ESSENTIALS
Essentials
Saint Michael Catholic School believes that certain instruction is "essential" to not only a Christian Classical education, but to our Catholic faith and general worldly-preparedness. Thus, our elective system that was formerly called 'specials' or 'electives' are now called "Essentials". In Essentials, students learn tenets of Christian Classical Education, their Catholic faith, worldly-preparedness, and also have educational fun while doing so.
Some of the Essentials Saint Michael offers are:
First Quarter Offerings: Day A
-
Gymnastics (Middle School Boys)
-
Education in Virtue
-
Fallacy Detective / Logic / Rhetoric
First Quarter Offerings: Day B
-
Spanish Language & Culture
-
Music: Acapella / Church Choir
First Quarter Offerings: Day C
-
Art: Drawing & Print-Making
-
Ecology: Nature Restoration & Preservation
A large part of our goal at Saint Michael is to introduce and familiarize students to the Fine Arts and to Dynamic Physical Education, both of which act as foundational aspects to appreciating the Truth, Beauty, and Goodness that they will encounter and create for themselves for the rest of their lives.
The Fine Arts in Classical Education
Classical Christian education is dedicated to raising well-rounded people, and the fine arts play an important role, although not the same as liberal arts. Classical educators understand the importance of Truth, Beauty, and Goodness, and there is no better way to cultivate a love and appreciation for beauty than by learning to create beauty for oneself. When a student learns to make music or paint, they also learn to see and enjoy the details and skill in someone else’s music and art. The fine arts also overlap, perhaps inextricably, with the liberal arts. For instance, the fine arts of painting and music also express ideas — the goal of rhetoric — and music is itself listed as one of the liberal arts.
Fine Arts at Saint Michael
Check out our pictures on Instagram and Facebook for any and all fine art pictures! Also find any live performances on our Youtube!
At Saint Michael, we believe that offering opportunities for artistic expression only increases performance in core subjects. Participation in the fine arts builds confidence and develops imagination. Fine arts students develop a perseverance that will carry them through life.
Our students are encouraged to appreciate the fine arts, as well as develop personal talents and skills. Saint Michael personally offers:
Music & Children's Choir
Music was once considered one of the seven liberal arts, one of the four mathematical subjects in the quadrivium. This is because music theory deals with numerical proportions. However, music performance itself is a fine art, and learning performance and theory together is only natural. Teaching children to make music, whether with instruments or with their voices in Children's Choir, is an absolute way to get them to appreciate it. Not only that, but learning music when you’re young makes for good pitch and rhythm later in life. This is especially important for young Catholics who will be singing along in Mass, just like our Children's Choir leads us to do!
Visual Arts
Visual arts such as painting, drawing, and sculpture can train a person to observe the world around them carefully and recognize physical beauty. Aside from art classes themselves, classical schools also make an effort to make every day a beautiful experience. From hanging great art in classrooms, to having aesthetically tasteful furniture and fixtures, to wearing standard uniforms, classical schools recognize the influence aesthetic and orderly surroundings will have on students.
Performative Arts
Theatre has been around for centuries, and is a staple in the classical arena. In fact, the history of theatre can be traced back to 6th Century B.C. where the Ancient Greeks were the first to present dramatic presentations. Saint Michael's theatre troop is known as the Saint Michael Players. The Saint Michael Players' performances are either adapted from great works of literature such as the
2022 performance of Shakespeare's The Tempest, or taken from original stories;
all the performances are filled with high ideals and sound morals.
