Ad Fontes seeks to offer clubs and activities that engage student interest, enhance student fellowship and further the intellectual and spiritual development of our students.

Latin Club
Led by Mr. Arthur Rogers

This Friday afternoon club uses this after-school time to teach, discuss, inspire and celebrate with students all aspects of the Roman and Greek cultures.  Students learn about the myths, religions, grammar, cultures and histories of these ancient civilizations through a dynamic game. They play a jeopardy style game, called certamen, which means contest or struggle in Latin. Our students have also competed throughout Virginia and Maryland in various state and national competitions during the school year. To deepen their knowledge of the Latin language and see that Latin truly is alive, advanced students have traveled to Rome, Italy as a culmination of their hard work and studies throughout the years.

Mock Trial
Led by Mrs. Jeanette Faulkner and Mr. Kerry Lockhart

This past year, in our third year of Mock Trial, we were excited to win the state championships and compete at Nationals. Mrs. Faulkner and Mr. Lockhart lead this club.

The high school mock trial program is designed to encourage students to explore constitutional concepts, courtroom protocol and basic litigation skills. All the schools in a state are presented with the same mock case, usually modeled from a real-life case. The school must be prepared to prosecute and defend the case against teams from other high schools in a real courtroom before real judges and attorneys.

The students learn how to distill facts from opinion, strategize a plan for victory and then write both direct and cross examinations. They learn a scaled down version of the Federal Rules of Evidence and must use them to make objections and defend against objections, based on the law. They are also required to present their case, including five-minute opening and closing statements. Witnesses on the team are required to be so familiar with their witness’s fact statement that they could withstand grueling cross examination by the other team without tripping over the facts. They are also provided the added bonus of dramatically bringing their character to life.

This legal sport brings together many distinctive aspects of classical and Christian school program including the ability for students to decipher source documents, and the study of logic and rhetoric.

Odyssey of the Mind
Led by Mrs. Susan Smith

Odyssey of the Mind is a competitive program for creative problem-solving by teams of students.  Ad Fontes will have one team of 5 to 7 high school students this year.  Students can expect to attend these weekly meetings from September until December, and then the team may meet more often until the regional competition in late February. For more information about OM, go to odysseyofthemind.com. Contact Mrs. Susan Smith at ssmith@adfontes.com with questions.

Strategy and Tactics Club
Led by Mr. Al Popp

This new after school club gathers students to compete in various games, including Axis and Allies. The club encourages fun competition while enhancing thinking skills.