School Profile

     

    Covenant Christian Academy (CCA) is a K-12 classical Christian school founded in 1997 by parents interested in giving their children a challenging education based on the medieval model of the trivium.**  CCA maintains membership in the Association of Classical and Christian Schools and has achieved candidate status with Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

     

    Student Body: 205 students are enrolled for the 2009-10 school year.  The student body comprises students from the city of Harrisburg and the surrounding suburban and rural areas.

    Curriculum: Students begin six years of Latin study in fourth grade.  Upper school students take three 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.

    Upper School Faculty: Nine faculty teach in the Upper School, with 2/3 holding academic degrees at the Master’s level or above. 

     

    Graduation Requirements:  Students must complete the following courses in 9th to 12th grades.  All courses are writing intensive and are generally equivalent to honors standards.  CCA assumes that all graduates will proceed to college.  Beginning the 2009-2010 school year, CCA will offer dual track for graduation.  The courses needed for both the College Preparatory Diploma and the Honors Diploma are listed below: 

    History: 4 years                     Literature: 4 years

    Mathematics: 3 years             Science: 3 years

    Spanish: 2 years                    Theology: 4 years

    Rhetoric: 3 years                   Electives: 3 years

     

    2004-2008    GPA Distribution

       Range        # of Students

    4.0                                2

    3.75-3.99                 4

    3.50-3.74                 4

    3.25-3.49                 2

    3.0-3.24                     3

    2.75-2.99                 3

    2.50-2.74         1

    2.25-2.49

    2.00-2.24         1

     

    Recent National Merit Awards

     

    Class of 2005 (Six graduates)

    Letters of Commendation:   1

    Finalist:                               2

     

    Class of 2007 (Eight graduates)

    Letters of Commendation:  2

    Scholar:                             1

     

    Class of 2008 (Four seniors)

    Letter of Commendation: 

    Semi-Finalist:                    1

     

    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

    Selected short stories


                  

    Seniors have been accepted at the following colleges in the last three years:

    Academy of Cincinnati                                                                      

    Boston College

    Covenant College                                                                     

    Drexel University                                                                

    Duke University                                                                                         

    East Stroudburg University

    Eastern University                                                                                    

    Edinboro University

    Fordham University                                                                                  

    Georgetown University      

    Gordon College                                                                                          

    Grove City College

    Hillsdale College                                                                                        

    Houghton College

    Maryland Institute College of Arts                                                       

    Messiah College

    Millersville University                                                                             

    North Park University

    Penn State Honors at Main Campus                                                     

    Penn State University (Harrisburg)

    Slippery Rock University                                                                        

    University of Delaware

    University of Pennsylvania                                                                    

    University of Pittsburgh

    University of Virginia                                                                              

    Washington and Lee

    Williams College                                                                                       

    York College

                   

    **The trivium includes three stages of education: grammar, dialectic and rhetoric.  During the Grammar stage, approximately K-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 - 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.  Tenth 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.