Providing a Thorough Grounding in Western Civilization
To appreciate the good that Western civilization has brought to the world, students must first understand it. And what better way to gain understanding than to read, and study, the classics of Western culture — works ranging from Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad to Dante’s Divine Comedy and Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
That principle — the conviction that students best learn about history by studying the literature, art, philosophy, and political thought of the time — is the guiding force behind the stellar humanities program at Asheville School, the South’s preeminent co-ed boarding and day school.
Nestled in the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville School annually serves an average of 275 total students.
Since 2006, the John William Pope Foundation has provided instrumental support for Asheville School’s humanities department, with a specific focus on its Western civilization program.
The reason is simple: Too few students today — whether in high school or college — receive a firm grounding in the works of the Western world. Yet an understanding of Western culture is essential to understanding America and the modern world as a whole.
Commitment to Asheville School is personal for the Pope family and for the Foundation’s board of directors. Art Pope, President and Chairman of the Foundation, and David Stover, a member of the Board of Directors, are alumni of the school.
“In the early 1970s, Art and I benefited from Asheville School’s dedicated teachers and small classes,” Stover said. “Now, Asheville School students like my daughter Elizabeth (class of 2011) are further enhanced by the integrated team-taught curriculum of the Western civilization program.”
A systematic approach
Asheville School takes a methodical approach to studying Western history. Teachers and students begin in the 9th grade with Homer’s The Odyssey, the Greek myths, and the Old Testament before progressing to Chaucer, Dante, and the New Testament in the 10th grade.
Juniors must tackle the works of Shakespeare, Machiavelli, Rousseau, Hobbes, and Locke. Gregory gives this guarantee: By the time students graduate, they will have been exposed to at least 10 Shakespeare plays, either through reading or performance.
Seniors wrap up their coursework with an American focus: Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and the Federalist Papers and the U.S. Constitution, among others.
Although teachers place a heavy emphasis on literature, students also explore other facets of history, including art. For instance, when learning about the French Revolution, students study the poetry of Blake and the music of Beethoven.
One thing that students at Asheville School must become accustomed to is writing — and lots of it.
Hands-on instruction
Field trips are an important part of Asheville School’s curriculum. Their senior year, students taking the American Studies Unit go to Washington, D.C., to visit the Capitol, the Supreme Court building, the Smithsonian American History wing, the National Gallery, the National Cathedral, the Air and Space Museum, the National Archives, and the Library of Congress.
During the trip, students also hear from a guest speaker — often members of congress — and hear lectures by experts on government history from Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, and other institutions.
In addition to Asheville School’s wide repertoire of academic excellence, the school also ensures that students pursue a bevy of extra-curricular activities. Each afternoon, kids are involved in at least one pursuit: playing a sport; mountaineering; or participating in drama, music, or dance.
Every graduating senior must present a demonstration. He or she picks a topic, writes two 10-page papers on it, and then presents an oral defense.