On Thursday, January 22, our high school students will participate in the annual Integrated Humanities Program (IHP) Symposium, where we will discuss one of the pivotal texts in "The Great Conversation." We human beings are animated by a desire to know the truth about reality, broadly, and of human life, in particular.
Each year, the IHP symposium is a focal point of the Valor High School program as it enables our students to experience "leisure” in a particularly intense way. At Valor, we aim to educate our students for “a full human life,” and leisure is an integral part of such a life. As the German philosopher Josef Pieper points out, “leisure” is a kind of freedom, but it is not merely “free time.” Rather, leisure is a time in which one is immersed in what is most ultimate and important through a communal celebration of what it means to be truly human, namely, seeking truth together in a community of friends. In this sense, leisure is an experience of authentic freedom.
In the Symposium, your student, along with some of their teachers and Valor leadership, will inquire together into what it means to seek meaning in one’s life. The Symposium includes breakfast and lunch, seminars with small groups of students from across the high school (ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades), short panel presentations from our faculty with student Q&A, and a keynote address.
Please note these guidelines for your scholar to be well-prepared:
Scholars must wear their ties for this event. If your scholar has misplaced their tie, a new one may be purchased from the front office for $10.
They only need to bring their copies of the reading, along with notebooks and their written responses (completed in their IHP class), which will be turned in at the beginning of the day.
Light breakfast, lunch, and snacks will be provided. Students should bring reusable water bottles.
Arrival and departure times for school will be the same as normal.
Please ask your scholars about the reading before Thursday and inquire about the Symposium after the event!
Symposium is going to be a memorable day! We look forward to this celebration and time of true leisure together.