Joy in Scholarship
Ensign Peak Academy invites and teaches students to become the kind of scholars who are able to recognize, appreciate, seek for and enjoy that which is good, true and beautiful. We do this in three ways:
1. The mentors engage students’ interest in the carefully selected course topics, and then guide the students in discovering and discussing how those topics can enliven their thinking, and bring meaning, interest and variety to their lives. Students can see, hear and share typed comments with their mentors and other students in the live online classroom.
2. The courses and teaching are designed to correlate with the methods, curriculum and purposes for learning, as outlined in D&C 88:78-80
Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand;
Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms
That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you.
Elder Paul V. Johnson explains the importance of this pattern for education in the following video:
3. Mentors invite students to select from a variety of assignment choices. When students explore topics of individual interest, they experience greater fulfillment as scholars. Assignments thoughtfully written to…
- Invite interaction with family members
- Provide ample opportunity for creativity
- Acquaint students with valuable and interesting new knowledge
- Open awareness of how their new knowledge relates to their own lives and to the restored gospel
Learning in Light of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ
By design, Ensign Peak Academy courses demonstrate to students that “all things denote there is a God.” Emphasis is placed on seeing the hand of God in all aspects of life, from the creation to the present day.
President Howard W. Hunter stated, “With God our Heavenly Father, all truth, wherever found or however apprehended, is circumscribed into one great whole. Ultimately, there are no contradictions, no quarrels, no inscrutable paradoxes, no mysteries.”
Students are invited to feel gratitude for the beautiful world in which we live, for our bodies, for our families and for the multitude of blessings that are and have been extended to mankind.
Students are encouraged to seek for the influence of the Holy Ghost and to make choices about the way they live each day, by setting aside distractions so that they can continue their education, prepare for a life of meaning and purpose, plan for their future family, and experience the joy of giving service to others.
Elder David A. Bednar explains this emphasis in the following video:
Love for Liberty
If your ultimate objective is to build men and women who understand the nature of freedom, have experienced how to use it, have a deep love for learning and have taken the upper hand in their own education, then you would implement practices to meet that objective.
It is the student’s privilege to decide to love learning, to seek after scholarship, to hear the call to engage in worthy causes, and to determine his or her personal mission.
Ensign Peak Academy cultivates love for liberty in the hearts of its students, in the following ways:
- The curriculum is woven with stories, principles, articles, examples, speeches and teachings that honor those who have established liberty, and promote the cause of liberty in our day.
- Students may choose to enroll in any number of the courses being taught live each year.
- A variety of assignment options are provided for each lesson, to promote student choice.
- High school graduation is optional.
- Students are supported in making and keeping goals, and in managing their own time.