School Culture

A school’s culture is largely intangible. It is the atmosphere that you sense when you walk into a school or talk to the students and teachers within. Tangible policies and practices contribute to it, but school culture is something more; it is what emerges when persons assemble. Elements of school culture include the beliefs, values, and attitudes that children bring from home as well as those conveyed by the faculty, the school’s policies, the schedules and routines of the school, curriculum choice, and more. At Live Oak, we seek a school culture that values excellence and service. Our students show respect to authority, peers, and visitors. Early on Rhetoric students self-designated that Live Oak students should lead with humility and also follow with strength. Books, drama, nature, athletics and students’ successes in any field are celebrated at Live Oak.

The most important influence on school culture is the faculty. At Live Oak Classical School we have teachers who are actively engaging students in the educational process. We use hands-on projects and manipulatives. We read and discuss not just facts but ideas with students. We ask layers and layers of questions. We converse with our students daily to build trust and relationship. Our faculty know and care about each student.

Uniforms
The purpose of a uniform is to instill an attitude of attentiveness and respect towards our studies, minimize the distraction of fashion, eliminate dress code conflicts, and help forge a distinctive school culture.

Partnership with Parents & Families
At Live Oak, we affirm that parents are a child’s first and best teachers. We desire to work in tandem with parents, assisting them in their God-given task to train their children in mind, body, and spirit. Consequently, parents can expect our faculty and administrators to maintain strong lines of communication with parents regarding their child. We anticipate that parents will regularly participate in the success of our school through their prayers and volunteerism.

Excellence without Elitism
At Live Oak, we desire to make Christian classical education accessible to any child who would benefit most from this style of learning and instruction. Therefore, we welcome applicants from various levels of academic achievement and from all economic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. We do provide significant needs-based tuition assistance to qualified applicants. Our faculty and staff lend support to all of our students to help with the transition.

While our school has a selective admission process based on many variables, Live Oak Classical School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational, admission, financial aid or employment policies, or any other programs administered by the school.

The Houses of Live Oak

Historical Basis
The house system is a traditional method of dividing students within a school into different groups for the purposes of camaraderie and competition. This system is widely used in British schools and schools that model themselves after the British system. Houses traditionally were developed in boarding schools, where students actually ate, drank, and slept in individual houses during school terms. This system was adopted by day schools, where the term ‘house’ refers simply to groupings of pupils, though no particular buildings are involved. Houses are usually named after people of historical significance, saints, colors, or animals. Today, the house system exists largely for the purpose of competition. The traditional school sports day is usually an inter-house competition. Debating competitions and service projects are also often organized along inter-house lines. Merit points for behavior and academic achievement may also be totaled for comparison between houses.

Grammar Houses
The Grammar Houses of Live Oak Classical School are designed to encourage competition between students and to create a support system for our students by fostering a sense of belonging. Establishing a sense of tradition and providing more opportunity for leadership were also reasons for founding a House system. At Live Oak, students compete in academics, community service, sports, reading, character awards, and games to earn House points. Students are awarded House points for achievement, good behavior, attendance, and other accomplishments in their class. House points are tallied up at the end of each week and the running total is eagerly awaited by all students and announced during the assembly times. There is keen but good-natured rivalry among the four Houses to see who will win the House Awards each year.

Logic and Rhetoric Houses
The House System in the Logic and Rhetoric Schools is comprised of the Houses of Augustine, Dante, Lewis, and O’Connor: all great Christian thinkers and authors. Not only do these Houses represent an outlet for friendly competition, they also provide opportunities for students of multiple grade levels to interact for their mutual betterment and mentorship. Furthermore, the House system offers opportunity for student leadership and representation from each high school class as well as ample all school involvement.