13010 Mitchell Point Road, Newport News, VA 23602
757.249.2654

Honors Courses

Honors English

We offer four honors English classes for grades 9-12. These classes focus on critical reading, literary analysis, and expository writing. Grammatical constructs are touched upon, but are not emphasized, as students have been required to demonstrate a certain level of mastery in order to be placed in an honors English class.

Students are given the option to select an honors English class by their teacher. This placement is based upon an un-weighted numeric average of 90, as well as other factors that bode well for success in the honors English class. Placement in an honors English class for one year does not guarantee the same placement in subsequent years.

Similarly, a student may move from a regular English class to an honors English class by earning a 90 average, and by exhibiting those behaviors that bode well for success in a higher level class.

Honors Government

The Honors US Government class, like the regular US Government class, surveys the construction and function of the U.S. Government, with emphasis on the US Constitution. However, this class also delves into the philosophical underpinnings that lead to the construction of our government. There is much reading, most of which is from original sources, as well as classroom discussion.

This class requires a B average and permission of the instructor, based upon extra writing assignments for prospective honors students given on U.S. History tests.

At DBCS, we like to reward students who are willing to put forth a consistent effort. Scripture teaches much about the value of work and effort. At DBCS, it has been our observation that students who learn good work habits are most often successful in future endeavors. It is for that reason that we like to reward hard work, and give students an opportunity to experience upward mobility from the fruits of their labors. That's how it frequently works in real life!

All Honors courses are weighted by adding .5 to the earned grade-point for that class, per semester.