Greek Orthodox Christianity is our guiding practice at AOS. It shapes every part of our school from our mission to our values. Religion classes at AOS provide students with a deeper understanding of our Christian faith and are tailored to the age of every child. From short and sweet songs in the Delphi classroom, to research projects in eighth grade, our students learn what it means to embrace all of God's creation with a joyful spirit.

Each grade level at AOS follows an overarching theme in religion class. Jones Center focuses on God’s love and Bible stories that illustrate the ways they can obey God and be a light for Jesus. Kindergarten students learn about friendships through the Golden Rule, parables on forgiveness, and how to spend time with Jesus to change their hearts. First grade’s theme is God’s Promises. Students enjoy lessons about the heroes of the Old Testament and how to write prayers. Second grade explores miracles in the New Testament and learns that nothing is impossible for God. They also follow lessons from Be the Bee, a faith-based video series. Third grade learns about God and His people. This includes the Ten Commandments, Jesus’ baptism, and a cross-curricular assignment with social studies class where they research an Orthodox Church in every state. Fourth grade’s theme is “God on Location” and they cover books of the Bible, the missionary journeys of St. Paul, and parables as they relate to modern day. Fifth grade’s main focus is the Old Testament where they learn about the four covenants of God, Old Testament prophecies, and geography with historical context to discuss how it influences conflicts places like Israel still face today. Sixth grade students learn about the Book of the Acts of the Apostles and St. Peter’s influence in spreading Christianity to ultimately establish the Church. Seventh grade picks up where sixth grade leaves off and focuses on the Orthodox Church and its specific practices and teachings. Finally, eighth grade students take all they have learned and apply it to several projects and activities. For example, they create a read-aloud using WeVideo about the saints and complete the Matthew 25 Project which asks them to research global hunger and make a presentation that requests aid from the IOCC.

While each class is dedicated to its own topic, all students participate in other religious programming and activities such as daily prayer, weekly chapel services, Chapel Buddies, cutting of the Vasilopita, and live Nativities. To learn more about religious education at AOS, please visit the Parent Ed resource board or the Greek Orthodoxy page on our website.