Rhetoric School (9th–12th Grade)

Ninth through twelfth grade at The Geneva School is referred to as the rhetoric school, because during these years, the liberal art of rhetoric is the most emphasized from among the other verbal arts. As the fundamental skill of speaking and writing, it is taught, practiced, and refined within and throughout every subject and class. Relying on the skills of grammar and dialectic, rhetoric is the skill of finding the best means of persuasion in order to lead others toward what is true, good, and beautiful. Speech, whether written or spoken, is never neutral but always comes from and leads to a particular situation, desire, or vantage point. Therefore, the speaker always has a responsibility to use his or her words to instruct, move, and delight others in ways that are truthful and ethical. More specifically, given our confession of Christian orthodoxy, we believe that Christ himself is the standard of these transcendent ideas and that all of our speech should be rooted in, governed by, and pointing toward him.

Students in the rhetoric school are old enough to begin to understand that life is not simplistic. It is filled with complexity, nuance, and variation. They are ready to engage in deeper thinking and want to express their thoughts with more accurate analysis and more interesting style. They desire to participate in activities that are meaningful and productive. Due to two hallmarks of our Christian, liberal arts model of education, we not only meet this capacity in our students but we set it ablaze.

First, we take a backward-design approach with our curriculum, beginning with graduated seniors in mind. What skills and ideas should they have? What books should they have read? What theories should they understand? What experiences should they have? What should they love and desire? Answering those questions gives our curriculum intentionality and continuity beginning with K4, but becoming much more detailed and specific in the ninth grade. For example, in our Rhetoric and Christian Thought sequence of classes, ninth graders begin learning how to construct arguments based on Aristotle’s common topics while also learning to understand and explain the arguments of C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity. This is because when they are in twelfth grade, they will be delivering a speech and writing a thesis that require good argumentation about real world issues that can be supported theologically. Given the desire that our graduates have the ability to do this by actually practicing it, we know that process has to begin much earlier than the twelfth grade.

Second, our teachers are abundantly talented and have a deep conviction about teaching as a vocation. Most of our dialectic and rhetoric teachers have master’s degrees in areas of study that pertain to the content of what they currently teach. A handful of our teachers also have earned doctorate degrees. There is an atmosphere among the faculty of passion for their disciplines and personal care for their students. They understand that they are training students for service in God’s kingdom, and this happens through relational teaching, where highly trained educators serve as models and mentors of faithful thought and practice as Christians. The strength of any curriculum certainly rests on the teachers who implement it, but more than that, at TGS, we would say that our teachers are the curriculum.

Building on a foundation of training in the skills of grammar and dialectic, our students in the rhetoric school are taught according to a purposefully designed curriculum by stellar teachers and are being prepared for a lifetime of learning and serving in God’s kingdom.

The Geneva School
The Geneva School
September 17, 2025
  • K4 - Camping Adventure

    Date: September 17, 2025 - September 17, 2025
    Time: 8:15 am- 11:00 am
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  • Lower School Chapel

    Date: September 17, 2025 - September 17, 2025
    Time: 8:20 am- 8:45 am
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  • Upper School Chapel

    Date: September 17, 2025 - September 17, 2025
    Time: 9:25 am- 10:10 am
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  • K4 Garden Club

    Date: September 17, 2025 - September 17, 2025
    Time: 1:15 pm- 2:15 pm
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  • K Garden Club

    Date: September 17, 2025 - September 17, 2025
    Time: 2:15 pm- 3:15 pm
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  • 1st-3rd Grade Garden Club

    Date: September 17, 2025 - September 17, 2025
    Time: 3:15 pm- 4:15 pm
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  • Geneva Cheer (2nd-6th Grade)

    Date: September 17, 2025 - September 17, 2025
    Time: 3:15 pm- 4:15 pm
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  • 3rd–6th Gr - NHS Tutoring

    Date: September 17, 2025 - September 17, 2025
    Time: 3:20 pm- 4:00 pm
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  • Stitch Lab (3rd-6th Grade)

    Date: September 17, 2025 - September 17, 2025
    Time: 3:20 pm- 4:20 pm
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September 18, 2025
  • Early Dismissal (LS @ 12:00 / US @ 12:30)

    Date: September 18, 2025 - September 18, 2025
    Time: 12:00 am- 11:59 pm
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  • Geneva Jazz

    Date: September 18, 2025 - September 18, 2025
    Time: 7:15 am- 8:15 am
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  • 12th Gr - Rollins Olin Library Trip

    Date: September 18, 2025 - September 18, 2025
    Time: 9:00 am- 11:30 am
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  • Choir Mini Camp (All Choirs)

    Date: September 18, 2025 - September 18, 2025
    Time: 12:30 pm- 5:00 pm
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  • Parent-Teacher Conferences

    Date: September 18, 2025 - September 18, 2025
    Time: 1:00 pm- 4:00 pm
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  • DL Football Away Game vs Windermere Prep

    Date: September 18, 2025 - September 18, 2025
    Time: 4:00 pm- 6:00 pm
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  • Varsity Boys Golf Away Match vs. Foundation

    Date: September 18, 2025 - September 18, 2025
    Time: 4:00 pm- 6:00 pm
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  • Middle School Swim Team Meet

    Date: September 18, 2025 - September 18, 2025
    Time: 5:00 pm- 7:00 pm
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September 19, 2025
  • No School: Parent-Teacher Conferences

    Date: September 19, 2025 - September 19, 2025
    Time: 12:00 am- 11:59 pm
    See more details

  • Parent-Teacher Conferences

    Date: September 19, 2025 - September 19, 2025
    Time: 8:00 am- 3:00 pm
    See more details

  • Choir Mini Camp (Rhetoric Choir Only)

    Date: September 19, 2025 - September 19, 2025
    Time: 9:00 am- 1:00 pm
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  • Varsity Football Home Game vs. Boca Raton Christian

    Date: September 19, 2025 - September 19, 2025
    Time: 6:30 pm- 8:30 pm
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September 20, 2025
  • Varsity XC Meet Tiger Invitational

    Date: September 20, 2025 - September 20, 2025
    Time: 7:00 am- 9:00 am
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  • Varsity Swim Team Meet - Patriot Invite

    Date: September 20, 2025 - September 20, 2025
    Time: 9:00 am- 7:00 pm
    See more details

  • 4th Grade Volleyball Away Games at Orangewood

    Date: September 20, 2025 - September 20, 2025
    Time: 9:30 am- 11:00 am
    See more details

September 17, 2025
  • K4 - Camping Adventure

    Date: September 17, 2025 - September 17, 2025
    Time: 8:15 am- 11:00 am
    See more details

  • Lower School Chapel

    Date: September 17, 2025 - September 17, 2025
    Time: 8:20 am- 8:45 am
    See more details

  • Upper School Chapel

    Date: September 17, 2025 - September 17, 2025
    Time: 9:25 am- 10:10 am
    See more details

  • K4 Garden Club

    Date: September 17, 2025 - September 17, 2025
    Time: 1:15 pm- 2:15 pm
    See more details

  • K Garden Club

    Date: September 17, 2025 - September 17, 2025
    Time: 2:15 pm- 3:15 pm
    See more details

  • 1st-3rd Grade Garden Club

    Date: September 17, 2025 - September 17, 2025
    Time: 3:15 pm- 4:15 pm
    See more details

  • Geneva Cheer (2nd-6th Grade)

    Date: September 17, 2025 - September 17, 2025
    Time: 3:15 pm- 4:15 pm
    See more details

  • 3rd–6th Gr - NHS Tutoring

    Date: September 17, 2025 - September 17, 2025
    Time: 3:20 pm- 4:00 pm
    See more details

  • Stitch Lab (3rd-6th Grade)

    Date: September 17, 2025 - September 17, 2025
    Time: 3:20 pm- 4:20 pm
    See more details

September 18, 2025
  • Early Dismissal (LS @ 12:00 / US @ 12:30)

    Date: September 18, 2025 - September 18, 2025
    Time: 12:00 am- 11:59 pm
    See more details

  • Geneva Jazz

    Date: September 18, 2025 - September 18, 2025
    Time: 7:15 am- 8:15 am
    See more details

  • 12th Gr - Rollins Olin Library Trip

    Date: September 18, 2025 - September 18, 2025
    Time: 9:00 am- 11:30 am
    See more details

  • Choir Mini Camp (All Choirs)

    Date: September 18, 2025 - September 18, 2025
    Time: 12:30 pm- 5:00 pm
    See more details

  • Parent-Teacher Conferences

    Date: September 18, 2025 - September 18, 2025
    Time: 1:00 pm- 4:00 pm
    See more details

  • DL Football Away Game vs Windermere Prep

    Date: September 18, 2025 - September 18, 2025
    Time: 4:00 pm- 6:00 pm
    See more details

  • Varsity Boys Golf Away Match vs. Foundation

    Date: September 18, 2025 - September 18, 2025
    Time: 4:00 pm- 6:00 pm
    See more details

  • Middle School Swim Team Meet

    Date: September 18, 2025 - September 18, 2025
    Time: 5:00 pm- 7:00 pm
    See more details

September 19, 2025
  • No School: Parent-Teacher Conferences

    Date: September 19, 2025 - September 19, 2025
    Time: 12:00 am- 11:59 pm
    See more details

  • Parent-Teacher Conferences

    Date: September 19, 2025 - September 19, 2025
    Time: 8:00 am- 3:00 pm
    See more details

  • Choir Mini Camp (Rhetoric Choir Only)

    Date: September 19, 2025 - September 19, 2025
    Time: 9:00 am- 1:00 pm
    See more details

  • Varsity Football Home Game vs. Boca Raton Christian

    Date: September 19, 2025 - September 19, 2025
    Time: 6:30 pm- 8:30 pm
    See more details

September 20, 2025
  • Varsity XC Meet Tiger Invitational

    Date: September 20, 2025 - September 20, 2025
    Time: 7:00 am- 9:00 am
    See more details

  • Varsity Swim Team Meet - Patriot Invite

    Date: September 20, 2025 - September 20, 2025
    Time: 9:00 am- 7:00 pm
    See more details

  • 4th Grade Volleyball Away Games at Orangewood

    Date: September 20, 2025 - September 20, 2025
    Time: 9:30 am- 11:00 am
    See more details

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