Upper School is for students in 10th-12th grade. The Veritas Omnibus upper–school curriculum is taught on a three–year cycle that builds on what students learned in middle school; we will use Omnibus IV for the 2025–2026 school year for both home and class work.
This class is a combination of theology, literature, and history along with extensive writing. Students will read and discuss the great books of Western civilization as well as Scripture. They will learn to think like Christians and to express their thoughts clearly in both written and oral formats. Through reading and discussing these books as well as various writing projects students will learn to love what is true, good, and beautiful, to think like Christians, and become more like Jesus.
Class work will consist of discussion of the books, turning in reports, and regular in-class presentations. Parents can expand on this by assigning more work from the Omnibus IV textbook if they desire. You should plan to purchase the following for your student. You do not need teacher materials as your tutor will be providing instruction to your student. You may be able to find used materials:
- You may optionally purchase any edition of the Omnibus IV student textbook or e-book. This is not required for the class but you can use it to guide at–home discussion or to assign additional work at home.
- For the fall semester, we will be discussing the following required reading:
- The Bible: Genesis, Job, and Luke
- The Iliad by Homer (Fagles translation recommended)
- Death on the Nile, Agatha Christie
- King Lear, Shakespeare
- Republic, Plato
- Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle
- Art and the Bible, Francis Schaeffer
- For the spring semester, we will be discussing the following required reading:
- The Bible: Exodus, Psalms, Acts
- Mythology, Edith Hamiliton
- War with Hannibal, Livy
- Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare
- Selected Works, Cicero
- The Four Loves, C. S. Lewis
- August Caesar’s World, Genevieve Foster
- Annals of Imperial Rome, Tacitus
- Josephus: The Essential Writings, Edited by Paul Maier
Note on Translations: Many of these older books can be found online for free. However, it is recommended that the students purchase a solid, modern translation. It makes reading more enjoyable. If a translation is not recommended, then Penguin Classics is usually a good choice.
Science: Chemistry
Students will be taught the basics of high school chemistry in a way that glorifies the Lord. Required books and materials:
- Balancing Chemical Equations, Chris McMullen
- The Genie in the Bottle, Joe Schwarcz
- What is Chemistry, Peter Atkins
- The Joy of Chemistry, Cathy Cobb and Monty Fetterolf
- The Mystery of the Periodic Table, Benjamin Wiker
- High School Chemistry, S. Timothy (Digital Download)
Elective: Economics
This is a comprehensive economics course that will cover basic economics, political economics, including communism, economic case studies from Venezuela and California, natural law, property rights, individual rights vs. community rights, and many other topics that will aid the student in developing a Christian understanding of economics. The last several weeks of the course will focus on personal economics. The students will be taught about setting financial goals, various types of mortgages, saving vs. investing, types of debt, buying a car, estate planning, and many other topics related to the day-to-day financial life of a Christian.
Books required:
- Basic Economics, Thomas Sowell
- One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Alexander Solzhenitsyn
- Wild Swans, Jung Chang
Choir
Students will learn to sing in parts, read music, and use their voice to glorify the Lord.