Our Culture
The Pulse of Our Group
At its core, our community culture are our shared values, norms, and behaviors that define us and shape how members interact with one another. It’s the intangible “vibe” that makes Excelsior a unique community and keeps families coming back year after year.
Our Big Three:
Politically Conservative
We believe in Western Civilization and that it is worth saving. We love America and believe it is a great country worth saving and preserving.
Protestant Evangelical
We are have a distinctive Protestant Evangelical perspective. This is predominant in Bible class but is woven through the entire school day from the hymns we sing to the perspectives on which we teach history.
Respectful Student Behavior
Parents and teachers are in agreement that it is the parents duty to “train up a child in the way they should go” (Proverbs 22:6) and that parents are commanded by God to “teach them diligently” (Deuteronomy 6:7). Students should come ready to be mindful and respectful to teachers and other students.
Amor Patriae
(Amor Patriae: Literally translated: The Love of the Fatherland: aka Patriotism)
As we are all Christian homeschooling families, we tend to be conservative in nature. We view the Western Civilization to be the foundation of our nation and worthy of study and appreciation. We love our country and our Constitution. We appreciate and honor great men of the past, including our founding fathers, flawed though they all are, and we study them and learn from them. All truth is God’s truth. We follow the sunbeams back to the sun.
“Saving Western Civilization One Student at a Time.” -Memoria Press
“God Bless America, land that I love, stand beside her, and guide her, through the night with the Light from Above.” From song “God Bless America” by Irving Berlin
Discover upcoming events and activities that foster community connection, spiritual growth, and academic enrichment.
Our Foundation
The Lord and our faith in Him is our firm foundation that we build upon for all that we do at Excelsior. All programs are governed by a distinctly Christian worldview with a deep desire to honor God and edify the students and families who attend. The words of the Apostle Paul in Colossians 3:17 provide the basis for everything Excelsior attempts to do:
“… whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
The Pulse of Our School
All we are is all we can be. What we believe is who we are. Our families are passionate about Jesus Christ and sharing the good news of Jesus with all the world. We believe the Bible is the authority of our lives and the living, breathing Word of God. Sharper than a two-edged sword, completely true and relevant for this day and age. More than ever it is needed today. It is the foundation of our classical curriculum and the most important piece that ties it all together. As it is so important in our lives, we make it the first and foremost thing that we study at our cottage school.
Award-winning Christian Studies Curriculum
In younger years, the children will read all the most important Bible stories (appropriate for their age level), in the original New King James Version through the beautifully pictured Golden Children’s Bible. During recitations they will memorize the 66 books of the Bible in order.
From 7th-12th grades they will be encouraged to go through a reading plan of the Bible and over the course of those years, bit by bit, they will graduate with having read the entire Bible, our goal being Biblical literacy. Over the course of 13 years they will have memorized hundreds of Bible verses that they will carry with them their whole lives.
In upper school years, starting in 7th grade, they will begin learning greek, progressing deeper in study each year so they can read and discuss the Bible in its original language. Their senior year they will dive deep into Christian theology, culminating with Christian metaphysics and Apologetics (the defense of the faith) reading C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity and more.
Morning Assembly and Worship
The first twenty minutes of each day we begin together with “Morning Assembly” where we say the Pledge of Allegiance, celebrate birthdays, learn a manners lesson and pray and sing a hymn together. The hymns we sing are so beautiful from our rich Christian heritage. Hymns such as those written by Charles Wesley (Christ the Lord is Risen Today), Martin Luther (A Mighty Fortress Is Our God), and Isaac Watts (I Sing the Mighty Power of God, Joy to the World) just to name a few. We learn about these great men and women and then sing the hymn together.
We pray collectively, sometimes with memorized prayers and other times we take volunteers to pray spontaneously. The prayers of the little children are so precious to God.
Student Code of Conduct
Excelsior is a place where students will respect themselves, each other, and the adults who have been placed above them. Though we understand that no child is “perfect” Excelsior families believe that children are capable of being kind, respectful, and obeying authority when it is the right thing to do. We follow this Student Code of Conduct:
The Student Code of Conduct:
- 1. We cheerfully and promptly obey the authority under which we are placed.
- 2. We can appeal respectfully and courteously. We do not argue or negotiate.
- 3. We love and honor one another.
- 4. We give encouragement to each other.
- 5. We do not point out the shortcomings of others in order to build ourselves up.
- 6. We tell the truth.
- 7. We do not disrespect the classroom and teacher by passing notes or otherwise interrupting.
- 8. We do not spread rumors or gossip.
- 9. We will not make excuses for our wrong actions but will admit them.
- 10. We avoid cliques, clubs, or games that exclude others.
- 11. When others are sorry, we forgive them.
- 12. When others are sad, we comfort them.
- 13. When we have work to do, we do it without complaining.
- 14. If we make a mess, we clean it up.
- 15. We treat one another with respect and patience.
Cultivating Minds and Souls
Discover the transformative power of a classical Christian education by joining our community.