jazz Guitar, Computer Programming, Electronics, Economics.

     

    Financial Aid:  Yes, scholarships are available and are awarded annually.

     

    Facility:  CCA moved to its current campus in September 2009.  Our new building offers spacious classrooms, cafeteria, music room, art room, science lab, elevator and more.  

     

    Transportation:   Several public school districts will transport students to CCA; CCA's facility must not be farther than ten miles (by publically maintained roadways) from the edge of the busing district.  Disticts currently busing students to CCA include Central Dauphin, Lower Dauphin, Susquehanna, Derry Township, Middletown, Harrisburg, East Pennsboro, Susquenita, West Shore, Mechanicsburg, Lebanon and Cumberland Valley.

     

    2005-10 SAT Distribution

    Range               CR               M               W

    750-800           25%             8%              12%

    700-740           18%             11%            12%

    650-690           18%             35%            27%

    600-640           25%             12%            33%

    550-590           11%             15 %           9%

    500-540           2%               12%            6%

    450-490           0%               5%              0%

     

    Recent National Merit Awards

    Class of 2005 (Six graduates)        Letter of Commendation: 1       Finalist: 2

    Class of 2007 (Eight graduates)     Letter of Commendation: 2       Scholar: 1

    Class of 2009 (Four graduates)     Finalist: 1

    Class of 2010 (Six graduates)        Letter of Commendation 1        Finalist: 1

    Class of 2011 (Sixteen Seniors)     Letter of Commendation: 3       Semi-Finalist: 2

     

    Required Reading List for Upper School Literature Classes

    Epic of Gilgamesh                         The Iron Ring                          Bhagavad-Gita

    The Good Earth                            Tales of Ancient Egypt           Huckleberry Finn

    Robinson Crusoe                          Republic                                   The Roman Way

    The Twelve Caesars                     The Iliad                                   The Odyssey

    Julius Caesar                               Quo Vadis                                 The Oresteia

    Sophocles: Three Theban Plays     Macbeth                                    Beowulf                                      

    Ivanhoe                                       Confessions of Augustine          Song of Roland 

    Canterbury Tales                        Great Expectations                   Heart of Darkness                      

    Jane Eyre                                    Gulliver’s Travels                     Hamlet                                       

    Pilgrim’s Progress                      Silas Marner                              Out of the Silent Planet            

    Pride and Prejudice                   The Scarlet Letter                       Uncle Tom’s Cabin                  

    The Last of the Mohicans          My Antonia                                 The Jungle                                

    The Great Gatsby                      Cry, the Beloved Country          1984                                           

    Brave New World                      The Grand Inquisitor                 The American                          

    One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich                                      A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man      

    Frankenstein                             Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde               As You Like It                           

    Waiting for Godot                    Death of a Salesman

    Selections from:                        Norton Anthology of Poetry     Norton Anthology of American Literature

                                                    Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces


    CCA Graduates Have Been Accepted at the Following Colleges

    Art Academy of Cincinnati                         Boston College                         Covenant College                        

    Drexel University (Honors College)            Duke University                        Eastern College                        

    East Stroudsburg University                       Edinboro University                   Fordham University                                     

    Georgetown University                              Gordon College                        Grove City College

    Hillsdale College                                        Houghton College                     Loyola University                       

    Maryland Institute College of Arts              Messiah College                       Millersville University             

    North Park University                                Northeastern University             Penn State Honors at Main Campus         

    Penn State University (Harrisburg)              Ringling College of Art and Design

    Rochester Institute of Technology               Savannah College of Art and Design                                           

    Slippery Rock University                            St. Joseph’s University              University of the Arts               

    University of Delaware                               University of Pennsylvania         

    University of Pittsburgh (Honors College)   University of Virginia                  Ursinus College

    Villanova University                                    Washington and Jefferson          Washington and Lee               

    Williams College                                         York College

     

    **The trivium includes three stages of education: grammar, dialectic and rhetoric. During the Grammar stage, approximately K to 6th grades, students learn information set to music, rhymes or chants, have extensive training in English grammar, and begin to learn Latin. The Dialectic stage encompasses 7th to 9th grades and is characterized by discussion and debate in all subjects. Their formal training in Logic is expected to be applied in all areas of study. 10th through 12th grades make up the Rhetoric stage and include emphasis on eloquent writing and speech. Students examine both historical and contemporary pieces of writing and oratory for structure, style and effectiveness. They are expected to apply the study of rhetoric to their work in all other courses.