OUR SCHOOL

Our Mission & Vision

Cultivating scholars for impactful global engagement, ethical citizenship, and lifelong learning.

Socrates Academy is a preparatory school for college and career readiness that works in partnership with our local and global community to inspire scholars to reach their full academic and intellectual potential. Scholars employ intellectual curiosity and engage in critical thinking while adhering to principles of diversity, equity, equality, and empathy. Multicultural competency is enriched with advanced coursework in the Greek language and cultural heritage, the cradle of western civilization and democracy.

To fulfil our mission, we envision a school that promises an intellectual environment that:

• Aims to build strong personal and academic foundations and a well-rounded educational experience through a rigorous multicultural curriculum that draws on the heritage of the 4,000-year-old Greek civilization.

• Promotes critical thinking skills in scholars through inquiry, logic, questioning, problem solving, team collaboration, and the Socratic method.

• Values global engagement and citizenship, social and cultural diversity, inclusion and equity, ethical responsibility, environmental awareness, and mutual respect.

• Nurtures curiosity, creativity, and innovation in the classroom.

• Encourages teachers to teach utilizing evidence-based practices.

• Promotes the development of all stakeholders, including students, faculty, staff, and families, within a safe, accountable, respectful setting, and a positive school culture.

• Facilitates meaningful local, national, and global collaborative academic and business relationships and partnerships.

 

Our Core Values

Our vibrant school community embodies the following values:

• Filotimo (Greek: Φιλότιμο): Αlmost impossible to translate sufficiently, as it describes a complex array of virtues that encompass honor, dignity and pride; to always act with righteousness, integrity, and honor.

• Arete (Greek: Αρετή): Excellence of any kind and moral virtue. Fulfillment of purpose or function: the act of living up to one's full potential.

• Philoxenia (Greek: Φιλοξενία): eagerness to show hospitality

• Ethos (Greek: Ηθος): Ethical Behavior

• Personal Responsibility: Each person is accountable for their actions and the welfare of their community.

• Empathy and Kindness: Engaging in cognitive, emotional, and compassionate understanding of others and responding with kindness.

• Respect of Diversity, Equity, and Justice

• Moral Courage: Doing what is right and leading by example

• Strive for Excellence (Greek: Αιέν αριστεύειν): Setting goals and always striving to do one’s best and seeking continuous improvement

​

The Socrates Approach

The Academy’s multilingual, multicultural curriculum follows both the North Carolina Essential Standards and Common Core (language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, physical education, art, and music) and the National Greek Curriculum Standards (language arts, mathematics, and Greek culture).

 

Instruction relies on the Socratic Method to foster critical analytical thinking. The program is characterized by high academic quality with a special emphasis in mathematics, reading, writing, character development, multiculturalism, and early learning of a second and third language.

 

 

What is the Socratic Method?

Definition: The use of questions as employed by Socrates to develop a latent idea, as in the mind of a pupil, or to elicit admissions, as from an opponent,tending to establish a proposition.

 

The Socratic Method is the oldest, and still the most powerful, teaching tactic for fostering critical thinking. It is also know as inquiry-based teaching. In Socratic teaching we focus on giving students questions, not answers. We model an inquiring, probing mind by continually probing into the subject with questions. Questions are used to arouse curiosity and at the same time serve as a logical, incremental, step-wise guide that enables students to figure out about a complex topic or issue with their own thinking and insights.

 

The Socratic method is an integral part of instruction at Socrates Academy.  This method of thought and analysis has been in use since the time of the ancient Greeks and has been recognized as not only an effective teaching tool, but also an engaging way for students to take an active role in their own education.

​

Want to learn more about the Socratic Method? Take a Look >>