Best Practices

While Evergreen will reinforce traditional values and classical readings, our approach to instruction will emphasize the incorporation of a variety of best practices. Project based learning, student collaboration, and inquiry-based instruction are just some of the approaches to be featured. And to ensure faculty members have the skills and tools needed to engage students and differentiate instruction, professional development of teachers will be a priority.

Evergreen Christian School does not subscribe to any single approach to Christian education.

• While we are not a Classical school, we have incorporated many classical elements into our program. Classes will focus heavily on primary source material, with students being led to interrogate the text and discuss it critically with their peers. There is a strong emphasis on the logical and dialogical. You may see students dialoging around a Harkness table or debating an issue in front of the class. And of course, our Senior Capstone Project is the culmination of this process with students providing an oral defense of their senior thesis.
   
• While we are not a University Model School, we have intentionally designed our campus to mimic a college education. We feature a block schedule with four classes meeting alternatively each day. There are no bells for classes. Students are provided a daily schedule indicating when their classes begin and end and are expected to show up to class on time. There are no study halls. When students don’t have a scheduled class, they can go to the library for quiet study, relax in the student lounge, or find a quiet spot to read along the second-floor gallery.
   
• While we are not a public school, our graduation standards closely align with the Virginia Department of Education Advanced Studies Diploma requirements. We do this to enable students to transfer easily into our program. Students will take four years of Literature, Science, History, and Math. They will also have the option of taking three years in a single language or two years each of two separate languages.