Resources

Click to explore The Paideia School, a ministry of Rockbridge extending our mission to cultivate students who love truth, goodness, & beauty.

Thanks to our amazing, supportive community, we have been ranked as…

#1 Christian High School in Anne Arundel County
#2 Christian High School in the Baltimore Area
#3 Best Private High School in Anne Arundel County AND Best K-12 Private School in Anne Arundel County
#4 Best Christian High School in Maryland
TOP 3% of Best Christian High Schools in America 

There is so much more to our school than rankings, test scores, and college acceptances. Our vision for our graduates remains Christ-centered. Our mission remains to provide a distinctively classical and unwaveringly Christian education, encouraging the pursuit of goodness, truth, and beauty in all of life. Read our vision statement here and visit us to discover classical Christian education.
 

Mr. Roy Griffith, our headmaster, started his journey at Rockbridge Academy in 1997 as a 5th grade teacher joining this start-up classical Christian school. After 28 years, he reflects on God's faithfulness, the challenges, and a look ahead. Read more here. 

Rachel Wallen Oglesby (class of 2012) shares how much her classical Christian education foundation impacted her professional growth and continues to help her advance in public service even now. She serves as Chief of Policy to Governor Kristi Noem in South Dakota. Read HERE about three distinct ways her classical Christian education continues to have a lasting impact. 

Sometimes the college decisions that are made in the senior year of high school result in everything seemingly coming together just right. Sometimes those decisions are wrought with questions and challenges come freshman year. Sarah Soltis shares what she learned as she transferred from William and Mary. Her lessons of surrender and trust are applicable to each of us. Read her post here.

We are the Rockbridge Scots! Read about the significance and meaning behind our mascot and meet Scottie, our official mascot. 

Our economics teacher, Amy Boswell, shares how economics from a Godly perspective can continue to foment hope and open doors for the Gospel. 

The Rockbridge Academy Veterans Day Ceremony, first held in 2008, arose from a desire to encourage the student body, offer a warm welcome to our neighbors, and honor veterans and active service members in the school and community.  

What makes classical Christian math different? 

What does a Library Grand Opening have to do with the founding of the school? Read the full article here. 

The Grand Tour. Seventeen days and eleven cities through Greece and Italy! Why those two countries? Why not visit England for an historical perspective? How does the Grand Tour differ from a a typical senior trip? As our capstone trip, Grand Tour enriches both our classical education and Christian relationships within each class. Read more about the why here as senior Jane Farr shares from her recent experience this past summer. 

When so many things press in on us, demanding our time and attention, sleep, or rest of any kind, can seem like the most expendable part of our schedule. But to deny ourselves rest, a break, and even sleep is to behave like children lacking wisdom, obedience and faith. 

Melanie Kaiss (staff member and PE teacher) points us to reminders in the Word about how resting can be an act of faith in the midst of the busyness of life. Click here to read more. 

Our graduates take many roads beyond Rockbridge Academy as scientists, engineers, thespians, business owners, journalists, military officers, parents, financiers, musicians, educators, and more. Schuyler Kitchin (class of 2014) has taken the road of full-time ministry. He serves at Berklee College of Music in Boston through InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Read about his journey to full-time ministry here.  

How does your family engage in family worship? Honestly, it is a struggle for many, if not most, families. First of all, how does one even lead a family worship time? How do we carve out time for this? Is it really worth fighting for that time? Why do it? 

Jay Mitchell, our former board chairman, shares how he persisted through the years with 8 children and now 12 grandchildren. 

Read the full article here. 

Why are graded discussions such a staple of the upper school curriculum at Rockbridge Academy? What are these somewhat scary exercises good for any way? What are the qualities of a good graded discussion? What have been some practical applications of graded discussions? Click here to read what some Rockbridge students have to say about graded discussions and how they have benefited from them.

Running is hard. Enduring pain, pushing through discomfort, persevering when you feel like giving up--experiences like these make cross country hard and yet so rewarding. Running is a metaphor for life, even as the writer of Hebrews mentions. Our middle school cross country coach, Emily Scheie, shares some of the life lessons she learned as a coach and why she loves cross country. Read her post here and be encouraged. 

Chloe DuBois (class of 2021) reflects upon her Rockbridge education and how God use it to change her life. Her beautiful testimony of God's work of grace through her time here is a glimpse into how God can use our community, the education, and the encouragment in faith as integral ways to grow our students in their journeys and walk with Him. Read her article here and be encouraged.  

Jacque Touhey, 3rd grade teacher at Rockbridge Academy, has been named one of two finalists for Anne Arundel County Independent School's Teacher of the Year! Mrs. Hollidge, grammar school principal shares, "Over the past 10 years, her support of her students and their families, serves as a role model to our faculty, and she grows in her craft as a teacher by continually learning her subject matter and developing her pedagogical practices." Congratulations Mrs. Touhey!

The class of 2021 endured a unique and difficult year through Covid as the last class to walk the halls of the Baldwin Campus. The Lord's grace enabled them to finish their rhetoric years with perseverance and a deepened trust in God. Noelle McDowell shares how they impacted our school through their hope in Christ in an uncertain year. 

The 27 students garnered $4,588,872.00 in scholarship offers and were admitted into some of the most competitive colleges in America. Thanks be to God, and well done class of 2021! 

Click here to read the full post. 

Tim Stewart, our athletics coordinator, writes about how our athletes identify with Christ and as such how that identity impacts the core of the program. "This distinction of being in union with Christ takes precendence over any other identifying factor...When Rockbridge athletes are committed, unified, and secure in their identity they will bring glory to the God who gave them the ability to play their sport." Read his full post here.

Sarah Daly (class of 2021) is featured as the Towne Athlete in the September issue of What's Up Magazine. Emory University Coach Howell says about Sarah: "She's a motivated swimmer who is an achiever. We have a whole team of those. I think she will fit in real well. She really wants to get better, and is excited about Emory academically. She is also drawn to the team environment. She wants to be part of something big." Read the full article here. 

As we begin this new school year, Roy Griffith, headmaster, shares what our core values are as we acknowledge that our identity as a school flows from one person, Jesus Christ. We joyfully submit ourselves to His lordship, and gather each day around His preeminent authorship over all of life. Read the full article here. 

Transitioning into a new school environment, whether for the first time as a kindergartner or in the middle of your child's K-6 journey, can be challenging, even under the best circumstances. New friends, new routines, new uniforms, new everything. Read these helpful tips from our grammar school principal, Brooke Voelp.

Be sure to mark your calendars for New Grammar Parent Orientation (August 26), Grammar Sneak a Peek (September 2), and Kindergarten Orientation (September 7). We can't wait to see you! 

"Cantare amantis est"~Only the one who loves sings~St. Augustine

Natalie Watson (11th grade student) plays accompaniment for some of the musical pieces which will be performed on May 18th at the Fine Arts Showcase. She took some time to catch up with Mandy Ball, the director, and some student performers who share about what this retrospective performance is, how it came about, and what it means to them. Read more about this redeeming effort here. 

If you have ever been backstage during a drama production you know that there is a lot more that goes on than what the audience sees. The stage, lighting, makeup, and costume crews are all working tirelessly behind the scenes, but just because these people aren’t center stage doesn’t mean they aren’t vital to creating the magic that happens. The administration and support staff at Rockbridge Academy are like the stage crew at a drama: absolutely necessarily but hardly ever seen. 

Olivia Reardon (11th grade student) caught up with some of the folks that serve behind the scenes to keep Rockbridge Academy running smoothly. Read her blog post here. 

“God is love.” (1 John 4:8) Jesus’ life and death were the perfect expression of that love. Our calling as Christians is to manifest that love to the world around us. Which brings us to Valentine’s Day.

 A couple of Rockbridge Academy parents wanted to show God’s love to residents of local nursing homes who have become isolated from family and friends due to COVID 19 restrictions. These restrictions have caused many residents to become lonely and depressed. Third grade mom, Christine Wojciechowski, wanted to do “something uplifting so [these] people would know they are not forgotten,” affirming that “God did not make us to be in isolation.” Christine provided decorative greeting card kits to each K-6 class for students to assemble and sign and/or write a short note to these elderly residents. Grammar School Principal, Denise Hollidge, saw the opportunity as a wonderful way to teach students about serving others and honoring their elders, all while practicing their penmanship and learning a little history. The Valentine cards included a lovely reprinted image of St. Valentine along with a brief history explaining why his name has become synonymous with love. Printed on the back of the insert is 1 Corinthians 13, often referred to as, “the love chapter.”

 Mrs. Wojciechowski, Mrs. Hollidge, and another Rockbridge mom, Meghan Lawson, will deliver the cards to two separate locations in time for Valentine’s Day. Mrs. Lawson sums the effort up well, explaining, “We can’t control a lot around us, but we can control how and when we [give] joy. God is love and that is what we can focus on.”

By Melanie Kaiss, Rockbridge Academy Staff Member

"Technology alone is not enough...it's technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the result that makes our hearts sing." Steve Jobs

At Rockbridge Academy, our strong science and math classes are supported and buoyed with the humanities classes integrated with a Christ-centered world view. Our students are trained in presentation skills from the youngest grades. The results have been made our hearts sing. Read more here. 

Mel Lentz (class of 2008 and former Rockbridge Latin teacher) shares how most children in America grow up learning an instrument and playing a team sport, not because parents feel confident that their children will be professional musicians or athletes one day. The skills of teamwork, discipline, attention to detail, leadership, and even humble failure will not only give them greater success academically, but also socially and professionally as well. In the same way, Latin equips students with equally important skills, not to mention that it unlocks more depth and integration with their other areas of study.

Read the full Blog here. 

Congratulations to Sarah Daly who has signed on to swim for Emory University! Emory is a D-III school which has won the national championship for 10 consecutive years in a row.

Journalism student, Riley Runge, shares Sarah's story and how she didn't actually enjoy swimming when she first started. Read more here. 

At Rockbridge Academy, we teach Bible at every grade level. Why do we teach theology and what kind of place does it have within our Rockbridge curriculum? Dr. Seufert is our upper school theology teacher; read his full Blog post here about why we teach theology. 

What is a midterm oral exam at Rockbridge Academy? Why do we have our students go through this process? Oral exams are a rite of passage for every rhetoric student. Olivia Reardon (11th grade student) did a little research into how the tradition of oral exams started.

Read her Blog post here and learn about the history of oral exams and the fruit they bear.

"Unity is the great need of the hour."  [King, 1955] What is the foundation of gospel unity? What is the foundation of racial equality? Johanna Smith, a member of the extended Rockbridge Academy community and wife of Stan Smith, appointed Rockbridge board member, shares some thoughts on lasting unity. She urges us to do three things. Read more here.   

What do you have planned for 2321? Before you answer, make sure your mind hasn’t auto-corrected that number. The question is not, “What have you planned for the year 2021?”, but in fact, “What have you planned for the year 2321?”  

Our vision to impact future generations through classical Christian education is much more long-term than just reaching the next generation. Learn more here about our long-term vision and the Association of Classical Christian Schools (ACCS).

This year's debate teams honed their adaptability and problem solving skills in a whole new way thanks to a last minute change of plans. While the Rockbridge debate team prepares to stand before their opponents and judges to present their arguments winsomely and persuasively, God trains them to trust in His perfect plan. 

Read Olivia Reardon's blog post here. 

Why do we teach Bible at Rockbridge Academy? How do we teach Bible in a way that makes a difference in students' lives. Hear from Mr. Northup who has been teaching Bible here at Rockbridge since 2005. Click here.

Mrs. Williams, a former Air Force pilot and now teacher, shares about her passion for God's Word and her joy in pointing students to the Lord. Chloe DuBois, 11th grade student, writes about the journey the Lord has taken Mrs. Williams on in the Air Force and now at Rockbridge. Read her full article here. 

Lauren Bailey (class of 2020) wasn't planning to run D-1 track and cross-country in college upon graduation, but God opened up some unexpected doors. Natalie Watson, 11th grade student and former running mate, writes about Lauren's road to running for Loyola University. Read the full article here.

Math at Rockbridge Academy prepares students to embark on the adventure of studying math as a product of God’s character and creativity. Nathan Daly (class of 2019) describes his experience on this adventure. He currently studies computer science and math at Johns Hopkins University. Read his full Blog here. 

By Olivia Reardon, 11th grade student

Writing a story, editing a novel, and navigating the world of publishing are not simple, but Ivanna Rhodes, Rockbridge Academy sophomore, did it all. Read about Ivanna's journey to a published book here. 

"Taking every thought captive..." Emily Marsh, class of 2019, shares what our school motto means in the midst of a pandemic..."that the administrators, teachers, staff, and students practice dedicating their worries, joys, fears, and opinions in submission to the unchanging truth of God’s Word, no matter the trial, even a pandemic."  Read her full Blog here. 

Two of our current students, Oliva Reardon (class of 2022) and Chloe Dubois (class of 2021) who both transitioned to Rockbridge in 10th grade, tell about their experiences as new students and share tips for incoming transfer students as they make their way into our community. Read more here...

Rockbridge Academy celebrates our 25th year and the opening of our new campus at 680 Evergreen Road in Crownsville, MD. 

What does an educational model from 500 hundred years ago have to do with a 1349 average SAT score today, an 18-day capstone trip through Greece and Italy, a 25-year anniversary, and new building?

Find the answers here! 

These are exciting times to visit and learn more about the classical Christian education model--one of the fastest growing movements among believers in the last 30 years. Rockbridge Academy is one of the oldest and most established classical Christian schools in the country.