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Building on the foundation laid in elementary school, Christian Heritage Academy's secondary program allows the student more freedom, responsibility, and opportunity, both in and out of the classroom. From the incoming 7th grader's first day on "the other side of the building" to the graduating senior's tassel-turn, the academy seeks to produce American Christian leaders who will be used of God to spread the "Good News" and restore America to its founding principles.
The junior high includes 7th and 8th grade. Primary goals set for the student at this stage are the development of:
- Independent learning
- Personal responsibility
- Organizational skills
Through a liberal arts approach, junior high students are exposed to a broad scope of subjects, including Study Skills, Speech, Art, Band, and Computer, as well as the core competencies (Bible, English, History, Math, and Science). Curriculum for Bible instruction includes such disciplines as regular Scripture memory, practice of the disciplines of faith, and the regular reading of missionary biographies. Also an academic highlight is the regular use of a Synergistic Science Lab, where students can experience the worlds of geology, meteorology, physics, and more. And by participating in a variety of athletics, students can not only exercise their bodies but also develop lasting character qualities which remain long after they leave the field or court. When the time comes for the student to enter his freshman year, a solid foundation has been prepared upon which the college preparatory curriculum can rest.
As the student enters the 9th grade, academic curriculum begins to focus on critical thinking and Biblical reasoning throughout all subjects of instruction. Increasingly, the question of "why" is brought to the forefront during instruction. In Bible and Philosophy classes students are encouraged to express their thoughts and articulately defend their conclusions against Biblical truth. Students involved in the Salt & Light leadership program are tested in apologetics, theology, and how to be a positive witness for Christ in the culture. The result is Christian scholars who are producers rather than consumers.
Core curriculum areas are also emphasized. English proficiency testing is administered as a requirement of graduation, including comprehensive grammar testing and essay construction. Bible classes discipline students in extensive Scripture memory and study. Sciences like Anatomy, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics discuss the abstract and demonstrate the application. And several Math classes feature concurrent enrollment for college credit.
Finally, a strong fine arts department completes the student's education with such electives as:
- Choir
- Band
- Art
- Ceramics/Stained Glass
- Photography
- Journalism
- Drama
- Creative writing
The rigors of Christian Heritage Academy's secondary program also produce results in the numbers.
- 23.5 senior class ACT average (cumulative over 10 years)
- Seniors consistently rank in the top 5% among large Oklahoma schools in ACT scoring
- 14 National Merit finalists (cumulative over 10 years)
- 79% of graduates attend 4-year colleges and universities
- 16% of graduates attend 2-year colleges
All these results would not be possible without the Lord's provision of dedicated, knowledgeable faculty to teach the truth.
Perhaps the greatest mark of success, though, is watching students' eyes open as they discover the God in whom all the truths of academia rest, and in whose Son, Jesus Christ, all the hope of salvation lies.
When the student's time at Christian Heritage Academy ends, it is the academy's hope that its vision has been realized in the lives of its students--to train American Christian leaders for every sphere of society.
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