Academic Departments

The SCS Language Arts Department recognizes the importance and power of the spoken and written word.  We believe that throughout the course of their entire education, SCS students should grow in their understanding and appreciation for the English language through the study of literature, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, writing, oral interpretation, and public speaking.

Our middle school language arts program equips our students to master a five-step writing process that incorporates idea development, organizational structure, sentence fluency, word choice, voice, and conventions.  Students engage in a variety of activities that employ mentor texts, such as biblical narratives, picture books, and novel excerpts.  Further, the reading of literature introduces students to a variety of writing styles, new vocabulary, and the discovery of new ideas and places.  By then analyzing the literature they have read, students enhance their writing ability and develop critical thinking skills. 

Salisbury Christian School’s philosophy of mathematics education is based on the biblical truth that our God is orderly, precise, and dependable.  We strive to provide a rich and challenging math curriculum for students that is consistent with each learner's mathematical ability, past achievement, and future requirements.  To learn mathematics is to learn to think logically, which is an indispensable ability as Christ followers interacting with our community and our world. 

Building on the solid foundation established in elementary school, our middle school students progress from concrete thinking to abstract critical thought processes.  In weaning our students from concrete to abstract thinking, we are nurturing continuous growth in their ability to solve and explain more complex algorithms.  Instruction includes collaborative group assignments, online resources, and practical world applications. 

Our high school mathematics curriculum then guides our students to apply critical thinking skills and involves continuous opportunities to problem solve.  Through the use of data gathering and evaluation, exploring mathematical truths, and analyzing and synthesizing information, students make sound decisions about real world situations.  Ultimately, we value the development of our students' mathematical knowledge because we know it will aid in creating for them a firm foundation upon which they can serve as Christ-minded, community-oriented citizens.

Science is a study that attempts to understand the world around us and provide truthful explanations for the phenomenon that occur in our world each day. To both understand and explain, science utilizes observations, experiments, and logical arguments and is ideally an objective method of understanding nature.  The SCS science program seeks to increase the scientific literacy of our students, helping them learn about the natural and social world.  We believe in the importance of students' understanding of how science has built a vast body of changing and increasing knowledge described by physical, mathematical, and conceptual models. 

Our middle school science program teaches that God created our universe to be orderly and that the balance God created is evident in our physical surroundings.  We strive to make our students aware of the connections between humans and the environment and to explore the impact scientific discovery has on our society and the universe.  Our high school curriculum then recognizes the need to prepare students for making the transition to college-level studies that will challenge their biblical belief system and consequently increases the attention paid to academic rigor and the apologetic nature of science.

We believe that social studies aids our students in acquiring information about themselves, their communities, their state, their country, and the greater world in which they live.  Through exposure to a solid base of facts, ideas, and skills relating to history, geography, government, and economics, we believe SCS students will begin to establish a biblical worldview.

Our middle school social studies program studies civilizations throughout history, examining how humans have progressed and how this progression has impacted societies over time.  Students look back at the actions of individuals and societies in the past, observing how those actions affected those around them.  Next, in high school, our students analyze civilizations throughout history and examine how the human progression in technology, government, religion, and culture has impacted people and geography over time, with both short-term and long-term effects.  Our students study the patterns of development in the local, national, and international realms, with the goal of understanding the history from which our civilization has come and gaining greater insight into each individual's place and purpose in society.

The Bible philosophy of Salisbury Christian School is based upon the view of truth and man as set forth in the Bible.  The inspired Word of God is the supreme and final authority for faith and practice and, therefore, serves as the starting point and guide to all accurate interpretation of reality (2 Peter 1:19-21; 2 Tim. 3:16).  It is our goal at SCS that our students know and understand the truths of the Christian faith and seek to integrate that faith in their personal lives and worldviews. 

In our daily Bible curriculum, we teach our middle school students basic Bible knowledge and provide clarification of simple faith issues.  Further, we present these students with foundational knowledge of both the Old and New Testaments that will be built on and solidified in high school.  As our students enter 9th grade, the Bible curriculum focus shifts to very basic Christian doctrine and practical application of the truth of Scripture.  At this level, we also challenge the students in their thinking and begin to show the consequences for unbiblical thinking.  We introduce our students to the biblical worldview and lead them to begin the process of intellectual biblical development in order to equip them to be a positive influence in today’s culture. This influence comes as we seek to develop children with Christian hearts and minds who desire what is good, excellent, and of good report and who can think through cultural deceptions as they seek the priorities that God has set for His glory (Phil. 4:8; 1 Cor. 15:10; 2 Tim. 2:1; Titus 2:11-15; Heb. 13:8).

At the 10th to 12th grade level, we challenge our students to take ownership of their faith and to think critically when it comes to their own worldview.  The Bible remains central to each student’s Christian belief and personal practice, so we continue to emphasize its study.  Doctrines are introduced and discussed intensely at the 10th grade level, while the 11th grade curriculum seeks to trace the mission of God in a very practical way through the Bible, contemporary culture, and church history.  Finally, we seek to provide our students with answers for the questions the world is asking, while also encouraging them to find those answers themselves through both experiences and biblical truth (1 Peter 3:15; Titus 1:9; 2 Tim. 2:15).  Once our students have developed a foundation of theology, doctrines, and practical ministry, the final Bible course at SCS (12th grade) is a comprehensive worldview study presented from a Christian perspective. 

Ultimately, the SCS Bible Department seeks to inspire, teach, and guide students who will be disciples of Jesus Christ, who are prepared to engage the world with righteousness and truth, and who are humble enough to both see and meet the needs of their neighbors and the world.
 

Glorifying God by creating beauty in our lives is the aim of the SCS Fine Arts Department, which encompasses instrumental, vocal, and visual art.  Music and art are taught not only as skills but also as a doorway through which students are introduced to a richer aesthetic life and to the beauty of communing with God. 

We desire that our students develop fine art skills that can be used in Christian service and bring glory to God.  We also value the study of music and art as it plays a vital role in educating the whole child.  Through the study of the fine arts, students experience high levels of self-expression, creativity, discipline, cooperation, and achievement.  Participation in the fine arts enhances and promotes respect for self and others, problem solving, teamwork, goal setting, self-expression, memory skills, and commitment. 

We promote middle and high school participation in the instrumental, vocal, and visual arts through a variety of venues and methods, as described in depth on our Arts pages.

Each person is a divinely created being, both soul and body.  The physical body is a God-given gift, a precious possession, and the temple of the Holy Spirit, so we teach our students to glorify God with their bodies (1 Cor. 6:19-20). 

Physical education is education of the physical body with emphasis on health, fitness, motor proficiency, and expressive play.  Through this education, we seek to equip our students with knowledge and understanding of the human body in action.  We educate our students in developing their unique gifts, emphasizing the importance of making wise and healthy choices which will enable them to better serve God and others.

Our middle school physical education program emphasizes personalized fitness and sport knowledge, play skills, and character traits, developed during both expressive play and sport game play.  Our high school physical education program then focuses on recreational / competitive sports play, adult fitness programs, and lifestyle decisions, in an effort to help our students develop a God-honoring physical lifestyle.

We recognize that our job as educators is to begin preparing students for their future careers.  In today’s ever-changing, quickly expanding global economy, it is likely that our students will hold future jobs that do not even currently exist.  Technology integration, therefore, is not simply a luxury, but an essential component of 21st century education.

Upper school students utilize technology on a daily basis in purposeful ways that support our curriculum.  9th through 12th grade students learn through daily elective technology classes in the computer lab, where they are exposed to cutting-edge programs that enable self-expression through creative digital design, photography, and digital publishing projects.  Students also engage in learning to code using a variety of computer languages (Java, Scratch, Python, and JavaScript) with which they create and write their own programs that solve everyday problems.  6th through 8th grade students work toward proficiency in keyboarding and in utilization of the Microsoft Office Suite.  Our 6th and 7th grade students further expand their creativity and problem solving skills through exposure to coding and robotics in a classroom setting.

Through the use of digital design programs, hands-on robotics development, and the creation of our students' own programming solutions, we are preparing our students to meet the global challenges of the 21st century.