High School Symposium Built a Bridge

Great Hearts is committed to providing a classical education rooted in the pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. One of the standout events in our upper schools is the High School Symposium, a platform that encourages scholars to engage in intellectual discussion and critical thinking. For most of our academies, scholars celebrate the return from fall break with a day set aside to engage with each other over the literary work that they read over the break. This provides an opportunity for students to take part in thoughtful conversations, present their ideas, and defend their positions, all within a respectful and collaborative environment.

While this is an assigned reading project, Glendale Prep Headmaster Kyle Navarrette sees it as an opportunity for the students to learn the beauty of reading for leisure. “Symposium is how we live out what we would want our students to learn about which is called leisure,” he said. “Every high school student reads a book together. They share their own reflections in a writing assignment, but then they come for a day away from the class to just be together and discuss this really great work.”

The students at Glendale Prep read The Red Badge of Courage. “[The book] follows a young soldier, Henry, through his first battle in the Civil War and it goes over themes of like courage, what it means to be a man, and community on the battlefield,” said Chloe Moore, a senior at the academy.

Navarrette said they also hear a keynote address from someone they invite and then they’ll have a time of question and answer, and panel discussion, which is senior Ethan Lane’s favorite part. “I think asking panelists questions is one of the most interesting things,” said Lane. “Just to see what they have thought about the book, but also hear the response of people who maybe understand it more and can give us a deeper insight into it.”

Veritas Prep used the Symposium as an opportunity to foster relationships between the students by incorporating a hands-on project that went along with their reading of Macaulay’s Horatius at the Bridge.

“Each group of students is memorizing one stanza, they’re having some seminar together, and then they also have an opportunity to build bridges together and have a competition to see which bridge can withstand the most weight as it’s crushed by several of our teachers coming around with weights,” said Headmaster Theresa Weiland. “The idea of just stepping away and reading a book with over 250 people and then having that experience is something I don’t think you ever get anywhere else. I just hope they cherish it whether it’s now or years from now.”

Veritas students were thoughtful and strategic in their bridge building, tackling the assignment in groups of mixed grades, each respecting one another’s thoughts and opinions as a team. It was beautiful to see the joy they had as the bridges were being put to the test with the weights. They each felt a sense of community and accomplishment as they congratulated each other for a job well done.

The High School Symposium at the academies is not just an event. It is a testament to Great Hearts’ commitment to nurturing well-rounded, deep-thinking individuals. It is an opportunity for scholars to delve into subjects they are passionate about, which can ignite a lifelong love of learning. It is most certainly something you won’t find anywhere else. Through experiences like these, Great Hearts continues to uphold its mission of shaping hearts and minds.

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