9th and 10th Grade & Growing
High SchoolA Community for Learning
FOrmation, day by day
A school is not an interchangeable container for education. Rather, it must be a trellis on which the vine of learning may grow. The Imago High School’s schedule reflects the belief that what we do each day demonstrates what we truly believe and will shape who we truly are. To that end, we incorporate in our schedules daily, weekly, and annual expressions of the principles that undergird our teaching—hospitality, goodness, leisure, and service.
Imago High school Curriculum overview
Literary & Language Studies
Ancient Literature
Through an understanding of comparative worldviews, students engage in deep readings of timeless works of literature on which our western culture was built. Epics from Ancient Egypt, Israel, Greece and Rome are analyzed, discussed and examined through a Christ-centered worldview. Students learn to reason well, to read actively, and to communicate their ideas and convictions with supportive evidence, clarity, and style. They begin the transition from a five-
paragraph essay into classical rhetorical form.
Medieval and Renaissance Literature
Students will survey the most celebrated literary masterworks of the Middle Ages, Renaissance and beyond with an emphasis on themes of courtly love, faith, virtue, sin, and redemption. From the soaring philosophy of Augustine’s Confessions to the poetic heights of Dante and Shakespeare to the allegorical insights of Pilgrims Progress, students will learn to ask questions, attend to the text and its author, and find models in the Great Conversation that led up to the modern age.
Latin III
Latin III develops skills needed to read Latin fluently. Our textbook, Hans Ørberg’s Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata is entirely in Latin, and moves step by step through different features of the language with an emphasis on understanding what is read. Unlike grammar-translation methods, this means grammatical forms are introduced and practiced after the text is understood. The stress is thus placed on comprehension and use of the language. Students also employ Latin actively in class (and in viva voce oral exams). A usual week of assignments involves reading out loud, rereading at home, doing exercises, conversing in Latin and taking
part in class activities (e.g., acting out parts, describing pictures, buying and selling in Latin.)
Latin III is a continuation of Imago’s Latin I and II. However, the textbook does allow for a completely fresh start with Latin as well. Students are encouraged to begin here too!
Latin IV
This is a continuation of Latin III of its aim of reading Latin fluently. We will finish Ørberg’s Familia Romana and supplement with further accessible readings. However, we will also touch on how to approach ancient texts, including using commentaries—and even produce some of our own.
Greek I
Expected 2027-28. This is the first part of a two year introduction to New Testament (Koine) Greek. This challenging course will be largely conducted by the grammar-translation method, with a focus on a rapid pass through Greek grammar. The aim of this sequence is to prepare students for study of the gospel of Mark in Greek II.
History
Ancient History
Students begin a study of ancient culture from creation to Rome, by considering the essential questions of human life and the core tenants of historic Christianity. An introduction to
apologetics ground students in the unchanging truths and historical reliability of Scripture. Through examining primary documents, geography, government, philosophy, and art history students carefully evaluate historical events and ideologies, while deepening their understanding of God’s Truth. Students develop skills of public speaking through project-based lectures, debates and Socratic discussions.
Medieval and Renaissance Literature
Students will track primarily European history, culture, worldview and the consequences of ideas from the fall of Rome through the 1700s. They will analyze the cultural shifts from paganism to Christianity to modern humanism and the beginning of the Enlightenment. TheNicene Creed also will serve as a touchstone for developing skills of philosophical, historical, and theological investigation into the history of the church. Students continue to develop rhetorical skills through memorized speeches, debates, project-based lectures, comparative essays, and Socratic discussions.
Mathematics
Geometry
Students take Geometry the year after they have completed Algebra I. Geometry is different from Algebra and from virtually all math that the students have seen before. The emphasis shifts from calculation and manipulation to the intellectual task of starting with a small number of definitions and postulates, and building up a large body of theorems from this modest beginning, using logic and deductive reasoning.
There is an emphasis on proofs, typically two-column, but flow and narrative approaches are also used. Students use the compass and straightedge to perform constructions.
After learning the properties of triangles and special quadrilaterals, students explore transformations and different kinds of symmetry. These topics provide an opportunity to introduce matrices to represent transformations in the coordinate plane.
The basic trigonometric functions are introduced using right triangles and the unit circle. After a chapter on regular polygons, the course concludes with a brief treatment of solids and geometry in three dimensions.
Algebra II/Trigonometry
Students take Algebra II/Trigonometry after they have completed Geometry. The course begins with a deeper dive into polynomials. Topics include the rational root theorem, the fundamental theorem of algebra, synthetic division, Vieta’s identities, and Descartes’ rule of signs. Complex numbers are explored. Systems of linear equations are covered in greater depth than in Algebra I, with students using matrices and their determinants to find solutions.
Arithmetic and geometric sequences and series are covered. Geometric sequences provide the opportunity to introduce the idea of limits. Exponential and logarithmic functions are introduced, and these topics lead to a more general discussion of functions and the existence of
inverse functions.
The course introduces conic sections, including their properties, equations, and graphs. Graphing hyperbolas shows that asymptotic lines are not always parallel to the y-axis.
Trigonometry covers the six basic trigonometric functions and numerous identities that follow from their definitions, including identities for angle sums and differences. The laws of sines and cosines are reviewed and covered in greater depth than they were in Geometry. Polar coordinates are introduced.
Precalculus
Expected 2027-28. Precalculus, to be taken after Algebra II/Trigonometry, prepares students for success in Calculus. Depending on interest and how well a student performs in Precalculus, he or she will be able to enroll in Calculus AB or Calculus BC the following year.
Precalculus provides an intensive review and more detailed treatment of concepts presented in Algebra II/Trigonometry, including a rigorous treatment of limits, a foundational concept of Calculus. Students also learn about Euler’s constant “e” (which is defined as a limit), a constant that appears repeatedly in Calculus. Logarithms, with an emphasis on natural logarithms (base e), are covered in depth.
Trigonometric and inverse trigonometric functions are reviewed, with an emphasis on their domains and ranges and associated graphs, including asymptotes. Important identities are reviewed and additional identities are developed.
The course includes a rigorous treatment of the general second degree polynomial in two dimensions, which is the basis for all conic sections (circles, ellipses, parabolas, hyperbolas). Polar coordinates in two and three dimensions are covered.
Sciences
Biology I
Expected 2027-28. This General Biology course begins with an introduction to what life is, but then quickly moves to the nuts and bolts of the ordered chemistry that makes this happen: atoms, molecules, and biomolecules. Cellular respiration, photosynthesis, and genetics follow. Plant biology includes plant taxonomy and a look at plant diversity on the microscopic level using an AP Biology slide set, and leads to a special “Your Plant Baby” assignment requiring students to care for a plant for several months. A slower exploration of Kingdom Animalia includes a focus on zoology including the dissection of many organisms including but not limited to the clam, earthworm, starfish, shark, bony fish, pigeon, and fetal pig. The most meaningful study of mammalia requires a detailed look at human anatomy and physiology. The use of mostly fresh animal specimens here brings this home to students in the study of the heart, lungs, kidney, eye, and brain.
Students will write three laboratory reports with research and citations in APA format during this course. Students wear white lab coats for the laboratory portion of this course and there is ample use of both dissecting and compound microscopes of university quality. We use multiple AP Biology materials for the lab section of the course and students will receive certification in First Aid, CPR, and AED in the final weeks of this course. For interested families, there is an honors track for this course. Students with an average of 90% or above may feel ready to sit for the CLEP Biology Test at the conclusion of the course which is considered college credit at participating universities.
Chemistry I
Students are expected to take this introduction to Chemistry in 9th or 10th grade. The course will prepare students for further study of chemistry. Topics covered include: scientific measurement (units, accuracy versus precision, significant figures), theory of atomic structure, the periodic table and electron configuration, electronegativity, different types of chemical bonds, compounds and molecular formulas, concept of a mole, chemical reactions and stoichiometry, properties of solutions, solubility rules, ideal gas laws, acids and bases, chemical equilibria, exothermic and endothermic reactions, reaction kinetics, and electrochemistry. Several laboratory experiments will be conducted over the course of the year, including flame tests, titrations, freezing point depression, specific heat measurement, calorimetry, and electrolysis. Students will learn how to record data and report their results in proper laboratory reports.
Fine Arts, Drama & Music
Fine Arts I
This 9th grade class will focus on building strong skills in drawing. Throughout the year, students will use these skills to explore architecture and the human form. Students will learn foundational drawing techniques and skills (value, color wheel and theory, form, and texture) to create future projects. Later in the year, the students will build off of drawing skills to create paintings and experiment with 3D art. Students will also explore art history that connects to other classes and have the opportunity to research an artist.
Fine Arts II
The 10th grade class will explore different styles of art in history that pertain to what is being taught in other classes. We will focus on the use of symbolism in artwork in several eras in history. Projects will include creating a coat of arms, self portraits, literature interpretation, Leonardo De Vinci study, and a Michelangelo study. Students will also build on foundations of drawing, experiment with light and 3D sculpture, and have the opportunity to research an artist.
Drama
Students of all years study both the creative and technical components of a stage craft. They study dramatic works in cultural context and practice improvisation, stage combat, vocalization, movement, and character development skills in preparation for the spring production. All students participate in this dramatic or musical production which corresponds with one of the historical eras in rotation: Greek and Roman, Medieval, Shakespearean, and modern.
Music
Music education takes place in and outside the classroom, both within the rhythm of school life and during dedicated practice times. Students continue to develop the art of singing in harmony, with focused instruction in four part singing. Daily acapella singing in Chapel is foundational, and offers a shared musical language within the high school community. Students also learn the beauty of giving music as a gift by mastering common and meaningful songs, such
as Happy Birthday and the Doxology, in four part harmony.
At the heart of the course is preparation for Lessons and Carols, the centerpiece of Imago’s music program, which has served the wider community for over forty five years. The catalogue for this program includes music from the ancient church as well as newly composed hymns written by our Director of Music, inviting students to participate in a living tradition.
Artisan Trades
Artisan Trades I: Introduction to Artisan Trades
The 9th grade Artisan Trades class seeks to revive the tradition of the (so-called!) common arts—those practical skills that sustain human flourishing and reflect humanity’s God-given calling to subdue and cultivate the earth (Genesis 1:28; 2:15). This hands-on course invites students to tinker and to build and aims to keep them thinking on their feet and using their God given hands and talents. Students will do woodworking projects, take part in small-scale farming, and
work with livestock.
Students will be introduced to some modern tools that enhance traditional crafts, such as basic digital design software, simple mechanics/electronics (e.g., farm tools) and learn appropriate use of power equipment. Technology is taught as a servant to human skill, not a replacement.
Artisan Trades II: Agriculture
Rooted in the classical model, this 10th grade course aims to help students understand what it means to “tend and keep” God’s creation through a combination of scientific study, hands-on practice, and theological reflection. Students will explore soil science, gardening, hydroponics, fieldwork, animal husbandry, sustainable farming, breeding and the history of agriculture; all while developing practical skills on a 10 acre farm in Stow.
Students will learn the fundamentals of caring for livestock, understanding animal behavior, designing humane living systems, and managing resources in ways that reflect God’s design for creation. The course will include an early breeding program introducing students to genetics, selective breeding, and the stewardship responsibilities involved in cultivating healthy, productive animals.
Athletics
Athletics Mission Statement
God has made us bodies capable of movement, of skill, of control, of elegance and beauty. And He has won the victory, so that life that rejoices in abundance of his goodness includes games, sports, and the pursuit of excellence. Therefore students ought not only learn to do sports well, but also to use the skills they develop to give God glory: to extend hospitality to others; to practice a posture of leadership that serves others; to develop a character of sportsmanship in all areas of life; and to have a proper relationship to competition and winning (for the glory of God, not the glory of man).
Our focus is on lifetime sports, which students can enjoy and pursue well beyond their school years. In doing so, we are not only passing down skills, but also the enthusiasm and love of sport modeled by our teachers.
Athletics Offerings
Lifetime sports we are currently offering or plan to offer in the future include but are not limited to:
Kayaking
Hiking
Volleyball
Rock Climbing
Racquet Sports
Golf
Archery
Skiing
High School Leadership
Diana McKee | Head of School
Academic Dean
Imago School Board Member, Ex Officio
Nature Studies, Grades 1 and 3
Diana McKee is a New Englander, having grown up in Bedford, MA and graduated from the University of Vermont with a double major in Elementary and Special Education. She taught in NH public schools for a couple of years before the first of her three sons was born, at which point she joyfully jumped in full-time as Mom and then as home school teacher. Diana’s Imago adventure began when her sons were 11, 10, and 7, when all four of them joined the school together. She spent her first 15 years teaching in the Upper School (8th English, 7/8th Science) under founder Linny Dey, and was the Upper School Activities Director. She also taught 5th and 6th Grade Science for a number of years, and as the current Head of School she still enjoys leading the 1st and 3rd graders in Nature Studies!
She and her husband Blair have been married for 33 years and enjoy frolicking with their 4 grandchildren. Some of her other delights are reading wonderful books, water skiing, hunting for frogs and turtles, and taking fish off hooks for Imago students during recess. Diana believes that there is no school as precious as Imago because of our students and their families, the faculty and staff, and the joy that is found here!
Diana McKee is a New Englander, having grown up in Bedford, MA and graduated from the University of Vermont with a double major in Elementary and Special Education. She taught in NH public schools for a couple of years before the first of her three sons was born, at which point she joyfully jumped in full-time as Mom and then as home school teacher. Diana’s Imago adventure began when her sons were 11, 10, and 7, when all four of them joined the school together. She spent her first 15 years teaching in the Upper School (8th English, 7/8th Science) under founder Linny Dey, and was the Upper School Activities Director. She also taught 5th and 6th Grade Science for a number of years, and as the current Head of School she still enjoys leading the 1st and 3rd graders in Nature Studies!
She and her husband Blair have been married for 33 years and enjoy frolicking with their 4 grandchildren. Some of her other delights are reading wonderful books, water skiing, hunting for frogs and turtles, and taking fish off hooks for Imago students during recess. Diana believes that there is no school as precious as Imago because of our students and their families, the faculty and staff, and the joy that is found here!
marta burbeck | co-head of school
Executive Director
Director of Admissions
Imago School Board Member, Ex Officio
Marta Burbeck is a lawyer from Hungary, where she lived for most of her life. She spent 10 years working at L’Abri Fellowship in England, which was founded in Switzerland by the apologist Francis Schaeffer and his wife, Edith. Marta and her husband, Danny, moved to the US in 2015 and they have 3 children, all whom attend The Imago School. Marta has worked at Imago since 2019. Her passions are hospitality and bringing people together; needless to say, Imago provides ample opportunity for her to practice that! She loves literature, history, architecture, fine art museums, classical music and wooden jigsaws, but most of all, she and her husband love to host family and friends in their home.
Marcos GouvÊa | Academic dean
Latin III & IV
Marcos Gouvêa joined Imago in 2023 as Latin II instructor, and will be Academic Dean of the high school beginning in fall of 2025.
Marcos was born in Brazil but has lived for most of his life in New England. His love of literature and desire to love God with all his mind has led to earning a BA from Williams College, an affiliate BA from Emmanuel College Cambridge, an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, and an MA and PhD from the University of Chicago in Classical Languages and Literatures. Marcos and his wife Devin have three daughters, all current Imago students. He enjoys cooking, reading aloud, watching and playing soccer, and talking theology and philosophy with his wife. They attend Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Marlborough.
Some of the greatest lessons he learned in Chicago were discovered in the university’s residence halls, where the Gouvêa family lived for seven years as Resident Heads. Those were days for learning to listen, to speak gently and firmly, to endure by the side of those suffering. While in this position, Marcos frequently reflected on what his students had brought in from their high school experiences. He feels having been given much, the Lord is now allowing him to share the treasures with others through the growth of a high school at Imago. May he be worthy of the task!
High School Faculty
Marcos GouvÊa | Latin III & IV
High School Academic Dean
Mentor
Marcos Gouvêa joined Imago in 2023 as Latin II instructor, and will be Academic Dean of the high school beginning in fall of 2025.
Marcos was born in Brazil but has lived for most of his life in New England. His love of literature and desire to love God with all his mind has led to earning a BA from Williams College, an affiliate BA from Emmanuel College Cambridge, an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, and an MA and PhD from the University of Chicago in Classical Languages and Literatures. Marcos and his wife Devin have three daughters, all current Imago students. He enjoys cooking, reading aloud, watching and playing soccer, and talking theology and philosophy with his wife. They attend Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Marlborough.
Some of the greatest lessons he learned in Chicago were discovered in the university’s residence halls, where the Gouvêa family lived for seven years as Resident Heads. Those were days for learning to listen, to speak gently and firmly, to endure by the side of those suffering. While in this position, Marcos frequently reflected on what his students had brought in from their high school experiences. He feels having been given much, the Lord is now allowing him to share the treasures with others through the growth of a high school at Imago. May he be worthy of the task!
John Bottini | High School Math & Science
Imago School Board Treasurer
Geometry, Calculus, & Chemistry
Mentor
John Bottini began working at The Imago School in 2022 as a volunteer, starting and leading the school’s Math Club. John became the school’s Geometry teacher at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year. He joined the school’s Board of Directors in the summer of 2023 and became the Treasurer shortly thereafter. John worked as a pension actuary from 1986 to 2022, advising large employers on the design, funding, accounting, and compliance issues associated with their defined benefit plans. John was a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, and Enrolled Actuary under the Joint Board of the Enrollment Actuaries, and a Member of the American Academy of Actuaries.
John has a B.S. in Chemistry from Stanford University and an A.M. in Chemistry from Harvard University. John and his wife, Tanya, live in Framingham and attend Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Marlborough. They have five grown children.
Carolyn Luciano | High School Literature & Humanities
Tenth Grade
Drama Instructor, Grades 5, 9, 10
Mentor
Originally from Connecticut, Carolyn studied Sociology and Art History at William Smith College and attended Deep Springs College as a visiting student. After earning her BA, she traveled the globe as a teaching fellow on Semester at Sea through The University of Pittsburgh. Upon moving to Massachusetts to attend graduate school, she met her husband Chris and began her teaching career. The following 27 years were spent teaching middle school, high school and college age students in the humanities and performing arts. While homeschooling her children, she was first introduced to the beauty and breadth of Classical Christian Education. More recently, she has been working as a Local Representative and Tutor for Classical Conversations, and enjoys equipping teachers and parents to teach classically. Carolyn is a mother of five, learning specialist, ski patroller, retired cowgirl, and serves on the production team of New Life Fine Arts in Concord, MA. She loves spending time outdoors and cooking huge breakfasts for hordes of teenagers. As a teacher at Imago, her heart’s desire is to make disciples, to learn alongside her students, inspire wonder and to invest her utmost for His Highest.
Nathaniel de Vries | Algebra II
Upper School Activities Coordinator
Science, Grades 6-8
Pre-Algebra
Nathaniel de Vries has been teaching various mathematics and science classes at the Imago School since 2020. From 6th grade to the Upper School, he loves showing students beautiful mathematical concepts and captivating their wonder with the intricate design found in God’s creation, teaching them about His “two books” of revelation. In 2020, Nathaniel received a Bachelor of Science in traditional mathematics with minors in physics and music from Worcester State University. Outside of school he enjoys time with his wife and family, growing vegetables, observing stars, planets, and other astronomical phenomena, and walking in the woods in search of ferns and fungi.
Maria McFarland | High School Artisan Trades
Eden’s Children, Recorder Instructor
Mentor
Julie Joyner began her relationship with the Imago School in 2015 when her granddaughter, Ella, became a Kindergarten student. After being introduced to and observing this wonderful community, Mrs. Joyner looked for ways to contribute by volunteering. When a music teacher position opened in 2017, she was ready to jump in.Having taught in many different capacities over the last 40 plus years (public school,camps, Christian school, private lessons, and church), Julie brings much experience to her classes. She graduated with a degree in vocal performance from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where she met her husband, Frank. Mrs. Joyner thinks she has the best job in the whole school and cannot believe she receives a paycheck for having so much fun with her students!
Zoe Burdick | High School Art
Art, Grades 5-10
Zoe lives in Worcester with her husband Jai, who is a filmmaker. Together, they are preparingfor a new chapter in life as they are expecting their first baby boy. Zoe moved to the Worcester area with her family as a freshman in high school and has called the city home ever since. She studied at Worcester State University, and got her Bachelor’s in Public Health with a minor in
Art.
Creativity has always been an important part of Zoe’s life and is something she shares with both sides of her family. Several members of her family have pursued fashion design, while her husband’s family is also full of creative people, and everyone has encouraged her own love for creating. Zoe enjoys drawing and fell in love with ceramics during high school. She also loves
floral arranging, baking (especially sourdough), and gardening as other creative outlets.
Outside of her creative pursuits, Zoe works at her church, and as a Birth Doula. She enjoys finding ways to serve others, be creative, and connect with the community around her.
Kate Conti | High school Literature & Humanities
Tenth Grade
Mentor
As a former homeschool mom of 3 kids, Kate carries more than 20 years of teaching experience in a variety of settings and with students of various ages and abilities. Throughout her teaching career, she has been passionate about making learning engaging. She encourages students at every age to be curious, think critically, and discover truth through meaningful conversation. Having taught a wide range of subjects, her greatest passion lies in literature. As an English and Mathematics double major, Kate also appreciates the elegance of numbers claiming mathematics is God’s language to explain what He’s already done.
Kate finds rest and renewal in the great outdoors—gardening, hiking, biking, blading, skiing, or simply reading a book on a blanket beneath a shady tree.
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The Imago School is a classical school for grades Pre-Kindergarten through 10th and growing, deeply rooted in the Christian Tradition of classical education. The Imago School is located in Maynard, Massachusetts, and was founded in 1980.