Lighthouse Academy
Quest I, II, & III
Ages 14+
Quest is an Apprentice Scholar project. It is a two-year course for students 14 years and older. In Quest, our goal is to learn to read like a lawyer, write like an author, speak like an orator, and think like a philosopher. Through Quest, students will awaken their sense of personal mission and ignite their passion to pay the price for a great education. The mentor takes students through the study of great leadership in history, using original documents and intensive essay and research writing. It is the perfect format for mentors to help their students to move from practice scholar, through apprentice scholar, and into self-directed scholar. Mentors encourage scholars to gain scholar skills, discipline, vision, and mission, getting them ready to submit to a mentor in the liberal arts and gain an understanding of world views and government.
Quest I is one semester long and is the first level of this project. In Quest 1, students will study the lives and speeches of statesmen and women including such possibilities as Joan of Arc, Martin Luther, John Brown, Frederick Douglass, Patrick Henry, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Malala, and/or Martin Luther King Jr. This class focuses on becoming familiar with statesmen/women and is heavy on reading and writing as the scholars begin to learn proper MLA formatting, the structure of the five-paragraph essay, and proper citation practices.
Quest II is the second semester of this project. A student must complete all of the assignments in Quest 1 in order to move on to Quest 2. In Quest 2, students will research six characteristics of statesmen/women: virtue, wisdom, courage, diplomacy, inspiring greatness in others, and moving the cause of liberty. This class focuses on developing the traits of a statesman/woman and putting them into practice in the world. It is heavy on reading, writing, speech, research, and service.
Quest III is the third and final class in the Quest project. This is a full year. A student must complete all of the assignments in Quest 2 in order to move on to Quest 3. The scholar should be used to thinking now, challenging prevailing assumptions, seeking answers, asking penetrating questions and defending his or her opinions. This class focuses on studies in human nature, worldviews and government, and learning forms/systems. Scholars participate in a Supreme Court simulation and give a final oral presentation to the community.
Scholars will also learn...
Vision: to see that the world needs valiant leaders and recognize their potential to fill that role.
Mission: to prepare themselves to fulfill their personal life mission.
Ability: to begin with the end in mind, create systems and habits to accomplish their vision, and develop the six keys of personal influence.
Skills: to have an increased capacity to read, write, speak and think while utilizing evidence/proofs which support their statements.
Books and other materials needed
(subject to change by the mentor):
Student manual - $20+
Quest I Books
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc by Mark Twain
Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God, Changed the World by Eric Metaxas
Give Me Liberty by David J. Vaughan
Fiery Vision by Clinton Cox
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
Gandhi: Fighter Without a Sword by Jeanette Eaton
My Life With Martin Luther King, Jr. by Coretta Scott King
The Walking Drum by Louis L’Amour
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey
The Chosen by Chaim Potok
God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew
Quest II Books
Six scholar-choice biographies about individuals exemplifying virtue, wisdom, diplomacy, courage, inspiring greatness in others, and moving the cause of liberty
The Anatomy of Peace by The Arbinger Institute
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
Endurance by Alfred Lansing
Symphony for the City of the Dead by M.T. Anderson
Quest III Books
Supreme Power by Ted Stewart
The 5000 Year Leap by Cleon Skousen
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Understanding the Times by David Noebel
How much time is required for work outside of class?
Quest is the most intensive course offered at SITL: intensely rigorous and intensely rewarding. Quest scholars should be prepared to spend 10-15 hours a week doing work outside of class.
Parent involvement?
Parents are part of the Quest scholar’s mentor team and will commit to a weekly parent mentor meeting with their scholar to help them with scheduling and time management, writing, speech practice, presentations, simulations, etc. The idea is to let the scholar lead and provide them with support as they do so, listening to and challenging them along the way. Parents must be an active commonwealth member, be present on campus and agree to stay up-to-date on Band, our commonwealth’s communication app.