Rhetoric Stage (Grades 9-12)

Classical School of Wichita (CSW) employs the Trivium as the method of education for all of our students. The Trivium is composed of three stages of learning and development: Grammar, Logic, and Rhetoric. It is through the Trivium, in light of the Gospels, that students are encouraged to seek and grasp the educational tools that allow them to be life-long learners and “thinking, reasoning” Christians, prepared to serve their peers and the world wherever Christ calls them.

The Rhetoric stage incorporates the upper years of adolescence and seeks to harness the tools and knowledge students have gained in the previous stages. Students continue their studies in science, mathematics, Latin or Greek, composition, Omnibus, fine arts, and the Scriptures. Formal rhetoric courses replace logic courses. Students are encouraged to represent themselves and their ideas in writing and orally. Entering the “Great Conversation” is second nature at this stage and student dialogue is seasoned with whimsy and wisdom. Thoroughly researched and reviewed thesis works are prepared and defended. The tools of self-education are wielded with precision and ease.

Classical School of Wichita bears witness to the truth of our students being “fearfully and wonderfully made”, the Imago Dei, or image of God. The Trivium methodology allows CSW to harness that truth and instruct students in all things true, good, and beautiful, placing Christ in His proper place as the author and creator of all wisdom and knowledge.