Christmas greetings to our Canongate family and friends!
Our fall semester has shot by! It seems like we were all just getting acquainted yesterday and now suddenly we are reviewing an entire semester of information in preparation for our exams!
This is what we’ve done this fall semester:
- In History, we covered the events in North America from 1492 to the election of Abraham Lincoln.
- We read the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and George Washington’s Farewell Address and his 1790 “Letter to Catholics.” We reviewed the Marbury v. Madison Supreme Court decision with a lawyer.
- We focused on some pivotal players that are ignored in secular American history courses, including St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. John Neumann, and the large Carroll family of Maryland, who provided the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence (Charles); his cousin Daniel who was the only Catholic signer of the U.S. Constitution, and Daniel’s brother John, who served as the first bishop of the United States.
- In Biology, we began with the cell and some basic biochemistry. Students have memorized the chemical formula for photosynthesis (6 CO2 + 6 H2O + sunlight -> C6H12O6 + 6 O2) and cellular respiration (C6H12O6 + 6 O2 —-> 6 CO2 + 6 H2O + energy). These formulas make life possible on Earth!
- We viewed live cells, cell parts and OUR OWN CELLS under the microscope!
- We extracted the DNA out of strawberries fresh from the grocery store!
- Again, we focused on some important Catholics in science, such as St. Albert the Great and Father Gregor Mendel, whose pictures in secular texts often crop out his crucifix and don’t mention he was a Catholic priest.
- In American Literature, we read 12 American poems, 6 American short stories and one great American novel, Huckleberry Finn, in addition to some great American non-fiction such as the letters of John and Abigail Adams, Common Sense by Thomas Paine, and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by the 18th century “Great Awakening” Protestant pastor Jonathan Edwards.
- In Math, we are trying constantly to make sense of the world through numbers and equations. The first level is focusing on fractions, percentages, order of operations, exponents, algebra and geometry. The second level is learning about inequalities, absolute values, linear equations and polynomials, and quadratic equations.
- In Schola we are learning the Mass parts and we sang them at Immaculata’s weekly Mass, and in Art we are drawing to make objects look three-dimensional on a two-dimensional page.
- In Theology we have been aiming to put ourselves in communion with Jesus Christ, so we can live our daily lives as Catholics. We’ve studied Jesus, the Trinity, Faith, Hope and Love, natural law and the social teachings of the church.
- Students read and wrote about On the Trinity by St. Augustine of Hippo, and Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI, both very challenging books, and the students had amazing insights.
- Father Porras is teaching a class on different types of prayer as taught by different orders in the church such as the Franciscans, the Carmelies and so on.
- We are constantly endeavoring to hone and improve our students’ writing skills, both for clarity and creative expression. Among other exercises, the students each wrote a story in the vein of “Rip van Winkle” about their experiences about falling asleep and waking up in America in 20 years.
- We pray the Liturgy of the Hours Morning Prayer together every morning, we gather in the hallway for the Angelus daily at noon, and provide readers and altar servers for Thursday morning Masses at St. Barnabas weekly.
- We believe in getting outside and seeing the world, not just studying it, so we’ve hiked Bear Wallow Mountain, the Dupont Forest, and the NC Arboretum. We visited Fort Dobbs in Statesville, an early NC fort that saw action in the French and Indian War. We toured Bennett Place, in Durham, where the largest Civil War surrender occurred. We walked through the slave quarters of the largest slave plantation in North Carolina. We sat in the NC Legislative building where our own state laws are debated and made and spent a day at the NC Museum of Science.
- We discussed the ethics of Artificial Intelligence with Bishop Martin when he visited in September, and we debated the ethics of slavery with Father Andres.
AND THAT’S JUST SO FAR! The second half is yet to come! We are looking forward to our play, dissections in Biology, Apologetics in Theology, the Civil War to the present in American History, our insect collection project, and so much more.
We’re having a lot of fun over here. Do you know someone who would like to join us?
We’re recruiting for the 2026-2027 school year. If you know someone who would like to investigate the world with us, please have them call or email us: (828) 712-8924 / b.edwards@canongatecatholic.org.
We have an Open House coming up Wednesday, January 28th from 3 PM – 6 PM to meet with prospective students and their parents, as well as anyone interested in us in the future.
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and thank you for your prayers and support!
Barbara Edwards, Principal
Canongate Catholic High School
