Forma Fridays
The word forma points to the idea of shape, pattern, and formation. Our Forma Fridays is one more way we seek to cultivate virtuous scholars who are prepared to live faithfully in God’s world.
We have expanded our focus on Fridays to include many kinds of embodied formation, including gymnasium and common arts.
Socrates once mused, that in order to cultivate virtue, students needed to be educated rightly. What kind of education produces virtue? Socrates answers with two essential forms: Music and Gymnastics.
These terms mean far more than we typically associate with them today. For Socrates, it was a much deeper meaning. Music was the cultivation of the soul through literature, arts, poetry, lyric songs, drama and myths that were passed down in ancient Greek culture for centuries. Gymnasium was the cultivation of the body, preparing students to practice virtue through discipline, strength, and self-mastery.
In this spirit, we have expanded our focus on Fridays to include many kinds of embodied formation, including gymnasium and common arts. We are intentionally turning our attention to things like manners, music, and manual arts to recover the deep wisdom of the past, giving students a sense of purpose in God’s world and equipping them to love God and others well.
Forma Fridays Across the Grades
We’re excited to have K-2 students having classes in fiber arts, aviation, and manners/etiquette. Our 3rd-6th grade students will be engaged in cooking, etiquette/gym, and drama. Middle school students and high school students not taking PE/PF will be working in our gardens and in music; all upper school students will be in Drama! We are looking forward to this new year of embodied learning and fun!