Curriculum

We are joyful about learning
for learning’s sake

OUR APPROACH

Our Lady of the Pillar Academy (OLPA) offers a Catholic classical liberal arts education, rooted in the Church's time-tested approach to forming scholars and virtuous leaders. This model, which gave rise to the first universities, integrates faith, academics, and moral formation, fostering a love of goodness, truth and beauty. 

We adhere to Catholic Church educational standards, guided by the Cardinal Newman Society's framework, emphasizing Christ-centered teaching and parental partnership. We are a member school of the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education (ICLE).  

Security, confidence, peace, and success grow from having a strong sense of identity and being in good relationship with God and others. We teach our students the eternal truths of our Catholic-Christian faith and integrate them naturally into every subject from math to P.E.

  • Our students learn the beautiful life-giving teachings and practices of the Catholic faith through daily Mass, Holy Scripture, the lives of the saints, and Baltimore Catechism instruction.

Religion

  • Sacred Scripture, classical literature, poetry, phonics, cursive, essay competitions, and a student-run newspaper. We believe that our generation of students will benefit richly by developing skills of grammar, logic and rhetoric.

  • We leverage that natural wonder of children about the world and the past to help them grow up strongly rooted in history and place. We prefer studying history through primary sources (e.g., the Declaration of Independence and letters of the California Mission Padres and their contemporaries) over textbooks. We integrate geography with art, to have students recreate maps.

  • Latin is introduced in 3rd grade, with students taking the National Latin Examination by 6th grade. We teach Latin as the root of most Western languages and Christian culture, and it is still alive today in law and medicine.

Humanities

  • Singapore Math starting from Kindergarten to 5th grade, culminating in Algebra I and Euclidean Geometry Prep by 8th grade. We believe that math should be beautiful, and that every student can learn math with the right teacher and the right approach.

  • Weekly labs, biomimicry projects, and student-led science presentations, supported by doctoral level affiliated faculty. Science is the study of the physical world, that is, of God’s good creation. We approach it with wonder and with hands-on experiences such as hikes to the beach and camping excursions.

Math & Science

  • We believe that at the heart of a child’s vocation is play, exploration, wonder, and enjoying creation. Play is for doing this while learning teamwork and relationships. Every Friday afternoon, we hike.

  • As a classical liberal arts school, we teach logic to middle schoolers, with the goal of them competing in debate competitions by 8th grade. Our goal is to train students’ reasoning and communication skills as keys to unlock doors for them, wherever life and career take them. 

  • We believe that student happiness is the number one predictor of success. Prayer, the daily Mass, and virtues-based learning foster the holistic development of soul, mind, and body.

  • Students will participate in our volunteer taught classes such as drama, dance, STEM etc.

    If you would like to teach a class, please reach out to tlyons@olp.academy

Extracurriculars