Each student has a mentor assigned to him/her each year. Every month the student will meet with that mentor and they will discuss together the students’ progress, goals, and etc. This is an important time where valuable one-on-one discussion can take place.

Oral exams are the grand finale of each semester. At the end of each semester each student will stand up in front of a small selection of mentors, board members, and parents to deliver an oral exam that covers information that the student has learned throughout the entire semester. This exam includes a mixture of monologue where the student presents information and a Q&A where mentors, board members, and parents ask questions pertinent to that semester’s studies and the student gives his/her answers.

This is an opportunity for students to look back over all the material for the semester and pull out the principles that have most impacted their lives. Because of their deep preparation for this exam, we see students’ transformation in real time. No one–students, mentors, or parents–is the same after this experience. Students are encouraged to prepare both mentally and spiritually for their oral; it will reveal to them their true selves and their amazing potential! These exams are a reward and treat for everyone involved!

What are Oral Exams? An oral exam is an opportunity for each student to demonstrate their understanding in an presentation/Q and A format. Students will present and answer questions for approximately 45 minutes.

Are there regular classes during Oral Exam week? Regular classes are not held during oral exam week. Seminary classes WILL be held.

Who attends Oral Exams? Students will present to mentors, Ascend board members, and their parents/family.

What do I wear? Students should dress professionally. Sunday best is appropriate.

When do I come for orals? Sign ups for specific time slots will be available.

Other questions? Reach out to your student’s Leadership Mentor for specific details about their oral exam. Mentors will coach students on how best to prepare.

BASIC SUPPLIES:
-Refillable Water Bottle -Lunch Box
-Backpack
-Student Planner

HISTORY / LITERATURE / US GOVERNMENT

BOOKS:
1. “Increase in Learning” by David A. Bednar
2. “Thomas Jefferson Education for Teens” by Oliver DeMille & Shanon Brooks
3. “The Phantom Tollbooth” by Norton Juster
4. FOR THE GIRLS: “Anne of Green Gables” by L. M. Montgomery
5. FOR THE BOYS: “Bendigo Shafter” by Louis L’Amour
6. “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coehlo
7. “The Walking Drum” by Louis L’Amour
8. “We Hold These Truths to be Self Evident” by Oliver DeMille
9. “The Law” by Frederic Bastiat
10. “The Five Thousand Year Leap” by Cleon W. Skousen
11. The New Testament (Selections)
12. “The Scarlet Pimpernel” by Baroness Orzy
13. “Endurance” by Alfred Lansing
14. “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis
15. “Bambi” by Felix Salten
16. “God’s Smuggler” by Brother Andrew
17. “The Hiding Place” by Corrie Ten Boom
18. “When My Name Was Keoko” by Linda Sue Park
19. “Breaking Stalin’s Nose” by Eugene Yelchin
20. “Man’s Search for Meaning” by Biktor Frankl
21. “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare

SUPPLIES:
1. Bound Notebook, blank pages (not ruled)
2. Pens/Mechanical Pencils

LEADERSHIP SEMESTER ONE

BOOKS:
1. “Bonds That Make Us Free” by C. Terry Warner
2. “And There Was Light” by Jacques Lusseyran

LANGUAGE ARTS

BOOKS:
1. “Silas Marner” by George Eliot

SUPPLIES:
1. Two composition notebooks per semester
2. Mechanical pencils

SCIENCE-FORENSICS

BOOKS:
1. “Blood, Bullets, and Bones” by Bridget Heos

SUPPLIES:
1. 3 ring binder
2. A plastic folder with pockets that fits in a 3 ring binder

SPANISH CLASS

BOOKS:
1. Spanish Workbook for Middle School and High School Students by My Daily Spanish

SUPPLIES:
1. Mechanical pencils/ Pens

MATH CLASSES: (See your student’s specific math class supplies)

MATH 6
1. Horizons 6th Grade Math Student Book 1 (semester one) (Lifepac)
2. Section in a 3-ring binder for Math and filler paper
3. Mechanical pencils

MATH 7
1. Fine tip Expo Dry Erase Markers
2. Section in a 3-ring binder for Math and filler paper

PRE-ALGEBRA/ALGEBRA
1. 3x5 Index Cards
2. 3 ring binder with filler paper (NO spiral notebooks please)
3. Calculator

GEOMETRY
1. Geometry set with protractor, ruler, and compass (locking compass preferred)
2. Texas Instruments TI-30XIIS Scientific Calculator
3. One 1 inch 3 ring binder exclusively for math
4. 5 tab dividers (homemade fine)
5. Lined filler paper (NO spiral notebooks please)
6. Graph paper
7. Mechanical pencils
8. 100 pack 3x5 Index Cards

ALGEBRA 2 / TRIGONOMETRY
1. 3x5 Index Cards
2. 3 ring binder with filler paper (NO spiral notebooks please)
3. Texas Instruments TI-30XIIS Scientific Calculator