High School
Our curriculum is designed to foster critical thinking, creativity, and real-world application. Below you will find the guidelines that we follow when developing courses for our high school community.
Rhetoric Stage- Grades 9-12
Our Vision
Through intellectual and spiritual friendship with fellow classmates and faculty mentors, students explore universal, human questions from the Western Intellectual Tradition that have occupied Catholic thought and culture for two millennia. We seek to help families form young people who seek virtue and love all that is true, good, and beautiful. This pursuit should yield happy lives which experience true joy and delight.
We are an accredited classical liberal arts high school with the Western Catholic Education Association, with the mission of educating high school students in the eternal verities, guided by the wisdom of the Catholic Church!
Classical Education at Our School
Core Principles
- Focus on becoming good people and living good lives
- Emphasis on Truth, Goodness, and Beauty
- Cultivation of intellectual and moral virtues
- Engagement with the Great Books and Western Tradition
Key Practices
- Socratic seminars for deep discussions
- Narration to improve comprehension and retention
- Integration of beauty in the learning environment
Math and Science
- Focus on foundational concepts and their historical development
- Integration of primary texts from great scientists and mathematicians
- Emphasis on logical reasoning and problem-solving skills
- Hands-on experiments and observations to foster wonder and curiosity
- Exploration of the philosophical implications of scientific discoveries
"The glory of God is a human being fully alive." - St. Irenaeus
The recent revival of classical education is an attempt to return to the rich methods and timeless content of the Seven Liberal Arts as manifest within the Catholic, Western Intellectual Tradition. Emphasis is placed upon fine things, such as great works of literature, beautiful music and paintings, the integration of knowledge across disciplines upon the idea of the good, cultivating a sacramental imagination, and providing space for contemplation and leisure.
At St. Monica, our students read primary source materials, explore and refine their thought in frequent Socratic seminars, as well as evaluate diverse visions of the good life by comparison to the Magisterium. St. Monica is a member of the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education, a network of Catholic classical schools across the nation.
Extracurricular activities
The social atmosphere at St. Monica resembles that of a family. In lieu of conventional offerings such as prom or student government, our school parents have organized gatherings that support students’ friendship in Christ and maturity as young men and women. These include weekly picnics, a pumpkin-carving evening, a Christmas party, service projects, and an Easter celebration. As we grow, we hope to offer extracurriculars such as theater, choir, and debate.
To find our most up to date tuition information, please click below.
Tuition and Fees
Contact
For information regarding curriculum and program development, please contact Marybeth Bohm, Principal at mbohm@stmonicasea.org.
For information and inquiries regarding application and enrollment, please contact Gabby Riehl, Admissions Director, at griehl@stmonicasea.org.
Schedule & Descriptions
Parent Perspectives
A few thoughts from some of our current parents:
“We are so grateful to be in our second year at Saint Monica Academy! Our son is engaged and challenged in his studies, and has a strong bond with his fellow classmates. The teachers are brilliant and care wholeheartedly about the students, encouraging them to grow in virtue on a daily basis. SMA is a blessing to us and fills a unique need in the diocese for a Catholic classical high school program.” “We’ve had the privilege of having our oldest children attend St Monica Academy and they were beautifully inspired by the teachers, the materials and the environment. We have two children currently enrolled, and we are grateful for the continued opportunity for them to learn and be challenged by an authentic Catholic vision of the human person through the beauty of a classical curriculum approach. There is no other institution offering this unique approach in the Seattle area, and we look forward to the rest of our children benefiting from the awesome work that St Monica Academy is undertaking.” “SMA has been a game changer for us. I wanted a classical Catholic education for my daughter and could find nothing within the area. Previously my daughter went to a public school and the difference in safety, inclusion, Christ centered teaching and the level of learning has been phenomenal. There is nothing like it in the area if you want an exceptional education centered on Christ!”
