Exeter Classical Christian School

73 Winter Street Exeter, NH 03833
www.ExeterClassicalChristian.org

Our Mission
ECCS exists to bring the blessing of an excellent education to small groups of selected students, teaching and encouraging them to use their gifts in a life of Christian commitment and service to the world.

ECCS is both Christian and Classical
We teach every discipline in the light of One Great Book – the Bible, and we introduce students to the great books of Western Civilization.

Twelve – Four – One
Our educational method is summarized by these threenumbers…

Twelve: This is the maximum number of students in any one location (house). The school will expand through starting new houses at new locations, each with one headmaster and up to twelve students. The small house size allows one highly qualified headmaster to work with up to twelve students in an extended family environment that encourages individual responsibility and mutual respect and care. The students include boys and girls from grades six through twelve. This is the largest peer environment for the ECCS students and includes opening devotional exercises, a weekly Bible/Theology class, lunch, physical education, assemblies, and activities.

Four: Most learning at ECCS takes place in a “tutorial”
where one teacher works with smaller groups (an average of four students). This scale permits in-depth attention to topics, and helps students to take ownership for their assignments and ideas. This format is used for Latin, classic literature, history, geography, logic, rhetoric, art history, music appreciation, and science.

One: To maximize individual achievement in Mathematics and Language Arts, students work “one-on-one” with one instructor aiding one student in individual study. Through this approach, advanced and highly-motivated students are able to move much more quickly and efficiently than they might in a standard classroom environment. All students are encouraged to grow as self-directed learners.

The Senior Thesis
Every ECCS graduate must successfully defend a substantial thesis on a topic of his or her choice before the Board of Directors of the school. The students work individually with the headmaster, who guides them through the thesis-writing process.

Helping Students toward this Goal
The entire ECCS experience can be viewed through the lens of the successful completion and defense of a senior thesis. The thesis is the culmination of a student’s efforts in many important facets of personal and academic development:
• Knowledge of a variety of subject areas…
• Logical skill in considering various arguments…
• Rhetorical ability and confidence before a group of
adults…
• Moral and spiritual foundations for appropriate
persuasion…
• Self-discipline in order to meet deadlines…
• Character and poise in facing a significant
challenge…

It is this final goal of achievement that we have in mind
throughout the years of our work with every student. In
Middle School we are helping students to see that they can accomplish great things with God’s help. In High School we continue with that theme and challenge them to approach the world from an adult perspective. Through their entire education we are seeking their growth as well-rounded Christians.

Our Educational Heritage
Since our goals for our students are not particularly typical, it is not very surprising that the means that we use to achieve those goals are different than some other educational alternatives. While the ECCS “Twelve – Four – One” approach may seem unusual, the components of it are not novel.

Some Historical Background
Twelve: Exeter, New Hampshire is a town that has been famous for secondary school education for many decades.  Home to one of the world’s premier high schools (Phillips Exeter Academy), the town attracts students from all over the United States and the world to a demanding academic environment with many excellent advantages in facilities and programs. One of the most noteworthy things about the Phillips Exeter approach is the “Harkness Method.” With a class size of twelve young people all seated around an oval
table, students are encouraged to take maximum
responsibility for their education. It is hard to hide around a Harkness Table. The size of the ECCS “house” takes some inspiration from this proven Harkness philosophy.

Four: The idea of student responsibility for the
achievement of academic excellence is an ancient concept. From the 5th century BC Socratic method through the present day home-schooling movement, the education of children within small settings has a strong record of success. Schools like Oxford University and Williams College have very deliberate traditions of tutorial learning. The ECCS “tutorial” learning environment makes use of the benefits of having one accomplished instructor working with a small number of students who remain engaged in the work before them.

One: Even a group of four can be too large in order to achieve certain goals. In 1871, James A. Garfield (U.S.
President in 1881) spoke of his experience at Williams College in this way: “The ideal college is [a professor] on one end of a log and a student on the other.” While there is much benefit in learning how to work as a group of twelve or four, every student must ultimately be responsible for his or her own advancement. This common sense insight has helped ECCS create an environment where students learn to set goals and to discover their ability to learn in a self-directed way.

“Twelve – Four – One” Learning at ECCS takes place on a scale that makes sense and has been proven effective for centuries.

What about…
Lab Sciences: The ECCS curriculum includes lab sciences throughout the years of instruction. Materials designed for home-school and small-group classes work very well with the school’s educational philosophy and methodology.

Athletics: All students participate in a strong program of calisthenics designed for military recruits preparing for Basic Training in the United States Marine Corps. The students work toward achieving personal goals of strength and endurance. Students who excel in a particular sport may also be eligible to participate on a team at a local public High School.

Activities: The school has an annual drama production that involves not only interested students, but also adults who are trusted friends of the school. This gives the students an opportunity to work in a team setting with other Christian men and women who serve as good role models for ECCS students. Students are generally given the key roles in any play. Some prefer to work behind the scenes, while others have an opportunity to develop and use their acting skills.

Students are also encouraged to be involved in other
activities that match their interests and abilities. Students in the school have participated in school debates, speech competitions, musical performances, and community service activities. Students have also started school newspapers or worked on various creative writing projects.

College Admission: We graduated our first two students in 2006. Both were accepted at every school to which they applied. We work with parents and students to consider choices for higher education carefully, so that well-informed goals can be pursued.

Tuition and Fund-Raising
ECCS has an innovative system of tuition and fund-raising that encourages individual and family initiative in meeting the financial needs of the school. The cost for tuition and books for 2007-2008 is $5,475. The final tuition payment every year is reduced based on the fund-raising efforts of the families. This keeps everyone involved with the financial health of the school.

Opportunities to Give
The Robert Palmer Fund: This fund, named in honor of a friend of the school who has served the larger church and her young people for many years, was established to help the school with short-term financial needs as we grow.

International Students Fund: Currently we have two
Ukrainian students at ECCS. Both of the boys come from families that are serving the church. They do not have the means to afford the airfare, tuition, and living expenses necessary for the education of these students. Gifts of approximately $7,000 per student per year are necessary to cover the cost of each international student. This fund is currently in a deficit of about $4,000. International students are a part of the Exeter tradition and are a great blessing to the ECCS community.

Exeter Classical Christian School...
Supporting churches and families as together we lead young men and women along the pathway to mature Christian adulthood.

For further information or an application call:
(603) 686-1061