Magna Vita is a high school elective* that explores what it means to live a great life.

Magna Vita (Latin etymology): Great Life

*With an option for receiving dual-credit (3 elective university hours)

For the 2024-25 School Year:

Tuesdays in-person from 2:45-3:45 pm

An a la carté class offered in collaboration with Scholé Hall in Georgetown, Texas

Enroll Your Student:

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog (1818), by Caspar David Friedrich

Beginning & Ending With Virtue

Covering a wide variety of topics, this one-year high school “leadership” elective explores timeless wisdom and how it applies to modern, everyday life as young adults. We cover personal development, adulthood preparation, vocation exploration, time-tested ideas from smart folks, and more.

Students also create a Capstone Project, a year-long endeavor of their interest — a great experience and deliverable for college applications, resumés, and personal development overall.

For 11th & 12th graders

Please note: In Magna Vita, it should be expected that the teaching reflects a Christian worldview with the belief that the purpose of life for all humans is union with Christ, but the only requirements of my students are a good attitude, a willingness to learn, a motivated work ethic, and respect toward others.

Meet the Teacher

Hi! I'm Tsh Oxenreider, but most students call me Mrs. O. I’ve homeschooled my three teenagers for years (one of whom is already in college), and when I'm not chasing our backyard chickens back into their coop, I'm usually penning my newsletter or next book.

Please note: I teach as a Christian adhering to the historic, universal Christian faith and affirming the Nicene Creed as a faithful summary of the faith, as well as the necessity of Christian unity as Jesus explicitly prayed (John 17:20-23). In Magna Vita, it should be expected that the teaching reflects a Christian worldview with the belief that the purpose of life for all humans is union with Christ, but the only requirements of my students are a good attitude, a willingness to learn, a motivated work ethic, and respect toward others.

Magna Vita for dual-enrollment college credit! 🎓

I’m officially certified to offer Magna Vita as an elective available for three hours of college credit. Part of our year-long class curriculum includes creating a Capstone Project, and I use the resource CEDE from Catholic University of America’s Busch School of Business in Washington, D.C. as our scaffolding (the class is ecumenical, not Catholic-specific).

If students would like to earn college credit for their capstone projects, they may enroll with CUA (I provide the simple sign-up form) and parents would simply pay them an additional $150 (a fantastic rate for college credit hours!). Students submit their project at the end of the school year to CUA for approval, and the university would then offer the three credit hours as an elective. You are responsible for checking with various prospective universities as to whether they would accept these transfer hours, but the staff at CUA may provide help and as the teacher-mentor, I’m happy to provide guidance.

All students in Magna Vita follow this curriculum regardless whether they want to seek dual-enrollment credit, so there is no additional work assigned if they’d like to pursue this route (beyond the CUA form and additional fee).

FAQ

  • Students come having done all their work in advance, prepared for a discussion-led class with their peers. Generally speaking, we spend half the class time unpacking and discussing the homework from the week, usually including a Socratic discussion on the current class reading (and often some sort of student presentation). The other half typically includes new content in preparation for the next week's work at home.

  • As an elective, true "homework" in the classic sense is minimal, yet students are expected to participate fully in what's assigned to them. Weekly reading assignments, when they're given, are typically short because the bulk of the work tends to be life skills-related and therefore more hands-on.

    Likewise, students will get as much out of their Capstone Projects as they are willing to work on them. The good news with those is that they often relate directly to what they might be interested in post-high school — they might write a novel and eventually get it published, for example, or seek out an internship that leads to a job! There's lots of room for creativity here.

  • The books and supply list will be finalized by August 1, 2024. In the meantime, know that supplies are minimal and largely consist of writing utensils, paper of some sort, and a few books (used are great!).

  • A: Signing up for a class with me is a commitment. I offer a penalty-free cancellation for three weeks so students and parents can get a feel for the course. After this, if you decide to transfer, move, or drop the class, you must pay half of the full year’s remaining tuition. Without this policy, I cannot keep smaller classes profitable or beneficial. Thank you for understanding!

  • Nope, it's illegal — it's considered animal abuse because they're social beings and get lonely.

  • I’d assume so! Head here for my class rules FAQs, and accommodations policies. (A full handbook will be sent following class enrollment.)

Enroll Your Student in Magna Vita!

Secure their spot with a non-refundable deposit:

Full Tuition: $500*

remaining balance paid either in full, by the semester, or monthly (invoice sent in August)

*Plus $150 to CUA if the student wants to pursue college credit

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly.”

- Theodore Roosevelt