Students in St. Raphael School’s upper grades are provided with a wealth of opportunities to, as St. Basil the Great writes in On the Holy Spirit, “become like God, as far as this is possible for human nature.” St. Basil goes on to say, “But we cannot become like God unless we have knowledge of Him, and without lessons there will be no knowledge. … Hunting for truth is no easy task; we must look everywhere for its tracks.” At St. Raphael School, we continue to partner with parents and parishes, instructing students in the fullness of Scripture found in the Orthodox Tradition.

St. Raphel School students are welcome to build their course load to include classes from both SRS and Scholé Academy.

A note about controversial topics in upper-school courses: From time to time in our upper school, students are encouraged to participate in a healthy and robust debate on a wide range of topics. We are a committed to providing a Christ-centered education to all of our students, but we also encourage our students to wrangle with theological, social, political, and moral issues and questions. Our courses are designed for student engagement and discussion. We expect our instructors to navigate these waters wisely and well. And we expect our students to step into the arena of these class discussions with maturity and respect for their cohort and instructors. 

“Wisdom is the chief adornment, and this I urge you to seek above all things.” —Alcuin of York, in Andrew Fleming West, Alcuin and the Rise of the Christian Schools